Selling Exhibit of Shoji Hamada

Phil Rogers will be hosting a selling exhibition of Shoji Hamada's pottery April 26th - May 3rd. There is a beautiful catalog that you can download here.
Here is a really nice bottle with a description from the catalog by Phil Rogers.

Julia Galloway

Just a quick plug for my friend Julia Galloway who has a vast show of her new pots at the Harvey Meadows Gallery in Aspen, CO. It's a tremendous survey of birds of all kinds on cups, ewers, and pitchers. The website has much of the show online here. Nice job Julia (and Sam and Alleghany, for putting it up for all of us here on the east coast to get a look).

Finally

After pugging clay all afternoon, well, most of the afternoon, I wedged a pile of it, and threw my 8lb jug, or in some odd circles, pitcher. Then I rushed off to take care of my daughter Lillian and do some things around the yard. After the kids were in bed, finally, my wife and I sat down to watch Antiques Road Show, still our favorite show, and both fell asleep on our magic couch...zzzzzzzz


After waking up I had to go over to the studio to finish my eight pounder still spinning slowly on the old Shimpo. After a couple of yanks it was done. I guess it wasn't the most productive day at the wheel, but at least I'm started and have the clay pugged. Some of the pots I want to make this session are jugs, pitchers, bottles, and platters. I haven't made a lot of these lately. Also I'm making some more pachyderm teapots; after the last round I want to try some new things. I have a show with my bud Jenny Mendes in Iowa City in July and want to make some special things for that show. Yeah, yeah, Talk talk talk. Check back soon.

Back To Work

Well I got back to the real work today, pugging clay and making pots. Here is a picture for my alma mater pottery guild up in Massachusetts, The Asparagus Valley Pottery Guild. Angela Fina gave this apron to me last year in Louisville, when we were at NCECA. They are having their studio tour up there this coming weekend. If you're in New England, specifically western Mass. check out these wonderful friends of mine. Here is a link to their map and info.

The next picture is especially for our good friend across the water,

I started my throwing today with some 8lb. jugs on his suggestion. It wasn't bad. Film at 11.

;)

Roving Reporter

I guess until I get a lot of clay spinning off the wheel, hopefully tommorrow, I'll just roam around and visit potters actually doing something. It's been gorgeous, weather wise, so it's been nice to get around these hills. Just went over the hill to visit my neighbor, Steve White of the Rebel's Creek part of Bakersville. It was a breathtaking view of the Black Mtns. from Steve's place.

Steve is a doctor-turned-potter, or I guess you could say a clay turning doctor. Steve just did a couple soda firings, back to back and had some pretty nice pots. Here is Steve with his soon to be famous multi- handled pitcher.

He said it was sort of a handle sampler or handle fetish object. I thought it was pretty interesting and it fired pretty handsomely. Aside from the usual problems we potters have out of every kiln load, the firings seemed very successful. I told Steve about the Salt/Soda potter network and a current discussion about adding whiting(calcium carbonate)to the soda mixture. It's been interesting to follow.

Shane Mickey designed and built Steve's soda kiln. He also built this nifty door brick rack.

Steve had a great collection of pitchers on his mantle as well as a very fine jar by NC potter Daniel Johnston. I failed to get a picture of those or of the soda kiln that was the subject of this post. What kind of reporter am I anyway? I better stick to pots. I have a giant pile of clay ready to pug in the morning and off I go. Hopefully I will get a mess of pots made. I'm going to the Benefit Auction for the NC Pottery Center next Saturday. Maybe I will see some of you there? Have a great week.

Friends At Penland

I made a little stop by the School yesterday afternoon and visited with old Penland friends Ronan, Kara, and Nolan. It was the first time that Nolan and I have met although I have been reading about his triumphant and courageous life so far. Here are the guys with a new little swirl mug.


Meanwhile Michael Hunt and crew were stoking the wood kiln, things were going pretty smoothly and with really nice flamage (that's french for flames).

Also on the crew were Michael's coinstructor Naomi Dalglish, super tech support from Maya Machin, and fellow super stokers Kim, and James. The kiln was almost dagh (that's french for done).

Tom and John or John and Tom!

I ran into John Tilton and Tom Turner at the diner in Mars Hill. John was up learning a thing or two from Tom. It was great to meet him because I've been admiring his work for a long time. ...and John is a regular Sawdust & Dirt reader! Unfortunately I was just passing through town en route to pick up my girls, and couldn't stay long, but I thought I'd snap this picture while we we all together. Happy travels John, come back to NC soon!

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Model Studio

Here are a few shots from the model. Since I'm getting antsy for it to be done, I put some of the girls toys to work as models. They were surprisingly accurate and to scale! Here is a shot through the roof into the studio.


Here is a picture through the showroom into the studio.

Here is a shot of the back of the studio where I will do any clay/glaze mixing...

A Post by Rob

Rob Cartelli, a potter and student in the class at Penland this Spring has documented a trip to the mine in Cranberry, NC in search of the rare Ferrous Ferric Oxide. Check it out.

Penland Ramble

You're probably wondering,"What does this guy do all day long, ramble around?" Well on this particular day I stopped by the Penland Clay Shop to see what was brewing...seems like Michael Hunt & Naomi Dalglish's class is loading the wood kiln tomorrow. (I must have a sixth sense) Here is Maya Machin with a silly grin



holding a bowl with the mysterious Nuka glaze, "oh so dark, so mysterious."

Naomi was working on a sculpture of some beast.
And here is some pottery that was dipped in slipped



and then fumbled around with and ending up with a surprising resemblence to some kind of plant form. This potter is brilliant. Could it be Josh Copus? [correction: the brilliant potter is Maya Machin!!!]I didn't find out. Maybe, although the forms are a bit different than I've seen him make. Seems I'll have to get back over there sometime next week for the unloading.
Meanwhile, downstairs in Chet's class, Lisa Gluckin


was unloading an electric kiln with some of her work. On the right is a nice little drawing in clay. Would of been nice in the "Color and Line" show that I visited (and mentioned the other day) last week at Mudfire.

Well it's always fun to sneak around Penland and visit. When I begin the juggernaut of pottery making next week I won't have the liberty of ramblin' 'round Penland. So I've got to get over there when I can.