A new week ahead! I worked in the studio for several productive hours yesterday. I am hoping to get in a full day today making more earthenware as well as just a few pots for the salt kiln. I need to wrap things up so I can get ready to fire again. Pictures to come later today. Have a great Monday.
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Westmoore Pottery
While I was staying in Seagrove for the Conference I went by Westmoore Pottery. At Westmoore , David and Mary Farrell make redware, salt glaze and green glaze pottery in traditional ways. You can view their website for more images and details. Their pottery has appeared in such films as , The Patriot, 3:10 to Yuma, Cold Mountain and many others.
I stopped in and had a chat with Mary. I also picked up a copy of North German Folk Pottery, which had been recommended by Michael Kline.
These are just a few images from around the pottery showroom. I have always admired this pottery. The Farrrell's have one of the best places in Seagrove. I feel like I am in a cosy home as well as a pottery show place.
Here are just a few images of pots. I wish I could have stayed longer to talk with Mary, but she got a phone call and I had to run off to the conference. I hope to stop back in next time I am in the area. Mary and David both have tons of expertise and information on the kinds of work they produce.
I stopped in and had a chat with Mary. I also picked up a copy of North German Folk Pottery, which had been recommended by Michael Kline.These are just a few images from around the pottery showroom. I have always admired this pottery. The Farrrell's have one of the best places in Seagrove. I feel like I am in a cosy home as well as a pottery show place.
Here are just a few images of pots. I wish I could have stayed longer to talk with Mary, but she got a phone call and I had to run off to the conference. I hope to stop back in next time I am in the area. Mary and David both have tons of expertise and information on the kinds of work they produce.
Karma Time
Don't you wish you had this much energy at 5pm on Friday?
End of the Week
I met up with Julie and Jen and Amy this morning for breakfast. We had a good chat and then headed over to the Arts Council to break down our displays from the Treasures of the Earth exhibit. I think we all had a good show . Then it was back home for me to finish up pots from the week, handling cups and tankards, slipping and decorating a bit too. I had a customer drop by to pick up some dinnerware and I also spent a little time outside. Its been wonderful weather this week but will be rainy tonight and tomorrow so I figured I'd better make the most of it. It's wonderful to see everything greening up. Some trees are budding out and the pear trees are in bloom. I love spring. I especially like that we have started daylight savings time.Here are a couple jars that I worked on today. Slipped and incised with the bird. The black lines are ink which I was using as a reference, I hope it burns out, I've never done that before.
Tomorrow morning the Junior Charity League it having a big garage sale at the fairgrounds. I'm going to head over early with my dad to see if we can find some bargains.
Homemade pizza for dinner tonight, can't wait.
Tomorrow morning the Junior Charity League it having a big garage sale at the fairgrounds. I'm going to head over early with my dad to see if we can find some bargains.
Homemade pizza for dinner tonight, can't wait.
Salt Pots
Here are some images of pots from the salt /soda firing that I unloaded on Wednesday. I was happy with the atmosphere and amount of sodium that went into the kiln. I like this orangish color. I am going to be firing again before the end of the month because I still have some of my dinnerware orders that didn't make it in this load. So it's going to be a busy few weeks ahead getting ready for my home sale, firing this kiln and a load or two of earthenware. I'll be working myself to death like Doug has been lately.
Decorated
After a late start I got some of the earthenware I made yesterday finished up and slipped. Here are some shots.
Jars.
Plates.
Jars.
Plates.
More Plates.
Small bowls.
I like the loosey goosey slip trailing. And the pours and dots. All this is sort of familiar to me from my salt glaze work. I could see how I could move most of this deco over to that arena if I'd come up with a dark clay and a few basic slips that would take the salt glaze. Not too hard to do really. Humm. Well, for now one reason to do the earthenware is that the firing costs are much, much lower than firing my propane, hard brick kiln.I still have a board of mugs, tankards and a couple bigger jars to finish tomorrow. As well as some slab dishes.
Off to roast a chicken for dinner. Thanks for checking in.
Unloading Kiln
I unloaded yesterday and shot this video. It was a good firing. Mostly things I had made for orders, lots of bowls and plates and cups. I'm still working on my video skills.
