Could it be...?

Can an old storage shed find new life as a ceramic studio?

In time, with a little help from my friends, it just might happen.
Stay tuned.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams

I do this...


And this...


And this...

Because of this...

Thank you John for the "clay canvas" you provided me to play upon. (I can't throw like John does so I am grateful for the collaboration!) And thank you Werner Herzog for an inspiring documentary on the masterpieces painted on the walls of Chauvet. I only wish there was a theater in Charlotte that would consider this film meaningful enough to show it in 3-D.

Adios April

The past couple of days of the month have brought some good moments. I'm lucky to work in an area where there are a couple of ponds. April is a good time for geese -rearing.

It's also a good time for mockingbird homebuilders. This fellow and his mate spent a week or so feathering the nest in a holly bush outside my office window.

I've read that a male mockingbird might build 3 to 4 different nests for his lady bird. Looks like the holly bush was prime real estate. (Sorry the pic isn't better but I took it in a hurry. Mockingbirds have been known to dive bomb anyone who approaches their nests.)

Perhaps the eggs will hatch over the weekend? In the meantime I've been busy at Clayworks. With the big move to our new building so imminent, we are all trying to get as much work done as we can before the kilns are disassembled. Here's a tile I made in class. The assignment was to make a tile incorporating applique. I had to make it cave art. :) It's glazed and ready for the glaze firing.

Another class project was to make a luminaria. This was new to me...took me in a different direction. Still have no idea how I will glaze this piece. But seagulls seemed a natural choice for me. As many of them that I've fed at the beach, I should have bought stock in saltines a long time ago.

April ended with a fantastic concert at the Evening Muse in NoDa.

Music lovers 'round these parts know all about Don Dixon and Marti Jones.

If you're not familiar with their music, please google them and check it out. Incredible lyrics, absolutely amazing vocals! It was the perfect way to turn the page on April and begin a new chapter with May.
I hope everyone else had just as spectacular a weekend!

Blimey! 'Twas a wonderful day!

Blogging. The thing I like most about it is the people I "meet". If it hadn't been for blogging --- and the friendships that have been born from it --- Saturday's workshop in Shelby would probably never have happened.

For me, it started a couple of years ago when Ron Philbeck, my teacher at Clayworks, mentioned a Devon potter by the name of Doug Fitch. And then there was slip trail artist Hannah McAndrew. I read their blogs, learned from them. Through their words I began to feel that I "knew" them, though they were a quarter of a world away from NC.
But through the power of blogging and the resulting power of friendship, I (along with 35 others) spent a magical day at the Cleveland County Arts Center.

The "British Invasion" began with a workshop in Cape Cod. From there, it moved on to this workshop in Fredericksburg, VA before finally arriving in Shelby. NC. (Yes, it was highly anticipated!) Fellow potter/blogger from Adelaide, Austrailia, Ang Wolford decided to go on "holiday" with Doug & Hannah instead of buying a new kiln.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is glad that Ang made that choice. It was a delight to meet her. Her work is absolutely exquisite!

Here are but a few pix I snapped during the workshop. The blogger/paparazzi (or potsarazzi as someone suggested) were well represented at the workshop so I'm certain you'll find many more photos on other folks' sites. Below, a pic of some of Doug's work. That lovely pitcher on the right now lives happily with me. :)

And here are some examples of Hannah's slip-trailed work.
Hannah was always at the ready with a smile, even though our processed clay was a far cry from what she and Doug are used to using.
Doug goes "pyro", drying a puzzle jug he just finished throwing. After slipping, Hannah will decorate it.
Close-up of Hannah's handiwork...
John demonstrates the secret of the puzzle jug. Good thing it was filled with water instead of the traditional ale. :)
Time flew by as the potters worked...
...while, behind the scenes, Ron Philbeck demonstrated his super wedging skills. (just look at those hands fly!) Ron was a HUGE reason that all of this came to be. A thousand thank yous to you, Ron!

Clayworks' potter and board member, Ann Prock, watches Hannah make magic.
Doug adds botanicals to a traditional harvest jug. Doug typically throws large pieces (in very little time I must add). According to him, what we Yanks consider to be jugs, the Brits think are bottles. :)
A bath in slip and the harvest jug is set outside to set up.
Off with the leaves and on to a kiln at some later point. I'm not sure what will happen to all of the demo pieces. Perhaps they'll end up as auction pieces in a fundraiser?
Doug demonstrates "Man-deco"... (translation - quick, though with intent)...
...while Hannah leisurely takes her time slip-trailing her intricate designs.
Here she adds her signature birds to a casserole. I've been a fan of these birds from the first day I discovered her blog.
The workshop over, John & Doug compare...well, I'm not sure what they were doing actually, but I liked the expression on both of their faces.

