On the Farm- Events and Barn Update

Barn at sunset with wheat in the foreground

Yesterday, with the help of some generous friends who donated their time and strength, we put the walls up on the second floor of the barn. Barn building and farm projects have absorbed most of my time and energy lately and have kept me out of the studio. Bear with me while I pause on the 52 Form Project and work toward getting back in the swing of things!

Raising a wall requires a lot of hands to put the walls together, stand them up, and then hold them in place while they are stabilized and nailed in. It's a bit risky and tricky, especially on the second floor being so high up!

We're trying to get things ready for the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association Triad Farm Tour that takes place this coming weekend. There will be about 17 farms on the tour, giving people the chance to caravan with others and go from farm to farm, learn about a lot of different farming practices, see different kinds of plants and animals, and maybe taste some fresh veggies and other food!

Our own farm open house and pottery sale is coming up the weekend after, on Sunday the 15th.

My brother decided that our barn currently looks more like a Super Mario Brothers castle than a barn, so in his honor, I leave you with the ever-unforgettable tune of the Super Mario Brothers (if you get through 34 seconds, you'll see a castle):

On the Farm and the Wheel Debacle

Well, late last week (Thursday and then into Friday morning), my trusty wheel motor died. If any of you fine readers happen to have a Creative Industries Model MP (earlier model, probably not 1 HP) wheel and could tell me some specs on the motor, that would be awesome. I'm hoping it is just the bearings, and have ordered some replacements, but the labels on the motor were removed at some point so I do not know the RPM, horse power, or voltage. If I don't have the specs just right, I can blow the controller! I'm limping along with an older Shimpo that also has a motor going out, but the photo above is where Week 9 of the 52 Form project got stopped! I've been playing a lot of catch up this week, so week 9 & 10 may just have to get combined when I can get things back in order!

Other projects this week in the studio have been mostly small items easily thrown on my rickety wheel. Bowls, mugs, and bottles have been filling the tables and shelves up!

New basket shapes

I was excited to make a few more of the basket shapes based on trials from one of my earlier forms from this year.

Pouring soil into the beds

Beds filled!

Plastic on!

In other news, we have plastic on the greenhouse and soil in the beds! I personally raked and hoed about 24 cubic yards of soil into the beds! The greenhouse plastic went on this past Sunday just before we had some snow and ice on Monday.

This morning's adventure was to pick up some wood for future kiln firings. This weekend is the North Carolina Potter's Conference. I'll be there on Friday and Sunday, and think it should be a good time.

52 Form Project- Week 5

The 52 Form Project 

What is it?

My 52 Form Project is devised to help me stretch my creative muscles, explore new forms, or finally get to making forms I have been wanting to try for a long time. I am planning to make a new or modified form for every week of this year

How can you help?

Your input on the forms, their shape, decoration, appeal, and function would be greatly appreciated. Some forms, if they seem like they may do well in the market, may become a part of my regular production.

Week 5

SALT PIGS! These little beasts have long fascinated me, and though I don't tend to salt dishes I make on the stove a whole lot, we do salt at the table, and pinch or spoon salt from a dish. So, the function of the piece makes sense to me to have no lid and be open. I admire the shape of both Paul Jessop and John Leach's salt pigs, which resemble a mug tilted on its side, but I find myself having a design conflict of interest. My conflict is with the opening. I live in an old house that seems to have dust (literally) coming out of the woodworking all of the time, and wonder about the slanted opening of a salt pig collecting dust or kitchen debris.

I investigated some designs that had a more hooded design, so the hole would be on the side, or protected in some way or another.  I tried a few variations. I started with a basic, closed form with about 1 1/2 pounds of clay. By closed, I mean that there is not any opening or hole on the initial vessel, so it's like a small, clay balloon!

For the first version, I threw a ring to add to the front for the opening. I figure this could protect from falling debris and dust and makes (in my opinion) a fairly appealing design.

The prototypes for this variation initially looked like the photos above. 

 

Stamped "Liberty Stoneware"

Stamped "SALT"

Stamped and decorated

I added some stamps to say "SALT" and "Liberty Stoneware" along with some white slip and a little cobalt blue decoration around the opening.

Variation on the salt pig form

I also tried a few other shapes without the hood-looking addition, but am not feeling as drawn to these designs. The cut into the side feels a little shapeless and just looks like a general hole, rather than a feature of the design. It could look different when they are fired.

I understand the need or want to fit your hand or fingers in the jar to scoop out the salt, and all of the forms passed in that regard. The first prototype with the more round opening seemed more welcoming and less likely to have a sharp edge compared to the other shape.

Two different prototypes for the salt pig

I'm torn about which shape I enjoy more. I'm leaning toward the one made with two parts, but perhaps making it a little shorter, or making the opening more oval. What do you think?

In other notes, the fondness for the mug-like salt pigs has led to an interesting development in a lidded jar form:

New development in the studio

Stay tuned for more on that!