Friends. Pots in Use
Everyone has a great time at Conference. Nothing like a bunch of fun loving potters all together in one place. I was delighted to see some friends of mine had brought along some pots that I made to enjoy their morning coffee in. Below is my dear friend Vicki Gill with a big tankard of mine. Vicki and I have known each other for a long while, she is a fine potter. 
I caught Leon and Ann enjoying a sweet snack and some coffee during a break.
Another tankard of mine caught in action. This is Ju-Ian from Charlotte. She is a regular at Clayworks, it was fun hanging out with her this weekend. She and I got Norm Shulman to give us a little talk on a few of his teabowls while we were in the gallery.
The life of the party, Gary Rubin, was there in fine form as always. So of course I had to tag along for any fun that may suddenly break out. Gary makes pots in Charlotte. Gary and I are both married to therapists if that says anything. Sarah and Katie sure have their hands full, each being married to the likes of Gary and myself.
I caught Leon and Ann enjoying a sweet snack and some coffee during a break. 
Another tankard of mine caught in action. This is Ju-Ian from Charlotte. She is a regular at Clayworks, it was fun hanging out with her this weekend. She and I got Norm Shulman to give us a little talk on a few of his teabowls while we were in the gallery.
The life of the party, Gary Rubin, was there in fine form as always. So of course I had to tag along for any fun that may suddenly break out. Gary makes pots in Charlotte. Gary and I are both married to therapists if that says anything. Sarah and Katie sure have their hands full, each being married to the likes of Gary and myself.
Jane Hamlyn
I truly enjoyed Jane Hamlyn at the Conference. She was really delightful and told many stories and shared bits of wisdom from her years as a potter.
One of the common threads that all the women had in common was that problem solving kept their work progressing. Jane spoke of how she had problems with her slip early on (something I know about first hand) and how this lead her to switching to the blue slip, which behaved better.
I asked her about this, my impression was that maybe the blue was more of a marketing decision (ie blue sells better), but in fact it was not. She said at the time blue was rather frowned upon. She mentioned how Leach had hated blue pots and had spoken against potters making them. She went on to say that of course Bernard never 'had the bottle to make salt glazed pots'. We all had to ask what 'bottle' meant, and she explained that it means 'courage'.
She also spoke of how the blue slip works best on pots that have this sort of 'hard edge', that the blue would not look the same on Mary's pots. I have tried blue on my pots and it's true that it works best for me on certain forms. On a casually thrown pot, it's no good. On Jane's pots, and Walter Keeler's, it really complements the forms.
Jane has been experimenting with some new forms and has had good success. They are very spare cylinder shapes that she calls 'Empty Vessels'. They are quite beautiful. You can see them here. A bit of wisdom from Jane, "It takes lots of courage to do things simply". Amen.
One of the common threads that all the women had in common was that problem solving kept their work progressing. Jane spoke of how she had problems with her slip early on (something I know about first hand) and how this lead her to switching to the blue slip, which behaved better.I asked her about this, my impression was that maybe the blue was more of a marketing decision (ie blue sells better), but in fact it was not. She said at the time blue was rather frowned upon. She mentioned how Leach had hated blue pots and had spoken against potters making them. She went on to say that of course Bernard never 'had the bottle to make salt glazed pots'. We all had to ask what 'bottle' meant, and she explained that it means 'courage'.
She also spoke of how the blue slip works best on pots that have this sort of 'hard edge', that the blue would not look the same on Mary's pots. I have tried blue on my pots and it's true that it works best for me on certain forms. On a casually thrown pot, it's no good. On Jane's pots, and Walter Keeler's, it really complements the forms.
Jane has been experimenting with some new forms and has had good success. They are very spare cylinder shapes that she calls 'Empty Vessels'. They are quite beautiful. You can see them here. A bit of wisdom from Jane, "It takes lots of courage to do things simply". Amen.At Last
Okay, finally Blogger is letting me upload some images.
The NC Potters Conference was great this year. The three presenters were (left to right) Mary Law, Jane Hamlyn, and Robin Best. They had never met before, but of course knew of one another by reputation. They got along wonderfully and had great discussions and interplay while each one worked. I have been to this Conference many years and this was only the second time I've seen all the presenters interact so well together.
