All posts by JB-admin

Boxing it up

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 While packing, I came across John’s sketch books from his days at Alfred College of Ceramics…

His first year at Alfred was the fall of 1969.

I am really trying to lighten up on all the “stuff” I own. I considered tossing them.

But I boxed them up instead.

Sometimes it’s hard to let go.

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Back to Work…

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 We are back in North Carolina, have been for nearly a week. There has been no time for blogging as we had to jump right back into work. Our studio and gallery move is in full swing. In between the packing, there are orders to fulfill, and a few lessons to teach. Jeff and I are so grateful to have had a few days of down time with Danielle and Jason in Connecticut.

They are such gracious hosts, cooking for us, and taking us, to some very fun dining establishments around the city of New Haven.
We bought lobster and clams, fresh from the boat, a walking distance from their home. Walk in the opposite direction, and in six blocks you will reach Rocco’s Italian bakery where you will find giant walnut rings, cheese danish, and stuffed breads that are to die for. A evening in town began at Cask Republic for drinks, and ended at Barcelona Wine Bar for an amazing Spanish tapas meal.

A wine and cheese, picnic lunch, was enjoyed at beautiful Gouveia Vineyard in Wallingford, CT.

Our time in New Haven was spent at a leisurely pace. We slept as late as we wanted and some of us napped in the late afternoon, while others enjoyed a cocktail on the deck.

Our three and a half days in New Haven took the sting off of a less than stellar show in New Hampshire. We are glad to be back home in Seagrove, and sleeping in our own bed. We may not have tapas restaurants, bars, or pizza delivery… but Seagrove is home. We enjoy our life here.

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Road Trip to the North Country

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Jeff and I took a quick trip to North Conway today to deliver some things to a friend of his. We also stopped at the League of NH Craftsmen gallery located in town. They carry Jeff’s work and it was good to see in person, just what they have left. It’s a beautiful space both inside and out. North Conway is nestled in the White Mountains, not far from Mt. Washington. It’s a bustling place year round, catering to skiers, hikers, leaf peepers, and of course shoppers. Like many tourist areas the outlet strip malls have overtaken much of the landscape. But it’s still beautiful and it was nice to get back there, even if it was brief.
The weather here in New Hampshire has been great. The temperature has been hovering around 73 degrees. Chilly enough at night for flannel jammies! Tomorrow we head south to New Haven, CT. 

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A League of Our Own…

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Our largest show of the year, The League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair, is over. We had a slow start on Saturday but we weren’t worried, last year started the same way. Sunday was a good day for sales and I was able to catch up with friends and family who came to the show. I even got to wander through the tents and see what other craftsmen were offering this year. It was an awesome day overall. Jeff and I felt rejuvenated after the weeks of prep and the long drive north.
We woke up Monday refreshed and ready to sell pots. The weather was once again perfect. The opening horn blew at 10:00 am and the people trickled in. Yes, you read that right… it was a trickle. Sales were dismal. Each morning we get a newsletter called “tent poles”. Included in the newsletter are stats from the day before comparing them to the prior year. Attendance was down by about 400 on Monday alone.
Tuesday was the same. 
Actually, it was worse.
It’s water under the bridge now. We have to let it go and move on. We have until October to decide wether or not we will come back next year. If we do return, there will be some changes made in regards to what we will bring for inventory. 
I hope that things turn around for the craftsmen that are there for the full nine days.
Here’s a snap shot of our four days at the fair…

We kept a chair just outside the tent for breaks. This fairgoer commandeered my chair for over an hour one afternoon! She was totally oblivious to the fact that the directors chairs belonged to the craftspeople. My very kind booth neighbor had an extra chair for me to use.

The marionette guy was back this year. He puts on a great show set to Tom Waits music. His marionettes and stage are amazing.

From the deck at Spruce Lodge, there is a great over view of the entire fair. I took this photo facing the upper lodge. To the left are more tents. It takes a good two days to really take in this fair.

The League has a new director and operations manager this year. There were many changes and most of them very welcome. Tension from past years was gone. One welcome change is that booth holders with trailers now have a designated lot. It was closer to our tent and made going back and forth to the car and trailer much easier. Sometimes it’s the little things that keep the people happy.

Inside tent five.

You know it’s slow when there is no line to ladies room in Spruce Lodge!

The fair is behind us and now it’s time for family. Wolfeboro, NH for two days, then on to New Haven CT. I can’t wait to see my girl again!

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Firing Frenzy

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We glazed and loaded the kiln on Thursday and started firing early Friday morning. While that was happening, Jeff loaded the bisque kiln and fired that overnight.

