Here it is!! So exciting...look at those cups. They now will have little homes to sit in at in my booth. Jon did a great job. It all breaks down easily and pretty light weight. I do need to add some L braces in the back to attach to my display just in case someone comes in the booth and hits the stand. ( Don't we all worry about this sometimes?) I'm loading a glaze kiln this evening........rollin' along!
Pottery
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Jen Mecca's Pottery Blog
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Cheap Thrills!
20 Nov 2009 | 10:29 am -
Neko Case
19 Nov 2009 | 8:22 pmWe had a fun time out on the town with Ron and Sara Philbeck last night.We went to a Neko Case concert and it was wonderful. Some dinner, alittle drink, fresh air and some good music and conversation. What else does anyone need to jump start their engine again? I for one needed alittle break so I was glad I took some time off. Today I kept making stuff and loaded a kiln. Onward and upward!( This is Ron and Sara by the way....aren't they cute!) -
Calendar
18 Nov 2009 | 9:32 amThis is what I did today to start my studio time. I have to have a calendar so I know when I need to stop making stuff, when I need to glaze, when it will be out and all that "jazz". (Don't you love how I didn't care about the shadow when I took this shot?) This evening we are off to see Neko Case with Ron Philbeck and his wife Sara. Joey LOVES Neko Case and since we really didn't do anything for his birthday, I guess this is his treat for the month. I plan on having a beer and getting some breathing time in that I need. Today Mckenna got to go back to school. She was a little scared this… -
CDC Information
17 Nov 2009 | 7:06 amI managed to scan..well half of the wonderful card the CDC organization sent to all of us participating in the show this year. Just a little "sample" of what the card looked like this year! This is the 40th year of this show. WOW! The Friday night preview party this year I think is suppose to be a little bit more elaborate than last year. Maybe there will be champagne this year instead of just wine. ( but don't quote me on that...)At any rate, its fun! I'm moving along. Last night I started on my flower blocks and more candle holders. Today I think I'll make some olive dishes. I'm trying to… -
Mural
16 Nov 2009 | 9:35 amI finished up the pillow-tile mural this weekend. Here it is before I was almost all done. Pretty cool thing I think. I always marvel at those people who make stuff like this and look...I did it! ( Of course, I still have to get it through the kiln...)Here are my new covered jars. The tops reminded me ( before the final went on..) of the middle of flower petals so that was kind of my inspiration for these. We'll how how the public at the next show likes these. ...and finally, Joey has taken to snatching the camera and ambushing me at what seems to be the most unflattering times. Which in a…
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Ben Stark Pottery
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Possible name change and logo
19 Nov 2009 | 6:20 pmIn an effort to seem at least somewhat professional, I think I'm going to change my 'business' name. Truth is, I don't have a business 'cause I don't sell many pots. Definately don't offset costs of materials and equipment, so I don't see the point. Anyway, I think I'm going to become Ben Stark Pottery instead of Stark's Pots. My websites will all stay the same, but in my head, I'll change :)Here is a potential new logo. The logo is the left portion and the full image is what will appear on my blog and other sites. (Like my Etsy site that I have neglected for months--I swear I'll get back to… -
Some finished pots
18 Nov 2009 | 6:15 pmHere are some pics of finished pots from the last two firings.This is one that I salvaged--had to grind it forevah! -
Fight for Preemies Day
17 Nov 2009 | 3:52 pmThis month is prematurity awareness month and today is fight for preemies day. In support of that and the March of Dimes, I'm going to tell a little bit of Genevieve's story and hopefully raise awareness for the cause. Genevieve was born on April 5 this year--five and 1/2 weeks early. Lindsay and I were extremely fortunate that she was surprisingly healthy and did very well. She did spend her first nine days in the hospital under observation although she never required the use of breathing aides or other serious medical help. She did have several apnea episodes where she stopped breathing for… -
Run Glazes!! Run!!
16 Nov 2009 | 4:31 pmOk, so my kiln load that I pictured in the last post came out wonderfully! No lost pots, nothing out of the ordinary. This could be largely due to the fact that I had easy stuff in it--cups, mugs, bowls. The second load was all of the harder stuff to glaze--large vases, big bowls, a casserole and a platter. Oh yeah and six cream and sugar sets.So.This load was not so much of a success. I sprayed my new blue glaze for the first time. My other glazes all like to be sprayed on good and thick to get the affect that I like. So what did I do? I sprayed it on good and thick. Apparently, this was a… -
7 cu. ft.
11 Nov 2009 | 6:22 pmHere is what 7 cu. ft. of kiln space looks like. I could have maybe fit in a few shot glasses, but for the most part, the kiln is packed to the brim. And, I've got at least one more kiln full of larger stuff waiting to be glazed. I'll get to that this weekend when I can spray outside during daylight hours. Good stuff!
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Sister Creek Pottery
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education...
