Tag Archives: pottery lessons

Out of the kiln

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We unloaded the gas kiln a few days ago and then moved right on to other things. I am finally getting around to looking at the pictures I took while we unloaded. Overall it was a really good firing. 
I was a little disappointed that one of my large carved bowls slumped. It’s hard to see in the photo, but in person it’s very obvious. The conclusion is that the foot ring was too small to support it. The slump is definitely around the foot ring. I also probably trimmed a little to thin around it. I have three more similar size bowls to fire. I am hoping they will survive.
One is a wedding gift that I need at the beginning of October.

 Remember the creepy face jug?

He came out pretty creepy.

… and look at Jeff’s kimchi jar back there, SWEET!

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Scrub-a-dub-dub

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Jeff spent two days this week power washing the interior of the carport to prepare it for studio/gallery space. It seemed the best solution to rid the ceiling from years of grime and layers of peeling paint. If you have to work in 90 degree weather, this is probably the best work to do. When Jeff was done, it looked like he had been out playing in the rain all day.

You can see from the photo below what a difference it made in the color of the ceiling!

The louvers are being removed and replace with solid walls and a couple of windows on one side. We will still have some scraping to do before Jeff applies a texture and paint to the ceiling and beams.

It’s exciting to see things moving forward towards being able to work in our digs. The one mile commute down the road is killing us.

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Getting out of my comfort zone…

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 A while back I signed up for Carolina Claymatters summer workshop. It’s free for members and at the time I thought, what the heck, by August 30th we should be done moving and a workshop will be a real treat. Yeah, right. That didn’t happen. I really had no business taking a day off and driving to Charlotte, but I did it anyway. It was a long day, but a good diversion from the stress of getting our studio moved.

The workshop presenter was Allison Luce. She is ceramic sculptor, works in raku clay, and fires to ^2. Her work really has very little relevance to what I make but I was able to take away some interesting techniques, as well as new ideas for my own non-functional work.
The focus of the workshop was creating depth in the work by layering oxides, underglazes, acrylic paint, and shoe polish. Yes, you read that right… shoe polish.

 Cream shoe polish can be purchased in a multitude of colors. The brilliant colors of many of these sea life inspired pieces, were obtained with shoe polish. The shoe polish is applied after the final firing.

 One idea that is now bouncing around in my head, is incorporating underglaze and shoe polish into the finish of my orbs. Typically, I have wood fired the orbs. That means I only make them about twice a year. I am definitely going to give this a try. It’s never too late to learn new tricks.

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Working Out. . . . side

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We are enjoying some fabulous weather here in Seagrove, NC. Warm days, cool nights. Windows open and A/C off. Perfect days to glaze pots outdoors.

 I don’t usually make face jugs. I am not really even a fan of them. A few months ago, while making luminaries, I turned one into a face jug. It’s been sitting on a ware board all summer, waiting for glaze.

I brushed this creepy guy with red iron oxide and wiped most of it off. He was then dipped in shino and dusted with wood ash. He has copper red dripping from his ears and dotted on his eyeballs. I went all out “Halloweeny” on him. Perhaps seeing all the candy corn that is already on the store shelves inspired me. It’s now up to the kiln to enhance his creepiness.

The last of the “Mugs for Moving” are glazed and ready to fire. If you are still waiting for yours, you’ll be getting it soon! Thanks again to all who helped us out.

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Progress

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We are on a tight budget to set up our studio and gallery. Jeff and his brother John can handle the carpentry, which saves us a boatload of money. Our other new best friend is the Habitat for Humanity Restore. Last week Jeff and John scored some great doors and a window for the walkout basement.

$45 dollars for all three doors!

The window will go to the right of the patio doors in the exterior view. The opening was framed for an overhead garage door, but that would have cost much more money and would not have let in as much light. If we are going to work in the basement, we want it to have as much daylight as possible.

Our kiln will be located outside this area. It will be a nice walking distance for glazing and loading. We are really excited about being able to put our glaze buckets on wheels. It will be the first time that either of us have worked in a studio with a level concrete floor!

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Juggling work and moving

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I spent part of this week making pots for wood firing. Since we will be leaving this Japanese Maple tree very soon, I decided I should make pots with the leaves while I still can.

 I also revisited an old form.

The clay is StarWorks “Seagrove Clay”. I am really not crazy about throwing with it, but it looks great wood fired and can really take the heat. I scrapped a couple of forms because I thought they were too heavy. There is something about the grogginess of this clay that gives me poor judgement as to wall thickness. I also threw some mugs and tumblers with my favorite Laguna B-mix for wood. I really love the buttery look of B-mix when wood fired. I didn’t bother with photos of them. They are simple pots that the wood kiln will kiss with it’s magic (hopefully).

The bisque kiln was loaded on Friday and fired slowly on Saturday. I am really excited about the large shallow bowl at the top! I threw a few large bowls, and carved them before the New Hampshire trip. I didn’t get to really look at them until I returned home. I won’t take a chance with them in the wood kiln. I am probably going to spray them with ash glaze and fire them in our own gas kiln.

In between the work, we do a little packing each day. Jeff and his brother are installing new doors in the basement today. Things are slowly taking shape.

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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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