Busy - "cubed"

I can't believe that it has been about three weeks since I have added to the blog! I couldn't figure out how to use a superscript for a three in the title of this edition, so I just had to write out cubed. right now, my whole world is about getting kids ready for their end of the year math tests next week, and the work seems to pile up exponentially as the test date nears.


These are the three pieces I submitted for the exhibition at the North Carolina Pottery Center.
(click on a picture to see it enlarged)

I did take a day off to attend the opening reception of the the Finch Potters exhibition at the Pottery Center in Seagrove on May 7th. It was exciting for me to see my three pieces on display among the other 150 to 200 pieces from the studio. If you are able, I would recommend going to see the exhibit (and maybe even buying some pottery). The exhibit will be there until August 1st, so it would be a great vacation day to visit and visit the area potteries. I enjoyed taking some time to visit a few potters on my way home the day after the reception and especially enjoyed some of the conversations I had with potters while looking at their work. My thanks to Mr. Moore at Moore Pots on Jugtown Road who let me peek inside his groundhog kiln to see how it was constructed.
These plates were made by my friend and teaching
team member, Danny Hinnant.

In the midst of all this busy schedule, I have been able to find a little bit of time to throw some pots and have gotten back some of my work that was fired. I am really trying to get used to the sprayer by trying to use it at least once each week. However, I am still tied to dipping pieces and do not want to lose the skills I have picked up in that more traditional method of glazing. The pieces pictured here are a some of the latest work. I really like the earred jar, but the Blackbird Blue glaze ran so much I ended up having to grind quite a bit off the bottom. Although this testing week is going to be very busy, I am hoping to turn out some work to take in Thursday to bisque. I have been offered the opportunity to place some work in a shop in Louisburg, so I need to build up the inventory again.

Hopefully, I will update this post in at least a week. So, I need to get to work and do something worth spending the time to write and share. Maybe some sgraffito . . . . . .

Goodbye to Spring Break !

Before I talk about anything else, I feel a need to show this picture of my friend, John, with the five pound large-mouthed bass he caught the other day while we were fishing. Although I am not a very good fisherman, John continues to take me out on the lakes in the area in his boat, hoping I will catch a big fish. For me, it is just a joy to be outside on the lake and watch his excitement as he reels in fish. He said this is probably the biggest bass he has caught in the lakes here around Roanoke Rapids.

Despite not catching any fish of my own, this was a productive week! Not only was I able to spend time daily at the wheel, but I was able to finalize my choices of pieces that will go to the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove for the Finch Potters exhibition. One of the pieces, I was able to see for the first time since it was glaze-fired and, since I did not have my camera with me, will not be able to show on this blog until I can take a picture of it at the exhibition. But, it was the urn on which I had carved a door and spots that looked like bricks behind peeling stucco. Mason stains were used to color it and then it was sprayed clear glaze - I was very happy with the results.

I spent time working on larger pieces, trying to get the height without having to use a torch and without the piece weighing a ton. I am not going to set any records as far as working quickly, but I am getting better at it. I have a few projects in mind that I want to try, but need to hone my skills on smaller chunks of clay first.

This week I go back to teaching - Spring Break is over - but I will be leaving for Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to attend the national math conference. That means I will not be back at the studio for two weeks to glaze or see what I glazed last week. I am hoping in that time to make a few more large pieces and do some handbuilding and carving. The Smithsonian is having its annual craft show at the same time I will be in D.C., so I hope to be able to sneak away for at least one afternoon and see some potters demonstrating. It would also be nice to visit the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria again since I will be up there. Maybe I will have some pictures from D.C. to share next weekend!

Below are pictures from this week. The pieces drying are two of my latest creations. The larger piece, which looks crooked (it's just the angle of the camera - I promise), is about 10 inches tall right now. I imagine it will end up being about 9 inches tall after drying. The face jug is just under 5 inches tall. I have had to start making face jugs on a regular basis to restock my shelves. I sold every face jug I had at the Halifax Market Day and could have sold more! These are small jugs, some no more than 3 inches tall. Not bad for something I started doing with the scraps at the end of a throwing session! The glazed pieces are all I have left from the last two weeks of glazing - I have sold everything else and the two bowls here are already sold! My overall inventory is down to these pieces, some rice bowls, about three or four bud vases, and a few egg separators. Time to work on restocking shelves for the next possible craft sale!

Never Say Never

After telling my students that I never get sick, guess what happened - I got sick! Needless to say, this has had an effect on my productivity at the wheel. However, I was asked by two different people this week to participate in a show/sale, one in March and one in April, and this has given me an extra burst of energy to stock my inventory so I will have enough to sell. I had to turn the March date down, but am planning on being ready in April. So, I started out this week working on some smaller items that have usually sold well - bud vases, votive candle holders, rice bowls. I might even try a few soap dishes and egg separators. One of my fellow studio potters has been making egg separators she says they sell quickly. Once I get a big enough stockpile, I can go back to concentrating on creating larger pieces.

I did complete a tall pitcher, a pretty good sized bowl, and a casserole this weekend. I have been trying to come up with at least three "impressive" pieces that I can include in the Finch Potters Exhibition in Seagrove this summer. This past Thursday, I glazed two larger pieces - a lidded urn and the larger urn that I had constructed from two parts. Now I am holding my breath to see how they turn out. The larger urn started out with some "ear" handles, but, while I was dipping the piece, one of the ears popped off and the urn dropped into the glaze bucket, slopping spodumene glaze everywhere, especially on me. It gave me the idea of a line of pottery clothing with drips and spills already on it (I could call it "Glazewear"!). I was able to pop off the other handle and sand both sides smooth before re-glazing the urn. Next week I should be able to glaze the "flying saucer" casserole.

I did pick up a few pieces from last week's glazing efforts. Four of the better pieces are pictured here. I had experimented with mixing copper red and oxblood glazes together to get a more stable red, but the colors did not turn out any better than either one by itself. With the high fire of the gas kiln, the red colors seem to burn out to almost clear on the outside of a piece. Maybe it is time that I try my hand at mixing a glaze from a new red recipe.