Do Over

bigger and better around the heap of dropped jugs.
1,2,3, and 4 gallons

First of all I wanted to thank all of those who sent their condolences on Facebook yesterday (and this morning). It was just what I needed after yesterday's minor tragedy.

What tragedy you ask?

Well, In my hurrying around, I decided to put some freshly slipped jugs on a ware board that was wider than the wall brackets it was resting on. As I placed the third jug on the board it tipped toward me and there was a lot of dancing to somehow save them from hitting the floor, but to no avail. After much very loud cussing and throwing down of my cap I called it a day and headed down the hill in disgust. I knew that the shelf was for narrow boards and not the wide one that was on there! So I kicked myself around for a while and decided I'd better leave the scene before I started to break other things in my rage.

So after supper I decided that there was only one thing to do. Make the pots over. Although I had planned on painting a bunch of mugs and bowls to kick off the deco round, I decided that for my own good I would get "back on the horse" and get"back" to the wheel and knock out some more jugs.

So now I really don't have time for this blog to tell you about the auction at the pottery center, nor show you some interesting pictures I've been taking of the budding trees and shrubs around our "estate", nor expound on the transition I make in the shop from throwing pots to deco-rotating and glazing. Maybe ATF!*

Until then, take it from me, be careful out there!

To quote my old college buddy, Ward Wampler, "Gravity. It's not only a good idea, it's the law!"

*after the firing

NC Pottery Center Auction Today

Matt Jones, Sandy Mush, NC

Today is the NC Pottery Center annual auction in Seagrove, NC! Seagrove is very close to North Carolina's actual geographical center, Star, but that's not where the action is today. Come to the auction that begins at 5p.m. The doors open at 3:30 and you can meet other collectors and many of the potters, [including me!] who have donated beautiful work to help the center meets its financial goals! There will be lots of refreshments and the weather looks pretty nice. Help yourself to some wonderful contemporary pottery as well as donated historical NC pottery and help the pottery center at the same time! There will be some great "deals" .

You can see the pieces that will be auctioned at this web site!

Hope to see you there!

Random

I call it the Button jug plug. I first saw this trick in the Isaac Button video.
Basically the clay plug seals the air in the jug so that you can pick it up with
deforming the pot!

late night shot of our pear tree.
I have a post waiting in the wings all about
source imagery!

testing out some thrown handle placement ideas
on a finished jar

Stop Watch : Finish

Lunchtime!

Stop Watch: Begin

Friday News Roundup

;-( 's or upside down ;-)'s

It's been a busy, busy week and a general whirl wind since my last firing (exactly a month ago!! 3/22), but everything looks good and just because I see a bunch of frowns on these jars, things are OK. Here are a few pictures taken by "my staff" to cover some of the highlights yesterday!

preparing to pour slip

coat of kaolin slip

awaiting bisque firing
drying in the pleasant breeze

Tomorrow is the "Fire on the the Mountain Blacksmith Festival" in Spruce Pine. An event that Stacey will be overseeing, so that means that I'll be taking care of the girls all day! Yay! Maybe they'll make some wads, clean some kiln shelves, or stack some wood while I finish up my pots?

;-( Lillian) ;-( Evelyn)

Just Pictures From Wednesday

More jars aprés Ron above
and a funny pattern idea for a set of mugs, below.

I'd show you all of the wood I cut today, but we've done that, been there.

Instead I enter these pictures as a way to catch you all up to what is going on
around here pottery-wise. I'm starting to feel the singe around my edges from the crunch week burn. Tomorrow will hopefully be a big day at the wheel! As for now I'm going for 12 more by 12 (midnight) I hope you're getting some rest! Night...

Fettlin's

unfettled vases looking out at the wood kiln.
#35 awaits them!

my fettling knives. the middle one is filed to make
teeth for a serrated cut! see earlier post.

Ramble/Gamble

a tumbler in mid-facet

the table and it's trimmings

dipped in slip tumblers/vases

"I'm tellin' 'bout the midnight rambler
Well, honey, it's no rock 'n' roll show
Well, I'm a-talkin' 'bout the midnight gambler
and everybody got to go"--the Rolling Stones

"...inspiration illuminates at the strangest times...the still of the night can bring the sharpest clarity to the creative mind that otherwise might struggle in the fog of daylight and all its distractions.:))..we are a weird mob" ---Sharon Risdale from Facebook

Here I am telling you all about it. The crunch week has begun in its typical late night fashion. All of this with some sort of hope that in the flurry something good gets made.

I began this series with the intention of faceting these pots and ended up throwing some new shapes and not even faceting some. Funny how change comes along. Although the unfaceted ones will be a bit heavier than intended, they will make nice vases. It's a tough call to leave the pots as they are and take the risk of a hunch that they will be good. But I guess it's all about the gamble. More news tomorrow.

Red Dirt Harvest: The Earth's Best Clay, Really

after about 2 weeks of very dry weather the clay is ready to be bagged, or stored.
notice the big space between the wrapped clay block and

the wooden frame.

Maybe not a commercially viable clay, but it's the only one like it for me. Maybe this makes it more valuable to me!? Maybe it makes the pots better? Who's to know? It's still a lot of work until I improve the "extraction" process!

Here's the update I promised on last week's clay harvest. A narrative in pictures...

The texture of the sheet (and some air bubbles) is intact when uncovered

I got this trick from Ron about cutting the clay to remove.
each section holds about 100# clay

ready for storage. notice impressions from the wire in the clay frames.