It's the Most Busiest Time of the Year . . .

Once again I have fallen behind in my blog - not a very good way to finish out my first year of this endeavor. There just isn't enough time to do all I want to do!!! At this time of the year, especially, I feel pulled in all directions . . . extra choir practices to get ready for Advent, pottery and craft shows, getting things ready for the change in seasons, and, oh yeah - my job! So, here's a quick update on my life in clay.

I bought a box of Loafer's Glory and really like working with it. It is so smooth and I don't feel like I am constantly sanding off layers of my hands when I throw it. However, I have experienced some problems that I have not had with clays that have a higher grog content. One large bowl that I spent considerable time on carving designs about the rim was so fragile, it broke into pieces before it could be put in the kiln to bisque. And, another carved piece, a medium sized platter, developed a hairline crack during the first firing. Hopefully, this is just me getting used to a new clay and I can adapt. I glazed my first few pieces made with Loafer's Glory last week, so I will see how it takes to colors and texture this week.

As I compose this post, I am sitting in Becker Mall in Roanoke Rapids, NC, manning my pottery booth. this will be my last show for this season because I am running out of wares. (That's a good thing, right???) I put out an email catalog a couple of weeks ago and it has been amazing how much interest and how many sales it has generated. I think maybe I will continue this practice on a quarterly basis. I only sent it to a few people and they passed it on to friends, who shared it with others, . . . If you would like an email of what I have left in inventory, drop me a line at straydogpottery@gmail.com.

One last note. On my way back from Northern Virginia over the Thanksgiving weekend, I pulled off in Fredericksburg - partially because Interstate 95 was backed up both North and South, but mostly because I wanted to visit the LibertyTown Arts Gallery. I have been following Dan Finnegan's blog for some time and always wanted to see this gallery that he founded. What a neat place!! It was like a mini-Torpedo Factory, filled with local artists, working and exhibiting their work. I strongly recommend a trip to visit if you are interested in/in-the-market-for pottery, paintings, mosaics, hand-woven fabrics and other crafts. I think you will be pleased.

I hope this is not my last post before the New Year, but who knows with my sporadic efforts. So, in case I don't get another chance, best wishes to all for a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season. Spend time with family and friends and don't forget what Christmas is all about.

It's been a long, long, long time ...

Almost a month from the last post! I'm just feeling like I have too many irons in the fire right now.

I took a quick trip to Farmville today to drop off a platter I made for the big 50/50 raffle and auction at Fuqua School. It was worth the driving in the "driving rain" to see a lot of old friends and students. Hopefully, the platter will help raise some money for the school.

Last weekend was the big pottery open-house at Finch Pottery and it was a perfect day. Warm and sunny, and lots of people who came to look and buy. Susan went around and took pictures of the crowds for me since I was manning my booth and you can see that it was well attended. Besides the potters displaying and selling their wares, there were different demonstrations and a chance to have a piece of pottery Raku fired. All in all, a great day!

I am playing catch up with my pottery. I missed a Thursday because of the state math conference and then could not find any time to get on my wheel last week. Luckily, I have some bisque-ware to glaze tomorrow evening and have managed to throw a few pieces to take in for their first firing. I bought a box of Loafer's Glory to try out and am having a good time with it. It is certainly much easier on my hands, but takes some getting used to - much "stickier" than Phoenix and Finch#2 I've been using. It will be interesting to see how it takes glaze since it is so white compared to those other clays.

A few pictures of some of the last pieces fired. The "cat" came out real well and has been a big hit with everyone who has seen it. I went ahead and made another (smaller) one this week and cut grooves in the body so the Tenmoku glaze will do more of what it should and, hopefully, look like a tabby when it is finished.


Off to trim a couple of bowls, then make up a series of quizzes, then do some laundry, then . . .

Bowls, Bowls, Bowls! And Cotton Bolls!

The cotton fields behind the house are about ready for the pickers - machines now that are like giant vacuum cleaners that suck the cotton up into bins. A lot of the cotton in this part of North Carolina was not very tall this year because of lack of rain, but the cotton in this field is tall. It really looks pretty neat when you look across the fields and see all the white. The dogs enjoy running up and down the rows - all you can see is the tips of their tails.

It was a really good week - the kids at school were great, I had the time to make quite a few pieces of pottery, and even had a chance to sneak back into Virginia for a quick visit. Even if it was only for a few minutes, it was nice to see some good friends in Farmville and drop off a few pots - I should have taken some pictures, but sadly did not.


Besides cotton bolls, I brought home eleven bowls this week and have plans to make some more before the open house on November 8th. I think I am going to focus more on the carved bowls now, especially since the red centered bowls came out so well this week. I had not been using much ash glaze lately, but really like how it accents the carvings on clay.











