Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all of you out there who are fathers or act as fathers to those who need guidance. My Dad passed away 23 years ago this August and I still miss him.

A lot has happened since May 11th when I last posted on this blog. My youngest son got married, my middle son got a job at Florida State University, my first year at the charter school ended, I participated in North Carolina's Second Saturday program at Historic Halifax this month, and my computer crashed! Only 10 days out of school and I feel the summer has already been busy and is now "picking up speed" for an even busier next couple of weeks. Before things get too much more overwhelming, I just wanted to share some things about the last month.

I enjoyed the Second Saturdays program, even though it was not very well attended at Historic Halifax. This is a statewide program being put on by the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Craftspeople from all over the state have been invited to demonstrate their talents and sell their goods at historical sites each month. I chose Halifax in June because it was here in my county and enjoyed being with other local craftspeople. Next month, I will be at Edenton on the 10th and then at Somerset Place in Creswell in August. Any of you in North Carolina, look for possible Second Saturday programs in your area at local state historic sites.

I have been trying some different things in pottery this month. First, I am making more items for me - something I have not been doing since I think about selling what I make. In particular, this latest firing produced a nice large "chip and dip" platter and a set of coffee mugs for my oldest son. I have also tried to do a little sgraffito and was very pleased with the first result - a green jar with fish etched into the sides. I think I am going to try to do more - not only with etching in designs, but in making more use of slips tinted with mason stains to produce more controlled and complex color schemes. I am also working on more large pieces. I have what will be a tea urn ready for the first firing except that I need to cut a hole in the side for a spigot. The only problem is that I cannot find the spigot I want to use!


Hopefully, I will update this blog in the next week or so. Once I lost my computer, I also lost all my pictures for the last year and that slowed me down. I am now working off an old desktop computer and think I have things settled down to at least be able to blog.

Come see me in Edenton if you are near on July 10th. Go to www.ncculture.com for details of Second Saturdays programs in the state.

Busy Week's End

After a busy four days in Washington, DC and a typical Monday at school, I have some time to sit and catch my breath and jot down some thoughts. The NCTM (National Council of Teachers of Mathematics) convention was great - I have already been told I am a nerd to get excited about having been to a math convention. And, I was able to fit in a visit to the Smithsonian Craft Show and to the Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria. I came back pumped up in a number of ways for teaching math and for making pottery, but also tired from the pace and all the walking and driving I did in the last few days.

What I really enjoyed about the Smithsonian Craft Show was the chance to see so many different styles of ceramic works in one place and to be able to talk with the artisans about their work. I especially enjoyed the examples of sgraffito and spent a good deal of time talking with Ron Geering from up near Cape Cod and with Steve Lloyd of Clyde, NC, about their work with slips and design carving. Steve conducted a demonstration at one part of the afternoon, showing how he throws the bottles and other ware that his wife Becky carves. Watching someone else throw pottery was really beneficial in helping me think about how I work at a wheel. There are always people throwing pots at Dan Finch's studio, but I am usually so engrossed in trying to get my glazing completed that I do not take the time to just sit and watch others. There is so much you can learn from just watching! Anyway, the craft show was a very enjoyable time and I came away inspired to try all sorts of new things with my pottery. The Torpedo Factory was, as usual, enjoyable, and probably more so because I took my Mom down with me to see the different art work.
Steve Lloyd demonstrating at the Smithsonian Craft Show

My own pottery was sitting waiting for me when I got home - now bone dry. I knew that I was going to miss my regular Thursday evening because of the convention, so I had worked on a few pieces that I would have ready to take this week for bisque firing in order to keep the routine going. The three main pieces - a bowl and two different vases or urns - are more examples of my attempts to try and produce larger ware. One of my sons just came back from spending a year and a half in Osaka, Japan, teaching English, and he has been tutoring me on what a typical Japanese place setting would look like and what I should make for different types of Asian meals. Besides the normal rice bowls and tea bowls, he was explaining what a bowl looks like that is used primarily for curry dishes. He was explaining this as he cooked us a delicious dinner of curry chicken. I would have included a picture, but we ate most of it!