“THREE CUPS OF TEA”

Mark and I are asked many times, sometimes weekly, sometimes daily to donate pottery to fundraisers.
One year I kept track of all the pots we donated and how much it cost us to do so.
The women who does my taxes asked me if I could really afford to give away so many pots.
Not really I thought.....
Mark and I decided we needed a plan for donations.
We would donate to our local community; hospice, local arts, the North Carolina Pottery Center, and then other exceptions would be made.
Last year with the fire we figured donations were out for the year.
We would not have enough work to feel generous enough to give any away.
Then one day Beth Gore from Cady Clayworks emailed me and said I would like to talk with you, let's have lunch.
It took weeks for me to find a day, with the wedding and all we had going on just getting our lives back to a sense of normal.
When we sat down to order she slide this book across the table and asked if I had read it.
Beth is a great reader and always has a good book going.
I had hear of it and had seen Greg Mortenson speak on TV about his life.
Then she presented her idea to me:
Here it is in letter form-

“SEAGROVE POTTERS FOR PEACE – 1000 CUPS OF TEA”
For the past 6 years of the Iraq war, I have been complaining that instead of bombing the Middle East and creating future generations of America-haters, we should be building schools and hospitals so people would learn to love Americans. Remember the hymn, “…they will know we are Christians by our love…”? People have told me I am naive and that’s not how the world works. Well, I just read the book “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and lo and behold, here is a man doing just what I have been only talking about!

After a failed attempt to climb K2 (the world’s second-tallest mountain), he got lost and wandered into a remote mountain village in Pakistan. The impoverished local people shared what little they had and nursed him back to health. He returned to the US, sold most of his belongings, slept in his car and tried to raise money to build the village a school. Many years, trials and dangerous travels later, with no religious or government affiliation, he has built dozens of schools through his non-profit organization, CAI (Central Asia Institute). Without these schools, the only other option to millions of impoverished children is to attend radical fundamentalist institutions that breed terrorists.

The book made me ponder what I could do to help, and at the same time I happened to mention it to my customers in my spring e-newsletter. I got responses and links from potters around the country who are doing “teacup” fundraisers for this organization. Isn’t this just the time to think “outside the box” of our own economic woes and focus on others less fortunate?

We all get numerous donation requests, I know, but wouldn’t the title above be a wonderful gesture to the world? There are over 100 local potters – what if we each donated the sale of 10 cups (or drinking vessels of any kind)? A simple act from each of us could create such a powerful result! 100 potters x 10 pots/potter x $15 avg price/item = $15,000!!!! It costs CAI $1 per month for one child’s education. (They pay teacher salaries and upkeep on the schools they build) We would be sending over 1200 children to school for a year!! And, if you are “sitting on the fence” about this idea, how about the wonderful PR the project would generate? I think we could get a lot of media coverage of some GOOD news for a change!
Sample plan:
- each potter makes 10 teacups or drinking vessels to be sold at their regular price, and that amount donated to a bank account for CAI. Items could be sold at individual potteries or a central location, or both.
- I will, at my own expense, produce a small poster to display in each shop with the items for sale, and also a small insert to go with each sold item.
- I will contact area news sources and try to get as many articles published as possible, listing all participating potters.

PLEASE FILL OUT THE RESPONSE BELOW AND REPLY BACK SO I KNOW YOU RECEIVED THIS EMAIL!

Are you interested in participating in this fundraiser? (I have submitted it to CAI and received their enthusiastic approval.)

Name(s) of participating potters from this pottery:

How many total items are you willing to donate?

Sale price/item?

Do you think the items should be inscribed on the bottom?
If so, "Seagrove Potters for Peace"?
"3 Cups of Tea"?

Do you want to sell these in your own shop or at a central location?

Would you be willing to buy a copy/copies of the book to have on display or for sale in your shop? They cost $8.55 net on Amazon for 3 or more new paperbacks. Cover price is $15. (Link from http://www.threecupsoftea.com/ so they get credit for the sale, or I will order them. He has also written a wonderful children’s version, “Listen to the Wind”.)