20 Nov 2009 | 2:44 pmThe visit to the museum led me to want to place my 'amphora' in the historical line. I feel a connection to a potter in the 7th century BC who made this wonderful amphora--very similar to mine except he decorated his with geometric motifs in red and black on a terracotta clay.:While looking through the catalog (for the collection at SAMA that Roy loaned me) I found interesting differences and likenesses. I'm probably not a keen observer and this little exercise has really been an eye opener. The book led to a serious web search of 'amphora' and turned up some wonderful pieces. I can see now… -
another rich experience
19 Nov 2009 | 12:04 pmToday my friend Lani extended an invitation from her son Roy to visit the San Antonio Museum Of Art (SAMA). Roy focused on Art History in his college work and has worked at SAMA setting up some of the exhibits. At the guild sale a week and a half ago he and I were looking a the form of the large vase I had there. That prompted his invitation to look at similar forms in the Greek collection. At her workshop last weekend, Suze Lindsay spent a lot of time taking us through slide presentations of work she admired--ancient and current. She really encouraged us to study various traditions of forms… -
what a special weekend
15 Nov 2009 | 3:48 pmI took part in a workshop here at Southwest School of Art and Craft (San Antonio) given by Suze Lindsay. She was great! It was a small group--3 days, hands-on--and so very rich! Just what I needed right now: very stimulating and pushed me in new directions. I found everything she presented to be just right for me right now! She wanted us to work in 'sets'--cream & sugar, salt & pepper, candlesticks and such. And she spent a lot of time introducing us to surface design. I made a set of 'sipping cups' with a tray. After I fire them I may post a picture of them. I am very pleased with them now. -
Eva's photos
12 Nov 2009 | 7:42 amThanks, Linda. When I re-read your instructions I found the step I was missing--now it works! -
a nice showing
12 Nov 2009 | 5:15 amThe guild's sale was very nice. There was a great collection of work--mostly ceramics but a bit of textiles and some jewelry, too. My friend, Eva, and I shared a booth. She took pictures of our booth and sent them to me but I don't know how to take the pictures from an email and get them into the blog. I took these snapshots here before I packed the pieces to take to the show. We both had 2 shelves--one tall and one short.I enjoyed seeing potter friends that I don't get to see very often and got to see the work they are doing now--beautiful work. I met a potter, not from San Antonio, whose…
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Bibbi Forsman
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statues of liberty
19 Nov 2009 | 11:34 amI feel a bit cynical today.(There will be more New York pics)Tracy Baran photography Judith Scott objects -
winter weave and winter wreath, Tjolöholm
15 Nov 2009 | 1:57 amAt Tjolöholms castle outside Kungsbacka they prepare for Christmas. Next weekend is their huge traditional Christmas market. Already now my ceramic wreaths and textile artist Kerstin Åsling's weaved pieces hang in the newly restored Storstugan café and restaurant. The scent of gingerbread laid heavy when we arrived to put our work up on Friday!Tjolöholm is a Tudor Style manor, the dream of a perfect little place in the world built by James Fredrik Dickson. He died of lead poisening when he, after he had cut his finger, put the lead from a champagne bottle around it. His wife Blanche… -
williamsburg
12 Nov 2009 | 2:29 pmI wish I could have stayed much, much longer in Williamsburg. A peaceful place.Two generous ceramic blogs:We swim with the fishes andMudbucket -
new york runners
11 Nov 2009 | 2:03 pmWhere to start... With all the runners, of course. Reason for the New York trip was to cheer for a marathon running friend (who did well, under four hours for the 42 kilometres). We cheered for her and all the rest! It was big fun. Location Williamsburg, 15 kilometers from the start. I don't think they looked so happy at the end of the marathon.Access Ceramics new ceramic image collection.Ceramic artists can apply to be part, so far 162 artists' photos to look at. -
The fourth, finally
8 Nov 2009 | 3:48 amThis is the fourth and final wall panel at Eriksberg. See all at once here..., click on the lotus fruit.I enjoyed New York, who wouldn't? Congratulations to Yankees victory! I wish I could have shared the moment with the New Yorkers, now that I feel like one. I'm still in a bit jet lagged, sorting photo Sunday mood.What I didn't see in New York:Anish Kapoor at GuggenheimHigh Line Sculpture Park
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Josie Goes to Pot
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Friday at the "Flea"
6 Nov 2009 | 9:11 amTechnically what we attended today is called Brocante de Antiquites. ItIs the massive 10 day antique faire held in Paris every November. I feel so happy we were here for it. It flanks both sides of the canal near the Bastille. You can find everything from old egg cups to Louis XIV divan chairs, plastic cupids to marble busts of laughing French maidens.The food is in a league of it's own. Booths are scattered through out where you can taste wine, eat oysters, sample sausage. There is a stall that serves the most delicious vin chaud brewed in huge copper vats on a small gas stove.We ate in… -
