Last Post...

until I get back from vacation.

I unloaded the bisque kiln this morning so I'll have these pots to glaze when I get home.

I have some new imagery in this load and some sig tests too.  These are all for the Thrown Together Sale on Sept. 24th.  I still have about 15 pots to decorate when I get back including the rectangular boxes.  I'm excited about these pots.

That's all for now.  I'm looking forward to some time relaxing (although I'm not quite sure I know how to do that for a whole week).

 

Last Wet Day. Sort of.

Today was my last day throwing for the Thrown Together Show on Sept.  24th.  Sarah and I are going on vacation next week so I want to have all the pots made, slipped and some decorated before we leave.  I'd like to get a bisque in too.  So this week I'll be finishing and hopefully load a nice bisque on Friday or Saturday.

So it was the last wet day in the studio but it looks like there may be a day or more of very wet weather in store for us as tropical storm Lee drenches much of the south.

Thanks for all the comments on the last post about disconnecting!!  This seems to be something that many of us could use some work on.

I have a few small strategies in place.  I'm not going online until I've been up for at least 2 hours.  I'd like to try and even move this on into the day, maybe not get online until lunchtime.

I'm trying to only check my email 2-3 times a day.  When I check it I respond to the emails that come in or file them to be responded to.  Right now I'm doing pretty good at responding to what comes in.  I've also unsubscribed from several sites and changed my settings on social networks so I don't get notified  about stuff.

If I think of something during the day that I want to look up I make a note of it on paper and then try to do all that at one time, usually in the evening.  The evening is a bad time for me to get sucked in.  If I stick to the list, check my mail and sign out then that's good.  Not being successful at this all the time though.  I should probably set a timer and go for a certain time and then log off.

If I am working on a document, or something in Photoshop, etc then I sign out of my browser so I'm not tempted to check my blog, or Etsy, or email.

I'm really trying to only do a couple posts to FB or my Fan page per day and not get caught up reading what everyone else is doing. *

I'll keep y'all up to date on what's going on as I try new disconnecting techniques this week.

The boxes are almost done and ready to deco.  Today I got them slipped and the lids cut.  They will get a lid flange tomorrow.

Thanks for checking in.  I know we all have little time to spare but it's nice to be connected here on the blogs and I plan to keep on posting and to keep reading as many others blogs as I can.

*Did you follow those hyperlinks?  Hum, that can get us in trouble too can't it?!  Well if you did I hope you didn't get sucked in and made it back here quickly.

And now you're off to whatever is next!

The Desire to Disconnect

I've been working yesterday and today to try and get some of my 'junk' organized.  'Junk' being all the stuff on my desk, the kitchen table, the table by the window, and on top of the bookshelf by the door.  Piles. Stacks.  Stuff of varying importance. Or no importance.

As it is now I've moved most of it to my upstairs desk, which is to become my Control Center, the place from which I am going to build my Empire, or at least where I'm going to spend the next hour working to clean out my Inbox.

In the last month or longer I have seriously noticed my addiction to being 'Connected'.  I check my email several times a day, and my blog comments, and my facebook, and my Etsy, and I also have the weakness of getting sucked into surfing for god knows what on the internet.  It's not good.  It's eating away my time, my creative time, my time for tea and drawing and reading and napping.  I need to Disconnect.  I need some structure to my time on the internet.

I have a plan. I'll share more about that later.  For now lets just say that I'm happy that I've decided to work on this.  I'm not saying I'm going to do less work or use the internet less to market my art or to communicate with others.  I'm just going to do it in a healthy way, that doesn't eat so much of my time up, and make me crazy.

I'm getting some help from some of the materials and posts on this site.

The Gallery Crawl uptown went well last night.  I was in charge of the food at the Arts Council and with the help of my fellow board members Fredia and Donna we put out quite a spread.

My work at Two Doors Down looked fab and I sold a couple pieces from there.

Thanks for checking in everyone.  Have a good Friday!!

Very Happy Thursday

Piglet thought that they ought to have a Reason for going to see everybody, like Looking for Small or Organizing an Expotition, if Pooh could think of something.
Pooh could. "We'll go because it's Thursday," he said, "and we'll go to wish everybody a Very Happy Thursday.
Come on, Piglet." 

I love Winnie the Pooh.  I think he could teach us all something.  That part above is from The House at Pooh Corner. Chapter 8.  In which Piglet does a very grand thing.