Later, several workshop attendees headed for the Pleasant City Grill where we raised a glass to toast our guests and the knowledge they so readily shared with us throughout the day.

Gay came all the way from Texas to share in the day. It was so nice to meet her.

It really was an incredible day - meeting people whose work I have admired for so long, people I have only known via the internet. Until now. I think the Brits + the Aussie + Shelby Ron went to Penland today to tour the school and visit Michael Kline. I'm sure that was another fantastic experience for our friends from abroad. As for me, I'm suffering a bittersweet withdrawal. By the end of the week, Hannah, Doug and Ang will be back home. I hope they know how much we loved having them here...and how much we learned from them. Hopefully they'll come back again soon for an encore performance. 'Til then, I'll be listening to my Love Daddies CD & enjoying ice cream from my Ang bowl. (Thank you both!) The words on the plate I bought from Hannah sum it up nicely....

The hands of the friends I made will always be near me. In their work. And in the words they post on their blogs. Blimey! Does it get any better than that?

British Invasion Redux

The Fab 4. I never thought it could happen again. But today...it did! (left to right, Ron Philbeck, Ang Wolford, Doug Fitch and Hannah McAndrew )

Okay, so Ron isn't a Brit by birth. And Ang hails from Adelaide, AU. But put those two together with Doug Fitch and Hannah McAndrew - as they have been in the blogosphere for lo these many years - and they are undeniably a part of the new Fab 4.

I'll post more in a day or two, after I've wallowed in the wonder of it all (and I can go through over 400 photos.)

It truly was an amazing day!

"Poney Maroni"

I stayed up way too late last night catching up on episodes of "Breaking Bad" and getting further along with this little guy.

I love making birds but have recently been playing around with other forms. My last attempt at a large meerkat sculpture ended in disaster so I was less than confident beginning this project. Honestly? I wasn't even planning on finishing this guy; he was more of an experiment born out of my angst and frustration over the unfortunate meerkat's demise. I didn't have the proper dowels at home to support him, so I relied on a pair of thin wooden skewers to prop him up between two cans of peas as I worked on his legs. Luckily, these "toothpicks" held their own (and the pony) until his legs were dry enough to support him.

I wasn't referencing a photo or plastic figurine so his proportions leave a lot to be desired. And halfway through his creation I realized that I had inadvertently combined a ^10 porcelain with a ^6 clay body. (Do you think I should learn to label my bags of clay???) So it remains to be seen how well the two clays play together as they dry, are bisqued, then fired. There's a bit more to do on him yet but I'm happy to say he's helping me get a little of my confidence back.

I don't have any plans yet on how I'll finish him. Glaze? Oxides only? He has to make it through the bisque firing first. But I do have a name for him. Though he looks more like "My Little Pony" I'm calling him "Poney Maroni". Of course, now that I've given him a name, I've connected with him more than ever. I sure hope he makes it.

Birds About Town

Like most potters or ceramicists, I enjoy seeing where my pieces wind up...how they look in their new home. In the case of the "flock" I've been told that many of my birds adorn bookshelves, nightstands, birdbaths and windowsills from homes along the PeeDee to an apartment in Paris. I, myself, keep all of my "rejects" around the yard - stacked on piles of rocks, tucked into knotholes or nestled in potted plants. But I recently was sent a couple of photos that represent a first for the birds that I'd like to share.

This one sits happily on a metal sculpture at the home of fellow potter, Chris Beloni. Her husband, Andy, works with metals in his spare time. (Andy created the holes in "GTO", our latest barrel-firing oil drum). This piece has four "perches" specifically made to hold birds. I've only made one so far...as a test. More to come.


And here is a pic of two birds on a wedding cake. There were 23 birds in the order and I'm not sure how many were placed on the tiers and how many found their way into gift baskets fashioned for members of the wedding party. The cake was about 8 tiers high and quite magnificent.

A close-up... (both photos are from Kevin Keelan)


I'd write a bit more but I'm off to a reception for "Inhabitants and Happenstance" the new exhibit at the Lark & Key featuring the work of Amy Sanders and Duy Huynh. Both are extraordinary artists and I'm excited to see their latest work.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Gas Kiln Firing 03/19/11

I always look forward to weekends when the studio/resident artists at Clayworks fire the gas kiln. Loading the kiln is an art in itself. We usually do that on a Friday evening before turning on the gas and letting it candle overnight.