If you sell other potters’ work in your shop, would you ask them to participate?

Would you be interested in helping to plan this project? (Trying to keep it VERY simple!)

No matter what you think of this idea, PLEASE READ “THREE CUPS OF TEA”!!** It is obvious that we, as Americans, are woefully uninformed about the people, beliefs and way of life in these areas of military conflict.

Many people expect Greg Mortenson to win the Nobel Peace Prize. He will be the August 2009 Convocation speaker at NC State University.

For more information or different ways to help: http://www.threecupsoftea.com/.

Thank you for taking the time to read through this!
Beth Gore
Cady Clay Works
910-464-5661
seagrovepottersforpeace@yahoo.com

** “Three cups of tea” comes from a local custom. The first time you share tea you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family.

The potters who are participating are:
Ben Owen Pottery
Cady Clay Works
Caldwell-Hohl Artworks
Dean & Martin Pottery
Dover Pottery
From the Ground Up
Jugtown
Old Gap Pottery
Thomas Pottery
Tom Gray
Westmoore Pottery
Whynot Pottery

Mark and I are donating 20 drinking vessels each.
He has made small ,hold in the hand, cups for tea, juice or wine.
I have made 20 drinking vessels, larger, for ice tea, juice or wine.
We thought this was a cause not to be pass up.
If anyone else is interested get in touch with Beth.

Your Cheating heart and I have my eye on you.

I wanted to post the results of the "cheating" pot and also thank all the bloggers who left comments and telling me how they "cheat" while making pots.
I found it very interesting.
It made me think about the potters here close by who cheat and make gorgeous pots in doing so.
If you have not taken the time to look at some of the blogs I follow please do.
I am enjoying following Alex Matisse's blog.
He talks so eloquently about his journey into the world of pottery making. He is posting up some really great pots and just spent time at a work shop with fellow Seagrove potter David Stuempfle, who is an ultimate cheater!
Alex posted some great pictures of the students learning a technique David learned while was studying in Korean and Japan.
Mark Hewitt, another of the great cheaters, has put out some fantastic potters. He brought his techniques he learned with him when he settled in North Carolina. He has trained some of the best and does it with all the grace and charm that is Mark. Sharing and teaching, giving back.

Many years back when my Mark and I were interested in learning to make pots we spent time just going to the local shops like Seagrove Pottery, J.B.Cole's, Jugtown and ML Owens.
They were kind enough to let us stand there and watch.
We would watch Dot Auman throw pot after pot.
Virginia Shelton at Cole's would throw dinner plates and then pick them up and throw another-- no bats here!
Melvin Owens was always a treat, full of stories along with the pots.
And we wandered in and out of Jugtown.
No one chased you away and they were all so giving of their time.
Of course if you were smart you just found a quiet corner and watched.

There are a lot of potters I know who have opened their studios, their lives and themselves to teach others. It takes time and effort to do this. I think you have to have a good balance in your own life to open your life up to others.
On another note there is a great discussion going on over on Ron's blog. Ron is another cheater, teacher and one who gives thought and caring back into the clay community. I have enjoyed peeking into the lives of so many potters this past year. Ron is one who draws me back time and time again.

And here is my delight this summer.
I have not had a garden in many years and I just picked eggplant and my first tomato!

Is this really cheating?

I was reading Gary's blog one day and someone had said to him," if you made a pot in more then one piece it is cheating."
Well- it made me think about all of us who are out there making pots and cheating right and left.
How about those Korean potters? Or the Japanese? Or the fact that pots made in more then one piece have been made here in Seagrove for well over 200 years.
It was not unusual to find potters who made large pots like butter crocks and large jugs throwing them in more then one piece.
Usually the bottom of the pot was made first. Then the top 1/2 was thrown and attached to the bottom piece. Then both pieces would be thrown together to make the completed work.
Mark has been throwing his large pots in at least 2 pieces and some in three.
It just makes sense.
For some it is a better way to control the clay.
It takes skill and practice to throw a good large pot.
It takes skill and practice to throw a large pot in more then one piece.
Cheating- no- smart yes.




