Friday's Post

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You've probably given up on getting a post from me today, but guess what?.....Here it is!! (I'm sooooo sure you have much more to look forward to on a Friday night than my meager blog posts) (If not then , well....thanks for peeping in.) (I'm home alone tonight and am looking forward to cooking myself a nice Chinese dinner and watching a movie).

On with the post...
This is number 12 dinner plate, all footed and surrounded by the trimmings of his 11 brothers (or sisters, or whatever).


Didn't get far on the slipping today. I'm hoping to get 12 mugs decorated before we leave tomorrow to go on our weekend holiday.

Kari Smith!!! Yea!!!! Kari's new book came in the post today. I've already dug in and am having fun. Kari's books help me with my ideas, and open me up to new things. Hopefully I'll share some here soon.

Okay.
Have a good weekend.
Really. You must!

Pots and Book

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This book came in the mail today. Yeaaaaaa. Mary Wondrausch (according to Hannah and Doug) is the Queen of Slipware. I'm looking forward to tucking into it tonight. I've seen MW's pots online but I'm looking forward to the day I get to see some in person. I tried not to over do it today in the shop. I've only got 1/2 day tomorrow to work and then all day Friday. Sarah and I are heading to Asheville, NC on Saturday for the weekend. Much needed get away.


So a dozen mugs and plates and 6 serving bowls. Hopefully all this will be finished, slipped and decoroated before I leave on Sat. I'd like to also have some bakers under plastic waiting for me when I get home, and some jars too. So that's on the agenda for Friday.

Now for tea and Mary Wondrausch

Drill Ron Drill

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I remember years ago my friend Tom Gray told me he used his drill to put the holes in his colanders.

I've been putting holes in the footrings of my decorated plates just in case anyone wants to hang them.

Today I gave the drill a go, worked great and quick.

Working

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I replaced our old spoon jar with this new one yesterday. We had out grown the old one and I thought it'd be nice to have some of my latest work in the kitchen too.
That honey pot is one I made a couple years ago. Salt fired, no decoration, a good, functional, straightforward pot.

In our conversation yesterday Doug and I touched on the subject of constraints in our work. Doug mentioned his materials and I suspect he means the clay he uses and his choices of slips and glazes. I'm sure he'd also say the way he fires his pots and the shapes he makes. Working within certain limits gives much more freedom than some would imagine. It narrows things down enough for you to find your place but gives you enough room to explore and experiment without getting lost in the vast universe of ceramic possibilities.

I have expanded my limits this year to include more decoration and experimentation with forms that I would not have made in the past. The main constraint (I'm not sure that's the word I should be using, but I can't think of another just now). The main constraint for my work is still that it should be a functional pot. The pots should be welcoming to use and should work well. I'm pushing that a bit these days with shapes that are not as common as my old pots and of course the decoration has moved in.

It just occurred to me that I have placed some limits on how I am decorating but I haven't really given it much conscience thought or consideration. Maybe it's too early still. I am still experimenting, but I am doing so within the boundaries of decoration that is drawn on the pot, through the slip, sometimes adding stain and glaze later. I haven't really considered the subject matter constraints or if there should even be any. Something to think about.

I'm getting away a bit here but I guess that's fine as I think I've made my point and you can see how this idea of working within limits gives boundaries and freedom.

Well, off to work. More later on this maybe.

Plates from Monday

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Monday. Not as productive as I'd liked for it to have been, but I did get all these plates decorated. I went back and worked on that first one some, adding some dots around the flowers. These were a bit dryer than I'd have liked them to be but I managed through it all.
The truck is unpacked from Saturday's show and I still have a good amount of pots. Certain things anyhow. It looks like this week and next will be plate making days as well as some platters, small bowls and jars. And mugs. I want to have a mug sale on Esty soon so I'd like to have all new cups for that.