The following morning, we're at the studio bright & early and ready to get the show on the road. One of us bumps up the gas, another adjusts the damper and body reduction begins. Kiln checks are every 30-45 minutes, leaving plenty of time in between to do whatever we wish. That's why I love firing the gas kiln; any excuse to spend 12+ hours at Clayworks puts a huge smile on my face. The rest of the day is spent looking through the peeps, checking the cones, nudging the gas & jiggling the damper, all the while hoping that - inside the kiln - everything is coming together, making magic, and that the pieces within will be glorious when the kiln door is finally opened. Late Monday afternoon, we were delighted with what we found.

On this table is about one third of our work. There were so many pieces on the shelves we were unable to get everything in for this firing. (Yay! That means another weekend at Clayworks will be coming soon!)

Pictured above, roughly front to back, is the work of Elaine Spallone, Julie Wiggins, and Chris Beloni. (Chris was the Team Leader for this firing.) In the middle of the table are some of my "flock". I had thirty-four birds in the kiln this time, evenly divided between what I call my "shino" birds and my "icy blues".

I experimented a little with four of the "icy blues", adding a bit of blue glass on the tail feathers. That's standard operating procedure for the "shino" birds but it's the first time I've tried it on their paler cousins. I was hoping for more of a "pooling" effect but the form of the tail didn't allow for that and the glass ran. Ah well, the idea was spur of the moment. Next time, I'll plan ahead when I'm making the birds and create the tails accordingly. I haven't decided if I like these little ones or not. What do you think?

This coiled planter, the biggest I've made to date, was a happy surprise. I didn't expect it to be so colourful. Now that Spring is here, I can't wait to fill this one with a rich potting soil and give a plant a new home.

Speaking of new homes, there's a mockingbird sitting just outside my window; in its beak are three or four pieces of pine straw.
I hope it builds that nest nearby so I can watch Spring's miracle of life unfold. I love this time of year as much as I love firing the gas kiln. Life is good.

Testing... Testing

Last Summer, while at a pottery sale, a friend introduced me to an absolutely wonderful snack - dehydrated tomato slices. Salted and decked out with basil and a dash of red pepper, those stained glassy tomato slices left a vivid impression on my taste buds. Since that time I've been boning up on dehydrators and I finally bought an Excalibur. The 5 tray model. It arrived at my office over 2 weeks ago and sat there, in its box, until yesterday when I finally cleared the counter space to bring it home.

Tonight, Excalibur makes its maiden voyage. Cherry & Roma tomatoes - drizzled in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and draped in ribbons of fresh basil - are happily , I hope, dehydrating away on my kitchen counter (next to several drying porcelain birds). This is how they looked going in.


This dehydrating thing is new to me. If anyone reading this has tips or pointers I would very much appreciate hearing from you. In the meantime, I'll post pix of the finished 'maters once they emerge from the Excalibur.

I wonder what would happen if I put a few (very thin) clay pieces in there? ;)

March Came in Like a Lamb

But I feel more like a Lion. Well, sort of but not really. I do like to think I have the Lion's courage to try new things in clay. But for me, it's almost always a hit or miss proposition unless I'm working on the porcelain birds that I fondly call "the flock". Another 18 went into the bisque kiln today - along with some coiled planters. Also pictured are honey pots and mixing bowl sets made by Kim Marcadis, Studio Assistant Queen at Clayworks.

Another piece went into today's bisque, and it's one that I'm excited about. Fellow potter, and good friend John, threw a pot for me, solely for creating a canvas for "cave art". Typically, I gnarled it up a bit. Atypically, I tried a carving technique I have never used before on my cave art work. Who knows what results this may bring?

Here's a closer look at one of the three "creatures" on the pot.

Other "secrets" on the piece will hopefully benefit from the final glaze and gas firing. Thanks, John, for the gentle nudge to get back to the parietal work.

Lastly, I've been working on a sculptural piece for class. This fellow may well end up in the slurry bucket before all is said and done. I've been sorely tempted to drown him time and time again. But I can't abort him just yet. There's an agony and ecstasy in his birthing process.

Hubby, Fred, says he looks like Dobby the House Elf. (Hmmm. Commercial possibilities?) Nonetheless, it will take more than a wizard's magic to bring this guy to life. And while I may feel like a Lion, I am no Bert Lahr.

We'll see what happens.