2014-04-14 - Monday - New plants

I went on another plant rescue with Nic and Rick.  We got some new plants and some old standbys.  I believe Nic said the new ferns are "lady ferns".  We also took some May apples and some more Christmas ferns.  I am happy to report that so far they are all loving it in the new bed area I made for them.

One of the best things about growing native plants is that they require very little maintenance.

Christmas and lady ferns.

Lady fern.

May apples.

I just couldn't leave this
large group of  Christmas ferns.

.

June 22 - Saturday - Workshop and Wedding

Saturday started out with the Amy Sanders workshop presented by the Carolina Clay Matters Pottery Guild.  It was a fun workshop and Amy did a great job of informing and entertaining us.  I often see Amy teaching at Clayworks in short visits, but have never seen her whole making process.  It was quite interesting to hear how she approaches her art.

Being the video projectionist, I always have a pretty good seat.  (Yeah, still in the A/V club from high school... :8^)

In the evening it was off to Mint Hill for Shelley and Rick's wedding.  It was quite beautiful and we had a great time.  Carol (Shelley's Mom) hosted the festivities in her backyard.  There were tents, an ice sculpture,  and lots of food and drink.

After a very nice ceremony, a lot of good food and cake, we sent off wish lanterns.  If you didn't have a good time you were somewhere else.

I wish Mr. and Mrs. Ellis the best of luck and happiness for the rest of their lives.

Amy working the workshop.

On the big screen.

Rick and Shelley making their vows.

A wish lantern rising above the trees.

A whole flock of them heading
off into the night.

The same photo after applying
the Van Gogh treatment.
(Auto-fix in Picasa.)

.

2013-01-13 Plant Rescue

On Sunday Nick, Rick, and I went on a plant rescue trip.  Project Idlewild is a non-profit that helps rescue native plants before the bulldozers come in for new development.

Sunday we were in a tranquil pine forest where I kept drifting off the task at hand to drink in the peace.  We dug out lots of Christmas ferns and had to lug them up quite a grade to the road.  Despite the hard work, it was a wonderful day to be out in the forest and I'm looking forward to going back.

Nick and Rick at the bottom of the grade.

Hauling in quite a catch.

 

My bundles.

Some spent puffballs on a stump.

.

November 19 - Lower Providence Community House sale

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.

.

2011-01-21 Friday - Kim Ellington Lecture

I was waiting for Friday with even more anticipation than usual this week since Kim Ellington was going to be giving a lecture at the Mint Museum on Friday morning.  He spoke about the history of North Carolina Catawba Valley traditional pottery. 

Thanks to Adrienne Dellinger, Burlon Craig's family has been my touchstone to this type of pottery.  It was fascinating to hear Kim talk about the history that led up to Burlon Craig and the path to the future.  It seems Kim has been concerned for some time that there were no young potters studying the traditional shapes and methods to take it to the next generation.  More than just sustaining the tradition, he wanted to see it grow.

He realized his dream when the head of Catawba Valley Community College contacted him about starting a ceramics curriculum.  That was the beginning of the Catawba Valley Potter's Workshop.  Kim, his son and a few friends built all the tables, shelves, and wheel tables using local lumber and really made an amazing space for the school.  The program is going strong and is taking on a life of it's own. 

It's great to know that people like Kim are keeping the tradition alive.

After the lecture Adrienne, Rick and I went for a nice lunch at the Vietnam Grille.  (Seems to be a trend for me, eh?)  While we were all in a hurry, it was nice to spend even a little while with my good friends.

2011-01-19 Wednesday - New work

Wednesday I cleaned up some pieces I had made earlier in the week and started some new tea bowls.

The earlier work consisted of some more of the "crackle pots" and bowls for the empty bowls event.  I need to explore the crackle pots further since I think there is more I want to do with them.  Stay tuned as I try to refine them, incorporate some other elements into them, and probably make some larger ones.