Patterns
29 Oct 2009 | 10:18 pmYesterday we wandered in Paris with my daughter Susannah and her husband Yadir. It was the perfect Paris day. If I had one complaint it would be that for some reason there are tons of tourists around.... Isn't this supposed to be "off season"? Go home people we want this beautiful place to ourselves!One of the spots we visited was Notre Dame. Even with hordes of folks milling about, it never ceases to dazzle me. It looked like they are about half way through cleaning the frescos in the back nitches and I could actually see all the intricate patterns that cover the walls. I… -
Cemetary Ceramics
26 Oct 2009 | 11:10 pmOK I'm a bit eccentric but I really love visiting cemetaries. On Sunday we walked to the little one in Lourmarin.to pay our respects to Albert Camus, who is burried there. On many of the graves were bouguets of wonderful ceramic flowers like the violets pictured above. There were also small oval ceramic plaques on many of the graves with images of the deceased.Whoever chose the photos certainly wasn't thinking of glaming up the memory of the dead. These were a most earthy bunch of folks. Almost all of them looked like rather bad passport photos, hardly a smile, lick of make-up or… -
Friday- Lourmarin Market Day
23 Oct 2009 | 5:29 amToday is Friday and that means market day in Lourmarin. We've been visiting many of the local markets of Provence-some have been a bust. Chateau Neuf for example had only one vegetable stand, a rotessiere chicken truck and a dude selling mattresses. Viason la Romaine was huge and had everthing from cheese vendors to underwear salesmen.Lourmarin, the village we have landed in is tiny and doll like. It has great cafes and pretty little shops. You can easily walk the whole town in an hour including stopping for a drink and shopping for dinner. I love it here.I didn't know what to expect… -
Clean Feet
20 Oct 2009 | 9:24 pmThese beautiful Roman jugswere at the city museum across from the HUGE ancient threater in Orange. They were so perfectly preserved.What impressed me most was the trimming on the feet - so perfect, precise and dainty with the tiniest little turn up at the edge.Being in the restored theater, that could hold 10,000 theater loving (sometimes porno loving.... Yup... Something I didn't know, maybe didn't need to know!) made me feel like a speck...a little bit of dustin the air of time. Seeing those beautiful ancient everyday pots made me REALLY want to take the time to finish my bottoms…
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Brampton Pottery
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Something fishy
17 Nov 2009 | 2:15 pmHere are some plates out of the kiln this week. I enjoyed playing around with these. I've used dots of wax resist on the bottom one which has produced a fun texture.Today I packed a glaze firing with some test pieces. I am trying out some Spencroft clay so it will be interesting to see how it compares to my usual clay. Will be able to open it on Thursday.Tonight I have been kneading clay from the clay pit in Kent. If I've got time I may throw some tomorrow but I've got quite a few chores to do ready for Farnham at the week-end. -
Half-term break
3 Nov 2009 | 8:40 amHere are some pots from the last firing. I really enjoyed making the caseroles. They provide a good vertical surface to work on. I like having writing on the pots but I couldn't think what to put on the jugs - milk seemed a bit obvious!We did a quick dash to Wales at the end of half-term. There was an exhibition at Oriel Myrddin in Carmarthen by Edwina Bridgeman. It was a fun, inventive and whimsical orchard. It was created from charity shop finds. Made me want to scour charity shops and create my own world.Unfortunately my photographs don't do the work justice.It was great to get the boys… -
Dinner?
9 Oct 2009 | 2:02 pmCome to dinner- the table's laid and the food prepared. Friday evening is always a time to relax and unwind. I started the day with a swim. (Have to be in and out before the school children come for their lessons). A quick dash to the bank and the shops for some food shopping and home to decorate some pots.I use a mixture of sources to find the images I want. Some from books others from my sketch books. These pots always take much longer than I expect but I do enjoy doing them. I was surprised to find that I'm down to my last bag of clay!! So I'm off to my supplier first thing in the morning… -
images
2 Oct 2009 | 1:32 pmAs much of my imagery in my current work has included bees and beetles I thought I would keep a look out for the images on other products. I thought it would be easy to find a number of items. I did find a beetle set in resin which has the most lustrous colours when the sun catches it but apart from that the only other use of a bee I found on a bottle of beer! Of course I had to buy some to add to my meager collection and obviously I had to sample the contents. (I call it research and dedication to the cause).Has any one out there found bugs and beetles on any art work or products? -
Brampton pots!
23 Sep 2009 | 5:09 amMy creationOriginally uploaded by sgraffito2003Thought I'd post these images that I have been using this year because I need to create a new set for the coming years applications.
