2010-09-22 Wednesday - Studio

Wednesday night I got some things back from the kilns and was very pleased with them.  I had some boxes I made in cone 5 little loafers, and an orangestone pot from the cone 10 gas kiln.  The cone 10 pot was the first one on which I tried making leaves and I was pleased with the effect.  I also started a new series of orangestone pots most of which I altered after throwing them.

New pots.

Look, they have lids.

Detail of the leaf.

New pots.

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2010-09-20 Monday - Supper

Monday I cooked a nice meal of pasta, shrimp, kale, peas, and grape tomatoes in olive oil, butter, and garlic.  It was wonderful and everyone seemed to like it (well, parts of it at least).  I liked it all.

A feast.

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2010-09-17 Friday - Around town

Catching up again.  Life has been coming at me too quickly to keep up here, but I'll try to catch up and stay there.

Friday night I went back to Gallery 360 for Greg Scott's opening.  It was a good time, many Clayworks people came to lend support and he made some sales.  I didn't take any pictures this time as I took a lot on my last visit and I didn't bring my camera.

After the opening, a bunch of us went to the Double Door to see Gigi Dover and the Big Love for their CD release party for "The Avocado Sessions".  It was a blast and the band was dead on.  They played the songs from their new album and did a great cover of Ode to Billy Joe with a sitar.  I'll never listen to that song the same way again.

Another reason to see the band is that my friend Kim's son Andrew plays percussion for them.  Andrew was great and he danced the whole time he was playing the congas, kettle drum, tambourine, and several instruments I'm not sure what to call.

Gigi and Eric.

Gigi Dover.

Eric Lovell playing sitar.

Andrew Marcadis.

Andrew having fun.

Fred and Becky.

Me and Cary.

Me and Gigi.

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2010-09-18 Saturday - Studio time

I went to Clayworks on Saturday and got into a groove making crackle pots.  These pots take several steps:

1. Throw a cylinder
2. Set it in front of a fan to dry the surface
3. Paint on some slip
4. Set it in front of a fan to dry the surface
5. Spray it with a water/sodium silicate solution
6. Set it in front of a fan to dry the surface
7. Push it out from the inside
8. Throw the rim

I have found it helpful to put a wet paper towel on the rim while the pot sits in front of the fan.

I decided to try dipping some of the necks in white slip as a variation.  It could offer some interesting possibilities for glazing and decorating. 

I will spray these pots with some oxides and usually a very light spray of glaze such as amber celadon or temoku or even alfred blue.

I was very pleased with the three on the left with white slip as they are very light, possibly the lightest pots of their size I have ever thrown.

"Crackle" pots.

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2010-09-13 Monday - Morning backyard

Monday I was outside early at about 7:00 am and got some shots of the backyard in that special morning light.  As usual, I tried to look closely at the details since there is so much to see in our little 1/3 acre.  The only thing we have more of in our yard than squirrels is spiders so it was easy to spot the fruits of their labors.  I even took a short video of the spider lines on the grass shimmering in the breeze, but the real reason I was out that early was to put the pork roast on the grill for some (extremely) slow cooking.  Sometimes you just need an excuse to enjoy the day outside of your regular schedule.

BTW, the roast came out great and I will be doing that again.

Maples in the yard.

Look closely...

... yep, there is a little spider condo.

The last geranium of summer.

(The squirrels killed the rest.)

The reason for the morning out.

Spider lines in the grass.

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2010-09-11 Saturday - Mint Museum Potters Invitational

Saturday saw the return of the Mint Museum Potters Invitational.  Some of the best potters in the state are invited to attend and I look forward to it every year.  I didn't get to meet everyone, but here are a few of the folks I got to talk to.

Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke of Bulldog Pottery.

Terry Gess.

Mike Ball of Riverbirch Pottery.

David Stuempfle's pottery...

... and David.

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2010-09-05 Sunday - Barrel Firing

Sunday was a barrel and raku firing with Becky and Kim.  The firing had the usual mixed results.  After we got the barrel going I got a lot of glazing done.

The barrel starts burning.

Becky breaking up cow pies for the fire.

Pretty tough cow pies.

Ta-Da!

Our clay came in for the next session.

(We use a lot of clay.)

My glazing.

My palate, a dollar store plate.

(Apparently I was thinkin' Arby's.)

More glaze work.

I put more wire on my sutured pot.

A short video of the barrel.

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2010-09-03 Friday - Backyard

I walked out Friday and found this under the railing on the back deck.  It's amazing for several reasons when you stop and think about it.

A creature the size of the fingernail on my little finger not only has all the organs it needs to be autonomous, but has a brain that can create such an intricate structure.  Whether it's created with conscious thought or whether the design is imprinted on it's nervous system is irrelevant.  It still comes from that tiny living, breathing being which makes it pretty amazing.

This web has the structure and elasticity it needs to capture prey.  It can lose pieces without losing it's functionality.  It can be recycled and remade in a matter of hours.  It's beautiful to behold.

Oh, and it can be used to make bullet-proof vests.

Pretty amazing stuff.

All natural art.

No preservatives.

No hormones.

No antibiotics.

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2010-08-31 Tuesday - Independent Study Ends

I finished up some of my last pieces in my 2010 Summer Independent Study session.  It was one of the hottest summer sessions I have ever attended and I lost weight each time I entered the studio (until I went home and drank some water...).  I trimmed my small lidded pieces, some teardrop closed forms, and some tiny bowls.  Overall, it was a good session and I got a lot accomplished, as well as examined and changed my clay philosophy.  More on that later.

Trimmed pieces.

Nice foot.

Something about a calendar created on a whiteboard

that speaks of the fleeting nature of time.

Ack!  Who knew that was coming so soon?

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2010-08-28 Saturday - Here and there

Saturday I went to Clayworks (hey, I said it was Saturday!) and met Becky and Kim there.  Becky and I decided to go down to the Eight Legs Gallery and retrieve some pieces we put there a year ago.  Due to the bad economy nothing had sold, but we will give it another try when things get better.  The folks at Eight Legs are very nice and they have a great space there.  Kim decided to go with us and we made it a road trip.

On the way back we took a different route due to heavy traffic and at one point took a wrong turn onto Potter Road.  How appropriate.  We got back on track, had lunch, and headed back to the studio.

I made some small pieces and then it was home to get ready for the Panthers game against the Titans.  A friend had given me tickets that he wasn't using.  The family enjoyed the game and the experience of taking the train and just being in the stadium.

A good Saturday overall.

A road.

Some pots.

Some more.

Some fans.

Some players.

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