Well, I'm having a cup of tea in my new Rat cup as I wait for my oatmeal to cook.  I think it's my new favorite cup!  I was very happy with that last kiln load and look forward to some of those pots going off to new homes.

That book there by Gregg Levoy is very good.  The title is Callings.  I'm only 50 pages in but I'm really enjoying it.  It's about learning to hear/recognize and follow (or not) callings in our lives.  With the hope that this will lead up to living a more authentic life.

I worked on a few rectangular boxes yesterday.  They are fairly time consuming pots, each made up of 8 parts total.  Then the deco is pretty intensive too.

This first shot shows the three bodies, thrown without bottoms and then gently shaped.

And here they are now after I've shaped them a bit more and attached the tops and bottoms.

They are currently under plastic to allow everything to even out before I cut the lids and attach the feet.  That's probably not going to happen until tomorrow as I have a full day of getting ready for the gallery crawl in town tonight.  I'm in charge of the reception at the Arts Council and I have pots on display at a local shop.  Looks like I'll be in the kitchen most of the after noon.

Here's a paper cut sign that I made for my display at 2 Doors Down.

  One thing I learned while making this, be careful when working on paper cuts because if you poke your finger with the scalpel and then bleed all over your paper it pretty much ruins it and you have to start again!

This next part is for Anna but may be helpful to others too.

This is a close up of the tools I use for sgraffito and carving away excess clay.

 I want to mention that the working ends of the tools on the right should be filed with a flat edge as shown below. (As opposed to a knife shaped edge).

I keep a small file on hand when decorating and give them a sharpen when needed.

Okay that's quite a lot of info for today.  Breakfast is ready so I'll sign out, have a great Thursday!!

Just out of the kiln

Some of the pots from yesterdays unloading.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGAp61klMKg

Tomorrow, September 1, is the Gallery Crawl in uptown Shelby.  My work is featured at Two Doors Down, 12 Warren Street.  I also have work at ETC Gift shop in the Arts Council and at Buffalo Creek Gallery, also on Warren St.  I hope the locals will come out and support the arts and our local businesses.

A Post For Tuesday

Hey folks!

No I have not fallen into my dreary pit of doom again.  I am doing well, just busy, busy and I figured that last video would keep you entertained for a while.

New pots coming out of the kiln later today. I'm very excited about them all.  And I'm getting ready for some new listings in the Online Shop.

I worked up this design for the upcoming Thrown Together Sale

I'm going to have some killer pots for the Sale on Sept. 24th.  I'm off to work on some rectangular boxes today and finish off the cups I made yesterday.

Here's the back of the postcard with more info.  If you'd like to be on our mailing list you can send you address or email address to throwntogetherpotters at gmail dot com

Beginning to End. Goat Portrait

Shot this video yesterday. I really feel like the drawings are beginning to come into their own.  After about 8 cups I really began to loosen up and get some nice action in the lines and expressions.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--RaEi0Ceik

Of course I want to make sure that I'm making good forms right from the start.  I take a lot of pride in my mugs.  With this last batch I increased the size just a tiny bit and as always gave extra attention to making a comfortable, accessible handle.

I'm getting a nice full load in the bisque kiln.  I'll finish up a few more cups today and move on to the bigger serving dishes.

Deco. Videos

I shot these two clips showing pots getting drawn on, layout and working towards some finished etched pieces.  I'll try and write a bit more about this and what I'm thinking as I do this soon.  For now here are the videos.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X9p3SpJapk

 

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZbiF6wnrDs

A Dream. And Help.

Last night I dreamed I was firing Janet Mansfield's big woodfired salt kiln.  All my pots came out of it and they were great.  I had made everything from porcelain and they all had drawings on them, and saltglazed!  It was wonderful!  I think I'm having a bit of salt glazer relapse.  Which is cool, it may lead some where.

Earlier today I was looking at Priscilla Mouritzen's blog, Pinchpots, and I saw there, Hans and Birgitte Borjeson.  I remembered their pots from Janet Mansfield's book, Salt-glaze Ceramics.  (Yes, Janet again!)  As I looked through the Borjeson's website I recognized some of their patterned saltglazed pots but then, bam, there were a couple of pots with drawings on them.

I couldn't figure out how to capture the images from the Flash player so I photographed the screen.

