jbf times

January 15 - Pots, bowls, and good friends

2012-01-16T21:43:00.000-05:00

Sunday I made two more craggy crunch pots and six more bowls for Second Harvest Food Bank Empty Bowls. The studio was crowded and I got to see a lot of friends while working on my pots.

Later, we met some friends at Buca di Beppo for a great dinner and some overdue catching up. We all ate more than we needed to, and then Meredith ordered a "colossal brownie sundae". Although several of us had some of it, we still left some in the bowl.

January 14 - More new work

2012-01-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

I made three pots on Saturday, these two and one I gave to Becky to be decorated with her cave art. I think it's been way too long since she's done any cave art so I hope the new pot helps her find her inspiration again.

These pots are made of craggy crunch and are becoming very traditional shapes. I don't want to get too mired in the same old shapes so I hope to be diverging from these forms soon. I have some ideas for new work that I am still thinking through. Stay tuned.

January 11 - Pots

2012-01-16T21:40:00.001-05:00

Wednesday I trimmed my first batch of bowls, threw some more, and made some pots. So much to do, so little time.

January 8 - Making empty bowls

2012-01-16T21:40:00.000-05:00

I started making empty bowls for the Second Harvest Food Bank Empty Bowls event. It's coming up on March 1st and we are making ~300 bowls for Clayworks' contribution.

Let the bowls begin!

December 31 - New Year's Eve

2012-01-16T21:37:00.000-05:00

New Year's Eve we had a great dinner at Scott's house. The table was elegantly set and we had a sort of tapas dinner with all types of good food. I didn't get any pictures while we were eating since I was way too busy eating the delicious food.

December 28 - The Perk

2012-01-16T12:41:00.000-05:00

The Perk is a small place in Perkasie, PA that we love to go to during our visits. The place is always jammed and it's no wonder since the food is amazing and quite reasonably priced. One of the things I always look forward to getting when we're there is the delicious onion soup. It's hard to beat.

Of course, the best part about going to the Perk is that we all go together as a family. It's always good food, good company, and good times --what the holidays are all about.

It tastes just as good as it looks!

Eleven of us at a long table.

December 25 - Christmas!

2012-01-16T12:35:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning we opened gifts and took a much-appreciated day off. It was nice to have the family together again since Stephanie came home from school for the holidays. We lounged around all day and had a nice dinner before getting ready to head to PA the next day.

December 24 - Christmas Eve

2012-01-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

On Christmas Eve afternoon I went to the studio to trim my yunomi. Clayworks was pretty empty, even for Christmas Eve and I got them finished pretty quickly.

After that I went home and moved some of the huge mulch pile in the front yard from our recent tree trimming, but there's still a lot to move.

December 22 - Federal Bureau of Rock and Roll

2012-01-15T23:11:00.000-05:00

My friend Jim and I went to the Double Door Inn to attend the 38th anniversary party which featured a reunion of the Federal Bureau of Rock and Roll. FBR&R were a staple in Charlotte in the eighties and I was there at the DDI most Sunday nights listening to them.

It was nice to see them still hitting all the notes and having as much fun as ever.

My buddy Jim.

Michael Federal.

Lenny Federal.

Their Mom.

The stage without the zoom.

December 21 - Birds

2012-01-11T01:29:00.000-05:00

I caught some birds trespassing in the yard and thought I'd take some photos to give to the police. I couldn't believe it, they acted like they owned the place. They were pecking holes in our trees and eating our bugs. Some of them were hopping about the yard flipping leaves over and eating bugs. These birds were eating all of our bugs.

The nerve.

December 31 - Another Year

2011-12-31T17:59:00.000-05:00

Another year has come and gone.

It seems like they are spinning out faster and faster, like an out-of-control carousel. Forget about grabbing at the brass ring, I’m just holding on tight as it wobbles and lurches off it’s axis. When I look around, the operator is nowhere to be found.

I seem to spend a lot of time chasing my life instead of living in it. It feels like I’m always paddling down the wave and never quite reaching the curl.

I don’t want to this to be a “woe is me” post. I just had to get that out there, but there have been many great things in my life this year.

I have work, and being self-employed, that’s a good thing. In possibly the worst recession we’ve experienced I have been busy throughout. Karen has a good job and likes what she does. Who can ask for more than that? Wait, there’s more...

Stephanie just finished her first semester in college and got all B’s (and a B+ in biology!). She has to work hard for each grade and in her words, “was chained to her desk”, in the dorm room while her friends bugged her to go out. It’s good to know she’s got her priorities figured out.

Meredith is in her junior year of high school and got all A’s and B’s for the first half. She doesn’t have to work as hard as Stephanie, but since she’s in honors classes she has had to work a bit harder than usual.

Need I say how proud we are of them? I think not --but I am anyway. :8^)

Both Karen’s and my families are doing well and are healthy. As everyone ages health becomes more and more of a concern and luckily everyone is going strong.

We have lots of wonderful friends with whom we enjoy spending time. If you’re reading this, you know who you are and we’ll be seeing you soon in 2012.

I’m more pleased than ever with my pottery. I think it’s going in new places and getting a bit of it’s own life. Onward and upward.

I am thankful for everything in 2011 and am looking forward to 2012.

I think this Scottish toast sums it up nicely:

May the best ye hae ivver seen be the warst ye'll ivver see.
May the moose ne'er lea' yer girnal wi a tear-drap in its ee.
May ye aye keep hail an hertie till ye'r auld eneuch tae dee.
May ye aye juist be sae happie as A wuss ye aye tae be.

The above, in translation, reads:

May the best you have ever seen be the worst you will ever see.
May the mouse never leave your grain store with a tear drop in its eye.
May you always stay hale and hearty until you are old enough to die.
May you still be as happy as I always wish you to be.

.

December 17 - Goneaway Pottery Holiday Sale

2011-12-31T17:48:00.000-05:00

Saturday was the annual Goneaway Pottery Holiday Sale and was the best one yet. Becky and Nic joined me for the day with their beautiful work. We had customers right from the opening and there was quite a bit of traffic in our garage throughout the day. As usual a lot of friends stopped by and spent some time visiting which is something I always look forward to.

