long-coming update
It's been far too long since I updated this site. It's been a hectic couple of months, getting a lot of work made. In the meantime, Katie and I got a puppy. Her name is Sophie and she's an Australian Shepherd. She's almost 6 months old now. She doesn't much like the studio right now-- gets bored, but hopefully she'll like to hang out there with me when she's a little older.
I also recently returned from the North Carolina Potters Conference in Asheboro. It was really great and I'm happy to have been part of it. I'll get pictures posted soon. Today I'm firing a kiln of work, and hope to fire a few more relatively soon, including the salt kiln at Roger Pollok's place. We've been getting great results out of it lately, so Roger, Jason Bloom, Ian Stainton, and the rest will probably be anxious to fire it up soon as well.
Here, then, are a couple of images of Sophie, studio dog in training, taken from November thru a few weeks ago.
wood firing and unloading
A week ago, on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we unloaded the wood kiln at Jack Troy's place. We fired the kiln for about 4 days, and unloaded a few days later. Wood kilns can be a lot of work, and have to be manned around the clock so somebody is there to stoke, but you can get some really interesting pieces out of them. I'll get some pictures up later of some of the work I got out of it, but here are some pictures of the firing and unloading. Jack Troy, Carolanne Currier, Kent Black, Jim McDowell, Lynne Anne Verbeck, John Ziegler, and Nick... unfortunately I don't know everybody's last name... all had work in the kiln. Nice bunch of peopleh. A wood firing is a lot about the people involved, since it's so important that the work get done and because there is so much work to be done. I'm always happy to be involved in these firings and am glad to be able to participate.
In this first group of pictures is John stoking the kiln, Jack with Joy Bridy, who stopped by for a visit, and some of the inside of the kiln during unloading. Some of these show the chamber at the back of the kiln, which is separate from the main chamber. It still gets pretty hot and has produced some good results.
In this second group are the tables filled with unloaded work. Kent's vessel had a lot of great carbon trapping and was one of the best of the load I think. Carolanne checking out some unloaded work. There are also some views of the kiln with all the wares and shelves out. It's always nice to meet new people at the wood firings and eat some good food too.
wood kiln loading
It's been a busy week. I am participating in a firing of Jack Troy's small anagama wood kiln down the road in Huntingdon. There are a few pictures below of the kiln, folks cutting wood, and the kiln being loaded. This kiln will be fired for about 3 1/2 or 4 days. Tomorrow will be the last day, and I'll have more pictures later of the unloading and some of the work that will come out of it. Wood-firing is time-consuming and a lot of work, but the work that comes out of it can be really awesome. Hopefully I'll have some great stuff ot show when we unload a few days after Thanksgiving.
reduction kiln
A few days ago, Ian and I unloaded the reduction kiln. Got some nice stuff. The black and white mugs, the teal mugs, and the light blue glossy mgus are Ian's. My stuff is mostly the orange shino stuff near the top. One of the cooler things to come out of this kiln was a teapot that we collaborated on. Ian threw it and I glazed it. The shino came out pretty nice and you can tell that we both worked on it. A pretty good collaboration I think. I also refired a bunch of mugs from the salt kiln the other day. There's one glaze that sometimes feels a little strange out of the salt kiln, but it refires well. There's a picture here of a few of my wife's favorites of that bunch. Lots of firing lately and lots more to come. (Ian is Ian Stainton. We share some studio and kiln space. Here is his site if you're curious: www.ianstaintonpottery.com )
Salt Kiln Unloading
This morning we unloaded the salt kiln at Roger Pollock's place. It was a good firing. Everybody was happy with at least some of what they got out of it. It's a good-sized kiln. People with most of the stuff in this firing included myself, Jason Bloom, Ian Stainton, Cheri Yarnell, and Roger Pollok. That's Ian, Jason, and myself unloading on the first picture. The 4th and 5th pictures just below are some of the things I got out of this kiln, including a big lidded vessel that Ian threw and I glazed, and a bunch of mugs with a lot of surface work.
Below, the first image is the front stack, with some of Jason's nice blue pieces and Roger's big jug with the carved face. Next is the middle stack, mostly Ian Stainton's. Then is the back of the kiln, with my stack on the left. I like to take a lot of pictures of kiln unloadings, because if down the line you're wondering about what spot in a kiln worked well for what glaze, then you have a record to check. I thought I'd show a picture of an empty salt kiln because they're kind of pretty after they've been used for awhile. You don't have to use a glaze in a salt kiln (though I usually do and you get some great results that way) because the salt that you add during the firing leaves its own unique finish on pots, and that's what you see all over the kiln walls-- layers and layers of that. Overall, really happy with it. Hopefully we can all get some stuff ready and fire this kiln again soon.
Early Snow
The salt kiln was due to be unloaded this morning, but mother nature sent an early present that made the roads a little interesting, so we'll be unloading tomorrow. Pretty, but it is only October. That's the gas kiln in the foreground.
Outside the Studio
Over the summer, Katie and I moved to Potters Mills. It's Spring Mills as far as the post office is concerned, though. It's kind of rural, and we've got some woods up behind the house. These are just a couple of the things to come out of those woods. One is a newt. They find their way into my studio sometimes. Pretty neat little guys. Very easy to spot, as you can see. The other is a pile of chanterelles. Those are a delicious and edible mushroom that we found lots and lots of this year. It was a good year for mushrooms, and those are some of my favorites.
We found enough to be able to dry some to have over the winter. I like to spend time outside, so I'm really glad we moved out here. My work tends to have a lot of organic forms, so it'll be good for those reasons too. Much improved studio situation as well. Later this weekend, I'll be unloading the salt kiln up the road in Zion. Looking forward to getting some new stuff.
Photos from Strictly Functional 2011
I've been meaning to get these posted. Strictly Functional is a really nice juried show of (of course) functional ceramics. I had a piece in it this year and it happens to be pretty close to home, so my wife, Katie, and I made the trip for the opening again. It's not very often that an exhibition is actually close enough to be able to go see it. SFPN is held at Kevin Lehman's Pottery in Lancaster, PA. It's a big place. Nice facilities. Here's the link for SFPN, for more info: http://www.strictlyfunctionalpottery.net/
The third picture is of all the exhibiting artists who were at the opening (me on the right). In the fifth image, the plate on the wall won Best in Show. It is pretty cool. Nice handles. The last several are some that I thought were neat. The glaze on Martha Grover's gravy boat is really rich. Simon Levin's pitcher has a great surface. That jar (Noah Riedel), I thought, is just a really strong, unique form. Jim Connell's tall skinny vase is one of my favorites. Not sure the photo does it justice. My piece is the last image (Condiment Service). There was a lot of really great stuff.
new planter design
I really like this form. It reminds me of an ant.
