September 7 - Saturday - The Potters Market Invitational at the Mint Museum

Saturday I attended the Ninth Annual Potters Market Invitational show at the Mint Museum.  The show is a treasure consisting of North Carolina potters invited from around the state.  It's always an exciting time for a pottery nut like me to hobnob with the stars.  Everyone is so friendly that it takes me a long time to get around the tent.  It's held in a huge tent on the lawn that's large enough to hold 41 potters displays and still have plenty of walking room.

There was also a demonstration tent out front where several of my friends were doing demos.  It was good to catch up with everyone.

Potters working in the demo tent.

Potters talking in the demo tent.

Donna Craven.

Jim Whalen (right) with friends Diane Davis and Bill Chris.

Akira Satake with our own Jan Anderson.

Jan with Ben Owen.

Michel Bayne.

Alex Matisse.

Smantha Henneke.
Bruce Gholson was unavailable to join us.

Greg Scott watching Adrienne Dellinger's booth.

Julie Wiggins.

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Saturday - Big pottery day

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.

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2009-09-26 Saturday - Piedmont Pottery Festival

Saturday Minke, Melissa, Joe and I went to the Piedmont Pottery Festival in McConnells, SC in Historic Brattonsville. There were many traditional potters in attendance with a big emphasis on face jugs. It was a drizzly, soggy day, but it didn't seem to affect anyone's mood as everyone was in good spirits and buying and selling pottery.

I checked in with Adrienne Dellinger, Corine Guseman and Hal Dedmond. I stopped by to talk to Chad Smith whom I met at Hal's recent firing. I finally got to meet Michel Bayne and see his pottery in person. I talked to Michael Ball whom I met at the Mint Museum sale and I regret not getting around to check in with Brad Lail whom I also met at the Mint.

A wonderful surprise was meeting up with Peter Lenzo in front of Adrienne's booth. We had a nice conversation and I was pleased to find out that he hasn't stopped at 100 pots, but that he is currently on pot 103. In his words, "Well, I finished 100 and I was still alive so I thought I'd keep going." He currently has a show in Detroit where he once attended school and the pieces were selling well. He also told me that the piece he created at our workshop last year came out great and that he sold it for a good price. I would have loved to have seen the finished piece and I'm glad it sold.

He swelled with pride when he told me that (his son) Joe has developed quite the touch with clay and is making some impressive face jugs. Joe is not self-conscious of leaving features at the gesture stage where most of us would have to tweak it to make it more "finished". I understood completely: sometimes a gesture is enough. Something I still need to learn.

I also told Mr. Lenzo that Greg Scott and I have adopted his name as a verb when adding pieces to a pot as in "Lenzoing". "I'm going to Lenzo this thing onto my pot." He really got a charge out of that. I'm glad he liked it. It meant a lot.

I made two purchases that I will upload later (too tired tonight).

After slogging around in the mud and making our connections and purchases we decided it was time for lunch. We stopped at Groucho's Deli and picked up sandwiches before heading back to Joe and Melissa's for lunch and some of Joe's gourmet microbrewery beers. The food was good, the beer was delicious and the company and conversation was phenomenal. We also got a tour of their pottery collection, their comfortable home, the pottery shed, and gardens. Thanks Melissa and Joe for a great day!

Joe talking to Michel Bayne.

Mr. Peter Lenzo on the move.
Adrienne Dellinger and Hal Dedmond
look on from Adrienne's booth.

Adrienne staying dry.

Melissa, Joe, Minke, and yours truly.

Minke sitting at the coolest table at Joe and Melissa's.
It looks like a sideboard but table
slides out and you add five leaves.

Joe discussing pottery and pictures with Minke.

Melissa, Joe, and Minke eating
and sampling gourmet beers.