The sale is held in our garage and as I always warn people, it's a 'working garage', so there are the usual garage-y items throughout. I keep thinking about getting some inexpensive fabric and draping the walls, but I always forget about it. Maybe next year...

I sold a lot of pots and lots of my seconds found new homes as well. There was good company, good music, warm weather, coffee and doughnut holes, and pizza for lunch. How can you not be joyous with all that going on?

Thanks to all who came out to purchase, browse, and visit. We enjoyed seeing you.

If you'd like to be notified of future sales, be sure to click the huge, orange 'Join My Mailing List' button on the right.

My work.

Becky and Jaime standing by Becky's birds on the left.
Nic's work is in the background.

Coffee and doughnut holes
(with a beautiful creamer from Hannah McAndrew).

The seconds shelves.

December 15 - Raku Firing

2011-12-24T02:43:00.000-05:00

On Thursday I assisted Greg with a raku firing at Central Cabarrus High School. I'm always amazed at the enthusiasm of the students. They are focused, intent, and involved in their art.

We were there early (yes, I was there early!) and spent the whole day firing the kiln. It was a windy day and the sun quickly retreated as the clouds banked in on us. There were several points during the day that we were glad to have the kiln to huddle around. Suddenly the sun would pop out and for a while all was well.

The students had some amazing results and their teacher, Ms. Dauphinais was understandably proud. Unfortunately I didn't get photos of most of the finished work because I was slack and it got packed up as soon as it was cool. I would have loved to share some of those pieces here.

If you ever need a boost in your creativity, or even your general attitude, go do a raku firing at a high school. You can't help but be energized by the experience.

Setup.

Briefing.

Brick pad to place hot pots.

Simple kiln with weed burner.

First load out.

Inside the kiln.

Teaching.

Dramatic results.

Sidewalk chalk during firing.

Next load waiting.

Waiting for the cans.

A sunny break in the clouds.

Greg talking to a student.

Smokin' cans.

Packing the pots.

December 14 - New Cups

2011-12-24T01:46:00.000-05:00

Wednesday I tried to throw a large, spherical pot and it got wonky. After trying unsuccessfully for twenty minutes to cure its wonkiness, I crashed it and decided to make yunomi. I had recently read what Phil Rogers wrote about yunomi and they were on my mind. I re-wedged the clay and pulled out seven cups, each a different form and decoration. Time to start experimenting again.

December 12 - Tree Trimming

2011-12-23T23:14:00.000-05:00

No, not Christmas tree --outside tree trimming.

It was time once again to get our trees trimmed and we called Cascade Tree Service, a company Karen found on Angie's List. I cannot recommend them highly enough. They used a bucket truck and no spikes, even when climbing was necessary. They even put down plywood where the truck was used and when they left there were no marks on the lawn. They spent the whole day and charged very reasonable rates.

I also got a huge mulch pile out of the deal. Can't beat that.

Strange sight out the front window.

Note the plywood to protect the lawn.

That's a long ladder.

That's a 55-foot boom.

Trimming some of the maples out back.

View of the front yard trimming from the back yard.

December 9 - Friday Cell Phone Repair

2011-12-23T15:43:00.000-05:00

Stephanie's cell phone stopped working because her college ID card got pushed between the sliding halves of her phone and cut the tiny ribbon cable that connected the top and bottom. Apparently purses can be treacherous places.

I was lucky to find a replacement cable online and ordered it. It arrived and when I got around to installing it, it worked beautifully.

We won't talk about the 27 tiny screws in four different sizes and the two pairs of reading glasses I wore working directly under a desk lamp to get it done. Who knew there were so many layers in a phone?

December 7 - Wednesday

2011-12-23T03:13:00.000-05:00

Wednesday I was working on two pots I made during my demos at the Clayworks Holiday Sale and making reed diffusers. I decided that these pots needed handles and one needed some metal ladder rungs. These pots were very influenced by Greg's work but I want to make them my own in the finishing.

December 6 - Glazing with Greg

2011-12-15T00:15:00.001-05:00

Tuesday night I went to Clayworks to meet Greg. He had some glazing to do before he finished loading the gas kiln so I went to hang out with him and help him load his pieces. I always like to watch Greg glaze because I learn new things every time. We always listen to some good music and have lots of good conversation along the way.

Oh, and we always stay WAY too late.

December 4 - Glazing and bisquing

2011-12-13T12:11:00.000-05:00

Sunday I rushed to get my glazing done since the gas kiln was going to be loaded on Tuesday. I had some crackled pots, a bumpy one, and I decided to test some new glaze combinations on my VSVs (Very Small Vessels). I know I've said this before, but I am always amazed at how long it takes to get glazing done and I'm not even doing anything extravagant. Part of the reason is that I am not 'in production' using the same two or three glazes on everything so there is a lot of mixing, applying, and cleaning up between each step.

Another thing that takes some time is the fact that I have to wait for the outside to dry after I glaze the inside. The water from the glaze on the inside soaks the clay which would restrict the amount of glaze that would adhere to the outside if applied while the pot is wet. This is a fairly new development for me as I am throwing thinner pots these days. The crackled pots are especially thin since I stretch them to (and sometimes past) their limits from the inside after applying the slip.

As my friend and teacher Greg says, "If you're not crashing some pots you're not pushing your limits."

Amen, brother.

I also moved some dry bowls to the greenware shelf to be bisqued.

November 24 - Thanksgiving Day Parade

2011-12-13T00:17:00.003-05:00

Thanksgiving Day we went to see the parade. It was a good show with lots of fun acts, marching bands, and characters --all you'd expect of a great parade. If you've never been, I highly recommend it.

Karen, Meredith, and Stephanie.

Some people are unknowing participants in the show...

This is one creepy clown.

I told you.

Our friend Jim who works at the Raptor Center.

There's always room for a stilt-walker.

This next set of pictures is dedicated to the woman that decided to stand right in front of us for the last third of the parade. Thank you, unknown person.