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Tracey Broome
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Raku class
20 Nov 2009 | 12:23 pmToday my raku class came over to fire their work. We have postponed the firing for two weeks due to rain, and I'm so glad we waited. Today was one of those amazing days, the sun was golden, the weather was perfect and the kiln gods smiled on us! Everyone had a great firing and got some beautiful pieces! We also had a delicious quiche, wonderful veggie soup and greens that Kristen grew in her garden. You gotta love classes like this!I let these guys do most of the work since it was a class and they are supposed to be learning about Raku. This is the first class I have done for the project… -
Summer Vacation
17 Nov 2009 | 1:24 pmI know, I know, it's a bit early to be planning summer vacation, but it looks like there might not be one for us in 2010. Not because of anything bad, quite the contrary! Wesley has been nominated for Governor's School!! Huge honor, she and one other kid at her school were chosen for nomination and only 800 from North Carolina get in. She is busy working on her essays and application, more work than I ever did for a job interview, honestly! But the bad news is, if she gets selected it will be for six weeks this summer. We were hoping to go back to Bonnaroo, but it's at the same time, so I… -
Chick Flick
16 Nov 2009 | 6:18 pmSorry guys, this is for the girls. How many times have you seen Pride and Prejudice? Wes and I just watched for the _ time? I can't even remember how many times we have watched this movie. It has to be my all time favorite movie ever! The sets, the costumes, the dialogue, Matthew McFayden,need I say more!I could watch the last scene over and over and over.................. -
Unique marketing
15 Nov 2009 | 4:25 pmWesley and I spent the day at Barnes and Noble Bookstore helping promote the Artscenter in Carrboro today. It was rather unique. They asked several instructors to come in and talk about their classes and B & N gave a portion of sales today to the Artscenter. Great way to raise a bit of $$ and meet potential new students. There was a painter at the front entrance, theater and music performances by the youth conservatory in the children's section, a table for kids to come and work with clay and I got the best location of all, right by the magazine stand. Guess what I did with the down… -
A day's work
13 Nov 2009 | 6:26 pmI finished up the vase, took me all day. But I love, love, love it!! Now, please God, let it survive a Raku firing, doubtful, but I'm hopeful!! It probably weighs about 10 lbs. now with all the little heads on it.........And the jug thing? Forget it! Not wasting the clay!
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A Devonshire Pottery
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Beautiful Devon and Digger the dog
20 Nov 2009 | 1:25 pmA beautiful sunny day at Hollyford today, so I was able to sit in the kiln shed with the doors open listening to the Buzzards while I scratched away the surface of this big harvest jug. The decoration is taken straight from the North Devon tradition, but there's a lot of me and a lot of Hollyford in the drawing too. Here are a few pictures from my lunchtime walk with Digger the dog in the stunning Devon countryside. A lot of this stuff has ended up on the surface of the big jug.This is a marigold in Matt and Alex' garden. Daisies are a favourite of mine. Did you know they're called daisies… -
Come to the show!
19 Nov 2009 | 1:32 amFeaturingPauline ZelinskiJenny SouthamTilly YoungNic CollinsTajaPauline LeeDoug FitchLaurel KeeleyIsabel MerrickJackie Leighton-Boyce -
Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad head
18 Nov 2009 | 1:25 pmSometimes things just don't go right and I think this picture says it all! I had a migraine attack last night and all day today, so the day's work had to be done this evening. I really wasn't in the right frame of mind for decorating but everything was getting too dry so I just had to go for it.I had Marky Mark for company - we try and work every Wednesday evening. Blogger Paul was asking how the new racking was going. There's some of it next to Mark in the picture. It came from Cardew's Wenford Bridge pottery so must have been used by some amazing potters.Here's a pressed dish that Mark… -
Monday
16 Nov 2009 | 3:11 pmBaluster jugsEarthenware colours MugsEarthenware colours -
Sunday
15 Nov 2009 | 11:10 amI really didn't want to go to work today, it being Sunday, but once I'd got there I was really pleased that I'd gone. I managed to get a lot done. I mixed glazes, a job that I've been avoiding. I always put it off, but then feel good once I've done it - and it's never that bad a job really - no doubt I'll put it off as long as possible again next time.The sun was shining, after a couple of days of crazy storms. (Frank got home to Cornwall safely the other night by the way, but by all accounts it was a fairly hairy journey.)The view from my workshop window looks out to the woodland that has…
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Around and About with Bulldog Pottery
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Celebration of Seagrove Potters -- Set Up
20 Nov 2009 | 6:37 amThe North Carolina Pottery Center has a display table at the entrance with historic NC Pottery books and other NCPC information including membership.Last night Ed and I went back to the Luck's Cannery to set out our pottery. We hit the wall around 8:45 and thought that we would continue in the morning. We met Will McCanless (McCanless Pottery) and Meredith Smildson leaving about the same time as we were. It is all up from here!Below is our booth as we left it. Gloria and Ed will go back this morning and finish up. We need to be completed by noon so the caterers have plenty of room to set up… -
New Vases
19 Nov 2009 | 3:23 pmWe unloaded a kiln this morning with our art pottery glazes. Bruce and Ed are at the Luck's Cannery setting up the booth. When they get back we will go back over with some more pots that Gloria and I have been packing up. Gloria is up at the shop packing right now wondering where I am. When Bruce gets back he will start cleaning these vases up for tomorrow. -
Gala Collaboratives out of the kiln
19 Nov 2009 | 7:47 amHere is the pair of 16" vases that came out of Ben Owen's kiln yesterday. Donna Craven threw these bottles and Samantha glazed them.The crystalline piece below came out this past Tuesday. Bruce threw the 24" bottle and Will glazed it. -
Lots of fun going on under the sun at Bulldog Pottery
16 Nov 2009 | 2:53 pmAnd some more..... It is a wonderful day here. We are all busily getting pots finished and kilns fired. Bruce is working on putting handles on our Carolina Designer Craftsmen "Masterpiece" . Below Ed is working on sieving the slip that will be applied to the handled urns that Bruce has been working on. I am figuring out what decoration will be applied to his forms and then back to him for some more imagery. This is something new for us and we are excited to see the outcome.And some...... Gloria is helping to clean the functional pots which we will put our Moka glaze. These pieces will be… -
Found a kiln for Donna's and Samantha'a Collaborative
15 Nov 2009 | 12:23 pmWe found a kiln to put our collaborative vase pair into (Donna's thrown vases and Dotty Sam's glaze combo). Ben Owens is loading a reduction kiln today and said he had room along with his 20" vases. YEAH!!! What a relief. Bruce loaded them in the car and drove them right on over to Ben's place. I wonder how Will's and Fred's glaze work collaborative is coming along? To see more collaborative pieces you can visit the Celebration of Seagrove Potters website.
