April is coming right up!

Every year we buy a calendar for the studio.
This year I found this wonderful calendar with sealife pictures.
Today I was debating if I wanted to tear off the picture for March or leave it.
It has a wonderful fish with the most beautiful yellows and soft blues.
It makes me want to develop a glaze around it.
Then when I popped open the page for April and saw this starfish and it was love at first site.
Oh my gosh!- look at the color of that red and then all the interesting patterns with the whilte.
Wouldn't this look great on something!
I think I will be drinking this picture in for the month of April.
I would love to develop this glaze as well.
Now laugh- because I know how busy the next month will be.

We made short work of unpacking from the Hickory show.
We knew we would have a short window to throw and glaze before the Spring kiln opening here in Seagrove.
We along with 48 other potters from our area have banded together to hold what will be a gallery/kiln opening crawl.
Here, at our shop in Whynot. we have invited a soap maker Laurie Abela of Abela Soaps to join us.
Laurie is a good friend, massage therapist, gardener and nurse.
Laurie will be here with her soaps.
I have used many homemade soaps over the years, but I am sold on hers.
They are my favorite.
And her bathmelts....oh, take a night with a hot bath and throw one of these in.
Yummy is all I can think!

Also joining us will be our good friend Anne Raven Jorgensen of Raven Pottery.
Anne lived in the Seagrove area for about 15 years before moving to Southern Pines.
She lives only 45 minutes down the road but just far enough we have to make plans to see one another.
Anne makes fun and wonderful pots.

Last but not least is our friend Laura Weant Avery of Snowhill Tiles.
Laura also lived in Seagrove for a number of years and recently moved away.
She will join us bringing her tiles and jewlery.
Laura's tiles have always inspired me.
I took a workshop from her several yeras ago.
She was so forth coming and sharing with her knowledge.

We are excited to have these folks join us I am calling it "Mud and Suds in the Yard".
I thought it fitting after the wet, wintry messy winter we all had.
And then our wet rain we had last week.
Mud!
 We will Mud in all shapes and form.
Now, can we all think positive for some weeks of sunshine and dry weather.
Plan a- we sent up tents.
Plan b- we set up in our work studio.
Whatever happens we will work out a way to get everyone set up.
We are planning refreshments and a door prize or two.

Yesterday I started on teapots and butter dishes while Mark made those "crown" pots.
So this week is throwing week.
Next week is glaze and with fingers crossed we will have a great kiln load of pots to unload for the weekend of the 17th-18th.
Should be fun, so come out and see us.
We will be open Saturday from 9-5
And Sunday from 10-4

Sunday Evening

I should have..
I should have taken more pictures.

We are back from the show.
It was down as far as the numbers of folks coming to the show.
I wonder if the beautiful spring day was just too good to pass up.
I imagine that many folks wanted to spend time outside.

We sold some pots, talked to some our favorite customers, enjoyed some time with fellow potter friends, that we don't see often enough, and added some new potter friends to our list.
Shows can be about making connections with potters as well as customers.
And it was great to have a few drinks and a good laugh or two... okay maybe three.

We made our trip home before the rain.
I am sitting here listening to the weather folks talk about tornados in our area.
Sounds like some areas are getting hit with heavy rain, hail and wind.
I had better shut down and see if there is any thing that need to be done.
Over and out.

KISS

Here is the last set of tiles; framed, grouted and ready to pack up for a trip to Hickory.
I look at this set and think how wonderfully simple this design is.
While I am all over the place bold and loud, here you see some well placed lines.
Makes me think KISS.
Keep It Simple Stupid.
Very well done Mark.
I hope it finds a happy home.

Framing tiles

Back in the days before the studio fire when I was first playing with clay bodies for tiles I made a few tiles to be framed.
These tiles were made so I could work out Clay bodies, glazes and firing temperatures.
Since this one was made I have moved into different galzes.
It is interesting tto see what I was working with two years ago and what I am working with now.
They tiles survived the studio fire and were boxed away.
Every once in awhile I would dig them out and play with them.
How to mount, how to frame.
Well the better half tells me if I buy him the right tool for the nailing the frames together he will make frames for me.
It was a done deal.
So we have taken the tiles, fastened them down on backer board, framed them with walnut and then grouted them.
This is all new to me and it was enjoyable to learn the process.
Also painless for me on the farms.
We have a cabinet shop close by who lets us buy some wood from them now and again.
The walnut, Mark's choice, was a good pick I think.
The frames have turned out very nice and done wonders for the tiles.

I have in mind to put a few more together while I am working on the back splash.
I figure there will be times while things are drying that I can put together some sets.
I am having a hard time letting go of the oak leaves, but then again I do love it when someone comes along and has just the right place for something.

