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Welcome to my new website

Posted on 23 September 2019

Thanks for your patience while I make it pretty!

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Author: niceassets

Kia ora, I'm Nicole of Nice Assets Workshop. I put the ‘fun’ in functional ceramics with sustainable and socially conscious ideology underpinning my pottery.

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Lol teaching pottery is so great People will be al

Lol teaching pottery is so great
People will be all ‘does this look right to you?’
And I can say something like ‘I dunno, maybe try putting some boobs on it?’
And they’ll be like ‘yeah whoa well you’re the expert probably a good idea’

And maybe I get to witness the birth of an artiste?
Though tbh feelings of jealousy start emerging when I think the student could go on to surpass the master!

But pottery is really hard and kilns are expensive so you have to be either wealthy and/or an insane glutton for punishment to carry on with it so it hasn’t happened so far. And if it ever does I hope I can put my petty insecurities aside and be happy for them 😂

Other teaching bonuses:

- I get to pull out jokes from @adaptive_operations circa 2001 like ‘Why couldn’t Mozart find his teacher? ‘ ‘He was Hyden’ to somebody named Hyden and they have actually never heard it before! 🤯
- I learn about things like reverse oat milk macchiato (lol what?)
- lots of butt plug jokes
- cats all over Wellington now are being forced to eat out of wonky handmade cat bowls giving me the upper hand in my secret war against cats

#potterytips #putboobsonit #claywork #ceramics #abstractsculpture #lifelonglearning #potteryishard #failagainfailbetter

These were a special commission but I made a few e

These were a special commission but I made a few extras 💙
Should I make more?!

#ceramicsoapdish #nzpottery

I’ve got a couple of cute last minute Mother’s

I’ve got a couple of cute last minute Mother’s Day pressies in stock and ready to pick up if you are in Pōneke!

I actually just sent my mum a pink one of these 😂

And more non-boob mugs if you want to pop by and have a look!

#boobmugs #pottery #feministart #iloveboobs

I have been getting a lot of enquires lately about

I have been getting a lot of enquires lately about courses, workshops and lesson vouchers for the next few months.

Unfortunately my workshop is just too difficult to heat and I am closing my teaching studio from Queen’s birthday, and fully booked until then (except for a few spots in the Mother’s Day workshop this weekend!).

The building is scheduled for demolition in October (the landlord plans to build townhouses) so unfortunately I can’t confirm the likelihood of offering more lessons in the spring. There is a chance that the demolition will be delayed, but the landlord hasn’t given us any updates other than the most recent which is that she still plans to start demolition in October and we have to be out before then.

So here is a throw back to 2016 when I started building my home studio by getting a wheel and taking over a corner of the workshop full of boxes and and industrial sewing machines. I remember taking this photo thinking that after 5 years of hobby pottery at the local club I could finally call myself a real artist with a home studio 🎨

It’s been a great space while I’ve had it and though I’ll be sad to go I’m looking forward to living in a real house where it doesn’t rain in the kitchen 😂

And watch this space for details on our massive garage sale and demolition party!!

I’ve got room to have a small studio for myself in our new house and between my 2 pretty full-on day jobs and my own ceramics work I am looking forward to a break from teaching. Don’t get me wrong I have really enjoyed teaching! I sincerely thank everyone who has booked a lesson with me or come to one of my classes or workshops 🙏 but working 70 hours a week has really started to take its toll and I’m looking forward to slowing down over winter 😅 so you’ll still see work from me, and maybe even more of it! But sadly I won’t be available for lessons for the foreseeable future… check out @karlamarie_ceramics and @innercityartstudio or get in touch if you’d like to hire a pottery wheel! Or buy one of my ‘hand job’ clay kits to work on at home!

#pottery #hustle #workshop #studio #capitalgains #eattherich #tbt #artist

💙 NEW GLAZE 💙 Check out that barium blue! Th

💙 NEW GLAZE 💙
Check out that barium blue! Thanks @ceramicmaterialsworkshop for demystifying barium and opening up a whole new spectrum of colours for me!!
And don’t believe what they tell you, barium is perfectly safe to use in glazes! (just don’t eat it in its raw form 😂)

This is on a thrown @macs.mud classic white clay body 💙

Look out for more pieces featuring this fluoro hue coming soon!

