2014-01-01 - Thursday - Happy New Year!

As 2014 comes to a close it's time to reflect on the many things that have happened this year.

Our children are excelling in school. They both made the dean's list in the same semester. We're very proud.

We had lots of snow (for here) last winter.
The neighbor's tree landed on our fence narrowly missing my van.
We built a screened porch.
Our nephew Ryan graduated from high school.
I landscaped around our new porch with native ferns.
We went to Rehoboth Beach, DE for the second summer.
We went to Asheville twice for Karen's work.
Went back to Asheville to celebrate Stephanie's birthday.

I made empty bowls.
I attended the Akira Satake workshop at Clayworks.
I made empty bowls.
Attended the Carolina Clay Matters Josh DeWeese workshop at CPCC.
Made empty bowls.
Made hand print pots.
Made empty bowls.
Participated in a wood firing.
Attended the Empty Bowls event.
Attended the Matt Jones lecture at the Mint Museum on the state of the craft movement.
Attended a meet the artist lunch at Elder Gallery with Peter Callas and Warner Hyde.
Attended the Hickory show with Ju-Ian.
We fired the brand new salt kiln at Clayworks.
Attended the Carolina Clay Matters Jim Connell workshop at CPCC.
Sold pots (and got very wet) at two Carolina Clay Matters Pottery Festivals.
Sold pots at the second annual Indian Trail Cultural Arts Center sale.
Attended the Clayworks annual fundraiser (the best yet!).
Set up a shop at Ballantyne Village to sell pots.
Went to the NC Pottery Center in Seagrove.
Attended a lunch with the artists at Elder Gallery with Larry Horowitz.
Participated in Flood the Streets with Art by leaving some of my tea bowls around town for people to find.
Attended the Val Cushing video and discussion with Herb Cohen at the Mint Museum.
Demoed at the Clayworks holiday sale.
Had my holiday sale.

Oh, and I wrote a bunch of code and made a lot of pots in between all of those things.

People and things are propelled forever forward. Whether we're ready for it or not, we are consistently pushed into the future.

Stephanie only has one more semester before she graduates from college(!). Meredith has one more semester left in her sophomore year. Were does the time go?

2015 is shaping up to be an outstanding year full of exciting changes and lots of growth in many different areas.

I hope yours is the same.

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2014-12-16 - Tuesday - New pots

Tuesday I played with some new forms and had some fun. I think the one on the right looks like a penguin.

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2014-12-15 - Monday - Leaves and pots

Monday I couldn't miss the leaf staining on the patio so I grabbed a couple of shots. I really like these patterns.

Monday night I went to Clayworks and finally trimmed the pots I made in the demo on 12/5. New shapes, new surfaces, new directions.

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2014-12-13 - Saturday - Goneaway Pottery Holiday Sale

Saturday was the annual Goneaway Pottery Holiday Sale. Several of my friends joined me for the annual shindig. As you can see from the photos it was a beautiful sunny day unlike last year's constant cold drizzle.

It was a good day with a steady stream of customers and many friends stopping by to hang out in the sun and visit. We had some canvas chairs set up in the driveway and there weren't many times they were empty. It always makes me feel good when friends visit and linger, and Saturday was no exception. Even Herb Cohen and Jose Fumero stopped by and sat for a while. To say I was honored would be an understatement. You can read more about Herb and Jose here.

Elaine.

Susan.

Kim.

Ju-Ian.

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2014-12-12 - Friday - Holiday Sale Setup

Friday night I spent several hours in the garage getting it ready for the holiday sale. I organized a lot of stuff and hang drop cloths on the walls. Next I set up my display. I really like the transformation from ordinary garage to pottery showroom even if it's only once a year.

Here are some before and after photos around the garage.

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2014-12-07 - Sunday - Stephanie's Birthday Part 2

On Sunday we left for home after taking Stephanie to breakfast at the school cafeteria.

Karen and Stephanie in a spirited conversation.

Mother and daughter.

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2014-12-06 - Saturday - Stephanie's Birthday

Saturday we drove toward Star, NC to check out the glass ornament sale at STARworks. We were running late and by the time the folks at STARworks had time to call us back we found out the event was over. Since we were almost there when we got the news we went on to Seagrove and visited the NC Pottery Center.