November 19 - Lower Providence Community House sale

2011-11-25T02:35:00.000-05:00

Saturday I was a part of the Lower Providence Community House sale. It was a somewhat chilly day that started out mostly cloudy. The sun broke through in the afternoon and it turned into a beautiful Autumn afternoon.

The sale was a bit slow but I think it has a lot of potential due to the charm of the site and the amount of traffic on Community House Road. We only had a handful of potters for the first one and I think if we add more artists and get the word out a bit more things could really take off.

It was nice to see some good friends and have a chance to make some new ones, enjoy the day, and oh yeah --sell a few pots.

My setup.

My fellow artists.

Max was there.

Allan too.

Rick was raku firing.

His sweet portable raku kiln.

You never know when someone is taking your picture.

November 17 - Bowls for charity

2011-11-25T01:41:00.000-05:00

Thursday I started making some bowls for the annual Bowling for Dollars event at the Cleveland County Arts Council. I had to re-learn how to make bowls since I haven't made any since last year.

November 13 - Side Note

2011-11-24T01:14:00.000-05:00

I was running late to the Allison McGowan workshop and Guild meeting so I couldn't stop, but on the way I saw the sweetest kid-painted sign in a front yard. It said:

Candy 10 cents
Origami 10 cents

Under the sign was the required cute little girl sitting behind a table patiently waiting for a car to stop.

I SO wanted to stop and buy some origami, but I was already late and was only halfway to the meeting. I really hope she is going to be back out there sometime in the future so I can make a purchase and take a photo of the sign.

It really was hard to keep my foot on the gas pedal because I hate to skip moments like that. It's those little moments that make your day.

Sometimes you gotta' stop and buy the origami...

November 13 - Allison McGowan workshop

2011-11-17T01:03:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the Carolina Clay Matters Pottery Guild meeting with the usual covered dish gathering and we were treated to a workshop with Allison McGowan. She makes beautiful hand-built pieces using lots of great texture and nice, full forms. She slams all her own slabs instead of using a slab roller and makes her own forms. We were amazed at the plasticity of her custom porcelain blend, it just stretches on forever.

You can check out her work on her website.

President Judy addresses the guild.

Allison's work.

Bag pot.

Slamming a slab.

That is actually a slab of porcelain that she's
slamming from over her head to the table!

Blam!

Draping it over her soft "bag" form.

November 11 - Barrel Firing on 11-11-11

2011-11-15T01:21:00.000-05:00

Friday we held the first barrel firing in the new building. It was quite an affair and very well attended. As usual, we had a lot of fun chatting, snacking, and laughing and --oh yeah, we fired some pieces too. It was a glorious evening with a full moon overseeing the whole affair.

Filling the barrel.
Photo by Kim Marcadis.

Elaine and Becky lighting the barrel, re-enacting the first barrel firing.
Photo by Kim Marcadis.

Photo by Kim Marcadis.

It's lit.

Kim and Rich trying to get that perfect shot
while Elaine and Ansley look on.

Fred, Becky, Cyn, Jaime, Greg, Elaine, Chuck, and Carolyn.

The fire rages on.

Lots of wood.

After it's covered, lots of copper (green) and cobalt (blue) flames.

Minke's "diving lady" sculpture in the flames.

After the barrel burned down and people started drifting away, I added some handles to my crackle pots. I have some plans to enhance these handles when I glaze them. Stay tuned.

The other night Chuck mentioned that my bag of little loafers clay (next to the head) looked like the Necronomicon (book of the dead) from the Evil Dead movies. (My favorite is Army of Darkness.)

The bag that looks like the book on the left.

One of the porcelain eyes fell out of my head.
Now it looks even creepier...

November 10 - Studio time

2011-11-15T00:34:00.000-05:00

Lately I've been working on some "crackle pots". These are made with phoenix and covered with blue slip, sprayed with sodium silicate and water, the surface dried with a fan, then stretched from the inside.

The one on the right was stretched so far it started to collapse.

The slipped surface is spread very thinly by stretching.

November 5 - Another Big Saturday, Part 2

2011-11-14T01:10:00.000-05:00

Saturday evening I attended the Clayworks Earth and Fire fundraiser with my parents. It was a magical evening thanks to the Clayworks organizers, the artists who donated wonderful work for the silent auction, for the raffle, and especially Hodges Taylor Gallery for letting us invade their beautiful space.

Karen, Maryann, Shannon, Greg, and Adrienne.

Our raffle captains.
Susan and Rae.

Andy brings the food.

Ralph, Pat (my mom), and John (my dad).

Ralph, Betty, Lou, and Kathy.

Chris and Lisa.

Jaime and Roy.

Charles and Karin.

Kim and Becky.

Jaime, Hal, Corine, and Stephan.

November 5 - Another Big Saturday, Part 1

2011-11-13T23:22:00.000-05:00

My parents arrived on Thursday and were lucky to be here during one of those Big Saturdays we often have.

Saturday afternoon we attended Meredith's horse jumping show. It was a lot of fun and I was beaming proudly at my daughter's accomplishments. She does a great job jumping and riding and always makes me a proud papa.

Meredith on Baron.

As you can see from her expression, she hates this.

Stephanie and Karen.

Meredith on Ona Whim.

Meredith on the ground for the ribbon ceremony.

A proud grandma and grandpa.

Gotta' love her.

End of part one. Stay tuned for part two...
(I told you it was another big Saturday!)
.

October 30 - Back to the studio

2011-11-13T22:39:00.000-05:00

Sunday I was back at Clayworks glazing a bunch of pots that had been waiting a while. I tried a couple of glazes that are completely new to me and am anxiously awaiting the kiln-loading to see what comes out.

Mine are on the foreground table.

Minke, Elaine, and Ro were working in the members area.

October 29 - Big Day part 2

2011-11-13T22:29:00.000-05:00

After finishing our downtown gig, carting everything back to Clayworks, and unloading it, I seriously needed a nap. I ran home and took thirty minutes on the recliner, showered, changed and headed to Cuisine Malaya where a large group of us were meeting for dinner before going to the Double Door Inn.