You can see these images better if you go to their website.  Anyhow I am wondering about this technique.  I know there is some sgraffito going on.  And the blue is some sort of cobalt wash/stain.  My question is how are the figures/trees etc resisted yet still they have sgraffito and inlaided stain within them?  See what I mean?  I have one theory that involves wax but it seems too complicated.  Help? Anyone have ideas on this?  I may be overlooking the obvious.

Here's another photo I found on the web of Hans and Birgitte with one of their large bowls that has the same technique.

My studio is totally overflowing with pots at the moment.  I have to get into deco. mode tomorrow so I can get some things into the kiln and bisque fired.

Okay, that's all for now.  Thanks for checking in and leave me a comment if you know how anything about the salt glaze deco that happening up there.  Thanks!

Making a List.

Sometimes it's good to do a prototype before trying something new.  I had the idea for this candle stick holder the other night while in bed and I did a sketch so I wouldn't forget it.  So yesterday I threw this together just to get a feel for the  scale and where the drawings may go.

I'm not 100% satisfied with this yet but it gives me a starting point without having spent too much time on it.  The plan is to do some cut outs there in the center where those circles are and the base would be in white slip with my usual drawings of animals and flowers.

That's my studio candle. I use it to measure my candle cups to make sure they are the right size.

I also got all the plates footed and slipped from the last making session and the mugs finished too.  I wanted to backfill those mug handles but things are drying so fast that I missed the opportunity.  A new batch of 6 to handle today.  Maybe I'll catch them in time.

I told myself that I needed to make a list if I was going to get anywhere with my making.  So yesterday I organized the showroom to see what my inventory looked like and made up this list of what to make.  It's a bit ambitious for the time I have (there's more on the back), but I'll get done what I can.

I'm also in the midst of making a bisque mold for a rectangular tray.  I have approached this pot from several angles in the past and not been happy with any of the results.  I fear this attempt may prove to be no different but I'm going to give it a go.  I'll take a pic of my mold today.

All for now.

Happy Birthday to my good pal Doug Fitch!!!!

Potter Plumber

Our kitchen faucet pretty much blew apart last night as we were getting ready to do the dinner dishes.  It was about 11 years old and had seen it's better days I think.

I took it off the sink and today we went to the hardware store to get another one.  We also decided to replace the sink because it had gotten chipped a few years ago and one edge of it was a rusty mess.  So after dropping close to $400 we now have a new fancy Delta faucet and cast iron Kohler sink.

It's very heavy and I'm waiting for my bro-in-law to come help me set it into place.  We don't have a dishwasher and do dishes 2-3 times a day.  I like a nice deep sink, this one is 9 inches, and big enough for pots and pans and of course lots of pottery.

Sarah and I had a good supper last night.  I made spagetti and meat balls, I'd never made meatballs before.  I bought some Italian sausage from a local farmer at the market yesterday and cut it with some ground beef added herbs, onion, garlic and bread crumbs.  They were super yummy with the homemade marinara that Sarah's mom canned from her tomatoes.

Looking forward to the new week ahead.  I am hoping to have a Home Sale in September and I also have the Thrown Together Sale coming up on September 24th.  Sarah and I are also going to the beach, a much needed vacation for the both of us.  So I'd better make the most of my time that's left here in August and get some pots made.

 

12 by 12

My 12 pots by 12 o'clock noon today.

And more on the way...

Friday Afternoon Post

I drove up to Highwater Clays in Asheville yesterday and picked up 1000 lbs of clay.  I am so happy to have plenty of clay in the studio.

Speaking of 'happy'.  Do you know anyone who always seems to be happy?  No matter when you see them?  Is that for real?  I know someone who no matter when I see them will always be smiling and saying how things are great and blah, blah, blah...I just came from yoga and I feel sooooo connected to myself and the world.  Or, Oh things are so good, I have been out in the garden weeding all morning...

Maybe I'm just too hum drum or gloomy.  I mean if that's really how that person is then good for them.  But if it's a put on then what the hell is that about?  I wonder if I acted more happy if I could be more happy.

Hey here's a pot:

(Gotta make sure I don't lose focus of what this blog is supposedly about).

Sarah and I went into the city for acupuncture today.  I felt so good and relaxed laying there on the table with needles in me!  I could have stayed there all afternoon.

As I was laying there, before dozing off, I thought it would be cool to do an online survey about mugs.  Preferences and such.  I'm going to try and put one together by Monday so stay tuned.

Speaking of mugs HERE is a nice blog post that I read this morning.