I took a two week workshop with Mary Law at Arrowmont Craft School early on in my pottery days. She taught me a lot and I feel fortunate to have chosen her class. Of course, being a salt glaze potter, I have forever admired Jane Hamlyn. Here are a few of her pots from the gallery. Robin Best makes wonderful slip cast pots in porcelain. She worked through her process from beginning to end. She is a wonderful maker. She had only brought a few pots and sadly I didn't get any images. You can find her work on the internet.
Below is a covered jar with bamboo handle by Mary.
I'll be talking more about what I took away from the weekend at the Conference as the week goes on.
The NC Potters Conference was great this year. The three presenters were (left to right) Mary Law, Jane Hamlyn, and Robin Best. They had never met before, but of course knew of one another by reputation. They got along wonderfully and had great discussions and interplay while each one worked. I have been to this Conference many years and this was only the second time I've seen all the presenters interact so well together.
I took a two week workshop with Mary Law at Arrowmont Craft School early on in my pottery days. She taught me a lot and I feel fortunate to have chosen her class. Of course, being a salt glaze potter, I have forever admired Jane Hamlyn. Here are a few of her pots from the gallery. Robin Best makes wonderful slip cast pots in porcelain. She worked through her process from beginning to end. She is a wonderful maker. She had only brought a few pots and sadly I didn't get any images. You can find her work on the internet.
Below is a covered jar with bamboo handle by Mary.
I'll be talking more about what I took away from the weekend at the Conference as the week goes on.No Pics Yet
I can't get my images to load this morning. So stay tuned for a proper post at some point today. I am happy to be home from the Conference. Lots to report so be sure to check in often all week long, I will be posting quite a bit.
Must go check the kiln now!
Happy Monday.
Ron
Must go check the kiln now!
Happy Monday.
Ron
Hitting the Road
I am teaching again this evening and then off to Seagrove to stay with Tom while I attend the NC Potters Conference this weekend. The featured potters are Mary Law, Jane Hamlyn, and Robin Best. I am especially looking forward to seeing Mary who was one of my early teachers at Arrowmont. And of course Jane Hamlyn is amazing. It will be a fun weekend to see friends, lots of pots, and spend some quality time with Tom and his son Slate.
Today is going to be busy with a trip to town to get my truck checked out, laundry to finish, packing, etc. So......I decided not to fire until I come home. So you'll have to wait for that.
Yesterday I got this great soda glazed mug in the mail from my pal Scott Cooper. Scott lives and pots in Indiana. We communicate via email and the occasional phone call. I've been a fan of his work for several years and it's great to finally have a pot made by him. I'm sure I'll make an effort to get more over the coming years now.
Yesterday in the studio I worked on making some forms that I will be pouring plaster into for hump molds. I made a long tray form, a square dish, and a wide oval. I'll have to pick up some pottery plaster today while I am in the city.
I handbuilt this small soap dish using a slab disk and two coils that I pinched and sort of threw out on my banding wheel. I like the hard edge there on the side. I applied the white slip very early with a brush and wiped away the edges. I like the effect.
At the Circle of Eight meeting, my friends suggested that I apply a contrasting color slip, sort of randomly, and then disregard it when I do the drawing. So I gave it a go here and like the result. I tried doing the scraffito when the slip was bone dry. It made for a ragged line so I'll go back to doing it at the hard, leatherhard stage.
I tried to put some little bird tracks there around the rim. This shape with the hard edge will be my inspiration for my next batch of plates.
That's it for today. I'll be posting from the conference and hopefully getting a video up over the weekend. So check in and have a wonderful day!
Today is going to be busy with a trip to town to get my truck checked out, laundry to finish, packing, etc. So......I decided not to fire until I come home. So you'll have to wait for that.
Yesterday I got this great soda glazed mug in the mail from my pal Scott Cooper. Scott lives and pots in Indiana. We communicate via email and the occasional phone call. I've been a fan of his work for several years and it's great to finally have a pot made by him. I'm sure I'll make an effort to get more over the coming years now.
Yesterday in the studio I worked on making some forms that I will be pouring plaster into for hump molds. I made a long tray form, a square dish, and a wide oval. I'll have to pick up some pottery plaster today while I am in the city. I handbuilt this small soap dish using a slab disk and two coils that I pinched and sort of threw out on my banding wheel. I like the hard edge there on the side. I applied the white slip very early with a brush and wiped away the edges. I like the effect.