Today we will drag out the show stuff and start packing for Hickory.
Packing for a show is an art form of its own.
Last time we had everything packed and got all the way there to find we have left out the covers for the tables.
There went any extra time we factor in.
We went in search of fabric.
Lucky us we found a fabric store and with some  help from a clerk we were able to find material and get out of there for around 45.00.

Beverly will be here keeping the store here open while we are off in Hickory.
We are both looking forward to some time out and connecting with customers.

Now- where is did I store the table covers.....

Gary- DON"T LOOK!

Thanks for the birthday wishes for Mark.
He had a nice birthday with visits  from my sister and her husband and a week-end visit with our son and his wife.
Mark was able to spend some father/son time out on the pond.
The report was many fish were caught.
And even though there was no pie- he ate his share of brownies!
But since the word is out I guess there will be a pie one day soon.
Now who is coming over to have a slice?

While sitting outside and taking in the most wonderful, sunny first day of spring my BIL, John, spotted our first crawling visitor. This black snake was out sunning himself in the boxwood bushes.
Of course Mark and I ran for camers.
He was not happy to have us right there and the tounge would flick out very often.
I tried to get a shot of that flicking tounge and he would pull it in just as I would shot!
He finally got tired of our company and took off.
Which was good because my sister was coming out and she is not a fan of snakes.
I don't mind them as long as they live outside and don't come in to see us..........

One more kiln to fire tomorrow and the packing starts for our treck off to The Catawba Valley Festival in Hickory NC.

Spring

It is 74 here today.
Spring is here and tomorrow is the first day of spring.
And- it is Mark's birthday!
So a shout out to Mark- Happy Birthday!
(sorry there is no pie-maybe next week....)

 I have been after my sister, Lee, the one I am doing the tile mural with, to start making some tiles of her own.
The Sunday after we unloaded the kiln she came out with some patterns from her 28 days of giraffes.
She drew a giraffe a day and sent them off the the website for one million giraffes.com
So go over and check out the tiles!
I can't wait to see them finished up.
So Happy Spring.
We have some family coming to help Mark adjust to another birthday.

Red, green , and six degrees

So my sister emails me a few weeks back to tell me that her nephew, who is in college and is studying glass blowing of all things, was invited by one of the guys who works at Wet Dog Glass over in Star to come and spend his spring break with him.
Nick, who makes some beautiful glass shapes is giving my sister's nephew a great opportunity to work with him by giving him some one on one instruction.

Yesterday Mark and I had to go see Takuro about ordering the clay for the tile project.
While we were there we had to drop in and meet the nephew. There was no mistaking who he was. He looks so much like my sister's husbands family.
We chatted a bit and then played the 3rd degrees of seperation.
He is related to my sister, he got here because he knows somebody who knows somebody.
Small world this art world is.
And it was great to watch the guys making some glass.
It was also great to watch the giving back, the time someone takes to teach someone the tricks of the trade.

Today I finally had a minute to glue some backs on earrings.
These are the fillers I put in the kiln when I am firing  tiles.
There are buttons there as well- but I can tell you a person has to be crazy as a bed bug to make buttons.
These drove me to the brink.
I am not sure I will ever do them again.
So button, button, who needs some buttons???

Sunday morning we enjoyed some time with my mother by inviting over some friends of my sister, our daughter , son-in-law and then us of course. I cooked up some lunch, just like we southerns like to do.
Sunday "dinner" at Ma Ma's house.
While there were about a dozen of us running around and visiting , cooking and eating, the cat, Penny, just climbed into a bag over near my mothers chair and went to sleep. In fact she slept there the whole time.
I just had to share the cat in the bag:

 She looks to have one eye open, but believe me, you, she is sound asleep.

Then to continue with all the red and green going on right now we had a yummy red sky yesterday that Mark grabbed the camera to catch.

 It seems my life is filled with red and greens right now.
Then again I did see some daffodils finally come out!
Yellow, it will be nice to add another color.

and Green

We took a ride off to the old home town to visit the Mothers and go to a baby shower for our daughter.
Baby girl Green will be here in about 10 weeks now.
We are all excited to have her join our crazy, wondeful family and to watch as her parents raise her.
We are back at home and today I will work on tile's for the backsplash while Mark picks up clay for throwing, turnning, making pots!
More later!

Seeing Red

 


Just a two of the tiles from the last load.
I really like this red and yellow combination.
The large of the two is a tile I had made back before the fire.
It is graggy crunch from Highwater Clays. The heavy grog made it more difficult to carve, but I like the way the glazes worked on the clay body.
The Patina background came out with more green.
On the Red stone I get more yellow.
It is a good possibility it comes from the iron in the clay body.
Baby Shower this weekend for our daughter.
The weeks are going by fast--- In about 10 more weeks baby Green should be here!