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Clay Club
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Pottery Paparazzi
19 Nov 2009 | 7:31 pmI got a new toy in the mail today. It's a Canon XS Rebel SLR. It's an entry level SLR and pretty affordable for how kick ass it is. I'm still learning how to use it. Luckily, I had a Canon Elph before this, so there are some common features. I also got a 16 GB SDHC memory card for it for only $34. It can hold 6000+ images at 10MP each. Can I get a "whoop-whoop?" This is considered a christmas bonus from my boss........ME. More pics to come. The ones below need some work, but hey, the camera's been out of the box for only 3 hours. -
How different RIO affects glaze
19 Nov 2009 | 8:20 amThese 2 glazes are the same recipe, same firing and same shelf in the kiln, however the one on the left was glazed after I made a new batch with a bag of RIO that was noticeably lighter in color than the previous bag. The recipe uses only 3% RIO. I happen to like the new glaze better, but I'm curious how this will affect my other glazes. I tested Chris Wolff Plum and was hoping to make a full batch for my next firing. It uses 11.5% RIO. Any thoughts? -
Looking for a cone 6 reduction White
19 Nov 2009 | 8:04 amThis is a cone 10 MgO White that I love, but I'd like to find a cone 6 white that might give me similar results. This is the cone 10 recipe:MgO White SatinF4 40Whiting 8Talc 16Dolomite 14EPK 22Silica 5Tin Oxide 4Zircopax 8Bentonite 2I've tested this in cone 6 and it doesn't work. Is it worth trying to change this to a cone 6 (Val Cushing's handbook has a small section on this), or does anyone have a nice cone 6 White for reduction? -
lighting assemblage
18 Nov 2009 | 8:09 amI have been wiring my hand-built lamp bases. Using parts bought on-line thru lamp part suppliers. Sometimes I think of connecting to someone who might do this work for me.Does anyone know of someone in the NW North Carolina mountains who might be a connect on this? Many thanks. Gluckin -
Glaze and Materials Weekend
16 Nov 2009 | 10:02 amI am offering a special Glaze Talk weekend at my studio Decemeber 12 - 13 from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.I will cover as much as possible on clays, glaze, glaze faults, materials, firing, kilns, etc.It will be a loose, question based format and will cater to the participants.If you are interested email me at: johnbrittpottery@gmail.comFirst come first served and I will limit the enrollement.The cost is $150 It may be just what you are looking for, after all the sales are over.John Britt http://www.johnbrittpottery.com/
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Art Pottery Blog – History, Marks, Buying, Selling Art Pottery
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Rookwood Pottery Artists - Part 4
19 Nov 2009 | 7:53 amIn previous blogs, we outlined "A" level Rookwood pottery decorators, "B" level Rookwood pottery decorators and "C" level Rookwood pottery decorators.That leaves "D" level, which we've provided below.Remember, these were included in Rookwood Pottery - The Glaze Lines, authored by well-respected curator, Anita J. Ellis. Besides the appeal of the Rookwood piece itself, the decorator is the second most influential factor that determines interest and ultimately its value."D" level Rookwood pottery is defined as those with "usually… -
Valuing Rookwood Commercial or Production Pottery
17 Nov 2009 | 10:03 pmIn a recent blog, we discussed Rookwood art pottery and the differences in commercial wares and decorated wares.As a follow up, we thought it would be beneficial to discuss what goes into valuing Rookwood commercial pottery.We'll consider, in this order, the condition, size, visual appeal, rarity and the age of the art pottery piece. Because there are generally fewer variables that go into pricing Rookwood commercial pottery, it's often easier to understand than those factors that affect Rookwood decorated ware.The variables are more straight forward, in a sense.Let's start… -
Rookwood Art Pottery - A Look at its History
12 Nov 2009 | 7:56 amFrom 1880 until 1967, this Ohio pottery company produced decorated art pottery that is now considered extremely collectable and is admired around the world by collectors and others who appreciate beautiful art pottery. What many may not be aware of is Rookwood, at one time, had two distinctive product lines.One being its broad selection of decorated wares and the other, lesser-known line, of commercial wares.Author Anita J. Ellis spent a considerable amount of time researching Rookwood Pottery, its two lines and the often misunderstood glaze lines, and then published Rookwood Pottery: The… -
Another Unexpected Art Pottery Find
4 Nov 2009 | 11:09 amLast week, we told you about a valuable Newcomb Pottery vase that was found in a thrift store and sold for more than $3,000. If you thought it was a fluke, think again. This week, we received an email from a fellow art pottery collector who also found a rare Newcomb vase where he least expected. On one of his regular visits to his local thrift store in search of collectibles for his curio cabinet (or as his wife calls it, "another piece of junk"), he found himself in a conversation with some of the other collectors who frequented the same store. One had… -