Elaine, Carolyn, Rich, Fred, Becky, Kim's hands.

Deb and Elaine.

Angela and Becky.

After dinner, we strolled over to the Double Door (next door) and staked out some seats. Gigi Dover and the Big Love put on a great show and we danced some more.

Credit goes to Kim for the following great photos at the Double Door.

Batman and Groucho.

Carolyn, Rich, me, Kimberly (standing), and Angela.

Gigi Dover and the Big Love
on stage at the Double Door Inn.

(?), Elaine, Becky, Ansley, me.

Ansley, me (making a strange face) and Becky.

Gigi.

Chuck and Gigi's print.

Eric playing sitar.

Big Boy made an appearance for a song.

I finally left the Double Door and got to bed by 2:00 am. Twenty-Two hours from when I got up. I was bone-weary, mainly because I'm not twenty years old anymore, but it was a great day that I would gladly do all over again given the chance.
.

October 29 - Big Day part 1

2011-11-13T21:39:00.000-05:00

Saturday was a huge day with lots of activities, all involving good friends. The first thing was the Wells Fargo Community Cultural Celebration. Clayworks presented a booth downtown at the event. Our dog was kind enough to wake me up at 5 am and I couldn't get back to sleep so my day started even earlier than I had planned. I was going to get up at 6:30 because I had to be at Clayworks at 8:30 to load up the equipment we would need for the booth.

Thanks to Binkley, I got there with time to spare.

I achieved an item on my bucket list that day thanks to Adrienne. I always wanted to do a raku firing downtown representing Clayworks and she got us approved for one at the festival.

The firing went well and we also had throwing and hand building demonstrations. We were right next to a stage that had various musical groups playing so it was quite festive. We were there from 10 am to 4 pm and we laughed and danced all day.

We had to fire on plywood so we didn't damage the granite patio.

Adrienne, me, Becky, and Rich.

Jaime and Becky.

Rich gets ready to throw a 25 lb. bag of clay.

Centering.

My friend Divakar's daughter Taige was dancing in the atrium, so I took a few minutes to go see her dance. It was amazing.

Divakar and Sonya.

I only had time to watch one dance since I had to get back to check the kiln and see what Rich was up to. I dashed back to the booth.

Opening...

A bowl!
Bravo!

This was on the beginning of my twenty-two hour day. Stay tuned for Part 2.

.

October 28 - Chastain Studio Lofts Gallery Show

2011-11-13T01:04:00.000-05:00

Friday was the opening of the Dark Arts show at Chastain Studio Lofts. It was great fun and a good many people came in costume. There was a raffle and yours truly won a painting that was created by everyone at the studio.

October 24 - Yet more raku pots and some bisqueware

2011-11-04T01:44:00.000-04:00

I made more gestural pots and then stretched out a couple with some textured decoration. I'm having fun with this project before we even fire up the raku kiln.

Same amount of clay used in these two front pots.

Accumulating a shelf (second shelf) full of raku pots, some with slip.

Upper shelf full of bisqueware awaiting glaze.

October 23 - Make more raku pots

2011-11-04T01:35:00.000-04:00

I made more raku pots on Sunday. Since I made quite a few "formal" pots (on right), I decided I needed to make some casual, more gestural pots (on left).

I was surprised by the number of compliments I received on the gestural pots so I think I need to add more of them to my routine.

October 22 - Charlotte Charity League sale

2011-11-04T01:28:00.001-04:00

Friday night I set up for the Charlotte Charity League Showcase of Artisans show on Saturday.

After setting up my display I went to the studio assistants appreciation get together at Clayworks (and was having WAY too much fun to pull out my camera). We had a good turnout to honor our great studio assistants and we were able to tell them how much we appreciated all the hard work they did moving us to the new building and setting up everything.

Saturday it was back the the Charity League Sale. The crowds were sparse, but I got to hang out with some friends from Clayworks: Dorothy and Robin were also participating in the show. I also made a great new friend named Frances --turns out she is Cary's (one of our instructors and also a good friend) best friend.

Thanks to Jaime and her friend Rachael for coming by!

Saturday evening I went to Clayworks to make more raku pots.

I didn't have to pay extra for this sunlight midway through the sale,
but it was pretty dramatic.

Dorothy.

Robin.

More raku pots.

October 20 - Urban Ministry outreach

2011-11-04T00:58:00.000-04:00

On Thursday we (terra4m) helped out at Urban Ministry via Artworks 945 to make 400 blank plant marker forms. It was a lot of fun and it was SO much fun, I didn't get any pictures during the construction.

I am looking forward to helping out again sometime. Thanks goes to Elaine for getting us involved.

After the project, Becky, Kim, and I went to Villa Francesca for a later supper.

October 19 - Lunch with Joe and making raku pots

2011-11-04T00:46:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday I had lunch with my long lost friend Joe Fox. (Yes, he still strides the earth!)

Joe has been absent from Clayworks for quite a while now since he's been going through a major conversion at work. We anxiously await the day (or evening) he returns and it was great to have lunch with him at the Vietnam Grille. Come back and see us, Joe.

That evening I went to Clayworks and cranked out some pots for our upcoming raku firing downtown(!) at the Wells Fargo Community Cultural Event. I need to make a bunch of pots so we have enough to raku for six hours of demoing. "Get that wheel spinning!"

I think Joe might need a vacation...

Trying to do some pots with a bit of formality.

October 16 - Ron's demo

2011-11-04T00:32:00.000-04:00

Ron Philbeck did the demo at the Carolina Clay Matters Guild meeting on Sunday. His demo was lively and informative and we all enjoyed it.

I took a lot of pictures during his demo, but I love this photo since it looks to me like he is playing a tiny clay ukulele and singing.

Rock on, Ron.

October 12 - First face

2011-11-04T00:09:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to try making faces since I attended Peter Lenzo's workshop in 2008.

I finally got around to it.

It's not bad, but it needs a lot more refinement. Hopefully it's the first of many so I have a chance to get better at it. Those are porcelain eyes, BTW.

