Aprés Bandana

Stacey is cooking up some fine victuals for dinner tonight, which we will share with Naomi and Michael, just over the hill. I can't wait to get over there to see their newborn baby girl, Miriam! I've been so busy I haven't been able to get over there to visit with them, shame, shame.

While I'm there I may have a chance to compare my notes on the "cover" of their hump molded dish that has been so fascinating by these last couple of weeks. Like all things that appear simple at first glance, there are levels of complexity in this form that have been very challenging/vexing to me. Here is a short series showing how I decorated a few.

First I poured a little kaolin slip on the slabs.

Then I pushed the slip around the slab to get an interesting coverage.

I combed the patterns with my handy-dandy tricked out Mudtools rib.
I plan on painting a pattern over this, so I kept the pattern simple.

Here are the dishes after they were molded.
See this post to get an idea what the mold looks like.
Michael and Naomi do a very similar pattern,
but use their fingers to wipe through the slip.

Here are the dishes drying out yesterday over the wood stove.
They're in the bisque kiln today!

I'll try to get some pictures (I promise!) on here of the brushwork that I'm doing.
Later...

One Thousandth Post

Good morning/evening everybody, wherever you might be, and welcome to the 1000th post here on ye olde blogge! Some have hinted that it better be a good one, but I'm afraid it's just going to be a quick one, as so many of the "1000" have been. A potter has to make pots after all, nobody is paying me to do this! Well, OK, I do get massive kickbacks and subsidies from Pottery Barn...

Well the secret is out now. This is the person giving me all of the ideas! Here's a shot from Evelyn's inspirational whiteboard presentation that kicked off yesterday today's painting marathon!

I'll try to get some glimpses of my pottery-supa-crunch-time posted this afternoon during lunch. Some very exciting things are happening with the brushes! Check back when you can. Also don't forget to take the poll from last Friday. There's one more day till it closes.

Ellen Denker is back tomorrow to sit in for me with another intriguing post. So check that out sometime on Friday!

Thanks for reading the blog. It's been a thrill so far and I hope that the next 1000 posts will be as much fun! Have a great one!

On Edge

Up late with a bisque kiln, so I thought I would say hello and post a few pictures. As the title of this post cleverly alludes to, it's that time of the session when things get kind of nerve wracking and I make the mental transition from throwing at the wheel to surface and glazing work.

Also speaking of edginess, here are two ways I treated some hump molded bowls (aprés Bandana Pottery) The above edge is just "thumbed" across the edge of the mold while the clay was pretty soft. The picture below shows a bowl that has been cut with a wire to get a sharper edge. Which one do you prefer? I sort of like the first example. The process, there, seemed a little Natural, while the wire cutting was awkward. I think that shows in the end. Oh well, I have to explore the possibilities with this "cover".


I made a variety of sizes just to see how proportions worked with the mold. Also this is a good way to remember how much clay I used if I want to repeat these shapes in the future. (this is a good use of the blog for those out there wondering why they should start a blog of their own. since this blog is searchable you can go back and review whenever you want.)

Lillian came up for a spin on the treadle wheel Saturday! She's doing pretty good despite the fact that the wheel head is just below her shoulders!


On Sunday it was back to the Seagrove area for the NC Pottery Center's annual membership meeting. It was a gorgeous drive and pleasantly warm.

Here's one of the highway signs you'll see as you near
the town of Seagrove. Six exits to pottery!!

During the membership meeting I was voted onto the Board of Directors at the Pottery Center so I'll be making frequent trips there. It's a real privilege to be asked to serve on the Pottery Center Board and I'm really excited to be a part of that fantastic nexus for pottery in our state. I'll try to introduce you to some of the wonderful potters working there. If you're interested in Seagrove and it's potters check out Three Corners Clay blog. It has announcements about Seagrove area pottery.

Back home there was much to catch up on. I scrambled to finish up the wet work and these lidded jars, the first in a long while. I can't remember the last session that I made lidded jars. But I've enjoyed these in addition to the knob-and-all's that I made last week.

More kiln work is in order for the morrow, hopefully that'll get wrapped up so I can get the brushes out for to begin the leaves and birds (and who knows what else) There's always a surprise that emerges when one sits down for several days with a brush and hundreds of pots! I hope I can record some of the fun. See you then!

Time's Up

There are big holes in my making list for 34 but time is up and I'll need this coming week to prepare the kiln and just as important, the pots have to be glazed.

My last wet day should have been last week but was preempted by wood cutting, so....... here is where I am with my hump molded dish. thanks for taking my poll.

This Week's Poll: Online?

staying in touch

I've been thinking about the changes in my work habits in recent years and the contrasts of today's pot shop with the studio when I started out making pottery. In many ways the interweb has brought us all closer together and made the world of pottery a smaller one. We are all aware of what we are all doing and that is having an effect on the things we do and influencing the pots we make.

Whether we like it or not, email, twitter, facebook, and other sites on the internet are common ways of communicating for our generation. Do you have an office with a computer near your studio, a laptop you carry with you, a smart phone or iPod touch? Is this interconnectivity helping and informing your work? Or do you find yourself distracted by information that seems urgent but in the end keeps you from getting your work done?

updating facebook during a demo at Penland

Please let us know your thoughts on this. Obviously you all are reading this blog somewhere! Maybe it's on your iPhone, or laptop, maybe you read it while you're at the day job.

Would you be so kind as to take the poll to the right on the sidebar? It is totally anonymous and only takes one click!

Thanks. Now back to my pots!
Thanks for reading.

Thursday Quickie

wood pile circa. Monday

panoramic pile up

finished and drying?

for the container show at
Crimson Laurel Gallery
here in Bakersville

a reminder of how much I used for these pots

in the mail today!!
just in time for some testing in the wood kiln.
i'll let you know how it goes of course!

April in Asheville

American Folk Art & Framing coming in April

Posted via email from the Sawdust & Dirt Annex

Upcoming Show Card

American Folk Art & Framing coming in April

Posted via email from the Sawdust & Dirt Annex

Scramblin'

Since the Potter's Conference in Asheboro last weekend, I've been scrambling to get things done in time for #34 on the 20th! I've been blessed with warm weather and a absence of the usual precipitation. The wood, still frozen or otherwise damp, has been slowly thawed, cut, dried, and stacked. The pots that still need to be made are knocking louder and louder on my imagination's door. Details surrounding the loading and firing are being attended to. During this mad dash, I've had the hardest time sitting down in front of the Mac to relate all of my day to day thoughts and concerns. How does blogging fit into my work flow when there is so much to do?

Yikes!

For now Twitter seems to be an easy way to check in with y'all using SMS via my cell phone. You can follow me on the Twitter sidebar to the right or go here.

Please accept my apologies for the rather slack proceedings here at S & D. I hope everyone is doing well. Bye for now!