Why American Art Pottery Makes A Great Gift
2 Nov 2009 | 8:01 amAh, you can sense it in the air - the colder weather is on its way and that means the traditional holiday season is nearing as well.If you're like me, you know how difficult it is to buy for that one person on your list; you know- the one who has everything, marches to the beat of his or her own drum and has excellent taste in everything from clothing fashion to home décor.That's a tough one to buy for, no doubt. We just might have a solution or two.Have you considered art pottery?There are many reasons a beautiful Roseville basket or a Van Briggle vase would make an excellent…
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Mountain House Studios
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AWOL
19 Nov 2009 | 1:41 pmI've been out of town this week celebrating a birthday with a treasured friend. And I won't get to make much work next week either. In fact, I probably won't post pictures of new stuff until after the holidays. I sure hope everyone is surrounded by family, good friends and delicious food. Happy Thanksgiving week! -
Process
13 Nov 2009 | 6:06 amThese are fresh out of the bisque kiln. The dessert plates were textured & then black underglazed added when they were damp/leatherhard. At greenware, I cleaned the black with a scrubby & a metal rib until it just sat in the textured area. Then I added a water-thin blue slip & fired. Now I will highlight with some color & then I'm going to add a detail that I read about on line. It's with 'graffito paper' from Minnesota Clay. It's like a carbon paper but saturated with underglaze instead of carbon. You use your artwork & trace/rub until the image is on your piece &… -
This & That
12 Nov 2009 | 5:44 amThis is a canister set that was on display at Perspectives -- it sold & I didn't get a photo of it . But this morning as I was looking at pot pictures online over coffee --- this image popped up. Someone I don't even know took photos of it while it was on display. It's so cool that I stumbled across it.Now I am waiting on the kiln to cool. I'm still working out surface treatments. I'm finally getting to know how these different slips, washes & glazes interplay -- now I just need them to do what I want! That's the tricky part. Next week I probably won't get a chance to post. One of my… -
Proper photos
4 Nov 2009 | 4:20 amI finally got all of my photo equipment out last night & took proper photos of my most recent work. It's so much easier in my new studio space.Before the set-up & tear down took so long that I only took photos when absolutely necessary. Now I can set-up right in the studio. I have an EZ (light) Cube & some boom lights. I shoot with a Cannon Power Shot A95 -- which I'm hoping to upgrade soon -- and a gradient background. These pots are going to the "Little Things Mean A Lot" show in Atlanta- November 19 - January 10. This is an annual show at the Swan Coach House in Buckhead. It's… -
Unloaded the kiln
2 Nov 2009 | 8:08 amI have learned so much about working with terra sig, underglazes and glazes through this last group of pots. I made some test tiles to play with. The tiles have been fired twice. I enjoy earthenware so much because you can maintain an intimate relationship with each piece from making through the final firing. There's not that ugly bisque stage to contend with -- because the surface treatment begins at either leatherhard or greenware.The first photo grouping of pots have been completed and will go out into the world for a holiday show -- but I will continue playing with the tiles -- they are…
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Joy Tanner Pottery
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"It's All in the Details", Pottery Exhibit
20 Nov 2009 | 6:00 amTonight is the opening reception for my shared pottery exhibit, "It's All in the Details", at Pottery 101 Gallery in Salisbury, NC. The other featured potter is Annie Singletary, from Black Mountain, NC. Below are the pieces I selected to display for the show, which feels like a nice sampling of my work. Come check out the exhibit, the opening is tonight from 6-9 pm. -
Buttercup Cups
20 Nov 2009 | 5:03 amThese new butter cups were in the soda firing I did this week in the small kiln. I actually refired them because the glaze was immature and dry from the last firing. This is a new glaze I've been testing. Now that they are refired they are much better. Does buttercup cups sound funny? I'm still working on titles for my pots, and that one popped in my mind. These will be in the Salisbury show. I like this new form with minimal texture and all glaze. It's kind of different for me.Where the soda hits the glaze, it sure gets nice!This pair of contrasted lobed mugs are another idea I'm playing… -
A new view