I don't know who he is, but he's a bit smirky.

Refrigerator break

2011-11-03T23:56:00.002-04:00

Quick refrigerator message from October 9...

October 8 - Carolina Clay Matters Sale

2011-11-03T23:53:00.000-04:00

This sale was formerly called the "Barn Sale", but the barn has been condemned. Times change...

Elaine and I shared a booth (Becky lent us her nice, white tent!) on a beautiful Saturday. The show had a lot of traffic and sales were good.

Elaine flanked by Edson and LuAnn.

September 29 - Emergency room

2011-11-03T23:44:00.000-04:00

I ended up in the emergency room on Thursday (9/29) with what I thought was diverticulitis. I had sharp pain in my lower left abdomen and Wednesday night I had fever and chills. I called my doctor, who referred me to urgent care, who sent me to the emergency room for a CT scan.

When you count the time I spent in the main waiting room, then the diagnostic waiting room, then the examination room, I was there for seven hours before being sent up for the CT scan.

Wait. It gets better.

After all that time, I was placed in the CT scanner, had a preliminary scan and was told to go back downstairs because I had never been given the contrast dye to drink.

It takes an hour to drink the dye.

After that hour went by, I went back upstairs and had the scan.

After another half hour, the doctor came in and said it was diverticulitis (which I thought it was when I originally called the doctor) and sent me home with a paper prescription for antibiotics to be filled in the morning. Oi.

After a five-day liquid diet and said course of antibiotics I worked back up to a normal diet and am doing fine.

I lost seventeen pounds, but I don't recommend it as a weight-loss method.

During my wait in the examination room, Karen had fun with her Droid.

My prom gown.

Stephanie said, "At least they
didn't remove his sense of humor..."

Back from the faux CT scan.
(You get blankets because it's cold upstairs.)

Catch up - again

2011-11-03T23:23:00.000-04:00

So much has happened and I've been so busy that it all just happened without time to document it. I will try to fast forward a bit and get back on some semblance of regular postings.

Finally, a more positive message from Meredith:

Sunday - Refrigerator Time

2011-09-28T00:40:00.000-04:00

Interesting assignment.

The two people are Jack London and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

You decide which is which.

Meredith already has.

.

Saturday - Autumn on Main in Mount Holly

2011-09-27T23:14:00.000-04:00

Saturday Elaine and I shared a booth at the Autumn on Main Festival in Mount Holly. It started out with a quick drizzle and then the sun came out for the rest of the day. This is a nice festival and I would recommend a trip to Mount Holly next year to check it out.

There were several musical acts during the day, but the last one is one of my favorites. The Overmountain Men came on at 3:00 pm and played a wide range of work. It was a good set and I'm glad I got to hear them live.

I took several photos of the band playing and switched to black and white and then some sepia. I enjoy monochromatic portraits since it takes the color out of the equation and makes me concentrate on the features and contours.

Elaine.

My shelves.

Me.

Please visit the Catawba River Artisans gallery.
You WON'T be disappointed.

My lizard pot.

Walking sticks.

The Overmountain Men.

Local front man, David Childers.

Monday - Meeting at Midwood Smokehouse

2011-09-20T00:17:00.001-04:00

Tonight the Clayworks Communications and Marketing Committee had a brainstorming meeting. It was a great meeting with lots of energy and creative ideas passed around. Keep an eye on Clayworks because we are all working on taking it to the next several levels.

We met at the Midwood Smokehouse and sat outside. The food was very good and there was live entertainment. I got there early and took some pictures, but once we started I got carried away and didn't find out the singer's name. He was very good and covered a nice range of material. I'll be going back.

Oh, and today was International Talk Like A Pirate Day. Arr, I hope everyone did their part.

The view from our table.

The entertainer.

He sang very well.

Becky and Jaime.

I found a new to do from Meredith when I got home.

Saturday - Muddy Fun and new work

2011-09-18T01:47:00.000-04:00

This is the message from Meredith that greeted us this morning. At least it's more positive than the last one.

Today was another Muddy Fun day at Clayworks. Angela does a great job teaching this class and we always have a great group of volunteers to help our beginners.

Muddy Fun part 1

Muddy Fun part 2

Since we had a bunch of volunteers and my foot was hurting I sat down to throw some new pots. I made a really tall (for me) crackle pot using phoenix and a craggy crunch pot. I made a decision recently to try adding some eyeballs to my pots so I put one on the craggy crunch pot. Who knows where this will lead --maybe whole faces. We'll see.

I also paddled the "milk bottle" I made on Wednesday to make it square and collected some bisque pots from the shelf.

Tall with blue crackled slip.

Creepy?

You betcha.

I'm seeing this in a nice shino.

Ready for glazing.

This evening's message.
We're back to negative again.

Wednesday - Noisy progress

2011-09-18T01:01:00.000-04:00

Wednesday there was a fleet of dump trucks, two front end loaders, and this beast in front of our house. Personally I don't think our street really needed repaving, but they're doing it anyway. They took it right down to the dirt and gravel. Now I wonder when they'll make it back to pave it.

Monday - Violent to do list

2011-09-18T00:52:00.000-04:00

Meredith caught a cold this week.

Saturday - Big pottery day

2011-09-15T19:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday was a big annual pottery day.

First, the Mint Museum's 7th Annual Potters Market Invitational. I try to get there every year to see the latest work by some of my favorite artists, meet new artists, and occasionally purchase some small items. (This year I snapped up two cups and will post them later.)

It was steamy inside the huge tent on the Mint's lawn, but it was well worth the perspiration. I caught up with Matt Jones (whom I hadn't seen since the last Thrown Together sale). He had a great selection of new work fresh from the kiln. Michel Bayne was there with his great faces and other decorations, like lobsters. I stopped to see Kim Ellington and his great wood-fired work. The last time I saw Kim, he was giving a lecture inside the Mint. I also had the pleasure of meeting Judith Duff and Donna Craven. I have been a big fan of their work for a while now.