This pot was almost 20 inches when wet-


















It will shink about 12 1/2 %.
Let's just hope we can keep the glaze on the pot- that would be my worry rather then the way it is made.
Fingers crossed....





Do you cheat? I tried to cheat somehow everyday- how do you stretch the limits of your clay and work?

Happy Father's Day Dear

Mark's ideal day: long ride on dirt roads, a hike, some lunch and lots of water.

Red Clay

When it is the end of the week and the end of a throwing/firing cycle we sometimes find ourselves not ready for "wheel work" but in need of doing something with the clay.
Now that we have a dedicated space for the slab roller one of us can get in there and make something.
Mark has not really had the time to play with the slab roller since the fire last July.
He spent Thursday and Friday working out some large wall vases.
He enjoys working on these and enjoys the "zone" of making the slabs and the stamping designs.
He puts so much detail in each vase.

These are made from Highwater's Red Stone clay body and will be fired in the electric kiln along with my tiles and some hump trays and bowls.
We have not used the new electric kiln for a glaze fire and by making these it will speed things along for me to fire the new kiln.
I bought this kiln last year just for tiles and flat ware. It is not as deep as our other electric kilns, but the width is the same.
I wanted to be able to use our same kiln shelves.
We should have enough pots after the next bisque to fire.

So long and thanks for all the fish

No, I am not going anywhere.
Yesterday I was in the mind set of, " I am out of here!"
But today I did what I usually do.
I went out to the studio and got out some clay.
I always have something in my head that begs to come out and rather then let it suffer I give it a go.
So thanks to all the folks who commented on the crawling glaze.
It is all good food for thought.
I agree with Mark that we are not firing enough these days.
Back in the day we fired the big kiln every 3-4 weeks.
Yes, we were younger and had more energy.
So he posted on comments that he is building a smaller kiln.
The cat is out of the bag now! I have some picture I have been taking of the kiln and as soon as he gives the green light I will post some up.
The new kiln is coming along and has taken on the true characteristics of a kiln instead of just the chalk outline.
Right now he is not ready to show the kiln off.

This kiln will make a huge difference in our firing schedule. Although the kiln will be but a fraction of the size of the old one, it will enable us to put through some quick loads or do some experimented with glazes. The other plus is we put a variety of glazes in the kiln we use now. Maybe some of them would fire better separate from one another.........
We will take the old kiln down and rebuild it smaller. Maybe down to 40 cubic feet rather then the 80 we have now.

I will post up a picture of the tiles I did for a customer which will be set in a table he made for his wife.

Bare with me or the naked truth about our glazes....

I know, I know.
No one is getting bare here but maybe some pots.
Seriously folks, life can be full of ups and downs and I felt them all today.
Some of the kiln was good and some of it was bad and some of it was just mediocre.
I would love to have some nice pots which I really wanted to take photos of, but this load just did not do that for us.

We are having problems with some of the glazes.
What can I tell you is, after no crawling for months, we had several very nice pots where the Tomato Red glazed crawled under the wood ash glaze.
Sigh, breaks my heart.
Oh, there were some good pots in the load but all I can see right now are those darn seconds.
I have to deal with the losers before I can move on.
We are going through all the variables; firing, glaze, what's different- why has it been working and now it's not?
Why did most of it come out the color of mud?
I have no confidence in what we are doing with this glaze.
All I can think of is to toss it out and start all over again, which we have done more then once.
We have taken this glaze apart before.
Now I do need to tell you that up until about 2 years ago we never and I mean never had any trouble with this glaze.
Or the other one which is crawling as well.
The other one will crawl out of the blue.
With 10 mugs on a shelf 4 of the mugs crawled and 6 did not.
Same shape, same size, all glazed at the same time.
It was not where the mug was sitting on the shelf.
Why do I think that? Because it would be one towards the bag wall- okay maybe some flame, but then explain the ones in the middle of the shelf???
It is driving me batty.
The common ingredient here is wood ash- could it be the wood ash???
We plan to take apart these glazes again and go over all our notes.
what has changed?
Or are we dealing with gremlins?
So I am posting up the crawled vase any suggestions.

