Porch

My brother in law, Ronnie, is here building our porch.  That's him in the hat.   His day job is a head carpenter but the company he worked for has cut back due to lack of work.  I'm happy to be paying him and his helper to do some work for us.  He'll do a first rate job and knock it out quickly.

I 've been glazing this morning, a new more tedious process.  Maybe I'll have some pots to show on Sunday.

Lots of pots under plastic waiting for the next step in their journey to the table.  I better get back to work.

Back at it

I feel like I'm finding my stride in the studio.  It's taken me a while since being back from my Penland class.  I think I've just had so much on my mind that I've not known exactly what to do.

Getting a bunch of pots made has been the best thing for me.  That has always been my mantra, 'Make pots'.  I can sit around for days and have things go through my mind and my sketchbook but it's not until I get on the wheel and make some pots that things start coming together for me.  I guess it's the physicallity of it all.

Using the red tempra paint for layout has been a lifesaver for me.  I can mess something up in the blink of an eye because I haven't thought it out well enough.  And once it's scratched in there...well it's there.

I've got a bisque full of plates and bowls going tonight; I made cups, more plates, and decorated serving bowls and a couple teapots this afternoon.  A good day.  I can't wait to get some of this work thorough the glaze kiln.  Hopefully by the end of the weekend.

Thanks for checking in.

Domestic Stuff

Just washed up this batch of dirty dishes.  We go through a lot of cups in a day.  That pilgrim bottle is one I made and it's what we keep our dish washing liquid in.

Fried rice for supper tonight.  I like a couple scrambled eggs in there.  I made this spouted bowl years ago, it cracked in the kiln but I really liked it and we kept it.  It gets plenty of use when I need to whisk up some dressing or scramble a few eggs.

Bowls from Tues.

I'm not completely sold on this image viewer.  For now it will do though.  Click on those (very small)  thumbnails to see the larger images.

I drew on these bowls today.  I've never spent that much time on one pot.  I did have a tiny breakthrough and that was drawing that cup and saucer on a few of them.  Basically it told me "anything goes".  Hummm. Okay, well we'll see.

NextGen Plugin Test

This is a test of the Nextgen plug in.  You can let me know if you like this.  Three drawings by me and a teabowl by Goro Suzuki.   Click to see the large images. You can click through them after they open or click the large image to close the gallery.

Jim, I've loaded a larger picture, Sarah on the swing.

A Few Drawings

Click these thumbnails to see the full image.

Working on my drawings everyday.  I'm mainly drawing animals from black and white clipart .jpg's.  Some of the clipart are images of actual animals while others are realistic  illustrations.  Doing this is allowing me to learn more about specific animal anatomy and different postures.

I don't really want to be drawing realistic looking animals on pots.  It's just not what I'm going for.  I need to inject a bit of myself into the drawings.  It's not happening too fast, but with time it will.





I'm also putting more pattern on the pots.  Like background wall paper in a sense.  I have a few standbys but I'm looking for more.



Hopefully I'll have some pots out of the kiln by this time next week.

Coffee with Michael

Sunday morning coffee.

This Michael Simon cup is my favorite coffee cup.  Michael isn't making pots anymore due to health problems but in my opinion he's made some of the very best pots in America.

This cup is slighltly ovaled and the handle is terribly thin at the curve.  Michael's pots have great volume, visually and physically.  I love the fragility of the handle.  This cup has become stained on the inside from years of use in our home.  I'll probably never be able to get another cup like this but that isn't keeping me from using it on a regular basis.  I take my time when I use this pot, I feel very connected to it and to the maker.  It's a cup that is quiet, but speaks to me time and time again.

Share

I have added a plugin that puts a Share button at the end of each post.  You all can use this to share information from my blog with others.  It allows you to share the post through many social network sites that you may be part of or to bookmark the post on your computer.

I hope you'll put this to use.  I tried it out last night.  If you're a friend of my on FB you may have gotten the link to yesterdays post.

Deco. and Foot

Above are some plates I decorated this morning.  I have an order for some plates and they said go heavy on the wash line and the possum imagery.  A couple of these have some experimental stuff happening (rabbit and cupcake).

While at Penland I worked out a bowl and plate foot that I think suits my pots better.  Above is an example that I cut today.

I am drawing on the bottoms of all the plates now and signing them too.  For years I have used my RP chop but I'm beginning to change that.  I am in the process of figuring out how to mark my work using my name, either 'philbeck' or 'r.philbeck'.   We talked a lot about marketing while at Penland and now that more of my work is going further away from the studio I think it's important for folks to be able to identify the maker.  I want to sell pots and making it easy for people is part of that.  Any Google search for 'philbeck' and 'pottery' will turn up my website or some way that someone could find me.

It's fun for me to see how my ideas about pots and the way I work are changing.  My old ways have served me well for years, but now I want to move forward.  I still have strong feelings about preserving the integrity of the foot of a pot.  I want to respect that place and still get my name on the pot.  I've been experimenting with little slipped 'tags' on the sides of bowls where I can write my name.  I've also been thinking about a small circular stamp of 'philbeck'.  Anyhow things are changing and I'm having fun and that's good for me.

Maybe tomorrow will be better

Finally up  to date on my posts.  It took forever and I'm still not sure what's going on w. my WordPress stuff.  There's a conflict or something between some plugins.

Hopefully I'll get it all sorted over the weekend.

Flurry of Activity

All the little wren chicks flew the nest yesterday.  I had four chicks bouncing off every possible thing in the studio for about 40 minutes.  Eventually, and with some help from momma wren, they all made it out the door and into the wide world.  It was fun to sit and watch it all happen.