I stopped to talk with several other artists, including Bruce Gholson and Samantha Heineke of Bulldog Pottery, David Stuempfle, I could only wave to Ronan Peterson of Nine Toes Pottery since he was swamped with customers. I stopped in to see Amy Sanders, but quickly got out of the way when some people wanted to become customers. For the third year in a row I tried to meet Ben Owen, but when I saw him in the booth he was surrounded and when I looked again (and again) he was gone. One of these days I will catch up with him.

Matt Jones

Michel Bayne

Kim Ellington

Judith Duff

Donna Craven

After I left the Mint, I picked up my friend (and teacher) Greg Scott and his children to take them with me up to Hal Dedmond and Corine Guseman's house where a wood firing was in progress. It was great to see everyone there and enjoy the firing and the quiet of the country.

It was a lovely day and the firing went well. A wood firing is a very dramatic thing to watch. The almost constant stoking, the flames, the smoke, and the (hopefully) steady climb of temperature in the kiln are fascinating. One day I soon I hope to share in one.

It was a great day with wonderful friends and lots of pottery.

The firebox at one end of the kiln.

The firebox.

The other end.

Finished firing.

Hot pots.

Hot crew.

Miller time.


The moon rose on the way home.

Thursday - School sentiments

2011-09-14T02:03:00.000-04:00

This was the note from Meredith on 9/8/11. It made me smile, as usual.

I guess we all have our own 186 days to get through. Good luck with yours.

.

Monday - Refrigerator break

2011-09-09T00:32:00.001-04:00

Stephanie commandeered Meredith's to do list to leave us a message before going back to school on Monday.

Saturday - Bechtler and Chima

2011-09-09T00:32:00.000-04:00

Labor Day weekend Stephanie came home for the weekend and we all went to the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art and later to Chima for some dinner. We took the train downtown and waded through the Festival of India that was happening in the street to get to the museum. I wish we had time to partake in the festival food and events, but we had other plans.

The Bechtler was great, besides the Niki de Saint Phalle exhibit, there are some Picassos, some Miros, a Warhol, and a Degas among many, many others. Please make the trip if you can. It's pretty amazing.

One small part of the Festival of India
right in front of the Bechtler.

The Niki de Saint Phalle firebird in front of the Bechtler.

The Niki de Saint Phalle skull in the park across the street.

Meredith enjoying her salmon at Chima.

Stephanie enjoying her bacon-wrapped chicken.

Karen and Stephanie on the train ride home.

Meredith left the seat next to me after I annoyed her.
All part of my evil plan to get a better photo.

And then she realized my plan...

Thursday - Refrigerator

2011-09-09T00:31:00.001-04:00

I received an online order recently and got a free bonus item in the box: a magnetic 'To Do" list with a dry erase marker. Meredith has adopted it as her own billboard since it got here, changing it almost daily. I started taking pictures of her messages.

Since I was taking a picture of that, I thought I would document some of the other mementos hanging on our appliance. We have quite a variety.

Sunday - Making small

2011-09-09T00:31:00.000-04:00

Sunday I went to Clayworks and made some more VSVs (Very Small Vessels). I enjoy making these and people seem to enjoy looking at (and sometimes owning!) them. It creates a nice break from the larger forms I make and I enjoy throwing several of them off the hump. More to follow...

Friday - Chastain Studio Lofts Opening

2011-09-07T01:37:00.000-04:00

Friday night was the opening at Chastain Studio Lofts. It's a great space and there is a sense of comfort that settles over you when you're there. There was food and drink and lots of great conversation along with the fine art from all disciplines that was on display. It was crowded most of the evening and I caught up with some old friends and made some new ones. If you get a chance to go there, do check it out.

I had so much fun that I finally left Kim and Shellie there at about 1:00 am. I had to get back so I could get to Clayworks at a decent hour the next day to help set up for the open house.

On my way home I found a huge sinkhole in the main road in front of my neighborhood. A 24-inch water main from the early seventies had ruptured, probably from the earthquake earlier in the week.

Kim.

Chuck and Kim.

Our hostess, Christina.

Julia, Shellie, and Kim.

The street was all buckled and it looked like Kilauea.

Wednesday - First day of school

2011-09-07T01:00:00.000-04:00

Wednesday was the first day of school for Meredith. As always, Binkley was wishing he could go too. I just realized that there is only one more of these photos to go since Meredith is a junior this year. Things change...

Sunday - Chastain's Studio Lofts

2011-09-07T00:59:00.001-04:00

Sunday I met Elaine at Chastain's Studio Lofts in Lancaster, SC to drop off pottery. Christina, the owner was excited to get our work to display and was very supportive with lots of positive feedback. I look forward to the gallery opening on Friday night.

I had never been to Lancaster before. It's a quaint downtown area with lots of storefronts that sport historic plaques and cornerstones.

Once I had dropped off the work, I went back to Clayworks to do some glazing.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these two.
I don't want to lose the texture with too much glaze.

Friday - College move in day

2011-09-07T00:56:00.000-04:00

We moved Stephanie and her roommate, Megan into the dorm on Friday. It was a wild time with lines of cars, football players carrying everyone's things into dorms, and challenging parking. Once we got everything into the rooms and reconfigured the beds into bunks we went to lunch with Megan's parents. Later, we came back and set up their computers while they were in a freshman meeting.

It was a hectic day with lots of activity and a long drive home.

I think Stephanie will soar there.

Stephanie.

Megan.

Rosemary and Tom.

Tom at Megan's desk.

Stephanie's desk.

Thursday - Last riding lesson together

2011-09-07T00:55:00.000-04:00

Thursday was the last riding lesson the girls will have together. They rode well and did several jumps.

Stephanie.

Meredith.

Stephanie saying goodbye to the barn for a while.

Time passes...

2011-09-06T00:37:00.002-04:00

Time to play catch-up again.

I have been very busy lately, but it's been more than that. I've also been somewhat depressed and preoccupied with a lot of change in my life. While work, pottery, and personal things have been making me chase them, I don't do too much change well.

The new Clayworks building is wonderful, but it's still a big change to get used to and will take a while to become home. Different surroundings, different layout, different movement.

