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Happy News!

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Jeff and I have been really excited about the collaborative works we have been creating. It seems like nearly everyday he hands me something and says, “Carve some ginkgo leaves on this.” We have been so happy with the pots that a few weeks ago we decided to apply to Piedmont Craftsmen, here in North Carolina. Jeff spent a few nights photographing our work (he is a much better photographer than me) and uploaded the application. 

This week we got our letter of acceptance! There were 68 applicants this year, representing a variety of craft media. We were one of twelve that were accepted. This is the first part of the jury process. In November there will be a physical jury during their annual show. We are feeling pretty confident about the next step.
That being said, we got right back to work, glazing and loading the kiln. These pots are pretty labor intensive from start to finish. The interior is glazed in tenmoku and then the rim is dipped in the same glaze. The excess is sponged off prior to the ash glaze being sprayed on. Despite the drizzly weather, Jeff managed to fire the kiln, starting around noon yesterday and finishing in the wee hours of the morning today. We will anxiously await the door coming down on Sunday night.

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New Photography Trends

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Call me old fashioned, or just call me old, but I am not liking a new trend in photographing pottery. I am sure you have seen it… solid white background, often over-exposed. The pots look like they are floating in air.  Edges are not crisp, and often the colors are inaccurate. I am not totally against the white back drop… in some situations it works. There are some Etsy shops that use it and it is appealing if the work is in focus. I was curious if potters are using this new technique to apply for shows, and is it acceptable? I figured that the best place to take a look is the 2016 Strictly Functional Show. The majority of the work is photographed with the traditional gray scale background. There are some with the stark white background. Here is a link to the 2016 show:

What are your thoughts about this new photography trend? 
In the mean time, Jeff and I are still photographing the old fashioned way…

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Blank Canvas

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Jeff and I just had our 2nd anniversary at 505 E. Main. Finishing our studio is still a work in progress. It’s been a balancing act to keep making work and get construction projects finished (finding the money is a whole other story). This week we finally got the rest of the trim up and painted. The upper gable end, and the soffits still need to be scraped and painted. We really wish we could afford to hire a painter to do that portion. Just looking at it overwhelms me! Quite frankly, I would love to have all the soffits wrapped in vinyl because I really hate to paint. Thank goodness most of the house is brick.

Jeff has also been installing some landscape timbers along the front planting area, and shoveling in new top soil. I have flowers started from seeds, and they should be ready to plant as soon as he is done.

We now have a big blank canvas of a wall. Jeff and I have been kicking around the idea of painting a mural of pots on the left side of the windows. Something simple, like silhouettes of a couple of pots. It could be seen from the road and hopefully help people realize that this is our studio and we are open for business.  Since we live within the town limits of Seagrove, we can’t put our studio name on the building. We already have a free-standing sign near the road and sign ordinances state that we can’t have both. The ordinance book doesn’t say anything about a mural!

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Studio Tour Re-cap

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Last week Jeff and I worked like crazy to prepare for the Celebration of Spring Studio Tour.  We cleaned the studio and the gallery as well as catching up on lots of yard work.
We had a much better turn out for the tour this year compared the dismal event of 2016. Sales were up dramatically, almost catching up to what they were when we were at the log cabin. I demonstrated carving vases throughout the weekend. Jeff did some throwing demonstrations.
Saturday was perfect weather. Sunday was very rainy, but people still came out to see the potters.
My flowers sort of took a beating in the rain. If you look closely you can see that the birdbath is filled to capacity.

The hosta, on the other hand, thrived with all this rain. 

When I opened the studio on Saturday morning, this luna moth was hanging out on the outside wall, near the front door. It stayed all day to greet visitors. I took it as a sign of good luck.

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Spring Cleaning

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If you drove past our home and studio this week you probably noticed that our grass was about ready for haying. The guy that takes care of our mowing has been working two jobs and has been taking care of his mowing customers on nights and weekends. We really like this guy, so we are patient and willing to wait our turn.
Last night he arrived and got the job done. Next on the clean up list is to haul away the mountain of pine boughs that our huge Norwegian Spruce dropped last fall. This weekend is the Celebration of Spring Studio Tour & Kiln Openings and we would like the yard to be neat and pretty.

