Tag Archives: Travel

Pottery Buddy

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After a few days of much needed rain, we had a beautiful sunny day. Perfect timing to prepare greenware for a bisque firing. While I was giving some pots the kitchen scrubby treatment, a green anole crawled on to the sponge holders.
He was a brave little guy and hung out with me for quite awhile.
Occasionally, if he thought I was getting a little too close, he hopped from the shelving unit to the stand that holds the bricks for the kiln door. 
I have been in North Carolina for over six years now, but I am still fascinated by these charming lizards!

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The New Pig

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Last week I had a request for a piggy bank for a boy. His sister was gifted the whimsical flower pig last year and Mom wanted something similar but with carvings for a boy. I have to admit I was a little stumped about what to carve. I told Mom that my carvings are typically flowers and leaves… so she said, “Do leaves!”.  So here it is… the whimsical design with leaves. After the bisque fire, I will apply the black underglaze to the leaf design and leaves. I think this pig will be the perfect pairing with it’s sister pig.

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Putting the Parts Together

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Last night, while I slaved over a hot stove, Jeff slaved over the wheel making pig bodies. I guess neither one of us was really slaving… I typically enjoy cooking and Jeff LOVES to throw pots.
We usually use our recycled clay to make piggy banks. I like to extrude tubes to make the legs and ears. It’s easier to measure the parts out and keep some consistency in the end product. Since we haven’t pugged clay in a few weeks, these pigs will be made fresh clay. I have a die for the pug mill that I use for extruding tubes. When I have fresh clay, I get out my Kemper clay gun to extrude the tubes. 
The gun came with a couple of dies and a couple of blanks to make your own. I have to admit that the only thing I have ever used this clay gun for is piggy bank parts. Aside from extruding handles (which I am not fond of) I think this clay gun isn’t worth purchasing. 
One of my complaints is that the plastic disc that pushes the clay is poorly designed. The screw always comes off and I usually have to put it back together in between reloading with clay. You might also be able to see in the photo that the disc is cracked. It’s been like that for a number of years. So far it hasn’t affected it’s working capabilities, but I am wondering if I can order a replacement part.
I am writing this post while I wait for my parts to firm up a bit. If you read yesterday’s post you know that we are working with a very wet batch of clay. If I use these parts straight away, I fear my pigs won’t be able to stand up on their own little legs!
If your needing a pig, there a few nice ones in my Etsy shop that are waiting for new homes…

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Throwing, Handling, Carving

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Monday there were pots to ship and took up the entire day. I was really happy to be back to clay work on Tuesday. I had mugs to carve and I was getting worried that they may have gotten too dry. I don’t like carving dry pots. It’s hard on the fingers and not good for the respiratory system.
I had wrapped them well on Sunday and some were still a little too soft. Once unwrapped, the air conditioner took care of that situation quite quickly. This last batch of Highwater clay is soft like baby sh$t. A total pain to throw and even worse for pulling handles. That’s why I prefer using our recycled clay. I can get it to the consistency that I like. 

 I had one mug that was very distorted after coming off the wheel. I decided to try creating a version of Jeff’s squared mug. This is definitely not my forte but I had fun trying!

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Ginkgo Leaf Bowl with Ash Glaze

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We unloaded the kiln yesterday. I wanted to do a quick post and share this photo of one of the bowls sprayed with ash glaze. Jeff and I have lots of pots to pack and ship today. It’s seems to be our usual Monday routine.
Have a happy day!

P.S. Dad was doing a little better yesterday.  Thanks to all for the well wishes. Check out yesterday’s post for the whole scoop.

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Anniversaries

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While we all remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001, I would like to recognize a very happy event that happened on September 11, 1954. The day my parents were married.
They planned a small wedding and when the day arrived it was to be even smaller than planned. September 11, 1954 was the day hurricane Edna made landfall in Massachusetts. My parents were in Dover, NH which is near the coast in southern New Hampshire. Some of the guests weren’t not going to be able to travel to the wedding. Hurricane Carol had struck the area just 11 days before Edna. It was an active hurricane season in 1954! Despite the weather, my parents were married on schedule and left for their honeymoon in Niagara Falls.