The biggest change is Stephanie moving out to go to college. I knew it was coming since the day she was born, but it is still knocking me for a loop. Suddenly I have to readjust home life, shopping lists, and meal planning to three people instead of four. There's also the worrying simply because suddenly your child is not under your roof. It'll get better. We've done our best and she's got a good head on her shoulders.

Just more change to get used to, like a new skin. The good thing about skin is that it usually stretches.

I will try to update all the high points and get rolling again on a more regular basis.

.

Clayworks Open House

2011-08-15T22:55:00.004-04:00

The Clayworks Open House is Saturday, August 27, 2011. Please make plans to attend if you are in the area. Click the picture to see all the details.

Sunday - Making

2011-08-15T22:45:00.000-04:00

Sunday I got some time at Clayworks to trim a couple of pieces and throw some more. I am experimenting with different types of alterations and trying to get back into mug forms at the same time. It keeps things interesting.

Saturday - James K. Polk sale

2011-08-15T22:38:00.000-04:00

Saturday I was part of the Second Saturdays Festival at the James K. Polk birthplace. There was a small group of potters in attendance who were anxiously watching the skies. The weather was humid and the attendance was low, but it was still nice to have a day outside. I was in good company and enjoyed talking at length to my fellow potters.

Friday - Back to clay

2011-08-06T23:02:00.000-04:00

These pictures are from July 29. I finally got some photos of what I'm currently doing at Clayworks.

I'm working on a whole series of "rough" pots. These orangestone pieces have lots of texture, sutures, and some have clay medallions stapled to them. I will use very little glaze on them and keep the surface treatments simple. While I haven't gotten to where I want to be with them yet, it's a good start.

Lineup.

Closeup.
("I think it's healing rather nicely Doctor...")

This needs more thought.

Next batch.

Unfinished lids for left-bottom two in the last picture
and an unfinished rabbit cup.

Thursday - Boardwalk

2011-08-06T22:54:00.000-04:00

It wouldn't be a trip to the NJ shore without time on the boardwalk. Thursday night we went there to eat things we shouldn't and check out all the newest places. The fog rolled back in as the sun set so it gave everything an ethereal quality. The atmosphere didn't change the general goofiness of vacation, though as these pictures attest.

Bringing the Johnson's caramel corn container for a refill.

Or not.

Say cheese!

Or not.

St. Justin with his streetlight halo.
(Despite what Bruce said, it's not hard to be a saint in the city.)

Stephanie stuffing her gob with sugar.

Tuesday - Rain at the shore

2011-08-06T03:00:00.000-04:00

While no one wishes for rain on a beach vacation, once in a while it's nice to enjoy a rainy day. It slows everything down --no one's getting ready to set up camp on the beach. In fact, nobody has anywhere to be. Everyone finds a quiet corner to curl up in and relax. Like everything else, relaxation comes in shades, flavors, textures, or however your perceptions interpret them. A rainy day on vacation has a different aesthetic. It's a more grey, soft, and womb-like feeling. It's vacation; there's nowhere to be, no appointments, no schedules, just rain and quiet. A wonderful time to read a book or just take a nap.

Rainy old pier.

Good food and good company.

Monday - Kicked Back

2011-08-06T02:34:00.000-04:00

Forget those Corona commercials, this is the way to kick back on vacation.

View of the table.

View off the porch.

Looking in the other direction.

Sunday - Down the Shore

2011-08-06T01:43:00.000-04:00

We arrived at the NJ shore on Sunday, July 17. It was the start of our annual family summer vacation and is always a good time.

There was a dramatic moon rising above the waves with clouds drifting by above and below it so I took lots of pictures.

You can see more of the pictures here.

.

Monday - Independently Smudged

2011-08-06T01:35:00.000-04:00

July 4th a bunch of us met at Clayworks to help Adrienne smudge the studio. It was the first time I had witnessed a smudging and it was nice to be there for it. After the whole building got some sage smoke, we celebrated with a champagne toast in the break room.

Later in the evening we went downtown to watch the fireworks. We found a great spot in a parking lot near the show and enjoyed a good show. The kid in me still loves fireworks.

Sunday - Patriotic Bagels

2011-08-06T01:07:00.000-04:00

Every year for Independence Day Stephanie insists that we get red, white, and blue bagels and this year was no exception. Looks appetizing, doesn't it? (You should see the St. Patrick's Day version! We do.)

Salute the bagel.

Friday - Happy Day

2011-08-06T00:57:00.000-04:00

June also saw another celebration of my surviving another year. As usual, Stephanie baked (and decorated) a cake for me. It was a quiet family party with just the four of us.

A well-decorated cake.

Stephanie and Meredith waiting for cake.

Saturday - terra4m sale

2011-08-02T00:23:00.004-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted here and several people have contacted me about it. Some were concerned that something had happened to me. Some were wondering if I'd lost internet access. Some even were having withdrawal from my local news. Seems there are actually people out there reading my ramblings. (Go figure!)

To all who've worried about us, we're fine.

Sometime in June things just got really busy and I stopped having a digital life. Once I stopped, it was easy to get out of the habit. I haven't posted to my blog, I haven't read any blogs, and I haven't even logged into FB for a month.

Surprisingly, I've survived.

I'm sure I've missed a lot of good blogging and status updates, pictures and videos, new artwork and lots of fun, but I've just been too busy in the analog world to even think about it much.

To all my blogging friends, I apologize for not keeping up with your recent achievements. I will jump back into the stream and wade into your lives once again.

To my Facebook friends, I promise to 'like' things again soon.

And now...

back to the 'catch-up':

On Saturday, June 16, we had our Almost Summer terra4m Sale. It was a hot day so traffic was light, but it was good seeing the terra4m artists and all our guest artists and their awesome work. I truly am awed by the talent of my friends.

My booth.

Sunday - Latest work

2011-06-12T23:22:00.000-04:00

Several friends have mentioned lately that I only post pictures of unfinished pieces, so here are some finished ones. Most of these are from the last gas firing I was involved in at the old building. We are currently on hiatus at Clayworks because we are moving to a new building. You can read more about that here.