Had a good chat this morning with Brad Lail who is in China still. He's doing well. I'm looking forward to getting together with him when he gets back to Cleveland County in a few weeks. He's learned so much and has had a great experience, and it's not over yet.
Doug and I also had a good chat session this afternoon. (No wonder I got so little done today, Skyping people all over the globe!) Doug's getting ready for a firing this week so keep a lookout here. I've sent a jug over for the firing but I don't know if it's gonna get there in time for the loading. Oh well, it will have to wait for the next firing then.
Well Sarah's just gotten home from work so I better run. More later maybe.

Show Day

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What a day! I had a very good show at the Carolina Pottery Festival today. About 1700 people made their way through the show and many of them were buying. I had good reactions from most everyone who had not seen my slipware. The pots with the goat imagery were a big hit and sold early as did a couple of large platters and mugs galore. I had one lady who got a huge kick out of a beaver mug. She kept picking it up and laughing. Which is good. I want my pots to make people happy.

Tonight we're kicking back with some Chinese takeout and a DVD. Good to be off my feet.

Thanks for everyone who came by to see me today. I really appreciate you all in supporting me in what I do.

Flickr

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Hi ya,
I've started organizing my photos with Flickr. It's pretty cool.
So far I've uploaded some images from my last trip to Minnesota during the Minnesota Potters Tour. I've also uploaded some pics from Rock Creek Pottery. I think it will be fun for you all to see all these as they do pertain to pots, potters, or pottery events.
Oh, and I've put up a bunch of Ron Meyers' pictures too, these were taken at workshops or conferences.
I'm planning on getting more images up of my work and also of my journal pages. I'll be editing the current content too, so if something is sideways or out of focus I'll get to that soon.
That's it for now.

The Day After

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Karma stayed up way too late last night watching the election coverage.
I got the rest of my pots packed up for the show this Saturday.

And I made a dozen plates.

Other than that, I pretty much watched television, layed out in the yard, drew some, and drank tea. It's been a good day.

Yes

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I am so proud this morning. Sarah and I are both very emotional and excited. I am feeling grateful and hopeful. To me this feels like such a new beginning. I was moved to tears to see the Obama family on stage last night and moved again and again throughout his speech.

"Yes We Can"
I began to think of the power of that statement as I lay in bed last night. The word "Yes" is a powerful affirmation. One single word. No matter what it is applied to, that statement, Yes We Can, Or Yes I Can has the power to change. I guess I'm mostly talking about this from my personal point of view, I've suffered from negative thoughts and depression for years. The words "No" or "I don't know" or "I can't" are like a loop on a tape that runs through my head, even when I'm not aware of it.

This morning I am saying "Yes I Can". I am so inspired by the man who will become our President in January. I am inspired by the people of this nation. I am hopeful of this new beginning, because it is a new beginning in many ways. I am not naive in thinking it will be all daisies and gumdrops. But I, along with many others feel great joy and determination right now to be the best American I can, the best person I can. We are all one people, one nation, one world. Yes.

A Few More Bowls

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I had a small load come out of the kiln this morning. Mostly some cups, jars and more serving bowls. I stained the incised lines of this bowl and covered it with a thin coat of glaze. I really quite like this and will probably start incorporating the stain on more pots.

I also like the tall foot on these. It gives it some distinction.

Dishes

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Okay so this first pot may be a little too cutesy for me. But anyhow it's not a bad pot.




I'm throwing these with 8 lbs of clay and then throwing a foot on them later. So really it's a nice sized serving dish with a substantial foot. I've started decorating in the footring too which is fun and a little surprise for those who take time to look. (and they're signed, very rare). Ha.


Nine Toes Pottery Blog

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Hey, my pal Ronan Peterson has started blogging. I hope you'll visit him often to see what he's up to and take in his great pots.
Here's the LINK


The kiln is going again this morning loaded with some serving bowls and jars that didn't make it into the last load.

I'll get a few more pics up today.
Happy Monday