#bariumblue #ceramicglaze #nzpottery #studiopottery #colouredglazes #colorfulhome

🌮 50 VULVA PLATES 🌮 I spent all of last win

🌮 50 VULVA PLATES 🌮

I spent all of last winter working on this top-secret project for @lashingsfood and @wellyonaplate 🤫

I’ve been dying to share this project since then but the event was unfortunately postponed due to Covid. @lashingsfood recently shared the news that they will be closing and sadly that means the event which had been rescheduled for later this year has been cancelled 😭

While these plates won’t get to be used for their original purpose you can own one (or a set!) to use at home, at the office, at your next dinner party, or school bake sale? The options are limitless!

So get in quick and snag a vulva plate over at @lashingsfood 💕

Like vulvas, each one is unique 😎
Getting all these plates made, dried, glazed and twice fired on a deadline was a mission - I created a GANTT chart and everything to make sure I stayed on track. I pulled the last plates out of the kiln and dropped them off at Lashings HQ the day before I flew to the USA in the middle of a pandemic. It was a labour of love - such a great opportunity and I can’t thank @lashingsfood enough!And the mystery person who suggested me to them… ! if it was you please let us know in the comments!! ❤️

#feministart #vulvaart #potteryispolitical #sculpture #nzpottery #ceramicsnz #stoneware

🎬 A little real time throwing video 🎬 Here

🎬 A little real time throwing video 🎬

Here is a snippet of me making 12 mugs and a planter in 30 mins 😅 …on my lunch break today between meetings.

Usually throwing is fun and relaxing for me but lately I’ve just been having to cram so much into my days it’s more of a chore than a joy.
Looking forward to things quieting down a bit over winter and getting back into the rhythm of making mindfully and joyfully again.

#speedthrowing #wheelthrowing #handthrown #stoneware #nzpottery #ceramicmugs

Tits out for the boys! And girls! And non-binary!

Tits out for the boys!
And girls!
And non-binary!
Somehow I managed to schedule 3 boob mug workshops within 4 days of each other 😂
After a marathon glazing session and 3 kiln firings they are all ready to show themselves off ✨

So enjoy this lovely rainbow of boob mugs made by lots of awesome people !

Tag yourself below if you spot one of your creations!
#boobmugs #potteryworkshop #pottery #stoneware #wheenthrown #tits #boobs #breasts #funbags #jugs

✨new mugs now in my shop ✨ Pōneke folx can al

✨new mugs now in my shop ✨
Pōneke folx can always pick up for free from my workshop - just select that option at checkout 😎

#nzpottery #wheelthrown #stoneware #readersareleaders

💕 mothers day workshops 💕 Have fun making p

💕 mothers day workshops 💕

Have fun making pottery pieces for Mother’s day on Sunday 8 May!

Bring a friend, your mum, a child, a date, whoever you want to celebrate with! Or come on your own and make a piece to send to your momma (if like me your mama lives far far away 😢)

Choose from a handbuilding workshop for ages 6+ or wheelthrowing for ages 14+ 😎

More details on my website 💝 link in bio!

https://niceassets.co.nz/product/mothers-day-with-clay/

#loveyourmother #potteryworkshop

Unintentional chattering but I don’t hate it #t

Unintentional chattering but I don’t hate it
#trimming #turning #ceramicbowl #workinprogress #stoneware #wheelthrown #pottery #chattering

Going away for the long weekend? Don’t forget yo

Going away for the long weekend?
Don’t forget your keep cup!
Just because you’re away from home doesn’t mean single use is ok!
I have a bunch of these available in my ‘Te-Whanganui-a-Tara’ colour way, each one is magically unique! HMU if you want to check them out 🔮

Made with 100% NZ clay from my friends @macs.mud 💕

#keepcups #ceramickeepcups #takeawaythrowaways #stoneware #wheelthrown #colorfulhome #potteryglazes

