5 questions: Punk Mommy Pottery and More

This weeks feature artist is not only an exceptional artist but also a good friend in real life. Once upon a time Auvery, of PunkMommy went to the same art program as I did at Red Deer College. So I have had first hand experience of both her process and her personality and a few of her and her husband's beautiful peices in my personal collection to prove it.

As is often the case, after our program ended we went our separate ways, she married the big mountain of a farmer/sculpture/clay artist from the year ahead of ours, and together they started Reid Road Studios in Ponoka Alberta. Through the magic of social networking sites (thank you facebook) and the fabulous community that is Etsy; we've reconnected again.

On my recent trip back to Alberta I had hoped to drop in on Auvery and her family, but time constraints (trips to our home province are chock full of visiting family and more visiting family) as well as an exciting new addition to Auvery's family altered our plans. Auvery, her husband Joe and their son Koda brought home their new son Grant while we were in Alberta and I thought it would be best to take a rain check and visit on our next trip, when her now expanded family will have had a chance to bond and become settled.

While I was happy for Auvery and her growing family I was a little bummed that I didn't get a chance to see her studio first hand. I've seen photographs and their studio is stunning and makes me a little green with envy. It's a nice shade of green though; it brings out my eyes and makes my hair look shinier and it has more to do with how amazing I think their space is and the work that they do in it is .

Auvery's Etsy shop Punkmommy is full of work that really shows off the playful and experimental talent I remember seeing way back when. To keep up with what's happening at Reid Road Studios you can join the Reid Road Studios Group on facebook where Auvery and Joe often post photographs of their new work; it's worth a visit. If you are fortunate enough to be in Central Alberta, you can see her work in person in the Gallery on Main in Lacombe, plus she and her husband Joe's work can also be seen at the Alberta Craft Council Gallery in Edmonton in a show called "Hitched at the ACC" the theme is couples who work in craft together which sums up her marriage in a nice neat package.

I know you're itching to see what she had to say so here goes:

What’s the best thing about being an artist?

the best thing about being an artist is... all the extra cash it brings in..
not...it's not the money at all...it's building on a spark of skill I had naturally (a person would do much better financially with computer skills or even nun chuck skills) and sharing that...as it grows it will be great to be my own boss and work from home to be around my kids

What life or art lesson have you learned that has shaped your work?

life lesson...learning the realities of my personality through seeing myself in my work...i can only work in certain ways with certain results,trying to be someone else or please others is like swimming upstream and when i've made something honest i see myself in the work, it's not always what i want to admit, but i learn



Do you listen to music when you create? If yes, what's on your play list right now and why?

i love to work to music...i play typically ambient/chick music...i love to have it loud but not overly distracting.
i especially love-Neko Case
-Sinead O'Connor
-Neil Young
-Enigma
-Sigur Ros
-Bjork



What is your ultimate creator’s block cure?

creators block...from time to time (OK...a lot) i suffer from lack of motivation more than block really...life gets in the way of studio time...kids, laundry, time with my hubby etc. nothing fires me up like seeing other peoples craft and art in person...perusing the web is great but looking at object up close is really awesome

Which Children's book character would you be and why?

the childrens book character that came first to me was Ramona Quimby...if i remember correctly she was trying to maneuver in the strange world of adults in her own super clever way and things just didn't work out...like nobody got where she was coming from..i feel like that every day! or i would like just a couple of days as sleeping beauty

A close one.

So Monday morning we are all sound asleep. Visions of a day of packing and playgroup were bouncing around in my head, a week of work and last minute moving details in the husbands and whatever Miranda dreams about in hers. Then screams and the fire alarm.

Apparently I jumped out of bed said "that's the fire alarm, we have to leave" I ran to the Peanut's room, collected her blanket wrapped body up, then back to our bedroom, pulled on the first robe that came to my hand and slipped on shoes. The husband in jammer bottoms put on his coat and we opened the door. Smoke.

I closed the door looked at the husband and then ducked down and made a dash for the stairs. The fire was across and one door down from us. The stairs right around the corner. we headed down the stairs and out the front door at a half run. Out onto the front lawn and then across the street, where I stood and watched a dull glow in our neighbors bedroom turn into leaping flames. Watched the glass crack and break and smoke and flames escape.

Thankfully we had police, fire and emergency services on the scene within minutes. by the time the glass was breaking from the heat, firetrucks and men were setting up hoses and taking aim. No one was hurt. Everyone in the building got out safely and quickly. No one stopped to grab anything but themselves and loved ones.

I remember at once the sound of the fire and that it all seemed to happen in silence with quick bursts of sounds. I was in a bubble with my baby in my arms safe, watching the possibility of losing everything else.

It's been a rough few days, waiting for details, waiting for the OK to go back in, waiting for the building manager to bring out a few things, waiting again for the OK to go in, waiting for the insurance adjuster to let us know what they'll do for us, waiting to see the doctor about the cough the husband, the Peanut and I have now. Waiting to see a councilor to help us deal with everything. Waiting for Grandma to come.

It's been a rough few days of phone calls. making them, taking them. Family wanting to know we are OK. Friends wanting to know what happened.

It's been a few days of feeling blessed that we are all together, that things weren't worse, that we got out so quickly. It's been a few days of reliving moments of shock, of picturing all the things described above. It's been a few days of gratitude for the kindness of friends and strangers. The fireman who gave the Peanut a stuffed dalmatian that morning. The second fireman who went into our home to bring out wallet, keys and glasses, who brought down the Peanut's stroller too. To the neighbor who gave us a pair of socks to put on the Peanut's bare feet. To the staff of the Fatburger who opened their doors to us, gave us coffee, toast and pancakes and juice. To our good friends who opened their house to us. To our friends at the Peanut's playgroup who were so happy to see us and hear we were OK, who gifted the Peanut with one of her favourite playgroup toys (a bean bag turtle) when they heard she had no comfort toys with her. The extra grocery store gift certificates gifted to us by our playgroup friends.

It's been a few days of planning for the future, our new place. Planning measures to keep us safe in the next place. fire extinguishers, roll-up ladders, emergency case with important documents. Planning ways to feel empowered rather than helpless.