Slipping a Jar

I am volunteering at the Arts Council for a few hours today.  Before I go I wanted to put up this video that I shot yesterday.   It's a bit of a How To

I hope that will help someone out.  I really need to mix up a new full bucket of slip soon.  I hate mixing slips and glazes in winter.  I don't have indoor water in the studio so it makes for cold work.

More later I hope.

A Turtle and Teaching

It looks like it's going to be after lunch before I ever get to the studio today.  Which is fine, I actually think it may be warm enough outside by then to work out on the porch.  I am so ready for spring.  We have had a mild winter but I want to see some green leaves and grass and colorful flowers.

This jar went up in the Etsy shop this morning.  I need to make some more animal pots.  Over the years I've had dogs, cats, goats, turtles, and rabbits.  

Yesterday I learned that I could be considered for an adjunct teaching position at a nearby community college.  It's a new program and would be two days a week in the ceramics studio.  I don't know the pay yet.

This is causing me stress because I have really grown accustomed to being my own boss, making my own hours, and answering only to myself.  I do love to teach and I get a lot back from the students.  It can be a place of good opportunity and growth as well as some financial stability.  It can also cut into my time that I desire to travel, go to workshops during the school year, and other things that may come up that I just decide to do.  I was so happy when I quit my day job years ago.  Being a potter is really all I want to do. 

Over the past 3 years I've been offered the instructor position for a continuing ed. class at a nearby college and also to take over a semester for someone going on Sabbatical.  I didn't take either job.  

I guess I feel like I need to be doing more.  More making, selling, bringing in more income.  My desire is really to continue be my own boss.  But within that I would like to put myself out there more and create more opportunities to do what I want.

This includes:  

Teaching one or two day workshops around the county.
Teaching a class about Etsy.  Setting up a shop and how to sell.  (I'm actually going to be doing this soon)
Getting some more wholesale accounts.
Growing my Home Sales.
Selling more online.
Having a salt kiln firing workshop here at the studio (I did this once last year and it was great).
Get invited to teach at a craft school such as Penland, Arrowmont, etc.
Get invited to be a guest potter at one of the big Pottery Tours in the nation.

So those are all things I want to do.  I don't really want to teach in an academic setting.  The difficulty with the above list is that it's all up to me as my own boss to make them happen.  It's all work too.  But really I can do it all.  It's just I have to get on it!  I have to put it out there (like I just did).

It's really a list of goals.  Time to start meeting them.

Photos from Yesterday and Follow Up Videos

Carrying warm water to the studio.  Jugs by Doug Fitch (left) and Me.  Both glazed in my amber glaze.

Yesterday's lunch.  Homemade minestrone soup in a Robert Briscoe bowl.  Nice and warm on a cool day.

Making pizza dough to freeze for later use.

I am not going to create new videos to show the turning of the feet for the pots I made in yesterdays videos.  Instead I'll put up these videos from the past that show turning on a bowl and a plate.  It's the same technique I'd be doing if I made new videos.  Also I had someone ask what the underside of the plate looked like after throwing.  You can see that in the Cutting a Foot on the Plate video right at the beginning before I start cutting.

I want to say that I think the feet of pots are very important.  Just like the rest of the pot.  Many folks view them as an after thought or trim clay away just to remove weight from the pot.  Think of the foot as another opportunity to make an expression.  I think the foot should have some harmony with the rest of the pot but that's not a hard and fast rule.  Just like handles, there are many variations of ways to make a foot.  Look at historical pots as well as contemporary pots to find what you like and see if you can incorporate it in your work.

There are over 150 videos of mine on my YouTube Channel. I hope you'll visit by clicking HERE.  You can Subscribe while you are there and be kept up to date on any videos that may get uploaded in the future.

Two New Videos.

As promised here are a couple videos showing me using my new ribs.

Thanks to Troy Bungart for the great ribs.  These are going to last me years and get lots of use.  You can visit Troy's Online Shop by clicking HERE.

And read Troy's Blog by clicking HERE.

Just going back out now to load a glaze kiln.  Thanks for stopping by. Let me know if you have any questions.

Going on Monday

Hey, yay, it's Monday.  Well that's good I guess. Another day, another week ahead.  It snowed here a little yesterday.  First time this year.  It's sunny now, morning fog burning off.

I don't feel like I've done an 'early in the day' post in a while.  Heck, it seems like I used to blog morning, noon and night.  I miss putting things out here, but for the past year or so I've felt like I've said it all before and I worry that it's just boring or pics of pots in progress.  I'm sure I've picked up some new readers so hopefully what I do here is helpful or interesting to some.  Maybe I should just not even worry about that and just write like this blog is for me and let it go from there.  In a way that's how I am as a potter.  I make the pots I want to make and then I hope that someone else will like them enough to want to take them home and have a relationship with them.

Which is a good segue to these photos that my pal Bill in Georgia put up on his FB page today.

It was neat seeing this old salt glazed jar of mine.  It brought back some sweet memories of my early days with that kiln and the simple pots that I was making.   Bill says he keeps his keys and change in it.

Another salt glazed cup that he keeps in the bathroom.

It's neat to see these two spoonrests there on Bill's stovetop along with his vintage salt and pepper shakers.  

I didn't get too much work done yesterday like I had planned.  I started feeling a bit of a head cold coming on.  I did manage to get enough pots decorated to load and fire off a small bisque load.  I'm off to the studio now and I'll get a video shot and then hopefully get some glazing a decorating done.  

So more than likely you'll get an 'evening post' later today.  So come on back.  Have a good day everyone.