Sisters not twins plant pots 🧡💖 Loving this

Sisters not twins plant pots 🧡💖
Loving this colour combo! I might start making more of these for those of you with greener thumbs than me 😎
#nzpottery #wheelthrown #stoneware
#ceramicplanter #planters #colorfulhome #homedecor #orangeandpink #pinkandorange

I didn’t like this vase when it first came out a

I didn’t like this vase when it first came out a kiln a few months ago. Now I realise all it was missing was a beautiful bouquet of @loosebloomsnz flowers from @veronicadesignlife 💐
I was lucky enough to score one of the last bunches of the season grown in Mirimar! 🙏
Looking forward to more beautiful colour next spring!
#floraldesign #lovewelly #vase #vasearrangement #homegrownflowers #nzpottery #wheelthrown #stoneware #wheelthrownvase #ceramics

Finished a challenging commission from @galletatio

Finished a challenging commission from @galletation today!
These 8 customised hand thrown large dinner plates required quite a lot of patience to make and get through the kiln.

They are approximately 27cm in diameter and use about 2kgs of @macsmud classic white clay each which required being thrown on batts to remove from the wheel.

I usually avoid throwing on batts as much as possible - my wheel doesn’t have batt pins and I find no matter what kind of chuck I throw the batts slip around while centring and cause me never ending headaches.

Also I hardly ever work with white clay so I had to be very careful keeping my work areas clean and free from my usual buff coloured clays.

This was just the throwing stage - trimming took equally long and presented it’s own challenges involving lots of time and patience 😎 it’s really heartbreaking to lose a piece at the trimming stage by being clumsy and I was very lucky to have all 8 plates survive.

I actually threw a 9th plate as a back up, assuming I would have at least 1 crack during drying. Of course it was actually the 9th one I broke during drying by dropping another piece of green ware on it 😭

The drying stage also took a long time - and a lot of space! I didn’t want to stack them because I didn’t want to risk cracking.

Bisquing was relatively drama-free but again I didn’t want to over stack and cause stress cracks as the clay expands and contracts in the kiln so they took multiple kiln loads to get through.

Luckily again they all survived the bisque without cracks! 🙏

I had done quite a bit of pre-making glaze testing and consultation with @galletation who was very patient with me getting all my tests out of the kiln. So glazes went on pretty smoothly!

…But the actual glost firing was another story! I could only fit 1 plate per kiln shelf because they are so big! So it took me 4ish firings to get all 8 through the kiln. I’m honestly amazed they all survived but I was really careful, didn’t rush, and it paid off!
Normally I am not so slow or careful and often it bites me in the ass. 😂 Maybe one day I’ll learn to just slow down in all things? Lol

I’m ready to tackle a full dinner set next!!

⚡️ G I V E A W A Y C L O S E D⚡️ Congrats

⚡️ G I V E A W A Y C L O S E D⚡️
Congrats @jennymcevatt 💕💕💕
Some things I can’t control but I do believe each of has the power to make small changes and be champions or change makers in our communities/networks/whānau. I feel inspired by the work people like @uyo.forever.ok and @therubbishtrip are doing and it’s helped me feel more confident about starting conversations about making low waste choices in the most loving and non-judgemental way I can!
Right now NZers have the opportunity to make submissions on a proposed bottle return scheme that has the potential to dramatically reduce the amount of plastic waste and pollution in this country.

So to win one of these takeaway cups (including postage in NZ) head over to @kiwibottledrive and click the link in their bio to make a submission to support a beverage Container Return Scheme for Aotearoa ❤️

Make a submission, comment below, and tag a friend who also should make a submission and be in to win a takeaway cup of your choice!

