Back to work?

I guess it's about time I get back to work around here. The Monday after the pottery sale weekend I went to visit some friends in the mountains. It was nice to get away and have a change of scenery. It had been raining for several days so the streams were running heavily and all the trees and plants were green and lush. I enjoyed my visit with my friends, hanging out talking about pots, politics, food, clay, travel and other odds and ends.

Back at home I now I need to do some general clean up, mix some clay and get some pots made. I will be firing again in July with a potter from SC. We are splitting a firing in my kiln. I have some special orders to fill and more clay bodies to test.

This Saturday I am thinking about going to a pottery sale in Brevard. I met Judith Duff back in the early 90's at a class at Arrowmont Craft School. She is making some awesome pots. I would also like to check out her new anagama kiln.

This afternoon I'm taking my niece Sophie to the movies. She's here with her mom visiting Sarah's parents. So maybe I won't get too much done around here today. I guess I could go make a few cups.

Have a great day.

Thanks!

I had a great Summer Sale. Thank you to everyone who came out. It was nice to see some new faces and some who we have missed over the past few sales. I feel very blessed to have such a good customer base, local and from afar. I had a potter friend from western NC tell me a few years ago that she was really surprised that I had been able to make it in Shelby. Well I'm doing it and I hope to continue. Thanks to all of you.
Have a great week. I am off to the mountains today for a visit with some friends.

Sale weekend

Here are a few images of the showroom set up for the Summer Pottery Sale.

Saturday 10 till 5, Sunday Noon till 4. I hope you'll make it out. If you haven't seen the Summer Newsletter you can get it here.

Pots from last firing

I finally got these images shot and up. Cassrole and vase. Vase.
Tall pitcher.

Pots

New vase and jar shapes.
Small bottle with Chicken.
Teapot.
Small bottles.

Coming Soon...

I unloaded the kiln yesterday. I'll have some pictures up by tonight I hope. I'm running a little behind, lots going on here. I just had a group of 20 visitors from a Rotory Club camp that's going on at the local university. Check back in later for the images. Thanks!

Finished firing

I cut the kiln off around 2 pm today. In the picture you can see a cup that is sitting on the bagwall and the edge of a bowl on the front rack of shelves. I think it was a good firing, (knock on wood).

Saturday Firing

The firing is coming along fine this morning. I got up at 1 and 4 am to turn the gas up. I put the kiln in body reduction for 20 minutes at 4am. I am over 2000 deg. F now and will be salting in a couple hours. This is the best part for me. I will probably be finished earlier than I expected. I can't wait to unload on Monday and I haven't even finished firing yet. I want to see my new pots and clay tests. Salt glazing is so exciting to me, the results are always slightly (sometimes dramatically) different than the last firing. Having some glazed pots in this load will be different too.
We are going to a cookout tonight for Father's day so it will be nice to finish up here and then go have a good burger.
Okay gotta go.

Loaded and lit

I finished loading today around 4 pm. I pretty much took my time and all went well. I got in most of the pots I really wanted for my Home Sale next weekend.
I lit the burners just now (it's 10pm). I'll get up a couple times overnight and increase the gas pressure. I should finish up tomorrow around 4pm.
Sarah and I went to Doc's tonight for pizza. If you make out to the Sale next weekend and want to have some good food I recommend going to Doc's.
Check back again soon. Thanks!

Loading Day

I will be loading the kiln today. I will get some pics up tonight. I have lots of taller pots this time so it will be a different stack than usual. I am looking forward to this firing. My new pitchers and vases will be in it as well as two big jars which I chose to glaze on the outside as opposed to slipping them which I normally do. I am hoping the gas truck will come today and fill my propane tank up, I called on Tuesday. I may need to call and check. I'd really like to fire the kiln off tomorrow.

This week has been pretty rough emotionally. I hit a kitten on the road Tuesday and had to stop and pick it up so I could bury it. I saved it's brother and found a home for him. Kharma has been good for the most part but really pushes my buttons at times, like yesterday when she ran off. I feel like slamming my head against the wall sometimes. Maybe I need to be on some medication. The truth is I need to be taking some time to meditate, and do some yoga, I am stiff as a board and my mind is all amuck sometimes. I have also been forking out money like crazy this week. All necessary things for the businness, advertising, materials, etc. It will come back in time though.

I had a good experience in town yesterday. I met some guys who knew my dad which in turn led to them being extra nice to me and helping me with some stuff I was working on. I left feeling good about that and thinking that I need to get out of the studio more and interact with people. I also need to let my guard down some and see the good in the world. It's hard for me to do this for some reason.

Well this has gotten a bit long. Check back later for the pictures of the loading and if I get the kiln fired I will unload on Monday and get those pics up too. Have a good Friday!

Summer Pottery Sale!!

The Newsletter is now online. Click here. It has information on my upcoming sale as well as what I have been up to lately. Pics too. Check it out.
My Summer sale is June 24th, 10 am till 5 pm and June 25th, noon till 4 pm. I will have a lot of pots on the shelves. Keep checking back here over the next week for pictures of the firing and unloading.
I hope you'll be able to make it out and bring some friends. I will have a group of seconds and old stock marked down for quick sale.

Finishing up

I think I am finished with the pots for this kiln load. It's kind of hard to put the brakes on and stop making. Today I need to mix some glaze, fire a bisque (which is going already), and clean my kiln shelves. I need to do some work around the house too so maybe that will get done over the next few days. I would like to fire the salt/soda kiln next week or maybe next weekend. That would give me plenty of time to be ready for my sale on the 24th and 25th.
Better get busy.

South Mountain State Park

Sarah and I went up to South Mountain State Park for a hike this morning. We took Kharma along too. We spent a few hours up there, it was nice to be in the great outdoors for a while. The park is only 25 miles from here; I don't know why we don't go more often. There is good hiking, fishing, mountain biking and horseback trails. Maybe we can make it a point to go more often. I could certainly use the opportunity to get in a little better shape.

Easy Day

Today was an easy day, I did lots of little things, or nothing at times. This morning I went over to my sister's to help her and my niece put up this big swimming pool that they bought. It's one of those with a big inflatable ring at the top rim of the pool. That gets blown up and then you fill the pool up with water and the ring floats and keeps the structure all up. I think it's about 12 ft in diameter and 3 ft deep. My brother in law and nephew are off fishing for the weekend so they will be surprised when they get home.

I had a customer come by for a couple pots. And I got some handles on these two jars. The one on the left is made with about 22 lbs of clay and the one on the right with about 14. I will get them slipped tomorrow.

Played with the dogs for a bit in the yard and read a few chapters in Traveling Mercies. Oh yeah and weeded the side flower bed. I went to get a load of mulch but the nursery was closed, so that will have to wait till next week.

So that's my Saturday. I hope your's was fun.

Goofy

Sarah was in the studio yesterday taking some photos for the Newsletter. We got some good ones plus a few that definitely won't make publication due to my goofing around. Anyhow my Home sale is June 24 th and 25th. The Newsletter should be going out in about a week. I hope you'll go ahead and mark your calendars now and plan on coming out to see what I've been up to. I will have lots of pots in the showroom plus a selection of seconds and old stock marked down for quick sale.

Kharma's new trick

Kharma has a new trick. I'll be making pots on the treadle wheel. She will walk over carrying her rubber chicken squeeky toy and hold it over the right side of the fly wheel. Then , at just the right moment she'll drop it on the flywheel and it will be shot out the other side. She did this about 40 times yesterday and continued doing it for a while today until I needed a break and had to confiscate the chicken.