Another pottery image just to keep you scrolling:

Yesterday while in Asheville I ate at 12 Bones.  Oh brother, it was delicious.  I had a half rack of ribs with blueberry chipotle sauce, a side of corn pudding (yum), a side of mac and cheese, and sweet iced tea.  Heaven.  You have got to go if you are in Asheville. (assuming you eat pork).

The President has even been there you know.

Okay, that's all. Happy Weekend everyone.  Look for some newly made pots to come this way v. soon.  For now one more image.

Temmoku glazed yunomi fired in my salt kiln.  This one is now in my Online Shop.

Video. How I Slip a Plate

Hope this helps some of you out there.  This technique could easily be used when glazing also.

Spinning the plate takes some practice.  You could practice with a bisque plate and water just to get the feel of the motion and the pouring.  Notice I don't move my pouring hand/cup.  Just the plate moves and the pour goes from the center of the plate (more or less)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v52RYTsYlBU

Hi. Just a Quick Video

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaQBdvvgSMs

Salt Glazed Cups

So here are the cups that I had in the salt firing from last week.  It was really fun for me to sit down and just make a run of these yunomi all in one sitting, making each one different, or mostly so.    Some got a coating of slip, others were glazed with temmoku or a copper glaze.  Some of these will be going into the Etsy shop later in the week.

 

Salt Glazed Pottery

My salt firing workshop went well last weekend and on Friday we unloaded the kiln. Everyone was pleased with their pottery.   We only used a few glazes and one slip.  Some of the pots were bare clay.  I really liked seeing the different claybodies come out of the kiln, especially the porcelain.

I had about 18 cups in the kiln. I'll put images of them up later.  For now here are images of the participants pots.  Click for larger/fuller image.

[gallery link="file" order="DESC" orderby="ID"]

no potin' 'round here

(I wrote this post on Thursday but only got around to posting it this morning)

No pottery being made this week.  Well I did make 4 cups some time back and they are out there under plastic but I bet they are too dry for handles now.

Between getting ready for last weeks workshop and a big party we are hosting this weekend I have been fairly busy.  I'd like to make some pots.  I have them in my head but it will probably be the 8th before I get any clay on the wheel.

I've been to 2 grocery stores, 2 hardware stores and over to help my father in law install a storm door today.  I think I'm on my 5th cup of tea. Ha! It's hot as hell outside but honestly I haven't been complaining too much.  I like NC weather and we do have A/C indoors so its not too brutal.

Hope everyone is doing well. I'm trying to stay up to date on reading other's blogs so I'll try and leave you a comment if I drop by.

Night Thoughts

I woke up at 4 am and my brain started zooming.  I couldn't get back to sleep because I was having thoughts of pre-historic man walking the earth over a million years ago.  That made me feel very small and insignificant.  I guess I could turn it around and say I'm even lucky to be alive and part of the universe.   That would be less depressing.

So I came downstairs to lay on the couch.  I can usually fall back asleep down there.  But I got to thinking about how large many humans are becoming and I wondered if in 100 years or more if all humans will be super sized.  Or dead.

Thankfully I finally fell asleep and now it's morning and the birds are singing outside and I'm having tea and looking forward to my day.  Off I go.

What's Happening

The Creatures of the Night Exhibition at MudFire Gallery opens this Saturday, Aug. 6th.  There is some really cool work in this show.  You can click HERE to see the preview.  The show will be online and pots for sale online so no matter where you are you can participate.  MudFire has really kicked it up a notch with their new website.  Check in there often!

I've been invited to quite a few shows over the next few months and into next year.  I have to say I'm really happy to be getting my work out there more.  Also, whenever I am invited to and exhibition or show it pushes me to come up with new ideas or to fine tune some of the work that I have been doing.  For the Creatures show I came up with some really cool bat imagery.

I sold both of the rectangular boxes in the past two weeks.

I am happy to know that I can work at this scale and put a good amount of effort into these sorts of pots and get paid what I ask.  Living here in 'big pot' country NC I've felt like I have to make bigger scale work to command any attention or to have more expensive 'show' pieces.  Of course that's just a notion of my own that I've created.  So it's important for me to see that I can do what I want and move past that notion.

Last week I sent out an email letting folks know about all the new work in my Etsy shop.  That created a little bit of a buying frenzy which was nice.  If you'd like to receive emails please sign up in the right hand side bar. Thanks!!

Hope everyone is having a good week so far.  Thanks for checking in.  ~Ron