Round and Round we go!

Round and round we go on the merry go round, or is that the banding wheel!  I can't tell anymore! Anyway its summer and things are in full swing here at the studio. I have just unloaded a fresh kiln full-o-pots!  Getting ready for a few upcoming shows and a studio sale! It always feels good to be back in the studio after a long time away. Unfortunately the wood firing has been on hold until I get the chimney of my kiln fixed. After several firings its just not holding up anymore and will need to be replaced. The rust and corrosion just have taken its toll over the years. And I fear the only thing holding the thing together is the fiber wrapped around the metal! 

                   I have made a few additions to the studio, namely a small gallery space to display pots during sales, and to get them off the wedging table.  Its not much but it will do for now, I intend to use more of the space on the floor as well with pedestals grouped together to display pots. I really need to  look more into gallery representation!

As for making pots I have been working on a few new things, I have been making large platters for sometime now, and decided to try a new direction with them. I thought slab making would be quicker and less problematic, but I have run into too many problems. Namely cracking...... which I hardly ever get with thrown platters. Case in point.

C'est La Vie I guess, back to the recycle bucket it goes! I also have been making some small what I call trinkets. They are small ceramic decorative seed pods. They are fun to make and don't take much time. I ran a few through the kiln this go round to see how they would do and like the results so far. But I want more variation in the color/surface rather than the raw clay. Played with a little slip and oxide wash, but can't quite figure where else to go with these. All in all though keeping it going while trying to make sense of it all is what the journey is all about right?

Background stand

 The "legs" of the background that are used to hold it up.  The panels slide down into these two at a time. I have clamps that provide pressure to hold everything together. This will work for now. But I have another idea on how to use the legs without the clamps.

Progress

I have needed a way to get things up off the table and in the air so that I can put out more inventory at shows. The manufactured "grid walls" that many people use just look ugly to me. They don't look professional. They are also expensive. I consider myself to be a pretty handy guy so I set my pen to paper and come up with a "slat wall" type of system that I can use to hang pots from during shows! The best thing about these is they were cheap to build and they are light and strong. I have a little bit more to do to them I think they need some fabric on the back to make them a little more solid to block out whats behind the wall.

Upcoming Events!

Mud Hill Pottery will be at The Farm at Rabon Creek Farm Fresh Antique and Artisan Fair on September 22nd From 10-6!

We also will be participating in Greenville Open Studios November 3rd and 4th!
Just to wet the appetite here are a few selections that will be available at Farm Fresh!

Update!

It has been awhile so I felt an update was needed!  The Indie Craft Parade is over and I must say that it was a great show.  I met a lot of people and my work was well received. The hours were long and very tiring but altogether worth every moment. I hope to do it again next year. As for now I am preparing for a fall kiln opening / holiday sale the dates will be sent out later. This pic is from the booth that I had at ICP this year. 

I had some time to kill today so I decided to go to the Spruce Pine Potters Market in North Carolina.

The potters mart always intrigues me. There are just so many different potters working in various styles in the region. I came away from the show today with three nice cups. The one on the left is from Bandana Pottery. What can I say yellow crackle slip (i think) on a teabowl!  The one in the middle is from Michael Kline from Kline Pottery, I love the layered slips on this piece and the blush from the flame on the slip. The last is from Joy Tanner. The soda and flame markings are really nice on this piece as well. I think though I like the form most of all.  Slightly spherical, cylindrical, and geometric all working together.

Spinning my wheels!

Lately I have been throwing these large platters. I don't quite know yet what my fascination is with these. They have a large surface area just begging for some form of brushwork or carving etc...  but like a lot of things, I am a bit apprehensive to do so. Got to work on that. I think I might leave a few just as they are and let the kiln work some magic on them by stacking some smaller pots on top.  These guys are fairly large for me. At 22" in diameter they can be a beast to throw sometimes. Soft clay is a must here. I actually wedge up my scraps to throw these guys. I take and spread the scraps out on plaster and let it dry then wedge it up. I don't use a traditional method of centering/throwing on these I use a punch and throw method and have been quite pleased with the lack of "s" cracking.

I have also been preparing for Indie Craft Parade in September.  I don't exactly know how much work I am going to need, so I am making as much as I can as it is a three day event, don't want to get caught without enough goods. I don't plan on selling out though that would be great!  The booth sizes are small about 8ft across and according to the memos sent out we cant do a "walk in" booth unless we have a corner booth. That is going to be interesting to say the least. A three foot by eight foot table is not a lot of room to put stuff!  I will manage though. I will have to put those creative juices on the task of coming up with a booth design that will still be functional/practical and attractive. Well  a storm is rolling in and I must get some things done before it starts to pour. So another day and another time.

Surprises

Lately I have been doing some glaze testing and have been getting some surprising results. The cup above has some qualities to it that you might only find in a gas/soda kiln or wood kiln although this came from my electric kiln. I know, I know I am a wood fire guy. You are asking yourself electric kiln what? At school we fire electric kilns and students are always asking about glazes and certain colors etc... but some colors and tones are difficult to get from electric kilns. So I put the nose to the grindstone (literally fighting it tooth and nail)  and started a series of tests to expand the color palette that my students would have to choose from.  I must say that I am quite pleased with some of the results........