Working on the Jar Ideas

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Below are a couple of videos of me showing some work in progress and talking about moving these pots forward.

It's good to be in this place of not knowing exactly what to do, or setting up some problems to be solved.  I feel like most of this sort of thing gets worked out in the 'doing' as opposed to the 'thinking about it'.  Both ways are valuable, but for me I have to see it in clay to really know what works best.  You'll see I did some sketching in the first video.  That's an okay jumping off point, but honestly I don't sketch pots too much.  If I do it's just to remind me of some idea that I had so that I remember to make it later.  This leads me to more thoughts but I'm saving that for the next blog post.  It will be about risk and ruining pots and so on.

For now here are the videos.

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

 

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

Video Tour

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Here's a tour of one of our cupboards.  I had fun doing this and I'll do another one soon.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bASe9h6a60

Sorry I used the word 'nice' so much.  I didn't even notice I was doing it until I got finished and watched the video.

I didn't realize the camera timed out about 2 minutes before I finished. So I just faded out at the end.  You only missed about 3 bowls, I'll get them in next time.

Thanks for watching.  That was fun.

I can't really think of a good title.

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I did a bit of writing in my journal over the past weekend about where I am with my pots right now and how I'm feeling about my work.  For the most part it was positive and hopeful.  I feel good about what I'm making and the choices I have made over the last couple years regarding the direction of my work.

Laying out drawings in pencil.


I have a desire for a small move in making some new forms.  I'd like to work on a bottle and/or vase form as well as a box/jar.  My thinking is that I'd like to have a few pots that fit into the 'collectible' category.  Pots that function but that have a bit more 'status' than say a bowl or plate.   I have mixed feelings about even saying that since for me the greatest pot out there is the Mug.


Some potters and pottery enthusiasts equate a pot's size with it being more important.  I think that is especially true here in North Carolina.  Not everyone feels this way of course and even some of the folks who make the big pots know the importance of the smaller wares and make very fine mugs and soup bowls.  (If their mugs are no good, I don't care a flip about their big pots!)


VW ad . 1959


Anyhow, I'm not planning on going the big pot route.  I am thinking more along the lines of a nice bottle or jar shape.  Probably not round.  Maybe 9-10" max height.  Hopefully with a nice marriage between the decoration and the form.


Right, so I better get to it. More on all this later. Thanks for reading.


Getting the pots decorated.


(Check in soon for a video!)

Burger Heaven

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Sarah and I went into Charlotte yesterday so that I could see the Grainer Collection at the Mint one more time.  Mr. and Mrs. Grainer were actually in the gallery but I didn't go up and start handing them my business card or anything.  I got to drool over the Maltby pots again and look really close at Grayson Perry's large urns with all their insane glaze treatment, gold luster, and decals.

For lunch we went to Big Daddy's Burger Bar on East Blvd.  It was hopping! I have been wanting to go for about a year now.

I ordered the Sam I Am burger which is topped with American cheese, rosemary ham, a fried egg and pesto.  Oh my, it was heaven.  I'd had a turkey burger w. a fried egg at the Birchwood Cafe in Minneapolis a few years back and loved it, so it was good to have another. (really good...yuuummmm)



Sarah had the black bean burger with green chilies, Monterey jack cheese, avocado, and chipotle ranch.  It was really good too (even though there weren't two meats and an egg on it!!!)

Later that night, after coming back home for a bit we went out to the new Ni Fen Wine and Tapas bar in Shelby.  Jeanette Sun has been missed for some time here in this town.  It's great to have her back in this new setting.  We had some drinks and I was treated to a wonderful piece of Jeanette's tiramisu.  If you live in Shelby, or nearby, please check out Ni Fen, you'll be glad you did.

It was an awesome birthday, spent with my favorite person, my sweet wife.  I got lots of warm wishes on my FB page that really made me feel great.   Well, here's to another year in the making.