Forty seven years later they decided to take an anniversary road trip to Burlington, VT. They left on the morning of September 11, popped some CD’s into the cars player, and off they went. When they arrived in Burlington they wanted to walk around town and visit the shops and galleries. They were surprised to find most of them closed and very few people out and about. They were perplexed to read a sign on one of the shop doors, “Due to the tragic events of the day, we have closed early.” Having not listened to the radio during the trip, they were clueless as to what had happened. They decided to check into their hotel. It was then, that the hotel clerk apprised them of the chaos that was happening in the United States.

Since 2001, I have never forgotten my parents anniversary.

Fast forward to 2016. If Mom were still with us, my parents would be celebrating 62 years today. Yesterday my Dad was not feeling well and my sister Anita took him to the emergency room. His heart rate was very low and they had a hard time regulating it. At the end of the day they decided to admit him. He may need a pacemaker. Before Anita left for the night they needed to clarify his advance directives with the hospital. Dad then said, “Maybe I’ll die on my anniversary.” It was heartbreaking to hear that he said that. After all he went through in the last two years, I hope that he won’t have to have another surgery. We will know more today.
It’s times like these that living 800 miles away sucks.

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Spraying Glaze

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We sure wish we had a spray booth, but we don’t… so spraying glaze happens outside. We used to hang our spray gun from a tree when we lived at the log cabin. Now it sits in a cinder block in between sprays. You gotta do what you gotta do to get by!

 Jeff has had this adjustable banding wheel for years. It’s super handy for spraying glaze. The oval dish is glazed with tenmoku on the interior, so I only had to spray the exterior. This is an ash glaze that when sprayed gives the pots a toasty color without obliterating the carving that wood firing often does.

When the oval dishes were finished, I moved on to bowls. I spray the underside first, then flip and spray the interior.
Tomorrow is firing day. Results should be in on Saturday.

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Replenishing

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I spent the weekend making those things that are guaranteed sellers. Sponge holders and cheese stones. We were pretty much sold out of both after the League of NH Craftsmen’s Fair. After making a bunch of the carved sponge holders, boredom set in and I decided to stamps some using our stamps brought back from South Korea. I had never really used the “dotty” stamp before. I think I will like this little accent. The stamping goes quickly since all the dots are in a row and the stamp has a nice curve to it.

Today was glazing day. Tomorrow we finish loading the kiln. It will be nice to get the heavy work done before the humidity returns with a vengeance on Thursday.

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Heat Work

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 Yesterday was spent prepping pots and loading the kiln to fire a bisque. The weather was no different from any other day this summer… hot and muggy. Our kiln is in the sun, great for winter loading, lousy during the heat of summer.

There are several “out of control” California Jasmine bushes at that end of the house. They are in full bloom and their scent wafted over us as we worked. At first it was pleasant, then it almost became too much. We spent a day last fall cutting these back. It looks like we will be doing the same again in a few weeks. Everything in North Carolina grows like crazy.
Our outside work ended at 4:30 pm with a thunderstorm and a good dose of much needed rain. The rain brought cooler temperatures, but the humidity is still here. Today we will finish loading the kiln and fire a long slow bisque. Next week we will load her up again to glaze fire.

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A New Friend

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Life at the pottery has been rather quiet lately. Jeff is making vessel sinks and I have been replenishing our stock of sponge holders, as well as assembling some personalized piggy banks. This is a slow time for gallery sales. Parents are busy getting kids back to school, vacationers are winding down the season. Pottery shopping isn’t at the top of their list. It’s times like these that I appreciate Etsy sales. Hearing the cha-ching on my phone means a little money in the bank account.
The most exciting thing that happened this week is that Jeff and I have a new little friend.
Introducing Sen no Rikyu! But you can call him Rikyu or Raku for short.
We named him after the Japanese Tea Master.
Yes, he is really in there. It’s hard to photograph a fish in a bowl! I have been wanting to get a betta for a long time. My sister had a new one when we visited and it stirred my desire once more. The local pet superstore didn’t have a small tank that I found appealing so I began the online search. Amazon came through with a good price and free shipping. I like that this is a fish bowl but with a filter and light. It 1.8 gallons and should be a good size for Rikyu to enjoy. My next project is to make him a little hide-away. I couldn’t bring myself to spend $15-$20 on a tacky ceramic fish ornament when I can make my own. He has a fake plant for now because I was on a budget and real plants cost more than little Rikyu! 
So far Sophie has been unimpressed. I am actually not sure she knows Riku is here. It’s probably best it stays that way.

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