The Sophie cat alarm woke me up at 6 am, just in time to light the first burner on the kiln, and give her some breakfast. While the kiln fires, Jeff and I will get some pots made so that I can do some sgraffito demonstrations during the studio tour. Once the pots are made our studio will get it’s big spring cleaning. After a winter and spring of heavy production, it’s in desperate need.
I will have to get photos… because it never stays clean for long!

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Heading North

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 The daffodils are blooming…

along with our tulip tree (aka as Japanese Magnolia).

 We are enjoying temps in the 70’s this weekend. I am loving every minute of it, because in a few days I am heading to the winter wonderland of New Hampshire.  They had two major snowstorms last week, and are expecting a Nor’easter today, into tomorrow. The coast is expecting up to two feet of snow. Of course that is where my Dad lives! I typically don’t plan a trip to New Hampshire in the middle of winter, but on February 15th my Dad will be 90 years old! We will all gather at my sister Anita’s home in Wolfeboro for a big family dinner. I am very excited to see everyone, especially my girl Danielle. She will arrive from Connecticut on Friday evening to spend the weekend.

I will be in New Hampshire for a week. Staying Wednesday to Wednesday gave me the best price on a flight, only $150 – because who in there right mind flies north in February? Time to dig out the UGGS & mittens!

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A Day of Hearts

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 I love Valentine’s Day. Not because I am expecting flowers, candy, or dinner out. I enjoy it for completely unromantic reasons. Valentine’s day give me the opportunity make and deliver simple surprises for people that I love. This year I decided to make a string of hearts for my special great niece, Arianna.

It ended up being a little more involved than originally intended, but it was a nice break from clay. I worked on it in the evenings, when my work was done for the day.

“Happy Valentine’s Day” is a lot of letters when they are all strung together!

 Tonight I boxed the hearts up along with a siamese cat figurine that was a gift to me from my Memere when I was just about Arianna’s age. My Memere would have been her great-great Memere.

We have been enjoying some warm days here in Seagrove, NC. I took advantage of the weather and did a good mopping and cleaning of the studio, while the bisque kiln is firing. Jeff is busy making glazes. We will fire a glaze load in the next few days.

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Sometimes it’s the little things in life…

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 Like bathroom outlets!!!!!! We had an electrician in today to do some much needed service work.

Our house was built in 1961 and the outlets were over the vanity mirrors, attached to the light fixtures… which were no longer functioning. Now we have GFI outlets in both bathrooms. We can use hairdryers, flat irons, and electric toothbrushes… in the bathroom, where they belong. You don’t know how much you appreciate things, until you don’t have them!
We also had a couple other things upgraded so that we can use a space heater in the studio and vacuum in the house without tripping the main breaker for the 110 service to the house.
Pots are drying in the studio and we can load the kiln to bisque fire this weekend. Glaze firing right after. I have travel plans mid-February. Updates to come!

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Delivery

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 Last week we were just about out of Highwater Aurora clay. We called our local supplier on Friday to say Jeff was coming to pick up some clay and materials, only to find out Aurora was out of stock. Two weeks before it would be in stock again. Yikes! We have sink orders to fulfill and this is the clay we need for them. Jeff got on the phone with Highwater, in Asheville, NC and they said they could get it to us by Tuesday. The cost difference was negligible… just a few dollars, and it would be delivered to our door.

What we didn’t know was that UPS would deliver in an 18 wheeler! The driver was great and he was able to back into our long driveway.

We must have been the next to the last delivery, because the big truck was just about empty. The driver was very helpful in getting our clay and glaze materials unloaded. In no time he was on the road again, and Jeff was back to making sinks.

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Focus

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The camellia’s are finally blooming. Such a treat to have flowers in January, particularly this winter. 

The political climate has really affected Jeff and me, along with many other potters in our community.  I find it ironic that the new president campaigned with “Make America Great Again,” but in 10 days he has already managed to create turmoil within our country, and around the world. Each day I wake and wonder what will happen next. Each day I have to tell myself to keep moving forward, stand up for what you believe in, and keep making pots.

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