(Today: Eat my veggies)

I Ain't Dylan

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Not that Dylan


I started putting the white slip on this tray today and I just couldn't help but want to trail some slip on it.  I tried to resist, saying, I need to keep this and draw on it.  Then the little voice way in the background said, Have some fun!



I only had black slip and two different whites so this is what I did.  Hum, maybe not a masterpiece but I did enjoy myself.  My favorite bit is that zig zag of white there in the bottom right.


Like I said I'm no Dylan.


Platter by Dylan Bowen


I think the hard part is knowing when to stop!


Quentin Blake says to stop before you think you should.  Good advice.


What's Happening in the Studio

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Glad to be back blogging!  Here's a video I shot this afternoon  of some work in progress in the studio.  You'll see this slab vase at one point in the video and I want to note that after I shot this I went back and added a taller pot to the slab.  That first one was too short and I don't think it would have held the flowers up.  The initial reason for the shorter pot was b/c I was going to cut a window in the slab.  I decided not to do that now and I do think the taller pot will hold the flowers up better. (You'll see when you watch....)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmxlKx83iys

 

Here's a link to Dylan Bowen's website. If you click on #18 and 19 you'll see the bottle shape like I was trying to make.  He's great with the slip action!! So much movement and energy.

Miracles Do Happen

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After 12 days of not being able to access this site from home due to an AT+T server problem I am finally back!!!

AT+T did not make it easy.  I went through all kind of Techs to finally get to someone who admitted that the problem was on their end.  This took several days and I have to say I was the model of patience during the whole ordeal.  Good practice.

So I've got some catching up to do. Stay tuned.

No Access

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Hey Folks,

I am having problems accessing this blog via my computer for some reason.  I am at the public library now (on a public computer).  For some reason when I try to go to my blog the server times out.  It has been doing this since Feb. 25th.  I've been on tech support with my host and my ISP several times and both have not provided me with a solution.  Sarah cannot access the site on her computer either.  Any other website comes up.  I cannot get to my site when I am at other locations on my computer either.  Like at the coffee shop or the Dairy Queen (I just pulled in to use their wi-fi).

It's been frustrating not having anyone at my host or ISP to give me a solution.  I ran a traceroute and found the IP address where everything stops.  BlueHost claims that the IP address belongs to ATT and ATT told me no, it was nothing on their end.  If I knew more maybe I could argue the point or get better results.

If anyone out there thinks they can help me you can send me an email at ronpots2 at yahoo dot com.   No need to comment here b/c it will be a few days before I come back to the library.

You can still find me on Facebook until I get this all sorted.

On a more positive note, I had a great visit with Brandon Phillips and his wife for a couple days here at our home.  They were on their way back to Texas from the ACC show in Baltimore.  It was so cool to hang out with Brandon.  I felt like we'd known each other for years.  I'll do  a more through post w. pics when I get things back running smoothly from home.

Okay. All for now.

Kiln Shed Video

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Hi! Happy Wednesday.  I'm having a great day out in the workshop making some bottles and other pots.  I'll have images of that in the next day or two.

For now I wanted to show this video I shot this morning down at the kiln shed.  It shows my salt kiln and small gas kiln.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DCgHQAe4sE

I made the gradual switch from salt glazed stoneware to earthenware in the early months of 2008.  There were several reasons that I changed my work and I think I've talked about this a little before.

One of my very early influences and one of my heroes to this day is Ron Meyers from Athens, Georgia. Ron makes amazing earthenware pots and from the first time I saw him make pots I knew that one day I'd try to make some red pots with some sort of imagery on them.  That desire has always been inside me, to make pots with drawings or painting or what not.  I just never knew how, not until I threw myself into a new body of work.

Another reason for going to low fire earthenware was rising fuel costs.  My salt kiln is built from hard brick and is fired with propane.  It takes a while to heat up all those brick and with the cost of propane rising I dreaded firing the kiln.  It was costing me somewhere just over $200 per firing.  Of course, if I'd been selling plenty of pots then that wouldn't have been such a big deal.  But I think in my mind I was ready to try something new so it all came together.

