Recent Happenings

It seems like the time between firings and shows is a chaotic tornado that is hard to recover from! I got back to the pottery wheel after the Catawba Valley show and had another firing recently. I'm getting ready for my first show with the Whimsical Women in Chapel Hill.

Pots stacked up and ready to go

Pots after the firing

Due to a few mishaps in this firing I'm hoping to do a joint firing with another potter in a few weeks to be ready for the Old Salem Pottery Fair on the Square.So it was back to the clay yesterday!

Parts for mugs and vases

Parts for coolers and compost crocks

Happy Spring!

Post-Show Blues

 For the past few months I have been busily prepping for the Catawba Valley Pottery Show. Firing the big kiln beast every month has been a bear!

This most recent firing was one of my best. The photo above is what the kiln looked like when I loaded it.

The photo above is what it looked like when I opened it up. At first I thought it was a little heavy on the salting, but I am pleased with the results.

Getting ready for a show is like riding a roller coaster. There's the buildup of exhausting excitement and nervousness for not knowing whether the kilns are going to turn out. There might be a few great turns that put butterflies in your stomach, and then the final show you have been prepping for is like the end of the roller coaster, that final decline, with an abrupt stop at the end. You watch your pieces go home like the people leaving the roller coaster carts, and then it is completely over.

It was all worth it to see my pots all sitting together and going to good homes. Most of my highly decorated blue dishes, mugs, and flowerpots disappeared at the show! So I suppose I don't have the blues after all, I'm just left with my brown wares.Thank you to everyone who has given me moral support in all my crazy endeavors, to those who came to the show, and to the potters who kept me company and gave me breaks! I am looking forward to next year and another big roller coaster ride!

Catching Up, Show, and Scapes!

"Here's looking at you!"

Last week seemed like the week of playing "catch up" after being away, and getting ready for a show while playing catch up is a bear! I have not forgotten you, dear readers!

Base complete

Floor brick on

The kiln is coming along. Running around like a crazy person (the usual) has kept me from just knocking it out, but I am proud of the progression. Following these photos, the base for the chimney was poured and the block set over the weekend, so I will be tying in the chimney this coming weekend! 

Walls going up!

Door opening at front of kiln

Garlic scape!

Another exciting development on the farm is that we have had scapes on our hardneck garlic! We took some to the Greensboro Curb Farmer's Market last Saturday and should have more there this coming weekend! Scapes are the seed head of the garlic, which comes out in a loopy vine-like piece on the top of the garlic plant. It is a very subtle garlic flavor, and makes an exquisite pesto. I HIGHLY recommend getting your hands on some while they're around!

Pottery Fair on the Square

 The Pottery Fair on the Square at Old Salem went really well this past weekend. Thank you to those who made it out, and new friends and customers who stopped by! Great weather, and the big water cooler found a home. I'm intending to make a few more for the new kiln to try out some designs and styles.

Water Cooler

I am off to Yorktown, Virginia today to see the William Rogers kiln site once more in wrapping up my research and in preparation for a lecture I am doing in June. If you have any interest in Virginia earthenware, there's still time to register for the 2012 Virginia Decorative Arts Seminar entitled, "Earthenware of the Old Dominion"!

Triad Pottery Festival

The inside of the Curb Market

Today I had the opportunity to participate in the 13th Annual Triad Pottery Festival. It is held at the Greensboro Farmer's Market at the Curb Market near downtown Greensboro. All of the people who attended were really nice and friendly, so I had some wonderful conversations with people who stopped by my table.

My table with the beautiful backdrop of a fire hydrant and brooms!

The farmer's market tables are like small boxes or stalls with ledges. This worked out well so things could not get knocked off onto the floor, but made it difficult for how to lay out the space.

All that brown, I tried to bring some color in with flowers!

I took a few compost crocks to debut, and was surprised that I did not sell any of them! I think I need a sign that reads, "I am a compost crock!" It's always funny to think about the things you think will sell the best, and then you are surprised when those things don't sell. I hope to continue having the opportunity to participate in this festival. The location is quite good and the people are really great. The variety of pottery that is available also makes for a great variety of people who are browsing and buying.