At the Circle of Eight meeting, my friends suggested that I apply a contrasting color slip, sort of randomly, and then disregard it when I do the drawing. So I gave it a go here and like the result. I tried doing the scraffito when the slip was bone dry. It made for a ragged line so I'll go back to doing it at the hard, leatherhard stage.
I tried to put some little bird tracks there around the rim. This shape with the hard edge will be my inspiration for my next batch of plates.
That's it for today. I'll be posting from the conference and hopefully getting a video up over the weekend. So check in and have a wonderful day!
Inky
Yesterday while in the city I went by Cheap Joes to pick up a new journal and some ink for my dip pen. It's been years since I've drawn or written with it, so I dug out my nibs this morning and just had a blast. I've got nice black splotchy fingers now and 3 or 4 pages of fun drawings. I have had trouble with my regular pens as I am kinda hard on the tips. My heavy handedness is wearing them out . So the dip pen will be fun to play with .
Off to meet my mom for breakfast.
Off to meet my mom for breakfast.Firing Later This Week
With the kiln all loaded I am planning to fire on Thursday. It's been a miserable, rainy, windy day here and I've had to work at the computer and go to a meeting. Also a hair cut was in order so that's taken care of. Off to teach soon. I got the postcards for my Homesale designed and ordered this afternoon too. I am always glad to get that out of the way. I had to call Amy twice as she's more Photoshop smart than I am.
Well, that's not much of a post, but it's all I've got for now.
Best, Ron
Well, that's not much of a post, but it's all I've got for now.
Best, Ron
Monday
I had a great Monday. I got the kiln stacked and my pal Amy came by for lunch. We had fun talking about pots and such. Amy's gonna be a mom in a few months, she makes really wonderful pots and has been a big part of my earthenware experiments. She encouraged me today to keep going with it and have fun. That's what I've heard from most everyone so that's my plan. I was going to fire the salt kiln twice this month but I have decided to fire this load and then concentrate on getting two small loads of earthenware made before my Home Sale at the end of March. I'm excited about getting back on the wheel .
This next shot is for Paul, to prove I have some mess in my studio.
This next shot is for Paul, to prove I have some mess in my studio.
Hal Mayforth Podcast Interview
It's Monday morning, bright and sunny with an expected high of 71 degrees. Okay that's the weather report. I will be loading the kiln today, it should be a nice day for that.
This morning while having tea I listened to a great interview with Hal Mayforth. Hal is an illustrator and if you don't recognize his name you will surely recognize his work. The podcast can be accessed through Danny Gregory's website. Hal has great energy, it comes through in the interview and certainly shows in his drawings. So check it out today over lunch or in your spare moments. It's about 30 minutes in length.
More pottery related news later. Have a great day.
This morning while having tea I listened to a great interview with Hal Mayforth. Hal is an illustrator and if you don't recognize his name you will surely recognize his work. The podcast can be accessed through Danny Gregory's website. Hal has great energy, it comes through in the interview and certainly shows in his drawings. So check it out today over lunch or in your spare moments. It's about 30 minutes in length.
More pottery related news later. Have a great day.
Workshop Tour
Okay, so this is my 2nd video. Just a little tour of my studio, which is actually fairly clean at this time. Maybe I'll get around to doing some demos sometime in the future.
Bowling for Dollars
Messed around and deleted my last two posts. So here again are the images from the soup luncheon at the Arts Council. Folks lined up early to get first choice of bowls.
We had 250 bowls donated this year. Here they are in the board room.
These are just a few of the ladies who were responsible for delicious soup that was served. They were having a bit of fun when I shot this image.
It was a great day and everyone left happy. This is one of the most popular events we have at the Arts Council. Good food, good pottery, good people, what else could you ask for?
We had 250 bowls donated this year. Here they are in the board room.
These are just a few of the ladies who were responsible for delicious soup that was served. They were having a bit of fun when I shot this image.
It was a great day and everyone left happy. This is one of the most popular events we have at the Arts Council. Good food, good pottery, good people, what else could you ask for?Southern Potters dot Com
Check this out. Click here.
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I made this video yesterday and it's taken me this long to figure out how to upload it. So there may be more in the future.