Switching to a lower temperature and firing in an electric kiln solved the fuel cost issue.  I also found that I enjoyed having a quick turnaround in a small kiln.  This was good as I was learning to work with the new clay and glazes.  I wasn't putting so many pots at risk in a larger kiln with each firing.

As far as switching to a new body of work goes I feel like I'm still moving along in this stream that is decorated earthenware pots.  I certainly could have started decorating my stoneware salt glazed pots, but I had worked in that way for so long that I just felt that I needed to start totally fresh and let go of my old ideas of what I 'should' or 'shouldn't' do.  It was basically starting fresh, new materials, new firing, new decoration.  I already knew how to make the pots, so I didn't have to change my forms.  If anything, earthenware is so much more forgiving than stoneware.  Plates didn't warp and I had no cracking issues or anything of the sort (not that I had ever had too much of a problem).

So that's it in a nutshell.  I may talk more about it again later.  If you have any comment or questions feel free to leave them in the Comments section.  I love to hear from you all!

Ouch!

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I was in too much of a hurry to unload the kiln today and suffered a bit of burn. OUCH!


Here are just a few pots from the firing. Most of the kiln was loaded with bowls made by other people for an upcoming fundraiser.





These pots, along with some older salt glazed pots, will be going up on Etsy soon.


This weekend I am attending a workshop with Sandi Pierentozzi and Neil Patterson.  That should be fun and I'll have some photos from that.


Hello Out There

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Hey I am hoping that I have a few readers left out there. I don't feel like I've been posting often enough to keep things going here. Oh well, if you're out there then thanks.  I guess I could check my stats but I'll just assume someone will read this.

So what to say? Any suggestions that ya'll want me to write about? Video? Pics? Book reviews? What size socks I wear?

I thought today that I probably could go back in the archives and pick up some things I've written about and re-visit it. Maybe see if things have changed any or just rehash something for any new visitors.

One thing that's been on my mind lately has been my interaction with customers on the Internet. My Etsy shop has been doing well and it's been fun to get orders and then ship those pots off to folks.  What's weird is not having any personal/physical interaction with those customers.  I have no idea who they are, what they are like, what they look like, sound like etc.  Nothing like being at a craft fair where I get to meet folks face to face and have a bit of a chat.


I have developed a closer relationship with a few online customers.  Most of these are folks who have placed more than one order and/or read and comment on the blog.  I've had a few little email chats with these folks and we've gotten to know one another better.  I like that.  I need that connection to the people who like my pots.  And it's good for them to know me too.

What's funny is that sometimes, in the beginning, I know Nothing.  For a while I thought one person was a man, well, turns out she was a female.  Some folks keep their personal identity and information fairly obscure on the Net.  Which is a pretty good precaution.  (I sure don't have much privacy any more on the Web. No wonder I get hacked from time to time. Need to remember to keep my passwords changed)

Anyhow, last week I got an email from someone wanting a Year of the Rabbit Plate like one that was already sold on Etsy.  It was nice to get that request and I told her I'd be happy to make it. This morning I get a call from the persons mother.  She wants to pay for the plate and have it shipped to her daughter.  We had a brief conversation and it was really cool to hear this ladies accent (I think she was in NY or NJ?) and for her to tell me a bit about her daughter.  (I'm sure she liked my southern boy accent too).

So things like that are great.  Even though I don't see these folks in person just something small like a phone call or a personal email gives me some sense of the person.

Well there you go, not a bad post I reckon.  I have the kiln going so you'll have to wait till later for any new pot pics.  For now here's some cups and small plates I made today.

New Pot in Use

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You may remember that I won Marcia Tani Paul's giveaway on her Blog not long ago.

One of the prizes was this great bowl made by Marcia.  It's my new favorite pot and has been in use regularly since it arrived.


This is pretty much a weekly meal, teriyaki salmon, short grain brown rice and edamame.