I watched a video on making whimsical cat jars and, after "playing" too much with a very tall two piece urn (causing it to get completely off-center and collapse), I decided to try the technique for making the cat. It was actually easy and enjoyable to do - not something I would want to do all the time, but a nice change of pace. We'll see how it looks in a couple of weeks after it get a layer of glaze - I'm thinking tenmoku!

A few parting shots of the "stray dogs" - really only Bear is a stray (guess which one he is). The border collie mix was a gift from a parent and the fat brown mix was inherited from our youngest who could not take her with him to Chicago.










Then there is the church dog - Annie of Antioch - who is a true stray. We cannot get near her enough to pet her, but she stays around the church and "lets us" feed her and provide for her. No idea what kind of mix she is - looks like a cross between a chihuahua and a ferret!

And, I just thought it was a hummingbird feeder!

I happened to look out the window to where our hummingbird feeder is hidden in the roses and saw this bright green frog sitting there - just had to take a picture.

It has been a while since my last blog and I have been busy the whole time. I have tried to make sure to put aside some time every day for pottery and it has worked well. I am producing quite a bit of ware and taking my time to really work on size and form, as well as working on keeping the weight of each piece down. I have actually surprised myself with how light I have been able to keep most of the work. The green ware here shows that I have been working on a variety of pots. It seems that a lot of people are in a casserole/bowl mood and I have had a number of special orders for each. Now I have to really hustle when I go to the studio on Thursdays so I can keep up with the glazing!

One special order - the cigar-toking face jug - came out really well. I sold five of my smaller face jugs in one sale and now have a request for a really large jug! I continue to make the smaller jugs, but will try to tackle a large jug, shortly.

I am very happy with two of the pieces I picked up last night. One is the first in my series of "cave art" pottery. I am very fond of the cave art that has been discovered and used some photographs to help recreate a design in the bottom of a flat bottomed dish. I am now ready to decorate four dinner plates I have been saving with the same design. I had experimented with using mason stains mixed with porcelain slip on top of gloss white glaze and it came out well. So, we'll see how these "cave horses" fare on the plates.

The other piece I call a "drum pot" because when I finished it, it reminded me of a marching snare. I had carved a band on the side of the pot with a basket weave design and stained that part with Spanish Red Iron Oxide. I think this is going to be a keeper for me - I enjoy cooking with clay pots and this is large enough for a small roast or a decent amount of stew. I'm looking forward to using it soon.










One last thing - a plug for the Dan Finch Pottery Open House. Once again, this will be on the second Sunday in November (the 8th) from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM at Dan's studio area in Bailey, North Carolina. If you are looking for some really good handmade pottery, don't miss this opportunity - more than 60 potters displaying their work in one place! All of us have been busy trying to increase our inventory, so there will be no lack of selection available. More on the open house as we get closer to November.

Expectations

As much as I tell others that glazing and firing is not an exact science, I have to admit that I still have not convinced myself and feel somewhat disappointed when pieces come out of the glaze firing looking differently than I expected. I know the kiln at the studio was really packed this last firing, but it just seemed that I either had not used enough glaze so the colors burned out to clear, or the glazes ran and crawled, leaving some bare spots. I am going to clean up the casseroles and re-glaze them so see if I can get a more uniform cover suitable for using with cooking.

I brought home a small jar on which I had applied gloss white glaze. I am going to try using mason stains and porcelain slip on this before I tackle the four plates I brought home a few weeks ago. They are sitting in my "space" with a nice coat of white glaze, waiting for some handpainted designs.

The Headmaster at the school I am teaching at this year has obtained a display case - about 2 foot by 2 foot by 9 inches tall - and wants me to bring in some of my pottery to display in the main lobby of the school for a while. So, this weekend I will be going through my inventory of items to take in Monday for the case. I'm sure the kids would like seeing a face jug! I brought three new ones home last night from the last firing, any of which would easily fit in the case. I have also offered to donate a large bowl for our eighth grade team's contribution to the Fall Festival Auction in October. We will fill it with all kinds of chocolate and goodies to make it even more appealing.

That's the latest for this week. I am still trying to find the time - and energy! - to fit in some pottery time during the week. I really need to be committed to a specific time each day just to keep my skills from degenerating. It's just hard to stop after a short period of time and get excited about going to grade papers or do lesson plans.

Chance to Catch My Breath!

WARNING: I AM STARTING OUT ON A "SOAPBOX".

