2009-11-05 Thursday - One pot, two pots, new pots, glazed pots

I was getting very frustrated trying to make large, two piece pots. I crashed six, I think, in a week. I was getting more and more frustrated which made me more nervous, which made me crash more pots. Not a good place to be, so I decided to throw some smaller pots and give it a rest for a while. I started turning out these little orangestone pots at a pretty good clip and was having fun with them while yakking with Kim. Very relaxing. Thanks, Kim.

We also unloaded a kiln and a few of my pieces were in there. It was a pleasant surprise since I wasn't there for the loading. I like the luster I got on the bottles, but the shino was applied too thinly on the mug. I like the mug shape and will probably be making more of those in the future.

The explanation of the (please excuse the expression), "over the top" handle on one of the bottles comes from something Greg said to me at the Circle of Eight sale. We agreed that if I put a small loop handle on it, it would look silly. To put a handle on the pot that looked right meant "breaking out of the box". When looking at the bottle without the handle, imagine a box by drawing a line up the side of it from the table, across the top, and down the other side (see the bottom picture). There's always something to learn.

Lots of small pots.

Pots fresh from the kiln.

Without the flash to show the luster better.

Breaking out of the box.

2009-10-03 Saturday - Circle of Eight

I went to the Circle of Eight Fall Sale on Saturday. I got there an hour late and left three hours late. I really enjoyed being there: The pottery was great, the people were wonderful, and the weather was perfect. Everyone seemed to be having a great time and it was nice to just let it all soak in on a nice day outside.

After soaking up all that fun and inspiration I pried myself away from the sale and went to Clayworks to handle some mugs and trim lids for my casseroles.

Amy showed me her studio.
It's a great space.

Adrienne Dellinger.

Julie Wiggins.

Ronan Peterson.

Jen Mecca.

Ron Philbeck.

Greg Scott.

Amy Sanders.

Refreshments.

Elaine called Ju-Ian and I out of the studio
to catch the big, full moon.

Full picture set here.

2009-09-30 Wednesday - Circle Of Eight

The Fall 2009 Circle Of Eight sale happens this weekend. If you're in the area, do yourself a favor and stop by --you won't be disappointed.

2009-04-18 Big Saturday, Part I

I started the day by dropping Meredith off at church for Reconciliation before her Confirmation on the twenty ninth. While she was attending I ran over to Carolina Clay Connection to pick up some tools and bought more than I had planned. It's easy to do there.

While I was there I got to talk to Leon Nichols about large pots and found out he will be taking a new day job and only teaching at night. His ankle is healing nicely and he was getting around pretty well with his new red cast. He reminded me that the Clay Matters Guild is having their meeting there on Sunday. Thanks Leon!

I wish Leon a lot of luck in the new position, but will miss seeing him at the Clay Connection when I make my purchases.

I then went to Rick's house, got the grand tour, and met his dog. The house and yard were great, and his dog is beautiful and very friendly. He has quite a collection of great pottery and the house had the mouth-watering smell of the bread he had baked before I arrived.

The Circle of Eight sale was today and Rick and I went over to peruse the pots. It was a glorious day and an inspiring sale full of wonderful work by a great group of artists. If you missed it, you truly missed "it".

I also finally got to meet Amy's boy Guthrie in the flesh. I have admired all his pictures on the blog, but have missed him by minutes on a few occasions. He was in good spirits, cuter than his pictures, and gave me a big smile when I spoke to him using the universal language of peek-a-boo.

Greg getting some refreshments.

A great display of a great collection of art.

Amy's work.

Happy shoppers.

More happy shoppers.

The long line of tables.

Ron's work in front of a pretty dogwood.

Circle of Eight at Lark & Key

We went to the NoDa gallery crawl on Friday (first time in ~twelve years) to check out the Circle of Eight reception at the Lark & Key gallery. The presentation was wonderful and we caught up with Greg & Adrienne, Julie, and Ron --four of the Circle of Eight. Once again we just missed Amy with Guthrie. I ran out of the house and forgot my camera so I only got one picture with my cell phone.

Meredith, Greg, and Adrienne.

Nice face, Meredith.

I really enjoyed what I saw of the galleries, but the kids were hungry so we didn't stay long. We couldn't get into some places and in others they couldn't find anything they liked on the menus. We ended up at Mr. K's for some of their favorites.

I tried to expose the kids to some art, but I think Karen and I will go by ourselves the next time.

Odds and Ends

I find I am ready to head back down to the studio again tonight even though I have been there the last two nights. I think the fever's got me. I may have to spend tonight and tomorrow night here with the family since I am going to an all-day workshop tomorrow. It's hard, because my mind is racing with all the things I want to make.

The Circle of Eight sale is next Saturday so make plans on getting there! Here is some info on it.


I found a link to a PDF of an interesting saggar firing method here. The document also has a recipe for terra sigillata. Interesting stuff.

Happy weekend!