We had work for the League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair, which starts next Saturday (EEK!) and a few vessel sink orders that need to be completed before we head north.

While the gas kiln cooled, we glazed the pots from the bisque kiln. Last night we reloaded the kiln while it was still quite hot. A fan helped to take the edge off of the heat.

In between the hard work, we have taken some time to enjoy the multitude of butterflies that enjoy the apples that have started to drop from the trees.

This little butterfly, with a half eaten wing, stayed attached to the apple when Liz picked it up. I guess it is fearless and perhaps that is why half of it’s wing is missing!

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Amazing!

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My Dad is back at home after breaking a hip, followed by hip replacement surgery, and then a stroke. He has spent the last two and half months in the hospital and two different rehab facilities. He is an 88 year old fighter! Danielle has dubbed him “Sporty Pepere” because of his new wardrobe of track pants. My sister Anita will spend the weekend with him to help him settle back into his apartment. Visiting nurses will come for the next few weeks and time will tell if he can go it alone.

Thank you readers and friends who have sent good wishes, healing energy, and prayers for us!

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Summer Help

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Jeff and I have been very fortunate to have an intern for the month of July…
Liz Merritt is a senior at East Carolina University. She came to us through a collaboration between the North Carolina Pottery Center and the University. 

 July is always a busy month for us. We are getting ready for the League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair, hosting our anniversary open house, and then this year throw in the ongoing “move up the road”. All of this has given Liz the opportunity to experience life as a studio potter. It’s not just about making pots. There are glazes to mix, ash to sieve, pots to clean, price, pack, or put out for display. Kilns are loaded and fired. She has experienced the successes as well as a few failures… and the problem solving that went into figuring out why. We did yard work together; mowed the lawn, trimmed trees, and weed whacked. If you have a store front, it needs to look good. Just don’t look behind the studio. That’s where our glazing set up is located, and it’s not pretty.

Liz has also learned that country living includes lots of bugs in all varieties, shapes, and sizes.

She has marveled at all of them, and photographed many!

July is winding down and so is her time here. I hope that Jeff and I imparted some of our knowledge onto her as well as insight into the life of studio potters.

See Liz’s work at Glaze and Grow

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Happy Anniversary to Us!

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Day two of our  5 Year Anniversary Open House and Sale is TODAY!
We had a fabulous turn out yesterday and the sale continues today. The pottery in the gallery is 20% off. Everything under the tent (seconds and older work) is 50% off. We don’t typically lower our prices, but reducing inventory will really help with our studio move next month. A young woman and her Mom came and purchased a variety of wares to outfit the the young woman’s first apartment. They arrived early in the morning and had the best pick of some really great seconds. They came back in the afternoon and bought a few more pieces.
We will open at noon today and close at 5pm, or later, because we often work into the evening and forget to bring the “open flags” in!

Adding to our happiness is the fact that our clivia finally bloomed! It obviously loves it’s new location and wasn’t at all happy in a dark log cabin… even though I took it outside each summer. I am really enjoying a sunny and bright house, where plants and humans can flourish. Maybe I can now have a Boston fern that survives the winter.

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The Sink Glazing Dance

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Yesterday was glazing and loading the gas kiln day. Jeff and I had three sinks to glaze including this monster size one that is big enough to take a bath in…

We are fortunate enough to have an intern from East Carolina University this month. She took photos and a video of the process. It’s been great to have an extra set of hands around the studio. You will be hearing more about intern Liz in future posts.

This video is glazing one of the smaller sinks. The big sink was a real pain, and didn’t go as smoothly. I probably would have to edit out some of the colorful language in that video to keep the blog’s PG rating!

The kiln was loaded by 6:00pm. I bricked up the door while Jeff switched out a burner that was giving us trouble. Our day was done by 7:45 pm. Jeff lit the first burner at 7:00 am this morning. We are hoping to put her to bed by 8 or 9 pm today. We are so anxious to get the studio moved to the new house. It’s so much easier to live and work in one location.

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New Tool!

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A couple of years ago, Jeff made me a tool to cut the slots in sponge holders. It did the job but it wasn’t always great. We started to talk about what would create a straighter cut and work efficiently. Jeff came up with a mitre box design. This is his prototype, which is working quite well. I am sure it’s going to get some tweaking along the way.

Using the back side of the saw makes a cleaner cut in the clay. We need to find a smaller blade that won’t be so cumbersome to work with on my bench.

 I cut across the bottom with a fettling knife.

After all the cuts are made I go back and clean up the edges. I also give them the green kitchen scrubby treatment before they go into the bisque firing.
Now if we can only solve the warping problem…

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