Friday night we had a community raku at Clayworks. Students from all classes were invited to come and fire a pot and enjoy some food and fellowship. We had a great turnout and there was an amazing amount of food and fun. A raku firing is always dramatic and you almost never know exactly how your piece is going to turn out.
We had a wonderful time and I can't wait for the next one.
Ju-Ian, Angela, and Ann in the break room.
Getting ready for the first load to finish in the kiln.
A panorama shot of the courtyard.
Kimberly was walking at almost the same speed as my panning.
Detail of Kimberly walking behind Ju-Ian.
Pretty cool.
Rob and Kary removing
Rob's pot from the kiln.
They set it on a kiln shelf so Rob
could get a different grip.
Saturday was the Carolina Clay Matters Spring Pottery Festival (formerly the Barn Sale) and the first time I had a booth by myself. It was a great day: warm, but slightly overcast so it wasn't unpleasant. I was lucky to be able to back my van up to the booth so I could sit in the shade without using my tent. Without the tent the sun shows the full range of the glazes and they really show their depth.
Good neighbors make a good day and I was lucky to have Angela and Ann next door. They had a great first time at the sale and we enjoyed joking throughout the day.
Saturday we (Becky, Kim, and our friend Ann) went to Shelby to attend a workshop featuring the talents of Hannah McAndrew and Doug Fitch at the Cleveland County Arts Council. Hannah lives in Scotland and Doug in England. It was a wonderful experience and made even better since their friend and our other blogging buddy, Angela Wolford came all the way from Australia to accompany them. It was a magical day and it was like we had rock stars in our midst. There was a surreal quality about it since we have all been blogging together for several years and we finally got to meet face to face.
Doug and Hannah did demos for most of the day and had us all spellbound by their talents and techniques. They showed us how they throw their forms and how they decorate them and kept us laughing all the way.
We had a great lunch and watched the Isaac Button film while eating.
Then it was back to the workshop and more wonderful forms and decorating.
After the workshop we all went out front and took a picture on the steps and then it was on to a great dinner at the Pleasant City Grill.
All too soon, it was over and we had to say goodbye to our faraway friends and bid them safe travels back home.
A big thanks to Hannah, Doug, and Angela for visiting us and to Ron Philbeck for making it possible.
The demo stage with Doug and Hannah working away.
About 35 people attended.
Doug making a puzzle jug.
It's steaming because he just blasted it with a weed burner.
Doug and Hannah intent in their work.
Puzzle jugs require a lot of work to make them puzzling.
Hannah decorates it beautifully as Doug looks on.
Becky was soaking it in.
Almost finished.
Ta-da!
A short break.
Susan, Jane, Becky, Kim, and Leon at lunch.
Back to work.
Robin and Kim look on as Doug quick-dries his jug.
Same jug with neck and handle added.
Great thumb chock and spiral.
Robin and Jane (in foreground) at Pleasant City Grill.
Saturday Clayworks held a raku fundraiser at the lovely home of our friend and board member Jaime. We did a raku firing, had wheel demos, food, beverages, and lots of sunshine after a morning of rain.
A big thanks to all our great volunteers. Angela did wheel demos after already teaching a morning Muddy Fun session, Ann made lots of delicious treats, Mary-Ann kept everyone well fed and beveraged, Becky helped fire the raku, Kym took pictures, Jaime was a great hostess, and I'm not sure who else was involved since I was tied up with the firing (so if I've forgotten anyone, I apologize). We have great volunteers.
A big thanks also to Jaime and Steve for opening their home to a bunch of crazy artists for the afternoon!
Jaime also did a great job glazing the pots with me last week. Despite the breezy conditions, it was a good firing with several beautiful pieces. The pots cooled off very quickly due to the breeze, so we could handle the finished pieces sooner than usual.
After the fundraiser, I went over to the Art Walk on Kings Drive to see Greg. Due to the high winds, the tent carnage at the show was horrible. There were Gators driving by every few minutes with the mangled skeletons of tents piled in the beds. Artists were holding down their tents with the weight of their own bodies added to the cinder blocks or concrete-filled pipes --or both.
Before I arrived, Greg lost a few teapots when a big gust whipped through. Luckily he had several people in his booth when it hit and they all grabbed shelves before they toppled.
Not a good booth day for the squeamish, or the novice...
Adrienne explaining the raku process.
Our "double-header" tank rig.
Reduction cans waiting.
Jaime, our hostess (middle).
A buyer with her chosen pot.
Guys can make anything look like a bar.
(That's Steve on the right.)
Angela busy throwing beautiful pots.
Quite a spread of goodies (sorry about the blurry picture).
(I like Ann's "ghost" in the mirror.)
Some of the finished pots.
More.
Still more.
Dot and Becky looking at the two newest ones.
From top to bottom:
The kiln, the base, the burner.