Marcia has sent me a new salmon recipe that I'll be trying soon as well as a recipe for roast duck.  For more great food and pots be sure to visit Marcia's blog and her recipe page.

Box Battered. Pots Survive.

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I got these photos from an Etsy customer in Texas today.  I send this box UPS ground a few days ago with 3 pots inside.



Come on UPS!!!

Okay, so this was one of those cheap, recycled boxes from WallyWorld.  I'm not sure the box is 100% to blame here but I think I'm going to be ordering some better made 12" and 14" boxes in the future.  This could have been a disaster.

Thanks to my super, over the top packing method the pots did survive.

The eFFing Handles

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That title is just to get you here.

I don't understand why anyone would use the efF word in their band name or any other thing really.  I mean it kind of limits where you can put your name, logo, etc.  Like, I wouldn't want to be called Ron F%%*#^ng Philbeck Pottery.  Any how here are two bands I like that have that word in their names:

Star(bleep)er and The *bleeping*Eagles

Just in case you're looking for some new tunes.

Right, on to some pots.  Handles were applied to mugs today:



Other stuff happened too, but no time for that...sorry.


I am off to an opening at Buffalo Creek Gallery in town.  Sarah has work in the jewelry show that is going on this month.  It's been so cool to have her working in her studio over the past few weeks.  Most of you know she is a full time therapist now so time in her studio is very limited.  I miss hearing her hammering and soldering and sawing during the day.  Anyhow this show is just in time for Valentine's Day so if you are in the area stop in at Buffalo Creek Gallery and get your Valentine some unique, local, handmade jewelry!

British Slipware Potters Workshops

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Hi folks. I want to take time to remind you all again that our friends Doug Fitch and Hannah McAndrew are coming to the States in April and will be giving a series of workshops.

The first will be in Cape Cod, Mass and you can get information by contacting Hollis Engley or The Cape Cod Potters.  Those dates are April 8-10

The next workshop will be in Fredericksburg, Va and you can find info on that by contacting Dan Finnegan.   April 15 - 17

The NC workshop will be hosted by me at the Cleveland County Arts Council on April 23rd.  For information and Registration you can click HERE or email me at ronpots2 at yahoo dot com

Jug by Doug Fitch


We hope you'll make it to one of these workshops.  Doug and Hannah both are looking forward to being here and I know they have a lot to share.

Candle Holders by Hannah McAndrew



Readers: Please help pass this info along by sending this post to those who may be interested.  Thanks!!


I Changed My Mind...

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Good grief. Three posts today and it's not even 5pm.  Can you tell I'm home alone??

So catch up if you've not read the last post then come back.

Back are ya?  Good.  So here's where I am now with this shipment of work.  I went back out there thinking I'd take 8 or 9 pieces out but then I didn't really feel like unwrapping it all after I'd done all that plus some of the pieces were wrapped together and that was going to be a pain.  Also I had already filled out my official Inventory sheet from the gallery and I couldn't just go through and strike stuff out and all that mess.  So I am sending it ALL.

There's more to it though.  First off, I got in this gallery last year and it's a really nice one.  They have their act together, pay on time, have all the paperwork, etc.  I'm really honored to be there.  Plus, there is a chance for me to have my work featured there at some point and they have mentioned me doing a workshop.  So that's good stuff !

I really don't want to consign and I've already told a smaller gallery 'no' this year.  But the nicer, established places will show my work and promote me, so I want them to have a nice selection to start off the year.

(I am going to raise my prices just a bit on each pot to help cover this shipping)

Monica asked in the comments of the last post if I'd talk about my packing/ shipping.  So I shot this video.

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

I use both the USPS and UPS for shipping.  For bigger packages, mostly anything over 14", I use UPS, esp. to the west coast b/c it's cheaper.  I did have to file a claim with UPS last year when something got broken.  I got a check in the mail from them a few weeks later.

Right, so really if any of you shipping/packing pros have any feedback/comments please leave them.

I promise that will be all for today.