19 Nov 2009 | 4:13 pmI have a new view in my studio. The past few weeks I've been slowing rearranging and cleaning both my studio rooms. One room still has a looooong way to go. But my main room that I throw and make everything in is finished. It's a new view! I moved my wheel, shelves and table around. The work flow seems much better now and more efficient. It actually seems bigger in there now. And now while I throw, I can look out the window into the woods and at the birds...nice, isn't it? It feels very refreshing to have a new view, a physical new view, but mentally and emotionally I feel recharged and at a… -
Asheville Art Museum
18 Nov 2009 | 11:32 amIf you're in the Asheville area, don't miss this holiday market going on this week at the art museum. I dropped off a nice selection of carved mugs, bowls and tumblers for this sale! Holiday Shopping Extravaganza NOVEMBER 17 - 22 - Tuesday - Sunday, Museum Hours Pack Place Community Gallery Buy unique gifts by local artists for everyone on your holiday shopping list! 20% off for Museum Members on Friday, November 20, 2009. -
Light
15 Nov 2009 | 7:24 amI found the light this morning inching its' way up this burning bush. The fog is thick around here in the morning and with each sunrise, the sun fights its' way through. It looks like it's going to be another beautiful day.Even though I am always trying to be observant, I get caught up in my busy day to day life. But it really does help me to slow down and appreciate those little moments in life. The sun rises every single morning but half the time we are all rushing around doing things. This morning it was refreshing to wake up to it and notice the beauty in the details. Now as I write this,…
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Ceramic Erin
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Snow Day!
15 Nov 2009 | 6:11 pmIn front of the Arvada Ceramic Arts Guild (I joined in October):The snow made for a slow opening weekend of our holiday show, but I still had fun with it this morning. Making a snowman is a great workout! We're considering having a closing party near the end of the show to make up for the lull. If you're in the area, let me know if you'd like to be on our mailing list. We're also on Facebook - search Arvada Ceramic Arts Guild. -
Interview: potter Lucy Fagella
20 Oct 2009 | 8:44 amFinally we have another ceramic artist's interview. I've been busy with working, moving, and traveling, and I haven't made time to find artists to interview. So I was excited to get Lucy's email last week. I've followed her blog for a while anyway and she's a wonderfully skilled potter. Take a look for yourself. I still plan to continue the artists interviews as long as I hear from them, but if I'm m.i.a. from my blog, I'm in the studio - it's that time of the year!Vital statistics (name, age, location, link to website/blog)?Lucy Fagella, 45, Greenfield, Ma. luciapottery.com,… -
Change in weather, new love for tea bowls
21 Sep 2009 | 9:28 pmBeing the first cold day of the season, I had a lightbulb moment with my morning cuppa tea. Instead of the usual mug, I instinctively chose the non-handled tea bowl to warm my hands. I used to shun handles because I was terrible at making them - most beginners are - and at the time I preferred non-handled cups anyway... maybe that's just an excuse since I didn't like making handles & I hadn't found many mugs that I liked. In the past year I fell in love with mugs, but I have a newfound appreciation for tea bowls - it's all in the season. On cold days like today mugs might be used more for… -
Interview...?
8 Sep 2009 | 8:28 amTuesdays are for ceramic artists interviews... but I haven't heard from any artists this week! So if you'd like to be featured here this week or next, take a look at this post for all the questions and my email address: ceramic artists interview. I'm always open to new questions.p.s. Are you on Twitter? I post updates from my blog & other interesting ceramics links I find: ceramicerin on Twitter -
Green teacher
2 Sep 2009 | 8:03 pmToday was my first day of teaching at the local pottery center, & I think it went pretty well. Not stellar, but not bad. For one thing I'm a novice teacher - I've taught kids at a summer camp handbuilding with clay. That's about the extent of it, and now I have two entirely different classes: adult clay building - a mix of hand building & throwing - & kids throwing.The adult class consists of old-timers who have taken that same class together for months, perhaps years, and they all had an idea of what they wanted to do, they all had projects they were already working on. They're…
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Straydog Pottery
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It's been a long, long, long time ...
11 Nov 2009 | 5:26 pmAlmost a month from the last post! I'm just feeling like I have too many irons in the fire right now.I took a quick trip to Farmville today to drop off a platter I made for the big 50/50 raffle and auction at Fuqua School. It was worth the driving in the "driving rain" to see a lot of old friends and students. Hopefully, the platter will help raise some money for the school.Last weekend was the big pottery open-house at Finch Pottery and it was a perfect day. Warm and sunny, and lots of people who came to look and buy. Susan went around and took pictures of the crowds for me since I was… -
Bowls, Bowls, Bowls! And Cotton Bolls!
