Riverside Mill in Weldon, NC

I had meant to post sooner this week with some pictures from Riverside Mill in Weldon, NC. I now have some of my work being shown and for sale at Riverside and hope that this, along with American Pie, will generate a little income (or a lot of income!). I found a kiln for sale on Craig's List and went up to Halifax, Virginia, last Friday to look at it - ended up buying it! So, now I need to sell some pottery to help pay for it. More on the kiln after it is delivered on July 2nd. This week was filled with job interviews and preparing for interviews, so I still didn't have the time I wanted to throw pottery. However, I spent a good day at the wheel and worked on a special order for matching bowls.


Anyway, back to Riverside Mill. Riverside is an old warehouse that was bought and has been restored specifically for selling antiques and handcrafted items. There are billboards on Interstate 95 pointing the way and it is really starting to draw traffic off the highway. If you are ever in the Roanoke Rapids/Weldon area of North Carolina - especially if you are traveling on 95 around North Carolina milepost 173, take a quick excursion to Riverside Mill and check it out. There are some pretty neat things there that you won't see in most other places.

The Main Craft Gallery

The Painting Gallery

There's just something about an
8' tall metal sculptured moose!

If you are in the Louisburg area tomorrow evening (Friday), American Pie is having it's grand opening celebration with food and live music. So you might want to check that out as well.

Tonight is pottery night for me at Dan Finch's, so I need to pack up my gear and get ready. One last picture, though. My lastest little face jug reminds me of Howard on the old Andy Griffith show. Maybe I will try to make the next one look like Barney!

More after the American Pie opening and after I see what came out of the glaze kiln this week!

Full Time Potter for Awhile

Well, the school year is over and I have turned in all my lists, books, and keys. I am now officially unemployed, at least for (I hope) a little while. That will give me a chance to work on my pottery for longer periods of time. This week will be spent in organizing my little bit of space so I will have room to dry pieces and get them ready for bisque firing.

I was really pleased with some of the pieces I picked up this week - especially the tall vase/jar. I had experimented with spraying a light coat of Bailey Red glaze over top of a regular shino glaze. My goal was to try to get that rust-looking effect and I think it came out really well. I also had experimented with a stamp I made that had a small trinity knot design. That also came out well and I took the stamp in this week to have it fired into a permanent stamp to add to my small collection.

Another favorite from this firing was the bowl that I dipped in Star Blue - a dark blue glaze with really nice variations. Unfortunately, it also is a glaze that can run fairly easily and I will have to grind some off the bottom of the bowl. However, the bowl itself came out beautifully - it was the first time I had really used this glaze, but will be using it more now.


I have been asked to bring some of my work to a shop in Louisburg and will do so early this week. I hope to take some pictures to share in my next blog. In addition, I am going to contact the manager of Riverside Mill in Weldon and try to put some of my work there on commission. It is a really neat warehouse that has been restored for selling handmade art and antiques. There are a number of potters selling their work there, but I think if I put in some of my more unique items, like the face jugs, I will not be so much competing as providing something different.

Now that I have more time, I hope to keep this updated more frequently - if not, maybe it means I have found another job. Time will tell.