All posts by JB-admin

The Lazy Potter

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I will admit that deep down inside, I can be a lazy potter. Especially when it comes to glazing. It took me some time to realize that shortcuts usually don’t work and in the end cause frustration and then extra work.

Now I tell myself, “Do it right the first time!”.

I used to try and glaze everything in a five gallon bucket. The thought of pouring the glaze into another container, then pouring it back in, cleaning the container, made the lazy side of me say, “I think this plate will fit in the bucket”. I can guarantee you that 9 times out of 10 it didn’t! Either the glaze wasn’t deep enough to cover the piece, or it scraped against the sides, creating a mess.

That’s when the frustration kicked in.
Then the extra work of trying fix the glaze or washing it all off.

My other cop-out for large pieces was, “It’s going to be shino”. Why shino? Because we mix shino in a large trash can… you can glaze almost anything in there!
I have nothing against shino (I actually love it very much) but not every plate or large bowl I make is suited for it.

So I have learned to embrace the pouring out the glaze into a proper container, dipping pots without stress, and cleaning the container afterwards.

Over the years we have collected a variety of big bowls and tubs to pour glaze into, to accommodate different sizes and shapes of pots. My favorite for plates is the big plastic bowl in the top photo.  A great place to find big plastic containers is at an Asian market. The Korean’s make kimchee in big quantities, therefore you will usually find a good assortment there.

Glazing day this week went quickly. Two colors, nuka and celadon. I fought my lazy side and there were no catastrophes.
This is what’s happening outside. No matter how long I live in North Carolina, flowers in winter will never cease to amaze me!

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Collaborations

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Jeff and I collaborated on a mug order last month. All wide bottoms, some with his strap style handles and some with my pulled handles. Like most potters, if you have an order, you make extras!
These two are my handles with watercolor glaze combo and some fun little dots.

Someone special might like one or two for Valentines Days… clicking on the photo will take you to my Etsy shop.

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Drippy Glazes

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One of the great things about moving is that you have to pack and unpack stuff that has been ignored for some time. We tossed a lot of seconds during the move but also packed a box and labeled it “needs grinding”. These drippy ash glaze mugs fell into that category. They only needed a little bit of grinding but it just never happened. Until yesterday, that is. 

I still love this glaze combination of shino and ash. I think I am going to explore it some more in 2016. The down side of it is… grinding bottoms and grinding shelves. 
My NH potter friend, Paul Haigh, shared this joke on facebook this week. I thought some readers might appreciate it:
What’s the difference between a potter and a large pizza?
A large pizza can feed a family of four.
Have a great day, and an awesome weekend.

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Getting it done…

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The itty bitty gas kiln is firing tonight. Inside it’s belly is an assortment of mug, plates, and a vessel sink. All are orders. Fingers and toes crossed for a fabulous firing. We are fortunate that we have this little kiln to hold us over until our larger kiln can be rebuilt (soon, very soon… wish for good weather so our kiln shed will be installed).

While the kiln fires, I have taken some new photos of mugs for the Etsy shop. It’s always good to freshen things up for the new year.

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Giving it Away…

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As I rolled out of bed this morning, I heard my phone make that little sound that means I have a message on Etsy. Yay, maybe someone wants to order a piggy bank and has some questions. I clicked on the link only to find a message from someone wanting me to donate a salt pig to her pig rescue charity auction… it will be great exposure (yes she said that) and it’s tax deductible (artist’s can write very little off when they donate work).

Really? You want me to pack up a salt pig, pay for the postage, and ship it off. I don’t even know you. You live in another state. How do I know that you aren’t looking for free stuff for yourself?

This isn’t the first charity request I have received via Etsy and I am sure it won’t be the last.

I am getting REALLY good at saying NO.

As artists, we are often living hand to mouth. Some months I wish there was a charity that benefits me. Don’t get me wrong… Jeff and I make donations. We have a few groups that we give to every year. Causes that have meaning to us. We don’t do it for the exposure, because despite what many beggars, I mean solicitors, will tell you… the exposure is miniscule. I also don’t give donations to groups that tend to get less than the real value of the work.

That’s my rant for the day. Onward to more productive and positive thoughts.
Thanks for listening. Comments welcome.

Green and White Salt Pig – STILL available in the Etsy shop – clicking the photo will take you there
I would love for someone to rescue him 😉

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Back to Reality

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What a difference a day makes. Yesterday we enjoyed bright sunshine and warmer temperatures. Everything was melting. It was a perfect day to get outside, sands pots, and load the kiln for a bisque firing. It was late afternoon when the work was done. I wanted to enjoy every minute of outside time before the sun set, and the cold returned. With phone in hand, I decided to walk around the house and take some winter photos.

We got our slab poured just in time. Now we are waiting for our kiln shed to arrive.

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The Day After

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We weathered the storm without incident. The ice was minimal, the power stayed on, spaghetti and meatballs were cooked, and bread was baked. It was actually a rather enjoyable break.

It was still cold today and the sun won’t make an appearance until tomorrow. I am counting on it to melt the ice and reveal green grass and pavement once more. The studio was chilly today no matter how much heat we pumped into it. I finally managed to get handles on mugs before calling it quits. The rest of the afternoon will be spent curled up with the cat and a book.
I might even put my pajamas back on.

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Snow and Ice!

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The winter storm has descended upon us. The forecast for snow accumulation has been downgraded, but we are still expecting plenty of ice. If I had to choose between the two, I would choose snow.
Jeff and I are taking it slow today. The gallery is closed (obviously) and the only clay work I will get to will be some handles on mugs. It’s probably a good day to get my last quarter sales tax return completed. The deadline is looming.

No morning coffee on the patio today.

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Be Prepared

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Photo Credit: Joe Zentner
Winter storm Jonas is on his way. Here in Seagrove we are expecting a mix of snow and ice. Here at 505 E Main we are about as prepared as we can be. Groceries were bought, battery supply looks good, and there are always lots of candles around here. The plus side of this house: town water. If we lose power (and the pipes don’t freeze) our toilets will still flush. Downside: we have a heat pump, no power = cold. There is a fireplace here, but we haven’t had it inspected and won’t use it until that happens. I would rather not burn the house down. On the plus side, we do have a kerosene heater that we can turn on in the studio to keep clay from freezing. Worse comes to worse we can go in there to warm up! It’s good to be prepared, and perhaps the storm pattern will change and it won’t be as bad as predicted.
The photo is from the 2008 ice storm in New Hampshire. Now that was a colossal storm and you may remember, from past posts, it also occurred the week that John died. I was so out of touch with the outside world that I wasn’t prepared at all. Danielle came just before the storm to stay with us. We lost power in the early evening. There were oxygen tanks in the house, so candles were out of the question. We conserved our flashlight batteries as best we could. 24 hours later, and still without power, John left this earth. The roads were barely passable, and hospice was unable to come and be with us. It was two more days before the power was back in my apartment. Some of my neighbors weren’t so lucky and still had no power two weeks later. I walked through the neighborhood on the warm Christmas eve and could still hear the constant hum of generators. 
Forecasts of impending ice storms bring the memories of that time back to the surface. But this time I am prepared and I know that we will weather the storm.

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