17 Oct 2009 | 8:33 amThe cotton fields behind the house are about ready for the pickers - machines now that are like giant vacuum cleaners that suck the cotton up into bins. A lot of the cotton in this part of North Carolina was not very tall this year because of lack of rain, but the cotton in this field is tall. It really looks pretty neat when you look across the fields and see all the white. The dogs enjoy running up and down the rows - all you can see is the tips of their tails.It was a really good week - the kids at school were great, I had the time to make quite a few pieces of pottery, and even had a… -
And, I just thought it was a hummingbird feeder!
9 Oct 2009 | 4:38 pmI happened to look out the window to where our hummingbird feeder is hidden in the roses and saw this bright green frog sitting there - just had to take a picture.It has been a while since my last blog and I have been busy the whole time. I have tried to make sure to put aside some time every day for pottery and it has worked well. I am producing quite a bit of ware and taking my time to really work on size and form, as well as working on keeping the weight of each piece down. I have actually surprised myself with how light I have been able to keep most of the work. The green ware here shows… -
Expectations
18 Sep 2009 | 4:48 pmAs much as I tell others that glazing and firing is not an exact science, I have to admit that I still have not convinced myself and feel somewhat disappointed when pieces come out of the glaze firing looking differently than I expected. I know the kiln at the studio was really packed this last firing, but it just seemed that I either had not used enough glaze so the colors burned out to clear, or the glazes ran and crawled, leaving some bare spots. I am going to clean up the casseroles and re-glaze them so see if I can get a more uniform cover suitable for using with cooking.I brought home a… -
Chance to Catch My Breath!
4 Sep 2009 | 4:55 pmWARNING: I AM STARTING OUT ON A "SOAPBOX".First, what is wrong with all these people who are upset with the idea of Obama speaking to school children??? As a teacher, I think everyone should be encouraging kids to stay in school and to earn a diploma. And, for the President of United States to make a special point of addressing students seems to me to be the type of role model we have needed in Washington for a long time. Even though I grew up in the Washington, DC area, I can honestly say that I have no interest in politics or "party platforms". I am more interested in leaders who act in…
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the amplified bard
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@WiredPoetry Event Rehearsal This Past Saturday
9 Nov 2009 | 5:31 pmThis past Saturday, the @wiredpoetry crew did their performance rehearsal for this week's @Wired: A Multimedia Explosion of Poetry, Song, Music and Image event on Friday, November 13th at 8pm at the Rudolph Projects ArtScan Gallery. It was wonderful to see the behind-the-scenes of each performance. Below are some pictures I took of @byronjonesthepoet and @purposedband, bassist Anthony Walker, working on their set. Trills was able to capture some of the magic on video and it will be part of a video we will be working on thanks to the talented film maker Stephanie Saint Sanchez. -
Spend Some Time with Artist Kabuki Katze
5 Nov 2009 | 10:37 pmSpeaking of watching other artists at work, graphic design artist, Kabuki Katze, maps out the process of working on the @Wired event flyer. @kabukikatze is the genius behind The Amplified Bard profile pics on Myspace and Facebook including the wonderful header to this blog. @KabukiKatze has always been wonderful in making her design process transparent i.e. allowing fans to see the stages of her work. She recently wrote a blog documenting her process working with the @wiredpoetry folks. Check it out at her blog. -
Practice Night with Trills for @Wired
5 Nov 2009 | 8:59 pmTonight Trills and I worked on our performance for the @Wired event next week. I headed over to his apartment/studio to work on the timing and video images for our performance. I love collaborating with other artists because I am able to see them work in their element. Here is Trills and his son Caleb playing on the keyboard during a break:It blew me away to watch Trills turn various computer programs, keyboard riffs, and audio set-ups into an auditory explosion of nerves and uneasiness. Imagine what the tweeps involved with @wired i.e. @thepoetmendez, @byronjonesthepoet, @kabukikatze,… -
Story of a Nerd and his destiny. Winner of Dreamhack 1998 Wild Compo
4 Nov 2009 | 10:15 pmI found this great video about a nerd's life in the late 90's. What do you guys think? How would the video be made today? Would it probably still feature an addiction to porn? What about social media? -
A Book About Nothing
4 Nov 2009 | 1:06 pm“I love talking about nothing…. It is the only thing I know anything about.” —OSCAR WILDE“Nothingness lies coiled in the heart of being–like a worm.” —JEAN-PAUL SARTREThe concept of Nothingness has always interested me ever since I read Sartre's magnum opus "Being and Nothingness," which inevitably led me into a brooding, existential phase in my life. I can remember after reading Camus or Beckett, I would naturally contemplate the nature of non-being, of essence and negation until my head throbbed from the banging of an ontological hammer. For something non-existent, this…