From there it was off to Asheville, NC to meet Stephanie and her boyfriend Brett for her birthday. We met at the Tupelo Honey Cafe where we enjoyed a very nice meal. After dinner we went on to Cullowhee for birthday cake with her roommates and then to the motel.

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2014-12-05 - Friday - Elder Gallery, Larry Horowitz, Clayworks Holiday Sale & Open House

Friday started out at the Elder Gallery for part of the Lunch with the Artist series with Larry Horowitz. It was a great talk with Mr. Horowitz showing us his handmade pastels and explaining how he makes them. He told us about being Wolf Kahn's assistant for several years when he started out. He works mainly in pastels and oils and many of his works were on display. I really like his work and I've been a fan of Wolf Kahn's for several years.

Let me take a moment to extol the virtues of the Lunch with the Artist series at Elder Gallery. It's a wonderful way to find out about an artist you may not be aware of or find out more about an artist you already follow. The hour gives them a chance to share their inspirations, processes, and philosophy of their work. At ten dollars, it's a very affordable way to expose yourself to some great art and insights.

Larry Elder introducing Larry Horowitz.

Larry Horowitz discussing his work.

In the evening it was over to Clayworks for the annual Holiday Sale & Open House. Our studio artists spent the day arranging their work in the gallery and the studio. It really is quite a transformation into a ceramic wonderland. My friend Sylvia Cobb was kind enough to share some of her photos of the setup and the event.

For the last several years I have done demos during Friday night. I enjoy throwing, talking to people, and answering questions as I work. I am grateful to everyone at Clayworks for allowing me to do the demos.

Kary Coke with some of his work.

Ralph Mello and his creations.

Ju-Ian Shen's work.

Jeff Pender's sculptures.

Hannah putting on the finishing touches.

Ju-Ian with her work.

Greg Scott's work.

Greg and Hannah discussing her work.

Herb Cohen and Jose Fumero.

Herb and Jose visiting with yours truly.

Jack, Ju-Ian, and Karen with Ju-Ian's piece they purchased.

Life imitating art.

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know I love photo series. In this one I caught Ansley was clowning with me while she helped out at the wrapping station with Elaine. The series speaks for itself as she goes from her usual angelic smile to complete mock contempt. (at least I hope it's mock!)

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2014-12-01 - Monday - Val Cushing, Leaves, and pots

On Monday I went to the Mint Museum for a talk and video presentation from Herb Cohen about his friend, the late Val Cushing. It was a moving and informative session made better by Herb's personal recollections about his friend and classmate.

In the late afternoon I went outside to clean up some of the leaves that we are blessed with every autumn. For some reason the blower did not have the usual power. When I removed the tube I found a large chunk of something hard blocking the air flow. I removed it and when I flipped it over I found the whole ring around the impeller filled with the same substance. Since this blower also works as a vacuum I realized that the debris was composed of ground up leaves and mud. I took quite a bit of work to break it up and remove it and I realized this would have made a great building material for a mud hut.

I am happy to report that since removing the dried mud the blower is back to full strength.

While I like the patterns the leaves made on our
new concrete, I am going to clean it and seal it
in the spring.

More leaf patterns.

On Monday night a slid into Clayworks to get some work done. I am trying to branch out into new forms and processes so I made these.

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2014-11-27 - Thursday - Thanksgiving and Flood the Streets with Art

Thursday we enjoyed a family Thanksgiving with everyone at home for the day. Since I cooked a turkey, we did not attend the Charlotte Thanksgiving Day Parade as we have done in years past. That gave us more quiet time together, which was nice.

It was a good day with our daughters coming in from the NC mountains and Pennsylvania for the holiday. We laughed and ate a huge meal before crashing on the couch to watch some television. A classic American Thanksgiving.

On Thursday night I went out and placed some of my cups around town to celebrate Flood the Streets with Art.  A movement started by Scott Wong in Wisconsin that protests Black Friday and all the craziness that it entails.  Scott thought if we could leave random art around for people to take home for free it might make a difference in their holidays.

I picked some cups and spread them around south Charlotte under the cloak of night. It was very clandestine and I enjoyed the idea of random people finding my work and taking it home to use. I plan on doing more next year.