Wednesday, September 30, 2009
New Raku
Monday, September 28, 2009
City Tap
Gerry with two of the moms of the band members hanging out drinking some good beer, Blue Star, great light summer ale. Look at that beautiful afternoon light!
Wes and Matt tuning up
What a great crowd. Thanks to everyone that came out to see the bands!! Especially those two lovely ladies in the upper right hand corner of the frame. You should have seen them dancing. They are the newest groupies and we love them!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Po-Wen Liu workshop
He started off the day "wedging" his clay by throwing the 25 lb. bag on the floor a few times and declared it wedged. I like this! And the wedged bag became this:
then this:
Here is Po Wen's bio:
Po-Wen Liu is from Taiwan, R.O.C. Before coming to the United States, he majored in ceramic engineering and worked for a Chinese porcelain company in Taipei, Taiwan as a ceramic engineer for 2 years. He tests, develops and improves glazes and clay bodies for the company.
In 1996, Po-Wen attended the School for American Craft at Rochester Institute of Technology and received a BFA degree in ceramics.
During his study at RIT, Po-Wen was honored to be manuscript consultant for the 2002 Newbery Medal awarded book, "A Single Shard" by Linda Sue Park, regarding the making of celadon wares. In May 2004, Po-Wen received his MFA degree in ceramics from Northern Illinois University.
Po -Wen now lives in Greensboro NC with his wife and two children and has a full time studio near the cultural arts center of Greensboro.
This cylinder became a large platter from about 18 lbs. of clay
Po-Wen threw, I think. 10 pieces off the hump, 25 lbs. of clay, such an efficient way to throw.
scraping slip from the combed clay
and a really great Japanese tea pot. I learned so many valuable techniques today, so many time saving things and good body mechanics to save energy and wear and tear on the body. If I can't throw some big vases soon, I should just give up after Steven Forbes deSoule's class at Penland, Susan Filley's big pots class and now this. Po-Wen was truly inspirational and I am ready to get in the studio and throw some clay on the floor! Thanks Po for a wonderful day!!!! I'll edit my pictures more tomorrow and see if I have anything else I should tell you. A couple of weeks from now will be Amy Sanders workshop at Claymakers, so much fun to have these workshops at CM!
Friday, September 25, 2009
Testing testing
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Birthday dishes
Ladies, if you have never been to an Anthropologie store, you must find your nearest one, save your money and go shopping! I can hardly afford to walk in the door, but I go there for inspiration frequently. They are genius merchandisers.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
The Daily Reviewer
I have no idea how this came about, but thank you! Oh yeah, and today is my birthday, so nice little present for me!
click to see more at The Daily Reviewer
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
A little hand building
Brought them in to dry in the Matt Grimmitt way, dining room table! I think they make a cute couple. I may do a whole series of these, they are really fun to make.
You know you have done this.......it's leaf time! Who can resist making leaf trays in the fall of the year. Really though this came from the Tobacco Festival, I picked this tobacco leaf and thought that it would make a great tray for the spring festival. These are some prototypes.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Cole Park Video
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Carrboro Music Festival part ll
Cole Park
This is Wesley's art teacher. His band Radio Silent Auction played on the same stage right after Wes, so very cool! He is the one I worked on the totem project with earlier in the year. Rock on Mr. Durham!
So many of Wesley's friends came out to support the band, these are some great kids!
Even Gerry's two college roommates showed up. Curtis and Corky had not seen each other since college. These are two of the most unusual people I know and I love them! For those that didn't make it, you missed a bunch of fun!!!!! I'll try to post a video when I get it together.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Carrboro Music Festival
Another great weekend
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Turtle Dreams
I have been having frequent turtle dreams lately, I won't even begin to explain them, someone might come for me in a white coat, you know! So, anyway I looked up the dream analysis and this is what it said. Pretty accurate I would say. Good advise too!
Haven't made much this week, just getting things back in order from my last making/firing, glaze mixing frenzy and I have started teaching a beginner class at The ArtsCenter with some fun new students that are verrrrry beginner, so much fun to watch their enthusiasm! Gerry has been in Nashville all week doing video training with the AP, as if he doesn't have enough to do without trying to shoot video now too.(Oh, David Crosby was staying in his hotel, cool!). Looking forward to a fun weekend. Centerfest is in Durham and the Carrboro Music Festival is Sunday. Wesley's band will be playing there this year YAY!
Monday, September 14, 2009
New Pots
This is some kind of animal bone, don't think it's a skull, maybe part of the backbone?
This pot was a messed up thing, I first used Sacco Copper and it was nasty, so I put Pipenburg over it and re fired it and ta da , nebula!
Metal scraps from the scrap heap at Penland
Sassy Fat White, magnesium on steroids. Aren't these great photos? If you could only see the contraption we created in my tiny tiny studio space to do this. You would laugh at me, I know you would!
More metal from Penland
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Fall Anyone?
This is the Duke Homestead, check out their website for more info on tours and what the place is all about. Really worth a visit if you are in the area.
Some very nice pottery inside the house! I feel the call of historical earthenware. I am really trying to fit earthenware into my plan and this just might be the way. Shows every month at historic sites, could be a fun time for me......
This poor child was working over that hot fire making pancakes.
But she had a beautiful batter bowl and dipper don't you think!
I,of course, was loving the fire. I swear I think I must have been a gypsy in a former life that set fire to things!! See the little pancakes there in the fire? I just stopped at Bojangles and got a biscuit, easier!
There in the tobacco field was the artist colony. What an absolutely beautiful day it was.
And this was the view from my booth all day, not bad huh!?
Thursday, September 10, 2009
I won this!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Thanks Jen!
Jen had these in the gallery at Claymakers and they all sold before I could get one. I was so sad that I let them slip by, but now I have my very own and it looks great by our front door! Yeah, I know the photos suck, sorry, you just have to trust me that they are wonderful!!!!!!