2016-05-10 - Tuesday - Eating and Socializing

Tuesday a bunch of us went to the Community Culinary School of Charlotte for lunch to honor Kim since she is moving back to Indiana at the end of the month. She will be greatly missed.

We had a great time with lots of fun conversation and good food. The food at the CCSC is very special just like the organization. They are a non-profit whose mission is training people to enter or re-enter the workforce in culinary jobs.

They have a cafe and a catering business. The cafe is open Monday-Friday 8 am to 2 pm. If you get a chance to go there for breakfast or lunch don't miss it.

The mission on the placemat.

Fresh made pimento cheese and chips for an appetizer.

Our group is very animated. To give you an idea how animated they are, these photos were taken in a rapid-fire sequence and just look at the expressions and movement between shots. We have a fun group.

For supper we went to Bad Daddy's in Ballantyne and while we were waiting for our food I noticed the table was made of clear acrylic with metal shavings in it. It was quite fascinating with a great deal of depth.

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2016-05-01 - Sunday - Creamer Sets and Kiln Firing

Sunday I was at Clayworks learning to fire the gas kiln. Kim was teaching me and Becky how to fire it. Since we only have to check it every hour or so, I had a chance to make some work between adjustments.

I have decided to re-introduce some functional items into my work. To that end I started making some creamer sets and syrup warmers. Let's see where this takes me.

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2016-03-14 - Monday - Stump and kiln unload

Monday the guys came back and finished trimming the other trees. The stump grinder came and took out the stump of the maple tree. His machine was completely remote controlled and he did a good job with the stump and the larger roots. Unfortunately, taking out the roots created quite a mess. We knew it would, but we wanted those roots out of there.

Monday night Kim and I unloaded the gas kiln at Clayworks and we were very pleased with the results. One of our artists put a saggar filled with sawdust in the bottom of the kiln. The burning sawdust introduced a lot more carbon than usual into the kiln atmosphere and the pots came out very juicy and rich.

The back stack.

My pots.

A juicy drip of beer bottle glass.

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2016-03-12 - Saturday - Muddy Fun and kiln firing

Saturday was a busy day. We had Muddy Fun at Clayworks and Kim fired the gas kiln while I shadowed her. Kim is leaving soon to move back to Indiana and I need to learn the firing process so I can fire the kiln when I need to.

Muddy fun as a big hit and Angela led it wonderfully. As always, I was surprised how some people just take to clay and make decent pots on their first outing.

After the Muddy Fun class, I made a snorkel pot during the firing since we only had to check the kiln every hour.

It's Muddy Fun!

Snorkel pot.

The kiln is finished.
We are not to the preset temperature, but cone 10 is soft,
so it's time to shut it down.

Kim keeps good notes.

2015-08-14 - Friday - New pot photos

I took some photos of the pots we unloaded from the kiln on Monday. Except for the shivering, I was pleased with the results. Thanks Kim!

If you'd like to see the rest of the group from that firing you can access it here. While you're there, please explore the rest of the website and feel free to sign up for emails.


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2015-08-08 - Saturday - Fire kiln

Saturday we fired the kiln all day. Since it's a matter of checking it every hour or so, it left us free to do other things while it fired. We worked on repairing a wheel, measuring out some glaze materials, and I threw some pots. (I know, go figure.)

Kim and I started off with some Bojangle's biscuits and a cup of tea. Later, Becky and I had a nice lunch of falafel wraps from La Shish Kabob.

It was a good day.

Always good luck to drink from a Doug Blythe mug on firing day.

9:00 am.

10:15 am

6:00 pm

8:15 pm
Final soak.

Butter dishes and platters.

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2015-08-07 - Friday - Load the kiln

Friday night Kim and I loaded the kiln and started it candling. I was a pretty easy load and we knew we had a long day of firing on Saturday. We were also looking forward to the results on Monday.

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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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2013-11-25 - Monday - Raku night

Monday night we did an end-of-session raku firing.  Well, I just drank a beer and helped as I had nothing to fire yet.  Kim, Becky, and I will do another firing on Friday.  Raku firing on Black Friday has a nice ring to it.

The one in the front is Greg's and the back one is Chuck's.  They both came through the trial by fire wonderfully.

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October 16 - Wednesday - EcoFab Fashion show

Wednesday night I went to the Mint Museum to see the EcoFab Fashion show.  My friends Elaine and Penny both designed dresses for the show.  Many people from Clayworks were in attendance and we had quite a cheering section.  The dresses were very well made and the models had fun displaying them.

Some of the Clayworks cheering section in the lobby.

Jose Fumero in one of his own creations.
That's Dorothy on the right.

Minke and Daniel.
Minke is wearing Elaine's dress.

Minke with Elaine, the designer.

"Make sure you get the ankle bracelet!"

The back.

Elaine discussing her work.

This skirt lit up.

This is Penny's dress.

Those are clay leaves on the back that
make a faint wind chime noise with movement.

Hey, there's Minke and Daniel again.

Kim and Rae discussing the whole affair.

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