Giveaway closes 8 May - the same day as submissions close 💕

🥳

Maybe I’ll start making bad art now Not that my

Maybe I’ll start making bad art now
Not that my art was ever good

#nzpottery #eattherich #selfloathing #colorfulhome #whiteprivelege

Celebrating today with some avocado on toast 🥑

Celebrating today with some avocado on toast 🥑
By some weird miracle as of yesterday I am officially a homeowner and no this is not an April fool’s joke!
I fully acknowledge the role my white privilege has played in this and still am really struggling with feeling like a class traitor buying into a system profiting off stolen land. But really we all just want housing security and in our current system that’s unachievable without owning property.
So while I struggle with all these conflicting feelings also part of me is a bit proud of achieving this all on my own, without any intergenerational wealth or income other that what I have earned myself. I didn’t think it could be done in the current housing situation and had all but given up hope but then the market took a turn and now I am the custodian of a beautiful cottage built over 120 years ago on the first street I ever lived in New Zealand (12 years ago!).

Also huge thanks to everybody who came and did a pottery lesson or took a class with me or bought one of my pieces, I couldn’t have done this without you! Oh and the privilege that allowed me to study forever and get paid to do a PhD and then get some well paid jobs based on the prestige of those degrees.
I feel really lucky to have fallen in love with clay 10 years ago and what started as an expensive hobby has turned into a really lucrative side-hustle for me… not something I ever expected or wanted.
While this is super exciting I don’t want to glorify my lifestyle which is currently working 60+ hours a week and monetising every spare second of my life because: capitalism. Housing insecurity made me do it.
So I am looking forward to taking a step away from teaching in June and getting back to making just for the joy of being creative, what got me into clay to start with. And looking forward to setting up a new little studio in Aro valley next year!

I have so enjoyed getting to know people through pottery and teaching and I hope to carry on in some way in the future. For now I am looking to rent out this beautiful little cottage until our place gets demolished in October so hmu if you’re interested!
#avocadotoast #housingisahumanright #pottery

Office shoes (l) vs workshop shoes (r) In case you

Office shoes (l) vs workshop shoes (r)
In case you missed it I have a new job! I am now part of the @toi_whakaari whānau in the *new* role of library & research coordinator!

So I have returned to academia after an absence of 6ish years and for the first time I am working in the arts 💕 and a leadership role! 😬 The first few days I felt pretty overwhelmed but I’m feeling more girl boss vibes this week. I am a competent human right?! 💪

Even though I am a practicing visual artist I have no formal training in the arts (other than 1 art history course in my undergrad a million years ago!).

I have lots of other qualifications but in art I am pretty much self-taught and oh yeah also know basically nothing about performing arts so I’m in for a huge learning curve 😎 but I already feel like this might be my dream job with some really amazing people 🥳

I’ve been wfh since August but starting this new role means I’m going into Te Whaea most days and I am trying really hard to get into the habit of immediately changing my shoes when I get home. It’s my goal to have just 1️⃣ pair of shoes not covered in glaze or clay.

How long do you think it will last?!

And never fear my NLNZ pals I am still working my old job part-time because I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to National Library. So I guess this takes me up to 4 jobs if you count pottery teaching and then my own work & commissions on top of that (because I do think they are 2 quite separate but related things). 😅

But hey you know I like to keep busy 🥳

#sleepwhenimdead #academia #hustle #sliponshoes #potterystudio #reclaimed #clayrecycling #docs #methodologyqueen #girlboss #lovelibraries @snagtights

In my 20s I attended University of Illinois at Chi

In my 20s I attended University of Illinois at Chicago and lived on the south side of Chicago in the Pilsen neighbourhood, and regularly travelled through the Little Italy area of the city.
One of my favourite memories of that time is the end of summer when Mario’s Italian Lemonade stand would have the peach flavour. Holy fuck that shit was so good.
I was lucky enough to get to go to Mario’s this year but it was July and a bit too early in the northern hemisphere summer for the peach flavour! So I decided to attempt making my own with the last of this summer’s produce.
Basically you just wazz up some ice, lemon, sugar syrup, and fresh peach, then freeze it for an hour or so.
Really simple but SO DELICIOUS!
I make these little bowls as demo pieces fairly often, and they are really good for ice cream or other sweet treats.
For this Italian lemonade I used about 2 cups of ice, a few tbs of sugar syrup, 1 whole lemon, and half a peach, but you can adjust as needed 😉
#cooking #recipes #italianlemonade #mariositalianlemonade #uicalumni #littleitalychicago #pilsenchicago #stoneware #wheelthrown

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