We had a discussion about tea bowls that got me inspired to try some new forms.  Rick was kind enough to bring in some of his collection to show us.  Greg shared his insight about them and (as always) stretched our vision to it's limits by commenting on the shapes, gestures, and glazes of each.  It always amazes me that I can look at something and like it, but not know why I like it until Greg dissects it for me.  He has a unique vision and I really enjoy him sharing it with us.

Crackle pots.

New tea bowls.

I really like the little notches and will explore those more.

Empty bowls.

.

2010-04-28 Wednesday - Golf, pottery, and old friends

The Wednesday sun rose on a gorgeous day which I spent most of on another golf course.  I played golf at Regent Park Golf Club with my Dad and my friend Tom.  The last time I picked up my clubs was 4-5 years ago when I played in Fort Mill, SC with Tom so to say I was a bit rusty would be an understatement.  Couple that with the fact that I only ever played once or twice a year before that and you get some good insight to my (lack of) game.

It was a glorious day to be on the links and with everyone at the Pro Am, there weren't many people to run into on the course.  We spent six and a half hours out there.  We took our time, but we also did a lot of hunting for lost balls.  Near the end we were just dropping new balls quickly and we need to remember that next time.

I hit a couple of 220 yard drives straight down the fairway and sunk a couple of nice putts.  It was enough to make me enthusiastic about returning despite the 273 other horrible strokes.  (I don't keep score since I can't count that high.)  I am no good at the game, but love it anyway.

If you get a chance to play Regent Park, do it.  It's a beautiful and challenging course.

Wednesday night I made a point to attend pottery class since I had a heads-up from my friend Rick that our old buddy and teacher, Doug was going to be there on a trip from his home in NYC.  I wasn't disappointed since he showed up and hadn't changed much at all in the twelve years since we last saw him.  He came in with a bunch of his pots and proceeded to sell a lot of them to a hungry crowd.  Doug is an amazing potter and he hasn't lost his touch at all.  It was great seeing him and I wish I could have spent more time with him but he had many other people to see during his visit.  We all hope he comes back soon and doesn't wait another twelve years to make an appearance.

Hole number one at Regent Park Golf Club.

Kim checking out some of Doug's pots.

Doug and Rick looking serious.

It only lasted a minute.

A new form I'm exploring in porcelain (helios).

(Thanks to Lulu and Kim.)

If I leave a pot on a wheel unattended

Ju-Ian can sometimes quietly add a frog

to it before I return.

I quite like the little guy.

2009-05-05 Tuesday Clayworks

Tuesday at Clayworks people were hard at work, as usual. I had to glaze a pot for the gas kiln because Julie and Ro were loading it. I got the pot glazed and even had time to help load the kiln.

My craggy crunch pot with spotted shino,
Rick's shino, and Alfred blue.

Julie and Ro hard at work.

"No, this pot should go there."

"We're almost finished!"

Ron checking in.

Ron and his great apron.

Ta-da!

Rick's newest plate.
He draws great fish.

That building I always catch in different weather.

2009-04-18 Big Saturday, Part II

After the sale, I headed to the studio to get some catch-up work done. I worked on my largest pot so far, helped unload the glaze kiln with my painted mugs, and ate lunch. Rick gave me a loaf of his homemade bread so I stopped at Harris Teeter and picked up some ham, cheese, and a bottle of Fat Tire. It turned out that Kim had not had lunch so I was glad I could share it with her and we both loved it. Rick makes really great bread.

When I got to the studio
Scott was out back working his magic.

A great loaf of bread on a great plate.

Sandwich or heaven? Both.

It all went too quickly.

Kim enjoyed it as much as I did.

Robin arrived just as we were finishing.

Ju-Ian posing with my tallest pot to date.

I loved the hostility of this pose.

Having some ribbing fun.

The clay dust makes us all a little crazy.

The mugs I painted
and the creamer sets behind them.

Closer view.