Where's the flashlight?

Well, there I go with the fast fingers and the post goes out with not one written word---
As I was thinking......... the kiln is cooling and Mark and I have already taken turns with the flash light. First he takes a look in the kiln and then I take a look in the kiln.
Right now, where we can look and see anything, things look good. The ash glaze has stopped above the bottoms of the pots.
Well above the shelf.
At least where we can see.
Mark pulled the kiln back a bit this firing stopping right before a flat cone 10.
The cones are bent, but not flat down.
Hopefully we will continue to see good pots.
Now for some clean up in the studio before unloading the kiln tomorrow.

But! I do have to say, "UNCLE" with the rain!
Here in the land of Magnolias and Mildew we are well covered with both.
Is this not the sunny south?
Bring back some sun.
Then I would like to open the house up and dry things out before the frogs take up residence.
I feel some gills growing as I sit here in my dank basement.
Pots out tomorrow- pictures I hope to follow.
M

A little cooking going on

We are loading the kiln- but take a break from the Pottery Blog and go enjoy some of our favorite recipes on our cooking blog.
I love to cook and I love to use fresh ingredients and as local as possible.
enjoy!
http://yearsofcooking.blogspot.com/

Glazing

What is the mystery to good glazing. It is all just good guess work?
We are glazing this week and when I say week- it takes of most of a week to wax, glaze and load our big gas kiln.
While doing this I always find we are guessing about the glazes. How did this work last time, do we need to mix and add more, did it run too much was it just right, where did it sit in the kiln?
All of these questions are valuable in how the pot will turn out.
We have enough pottery going in the kiln that we know some will be good and some will be "not so good."
We try very hard not to make seconds, but as we all know......... there has to be a few dogs.
Mark has worked on the formulas to weight each glaze as it worked for the last firing. He has written down the weights on all the buckets. Maybe this will give us a better place to start.
I always have this moment early in the glaze cycle about each pot, how it will be glazed and where it will sit in the kiln. Is this a low shelf or a top shelf, middle stack, front or back stack. If I throw in this 10 inch shelf will the stack run hotter in the back or in the front. The middle is always hot- so choke it down a bit with some short shelves..........
You would think after 26 years we would have this down.
With our firing times off so much from catch up this past year I have lost the rhythm of glazing.
I can see that I need to get it back or take up sewing.
And if you know me you know I can sew but I don't really like it.
So back to glazing today, taking notes and keeping our fingers crossed that we do not melt the glaze off the pots onto the shelves!

Do you insure?

I order some of my supplies off Esty. I have been very pleased with the quick shipping and how helpful all the vendors have been with information and my questions.

Last week I ordered and it crossed my mine to insure the order. Then I let it slip out of my head and I did not.

Yesterday my postman delivered my supplies- or what should have been my supplies. All I received was an empty bag. The side had been slit open and nothing was inside. The cut on the side was clean with the exception of just a bit of an edge. My first thought was, "no insurance." And to make things harder for me this was a small but expensive order.

Darn- I headed right up to the post office to report the issue. I know it did not happen at my mail box since I had just seen the postman pass by.

I talked with one of my ladies at the post office and left the empty package there.

I contacted the seller just to see how he handles his shipping. He hand delivers the packages to the post office and does not leave them out for pick up.

I hate to say it but there is a snake in the house between the seller and me.

Today I received a call and the Post master said it was obvious that it happened before it was delivered and they would reimburse my cost for the product.

I was very surprised and grateful.

The seller also offered me a discount for my reorder.

So I am happy with the outcome.

Next time I order I will pay the insurance fee.



I hope they catch the "snake" and get him out of the system.