I can't wait to get back to making pots. Clayworks starts up again on July 5th and I'll be waiting at the door when it opens.

8" pot.

3.5" yunomi.

4.25" vase.

7" raku frog pot.

12" broken vessel Japan tribute (front).

(back).

12" broken vessel Japan tribute
(I used a bright light to show the water detail.)

Same pot without the harsh lighting.

Wednesday - terra4m meeting

2011-06-10T19:30:00.001-04:00

Wednesday terra4m came together for a meeting at Meskerem Ethiopian restaurant.

It was a good meeting. We covered several topics about the upcoming sale on Saturday, June 18, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at 7305 Oakwood Lane. (Shameless plug, eh?)

The food was wonderful and the company was too.

Kim, Becky, and Elaine (not pictured).

The food (or what's left of it!).

Sunday - Day after graduation

2011-06-09T19:20:00.000-04:00

After a big Saturday, Sunday was a lot of packing and goodbyes. My in-laws all had to leave Sunday since the kids are still in school up north. My parents are staying until Monday (they've been out of school for a long time now. :8^).

It's so nice to be surrounded by family on important occasions. It's hectic and crazy and noisy with a house full of people, but after everyone left it was as quite as a crypt.

Back to what passes for a routine around here...

Rented SUV to drive here.

The Batman bouncy house is lonely.

Mom and Dad's house.

Saturday - Graduation day

2011-06-06T23:15:00.002-04:00

Crazy day. All things considered, it all went off without too many deviations. Just stay flexible and things usually work out for the best.

Breakfast for thirteen.

Justin likes bagels.

Danish anyone?

Sydney, the puppy.

The coliseum before graduation ceremony.

The crew.

The diplomas.

Enter the graduates.

There's Stephanie!

Scoreboard.

Up the steps...

onto the stage...

Shake hands with the principal.

On to Ruth's Chris.

Cousins...

... cousins...

...everywhere.

Mom and Dad.

The Batman moon bounce!

Bouncing cousins.

One cake...

two cake!
(Neither one did I make!)

The Batman shorts.
The End.

Friday - Family trickling in

2011-06-05T23:25:00.001-04:00

Family started arriving Friday for Stephanie's graduation and celebration. My parents and my father-in-law and nephew were here. The rest of the in-laws were driving down from PA in a rented SUV, but my father-in-law and nephew flew so they didn't have to sit in the car for nine or ten hours. The SUV pulled in at about 12:30 am on Saturday with a carload of people and my brother-in-law's one and a half year old great dane puppy.

Tomorrow will be a crazy day:

Thirteen people have to figure out a shower schedule
Have a continental breakfast
Get to the coliseum by 10:15 am for an 11:00 am graduation ceremony
Back to the house for a quick lunch
Be at the photography studio by 2:00 pm for family portraits
Keep a 5:00 pm reservation at the restaurant
Be back at the house by 7:00 pm for cake with other relatives and watch the cousins use the Batman moon bounce.

Got that? There will be a quiz on it later.

Dad in the kitchen.

Mom and John.

Sunday - Working on shelves

2011-05-30T17:59:00.000-04:00

Steps upon steps to finish this project. All the shelves have to be primed and painted which means there is drying time between each step. I hope I can get it all done before everyone gets here.

We talked about painting the back wall of the shelves with an accent color, so I painted the first one sage green to see if we like it. The jury is still out on that one.

The folding table in the foreground has a bunch of stuff that was on the old shelves. The sideboard in the dining room is also full as are two 18-gallon totes. Needless to say, all those things are not going back onto the shelves when the time comes.

I have set up a temporary table in the garage using totes full of pottery (handy things to have around, eh?). That's where I'm painting the shelves. Once I get the shelves finished and back in the bookcase, I can put the bookcase dwellers back and use the folding table to paint the doors.

As you can see in the picture, I have the drapes looped up around the rod since I painted the bow window and haven't taken the tape off yet.

Anyone need anything painted? I'm thinking of going pro.

Even more disheveled than usual.

Impromptu painting table.

It's so sad when a tripod fails.
This one cost me about $10 in the 80's
so it doesn't really owe me anything.

Binkley inspects the work for edibility.
Luckily it failed.

My good friend Becky gave this bowl of hostas to us
and here's proof for her that they're doing well.

Our decade-old day lily blooms once again.

The elderberry is going crazy.

Thursday - Stephanie's graduation

2011-05-30T17:26:00.000-04:00

Since Stephanie is graduating, we are having family in for a visit. It seemed like a good time to update our built-in cabinets in the living room. Keith Davis of Wood Waze made and installed new uprights, capitals, crown molding, shelves and doors. Keith does an outstanding job and we highly recommend him.

It looks great, but it all needs to be primed and painted now and that's on me. Now, to get it all done before people get here on Thursday. Wish me luck.

Thursday - Proud of Stephanie

2011-05-30T17:17:00.001-04:00

We are so proud of Stephanie, our oldest daughter. She worked hard to get all B's or above so she could skip her final exams. She is graduating from high school this Saturday and attending Western Carolina University in the Fall. You go girl!

Sunday - Matt Jones helps me eat healthy

2011-05-30T17:03:00.001-04:00

After eating at restaurants all week, I opted for a simple salad on my first day home. Eating it from my recently acquired Matt Jones bowl made it taste even better.

Nice.

Saturday - Home again, home again, jiggety jog

2011-05-30T16:46:00.000-04:00

Saturday found us in airplanes and airports making our way back to our own coast. We left San Jose at 9:00 am and arrived in NC at 9:00 pm. During the trip we had a 3 hour layover in George (H.W.) Bush Intercontinental Airport near Houston. Since it was lunchtime we found a Chili's and had a bite (along with a Shiner Bock).

The second leg was a long flight and Karen and I were not seated together. Even in the tight, uncomfortable seats, I got some napping in.

When we got home we were surprised to see the kids had made a welcome home banner for us and everyone (including Binkley!) was glad to see us. Traveling is fun, but it's nice to be home again, too.