As promised, here is a picture of the last pitchers I made. This was just before being loaded into the bisque this morning. I can't wait to fire these guys. Sarah says these are the best pitchers I've ever made. Nice, tall, and light.
I had planned on getting a good post up this weekend. Instead all I managed to do was sort of botch things up a bit. I changed my template for the blog and wiped out my HaloScan comment setup. Now I am having difficulty getting that going and I have yet to reinsert my links. So be patient. I want to get a pic of my new pitchers up and a shot of the new workshop. I should be moving in there by the end of the week....I hope.
I promise a better update early this week.
Hey Folks. Hope you are all well out there in computer land. It's been a rainy day here on Wallace Grove but a good day. My friend Steve and his wife Charlotte from SC stopped by on their way to Asheville. Steve and I became friends a few years back when he stopped in my booth at a pottery show. He has been making pots for several years and is coming along quite well. He spent the fall at Penland in the Concentration Class. While he was visiting tonight he showed me some pots he had made including some great pitchers. He gave me a little tip he learned at Penland and after he left I made some of the best pitchers I've made in a while. Thanks Steve. I'll try and get a pic of these after I get the handles on them.
Steve is also a pizza lover, so we talked a bit about dough before he left. It just happens that I made pizza for me and Sarah and our painter friend Sally last night. Oh it was so good. We had one spinach, sundried tomato, and goat cheese, which was on a spicy olive oil brushed crust. And one Fontina, Parmigiano-Reggiano, over a spicy olive oil crust that had dollops of thick marinara sauce dotted on top. I have gotten to where I prefer Fontina to Mozzarella. Of course if you get a really nice fresh Mozz then that's hard to beat.
My workshop at Clayworks this past Saturday went well and I had lots of fun. Thanks for everyone who came.
I often complain about my computer so I was also excited this past week when the new iMacs came out. I hope to get one this year (if pottery sales are good). I also have to see about getting cable trenched in down here. I got a $350 estimate from Time Warner to do it, I'm gonna see if I can't do the trenching in from the road myself to cut that cost down. For now I'm on the slow road.
That's it for now.
What a day I had yesterday. I didn't realize until around one o clock exactly what all I needed to get done before the day ended. I started the day off smacking my left index finger with a slap stapler and busting loose a big chuck of skin just below the nail. A few hours later as I was finishing off working on the drywall I fell off the top step of the 26" stepstool. As I lay on the concrete I began to realize this wasn't exactly my day. What is up? I have injured myself more in the past two months than I have in a year.
Well, then it dawned on me that I needed to scrape all the kiln shelves, glaze some pots, (oh no, not enough glaze in the bucket) mix some glaze, make cone packs, and mix my yellow glaze tests. Plus I had promised to cook manicotti for supper and have it ready when Sarah got home from school. I wanted to get all the pottery stuff done so that I could load the kiln Tuesday morning and be finished before 3 pm (because I have an appointment in Charlotte that evening) Okay, stress level is maxxed out.
Solution...no firing this week. I decided this morning (as I still had pots to glaze) that I wasn't going to bust my hump and probably accidently damage myself further just to get a load of pots fired. It can wait till next week.
Today, I will work on the drywall finishing (and not falling) and will glaze the pots at a leisurely pace. Remember to breathe.
There's a lot happening in the pottery this week. I am firing on Wednesday. So today I have the last of the pots drying by the woodstove. I need to mix up some test glazes, I am looking for a good yellow glaze to use inside pots. I need to clean all the shelves for the kiln and make wadding too. So fire on Wed. unload on Friday.
On Saturday I'll be giving a workshop at Clayworks in Charlotte. I am really looking forward to this. It will be fun to interact with others. Being a studio potter involves lots of time working alone and after a while this really takes a toll on me. I need some good energy time with others. Saturday night is the ClayMatters Pottery Guild annual party. That will be fun too, there is always lots of good food, company, and pottery talk.
Sarah and I celebrated our 6 year wedding anniversary on Sat. Jan. 14. We were married in 2000 on the beach in Negril, Jamaica. Oh to be there now. How lucky I am to have such a beautiful, wonderful wife. She never ceases to amaze me. She is the most positive, compassionate, caring person I have ever known. Her trust in life and what is to come is inspiring to me. I look forward to our many years together.
Saturday night we went to Charlotte with some friends who had invited us to the Tosco Music Party. We had a great night. The T.M.P. happens a few times a year at Spirit Square and sells out all 700+ seats in a short time. At Tosco each performer does one or two numbers. So we saw 17 acts all for the low price of $12. My favorite of the night was David Mead. Check him out.
No this isn't a post about dear old George and his secrets. It's about studio construction progress. Over the past week we got the drywall hung in the showroom and all the paneling and ceiling primered in the workshop. Wow, that's looking good. I am going to start finishing the drywall today. The showroom will get ceramic tile on the floor and a nice color on the walls. The workshop will keep the concrete floor and some sort of light color on the walls.
I've been avoiding my computer lately for several reasons. One, it is slow. Two, I have been making pots and working on studio construction again which has kept me busy and when I come in I just want to chill out. I called the cable company yesterday to see about getting cable ran out here so we can get a high speed connection. I should hear back from them next week.
Anyhow I will be firing next week and I am excited about that. I have a good load of pots made up consisting of dinnerware, teapots, bowls, mugs, and bottles that I plan on side firing. I hope to get a few pitchers made today.
On Jan. 21 I will be giving a workshop at Clayworks Studios in Charlotte. I am looking forward to that. It's been awhile since I have been infront of a group of people to make and talk about pots. I always learn a lot about myself when I do this.
All the drywall is hung in the new studio showroom. I will start finishing it tomorrow and painting next week. The walls in the workshop are covered in paneling that I got for free. I will paint it a light color. So things are coming along in there. I plan to be all moved in time for my Home Sale at the end of March.
Okay that's it for now. Sorry for the long lapse between posts. I promise to do better. I'll be sure to get pics up of pots and studio construction soon.
Yesterday I got back into full swing in the studio making plates and bowls for some dinnerware orders I need to fill. It was a good day to be in working as the weather outside was very rainy. Sarah worked in her studio too finishing up some special orders. It's nice having her home from school and having some time together to spend like we used to when we were both working at home full time. Today I'll cut feet on all these plates and bowls and get to work on some other things.