Personally I use the US postal system for many things and find them for the most part good people, as proven by how well they handled this issue.


I was driving home Sunday and heading in to Seagrove for a quick shop of household items at our local Dollar Store. This was the truck I was behind.
I watch in fascination as the women let the dog run all over her to make sure he was hanging out the window.
At times she held the dogs tail up with his backside inches from her face.
I thought, " now that is tolerance."
When I arrived home and showed the picture to Mark he said, " No, that is resignation."
He went on to state the women has resigned herself to her place in the house as the person below the dog.
I sent the picture to a friend yesterday and she said, "No, that is just stupid."

Bulldog and Michael Kline

I did get over to see the pots at the show Cousins in Clay held over at Bulldog Pottery.
You can find information about them on their blog and website. I suggest you go over and read about them.
I love their work.
I loved the fact they set up outside and you can see their great gardens behind the pots.
And yes, I should have taken more pictures.
I was too busy chatting with them all to take more and then it was time to get back here and finish off some clay work.

Star NC

Mark and I went to Star NC today to see the Little Train which was on display- it was cute. I wanted a ride.

On the way out of town and close to Starworks was a yard full of quilts.

We had to pull over and take a look.

All the quilts had notes tagged on them explaining when they were made, who they were made for andwhat the pattern was.

They were wonderful to take in and how luck for the family members who owned one.

Tomorrow I want to go see Mr. Kline over at Bulldog Pottery for their joint show.

If there are any pots left I will post some pictures.

We all need to start somewhere-

July will soon be here and it makes me reflect on the past year.

In fact, I will never see July the same for many reasons.

My father, who was a newspaper man, and wore many hats while in the business and was a hell of a writer and wordsmith past away on the 4Th of July the year my son graduated from High School-1994- a year of change.

He use to tell my kids he worked at the word factory.He loved words, the English language, the twist and turns of words, a good joke and an even better pun.I always thought God gave him me just to remind him that some people can not spell, thank you spellcheck, can't string a good thought together and must work with their hands.

Don't get me wrong, he was one of my biggest supporters when I decided to become a potter.

Last July we were hit by lighting and our work studio burned. Not one of our better years- 2008- "a walk in hell," I call it in my mind. But one we walked and now see the other side of.

It was tense, sad and hard. Most of all it was, Just plain hard.

But- this walk was in many ways easier then the one you walk when you lose a love one.

We loved our life and our building- but they were and have been replaced.We have begun to feel the pace of the potter's life returning.

I don't feel as if I am walking on broken glass. I feel as if we are returning to what we have done since 1982.

The pots have not made big changes they are pretty much the pots we have been making- but then again I am making the tiles and testing out glazes at cone 6 for the tiles and the big tile project to come. As Mark keeps saying as he is working, "It's like coming home."

Comfort- comfort in the shapes and comfort in the clay.

The biggest thing I added to my day is all the people whom I have met and read their blogs- I try to read you all and I follow your blogs some days until my computer yells, "no more---- go. to. work.!"

You were such a lifeline and still are.

My plan in my head is to someday go in person to see some of these potters- why not? What fun that would be to have tea with Linda Star, sit in Barbara's garden and talk about spiders.

Then I would be off to see Patricia Griffin.

Meet Cynthia Guajardo and see her remodeled house and life- coffee up at Micheal Kline's place.

A beer with Gary Rith at his favorite place. I would love to sit and watch Sofia and her Dad, Jim , create together. Then I would have to go see Cindy Shake who drips talent with everything she does.

Out to see Julia and meet her bees and Stan,who would rather keep the name Ruby.

I read the Seagrove blogs as well- don't think I am not checking in with you- just too many to mention here today.

Then there is the Women's Colony. I would go there to soak up some of the energy from the women who write and give me bites of their lives.

So- start here because this is your life.

My crib- or where I live- walking up the driveway.

Down to the old barn yard.















We are so spoiled- pinch me this is nice to look at!













Breakfast anyone?
























The driveway back to our house