Life Gets In The Way

Today was another beautiful day here in the mountains. The kind of day that I dread going into the old mushroom factory studio. So I putzed around the house doing little projects like taking a broken storm window out of the girls bedroom, feeding the chickens, doing a load of laundry, making a mid morning snack for the girls, you get the picture. Anyway, after a string of phone calls I drive over to the studio. It's really not that bad this time of the year. I can open the big sliding door to the outside, the breeze is nice. The sun was pouring through the skylight. So off I go to make some plates. And make plates I did.

Then the ultimate distraction. My friend Shane is unloading a kiln at Linda McFarling's just over the hill and down the road. What a great reason to drop what I'm doing and visit with some potters. It was a great visit, with one kiln unloaded and another loaded and started with Joy Tanner's pots. Shane was trying to fix a problem with the burners which were sputtering a bit, Roan Mountain potter, Will Baker looks on.



There were tools everywhere, and of course I had to throw my two cents worth in. Here is Shane standing next to the soda kiln he built for Linda. The spy bricks are for spraying the soda into the cross draft gas kiln.

Here is a picture of Shane and Red Hill, NC potter, Joy Tanner adjusting the dampers.


Anyway, Linda and I had a great conversation as always about pots, teaching, making marks with brushes. Linda's pots are some of the best anywhere and I was really loving the brushwork she does. Here is a pot, though without applied decoration has plenty going on with its surface. I love this form which I think has a basket-like quality.



It's always a pleasure visiting Linda and we always exchange a lot of ideas when we do. I was reminded by this gathering of potters and neighbors how special this community is. Not only in the friendships but the inspiration I get from all these exciting potters.