Tommy Kane

A big cardboard envelope arrived yesterday.  Inside was a print I had ordered from Tommy Kane.  It's totally cool and I am sure I'll be adding a couple more as time goes on.  Check out Tommy's Etsy store HERE.

Frustrated

I've got two posts from yesterday that I can't get to post.  I don't know what's going on w. Word Press or my server.  It's a total pain!

Not Chicken

I asked Sarah before she left work the other morning what she wanted for dinner that night.  "Something with chicken would be nice " was her reply.

So I made pepperoni pizza.



Well we didn't have any chicken in the freezer and we did have pizza dough.  So that was that and she loved it.

We ate off of our two Kirk Lyttle plates.  I love how fun they are.  Kirk is an illustrator for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and a potter to boot.  There's not much about him on web, but I did get to meet him on one of my visits to MN and he's such a great fellow. I would love to have a few more of his pots.



Kirk often fires his work in Linda Christianson's wood kiln alongside her pots.

Still no internet at home, but I'll keep trucking it up to the library to post and check emails.

Pots in Use

Here is a shot Sarah took Sunday morning before we had our breakfast.  Wood fired plate by Ruggles and Rankin.  Temmoku plate with kaki pours by Randy Johnston.  Mug by Ayumi Horie.  Tumber by Suze Lindsey.  Bowl by Marcia Bugg. Pitcher by Brad Tucker.  Pancakes by Sarah.  Blueberries from the local farmer's market.

Drat!

My modem got smacked again today by lightening.  Looks like I'll be heading over here to the library until my new one arrives next week.  I don't think our phone line is grounded properly.  Bummer.

Tuesday

Another hot Carolina day.  I had a hard time keeping my pots from getting too dry before getting all the feet cut.  It seemed like one moment they were slightly leather hard and the next on the way to being too dry to cut.  I got them all finished and then managed to drop a couple of bowls on the floor.  Oh well.

Loupie took the day in stride, just laying around on the lawn mower.  I think he went for a roll before his nap, he's awfully grassy and dusty.



Karma and I are sharing our space with this mother wren and her chicks.  She's in and out all day with food.  That one fellow is giving her a shout for more.  I was thinking it was almost time for the little ones to leave the nest, but  I believe it will be a bit longer.



Does this cloud look like a rabbit to you?

Fired a small test kiln of various glazes today.  Should have some results tomorrow.

Monday. Get Back @ It.

Monday's are usually my most productive day of the week as far as making goes.  Today was my first serious day back in the shop since getting back from Penland.  In a couple of hours I had a test kiln going, gotten the pugmill all cleaned out and made a few boards of plates and bowls.

It feels good to get back in the groove.  Especially after I went first thing this morning for acupuncture and cupping.  Good stuff.

I am making a list of sources of  inspiration that I may use in my drawings.  We did an exercise in Ayumi's class where we listed 50 things that we liked visually.  It had to be specific, for instance, a spider's web in the grass covered in dew.  Then we looked for patterns in each of our lists.  Most of mine reflected some sort of rural life, a sensitivity to nature, memories, and specific places (again rural).

I've been drawing and journalling a lot since getting back home and yesterday the lightbulb went off and I thought that one option is for me to use actual people, events and objects to inform my decoration.  I have tons to work with.  Ha.  Pulling it off is a  different story but I think I can do it if I really dig in, have fun and not take things to seriously. (which I certainly don't want to do).

Anyhow, I'll share more on this later.  I'm off to make more plates and bowls for an order.

New Pots in My Etsy Shop!

I just uploaded some pots into my Online Etsy Shop.  I hope you'll pop over for a look.  Included are a few things from my Penland workshop.

If you know anyone who may be interested please forward the site to them.  And don't forget to sign up for my email notices if you haven't done so yet.(Form in right sidebar)

Thanks for checking in!

For Discussion

I want to put something out here for us to discuss.  It's sort of bad timing considering all the mess with the economy right now, but I figure I'll throw it out here and we'll muck our way through it.

I recently bought a $95 pair of shoes for the summer.  Chacos.  I love shoes.  I esp. love my Keens and these Chacos aren't bad either.

Anyhow I really don't mind forking out $100 for shoes b/c I know the ones I buy will make my life better.  I buy good shoes that will last, that look good, and that feel good when I wear them for long periods of time.  The shoes I buy are investments.  My feet are happy.

What kinds of purchases do you make?  Electronics? Coffee? Books? Furniture? Art?  Gourmet Food?  Clothing?  Handbags?

Now how about pottery? Over the years I've bought lots of pots.  Good pots.  Pots I love.  Pots to use and enjoy.  Pots make my life better.  I could go on with the reasons but most of you get it so I won't.

Now, how do we as potters convey this message to our customers or future customers?  And how do we elevate our craft to a place where people are willing to spend a little more on a handmade pot?  I mean folks don't think twice about going out and buying a $50 meal or a $40 shirt. (I know some people do, but I'm not talking about them) ( I realize I'm talking about a specific market).

(Many of you know I came to pots through that Warren Mackenzie philosophy and my cups were $12 for years.  So I'm not someone who doesn't see both sides of this).

I'm just getting the ball rolling here.  If you're a blogger maybe you can post some thoughts on this.  Please leave a comment.  If you're not a potter but a pottery lover I'd like to hear comments from you too.

I feel like I've always done a good job at educating my customers and our friends and family about pots.  We bring folks into our house and open our cabinets for them.  They see all the plates, and mugs and bowls and Sarah and I share how much we enjoy using them.  We always eat off handmade pots.  No paper plates here.

Let's talk about this and see where it goes.