First, what is wrong with all these people who are upset with the idea of Obama speaking to school children??? As a teacher, I think everyone should be encouraging kids to stay in school and to earn a diploma. And, for the President of United States to make a special point of addressing students seems to me to be the type of role model we have needed in Washington for a long time. Even though I grew up in the Washington, DC area, I can honestly say that I have no interest in politics or "party platforms". I am more interested in leaders who act in appropriate ways and demonstrate true leadership qualities. For people to threaten keeping their children at home on Tuesday so they won't have to listen to a leader who is trying to promote education because they are afraid it is a ploy to "indoctrinate" young minds just shows me how absurd the whole political party system has become. People need to think less about party politics and more about what is going to promote the common good of this country.

(Excuse me while I get down off the soapbox.)

Second, as far as education goes, let me say that I am thoroughly enjoying where I am teaching this year. Although it is a public charter school, it really has a private school feel and takes me back to my prior experiences in Virginia. But, like all job changes, there is a learning curve in trying to determine how things are done, so I have had little time to devote to pottery the last three weeks! I am looking forward to this long weekend to get back in the groove.

The first thing I need to do is to get some pots wrapped and ready to ship in the mail - sorry, Dora, Christie, and Patterson. Your pots are ready and will be on route early next week. I have got a couple of special orders that I need to get done, so that will be the next thing on the list. I have been getting more interest in my work lately - partially from past sales and partially from the different places where my work is being shown.

One of the latest orders was for a large face jug - at least larger than I am used to making. Face jugs started out as a special piece for Justin, my middle son, when he was living in Japan. He would draw these demonic looking figures, so I thought I would turn one of his drawings into a jug, but it needed to be small for sending overseas. After that, face jugs became an after-thought for me - a way to use up scraps at the end of a throwing session. When I took my collection of face jugs to a show, they were the first things to sell ("Oh, I need to buy that. It looks just like my uncle Frank!"). So now, I am pretty intentional about making a few jugs each week to have for shows. This latest order is for a face jug smoking a cigar, so I did spend some time last week creating what was beginning to look like Groucho Marx, but I think will do the job. It will be bisque-fired this week and hopefully glazed and finished by the end of the month.

The other orders have been primarily for bowls - lots of bowls - and chip and dip platters. I have purchased a larger bat so I can try and throw even larger platters (for bigger appetites). I want to try some majolica style glazing and think the platters would be a good "canvas" to work on. More on that later. As for now, I have plenty to do with the little bit of extra time I have this weekend.

Back to School = Back to Regular Schedule

It is hard to believe that it has been 40 years since Woodstock! All weekend I have been listening to Jefferson Airplane, Canned Heat, The Who, Janis Joplin and all the others that were such a big part of the three-day concert. I was only 16 at the time and there was no way my parents would have let me go up to New York from Virginia for a concert, but I have always wished I could have been there. All the groups that I listened to as a teenager in one place at one time would have been incredible!

Meetings, meetings, meetings! I spent the last week in meetings at the school where I will be working this year. When everything about the school is new to you, it is not quite as bad as sitting in the same meetings that you have gone to for years. So, for me, it probably wasn't as hard as it was for others. Kids show up Wednesday for a half day and then we are off at full throttle. Actually, I always like the beginning of the school year - everyone seems happy to see each other and sort of excited about being back, at least for the first day.

When I got to the studio on Thursday evening, there were two firings of glaze work ready, so I brought home quite a bit. Most of it came out real well. I did have one rice bowl which must have been close to another piece that drooped in the kiln and pushed on the side of the bowl. As a result, I have a lopsided bowl with a contact scar on the outside surface - the key word is "I" since I will use that bowl for my own personal use. That is something that just happens sometimes. I feel lucky that it hasn't happened more often. The only other "unplanned result" had to do with the color of a glaze on a chip-n-dip I made special order. The person wanted a light blue piece with a glaze I have previously used for her, but it did not look very blue when I first glazed it. I sprayed it again and re-fired it, but this time it came out almost clear. It is actually a very nice looking piece, but just not blue. If she doesn't want it, I will try again - I know I can sell the original platter.

This was my first time glazing the red clay pieces and was really pleased with the results. Even the natural unglazed clay came out looking better than I thought it would - not really red, but a dark sandstone look. The turquoise looked very good - a little darker than on the lighter clay - and the tenmoku seemed a little more red.
The real surprise was the grayish look that the clear glaze took on the piece that was marbled with the red and white clay. The lines of the layers are still distinct, but it is more of white and gray layers instead of what I expected would be white and red.


As far as throwing pottery, what I could fit in or felt like doing after meetings all day, most of my time was spent on casseroles. I have had more inquiries lately via email about my work and this has resulted in some interest in casseroles I had previously made, but I did not have any "in stock" at the moment. So, in the process of trying to create a couple of casseroles to match a desired size, I have gotten the "casserole bug" and am looking at different sizes and different styles of baking dishes. I like creating pots that have lids, although it is oftentimes frustrating. But, it is great practice to work at it. More on that later.

Peace Out!