October 19 - Lunch with Joe and making raku pots

On Wednesday I had lunch with my long lost friend Joe Fox.  (Yes, he still strides the earth!)

Joe has been absent from Clayworks for quite a while now since he's been going through a major conversion at work.  We anxiously await the day (or evening) he returns and it was great to have lunch with him at the Vietnam Grille.  Come back and see us, Joe.

That evening I went to Clayworks and cranked out some pots for our upcoming raku firing downtown(!) at the Wells Fargo Community Cultural Event.  I need to make a bunch of pots so we have enough to raku for six hours of demoing.  "Get that wheel spinning!"

I think Joe might need a vacation...

Trying to do some pots with a bit of formality.

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Saturday - Lots of stuff

Today I attended an early Clayworks Communications and Marketing Committee meeting, had lunch with Becky at the Vietnam Grille, and made some stuff at Clayworks before heading back home to make supper and relax a bit.  We were going to fire the raku kiln, but it was too wet and windy so we bagged it for today and rescheduled it for Monday.

Becky enjoying her shrimp in spicy lemon grass.

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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.

2011-01-15 Saturday - Vietnam Grille, terra4m, Clayworks

Saturday three out of four terra4mers had a meeting at the Vietnam Grille.  I had my usual grilled pork w/rice vermicelli and pork spring rolls (someday I will have to try something else!).  Kim, Elaine, and I enjoyed a hearty lunch and planned terra4m sale dates for this year.  Alas, poor Becky was under the weather but I hope she mends soon.  Our friend Paul stopped by to join us near the end of our meal and we all had a nice time.

The food was great and there were many distractions so we got off to a slow start, but it always takes a bit to get geared up again after the holiday break.  We have some tentative dates and some plans for new ventures in 2011 along with a more substantial digital presence.  Stay tuned for that.

We had a long lunch, then it was off to Clayworks for some making.  After throwing several pots and decorating a few others I was in such a hurry to get home and make supper that I forgot to take pictures of them.  It looks like 2011 is starting out the same way 2010 ended.

[sigh]

I'll have to work on that.

Delicious.

Kim thinks so too.

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2010-10-16 Saturday - Pho and Muddy Fun

Saturday, Nic and I went to the Vietnam Grille for lunch and had grilled pork on rice vermicelli with crispy spring rolls and fish sauce.  Amazing.

After a great lunch we headed back to Clayworks for a Muddy Fun class.  I also did more of my cone 10 glazing.

Yum!

Nic thinks so, too.

Ann and Angela teaching Muddy Fun.

We only had three students this week.

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2010-06-09 Wednesday - Vietnam Grille and Clayworks

I met my friend Divakar for lunch at the Vietnam Grille.  If you get a chance, check out the Vietnam Grille on South Boulevard.  I really enjoyed my crispy tofu with dipping sauce.

Divakar is something of a local music legend here and you can hear why on his shows, "The New Music & Indie Label Show" 7:00 - 8:30 and "90 Minutes" 8:30 - 10:00 on 106.5 fm on Sunday evenings.  If there was any doubt about his local music status, check out what Creative Loafing has to say about him.  He also runs Shukla Entertainment and Saathee Magazine, and hosts Nazar Television in his spare time.

Later in the evening it was off to Clayworks for a raku firing.  While there we celebrated Elaine's birthday with a cake that Stephanie baked.  Thanks Stephanie, it was great!

The raku firing went well and results were good.  I had a porcelain piece that I left on the wheel for a bit and while I was gone Ju-Ian placed a small frog on the top of it.  I left the frog on it and fired it with clear crackle on the whole pot and turquoise luster on the frog.  I was very pleased with the result and need to get a picture of the finished pot.  Stay tuned for that.

The Vietnam Grille

Lunch with Divakar.

My crispy tofu.

(I forgot to photograph it before starting to eat.)

People jammed in the kitchen at Clayworks.

Party!

Elaine's cake after slicing.

Hot raku pots after opening the kiln.

One of Becky's birds on it's sawdust nest.

Adding dog hair to the bird.

(Normally she uses horsehair, but this is hair from her sister's dog, Mott.)

Next load coming out of the kiln.

(My frog pot is on the right.)

Another view of the frog pot.

(It's starting to cool, but the inside is still glowing.)

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