Jars

If you have been here before you will have noticed the two items I like to make the most.
Bottles and Jars.
Oh, you are good and you did notice.
I am working on some small salt jars with those lids I love to play with.
I have more time than I realistically should in these lids to the jars, but I like that they can all be so different.


These are being made with a white clay body.
I am a die hard stoneware potter, but I do enjoy some white stoneware now and again.
It is a nice change.

I Thought I would also take you on a walk through one of my closed jars.
This is my homage to Martha Stewart.
Years ago, before the jail time, I watched her take an acorn squash and cut it up, scoop it out and use it for dip.
A thought formed in my brain to make a small pot which would not rot but serve the same purpose.
So I took about 1 1/4 pound of clay and threw, turnned, made a small pot on the wheel.
I wanted it to have a pumpkin look so I closed it up, leaving a bit of clay on the top and pulled a stem.
Mark walks in and was taken back.
Are you making miniature pumpkins?
Go away, I sweetly, growled at him.
I push the sides in a bit and then let them set up.

 The next day I draw a place where I will cut the lid.

I then stamp my design on the pot.
note: if you cut the lid first you will stick the lid back on to the bottom part as you stamp the top- 

After it is all stamped I cut the lid off.

Next - clean up all the edges and fit the lid back on the pot, cover and let dry slow.

And there you go.
A wee little jar for anything your heart desires.

How do you say, Thank You?

I am sitting here printing shipping labels for pots that I am shipping out.
We had a few orders in this kiln and that means some packing and shipping.
A few years back Mark made a simple card that we can print off the computer.
It simply says :
We would like to thank you for Shopping with us at Whynot Pottery.
We hope that you will enjoy the pottery that you purchased for years to come.
Please visit us again when you are in Whynot.
Mark and Meredith.

We change the card to use when customers buy a gift so that it can be dropped into the box and the receiver will  know who the gift is from and where it was made.
The check list for the shipping box is:
Pottery, insurance form, business card, and thank you card.
So simple, yet ,I hope- a touch folks remember.

Two tiles from the last electric kiln.

Pots from the gas kiln

 

  

  

  

  

Long day- no words just pots......

Clay and Blogs: Telling a Story

Arts Council of Moore County

Campbell House Gallery

482 East Connecticut Ave.

Southern Pines NC, 28388

Show opens October 1st

reception from 6 to 8 pm

Exhibition through the end of the month.

On line gallery to open October 2, 2010

50 Potters, 45 Blogs.

A Community of Potters

Connecting, Supporting  and Communicating on line.

Alex Solla and Nancy Solla Angela Walford
Annie Singletary
Barbara Edwards
Blanie Avery
Brandon Phillips
Bruce Gholson  & Samantha Henneke
Carole Epp
Chris Luther
Cindy Shake
Dan Finnegan
Doug Fitch
Emily Murphy
Gary Rith
Hannah McAndrew
Hitomi Shibata &Takuro Shibata
Hollis Engley
Jeff Martin
Jennifer Mecca
Jim Gottuso
Joe Cole & Christy Cole
Joy Tanner
Judi Tavill
Judy Shreve
Julia Wilkins
Kari Weaver Hopkins
Kitty Shepherd
Kyle Carpenter
Linda Starr
Mark& Meredith Heywood
Meagan Chaney
Mel Robson
Michael Kline
Michael Mahan
Patricia Griffin
Paul Jessop
Peter Gregory
Po-Wen Liu
Pru Morrison
Renee Margocee
Ron Philbeck
Tim Ayers
Tom Gray
Tracey Broome
Zygote Blum

Well- what the hey!????

Does anyone out there know beans about facebook?
We were working on our Facebook page for Whynot Pottery when it just disappeared.
POOF! It is gone- nowhere to be found.
We are building  a new page so what the hey- come find us once again and become a fan!
I mean it was so much fun the first time come on back- just one click will do it!
I will post up a link for the new page asap- go fan us we are hot!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/?ref=asf#!/pages/Whynot-Pottery/338978337125

Monday firing

On a windy Sunday afternoon we finished loading the kiln and bricked up the door. We were both a bit concerned over the wind and hoped that the weather predictions for Monday would hold.
It did yesterday was a  a balmy 54 degrees with low winds. A good day to fire the kiln

Mark was up and out to light the kiln in the wee hours of the morning. He usually does the gas firing. There was a point in our pottery relationship where we decided it was better for one person who knew the kiln best to do the firing.
With the new smaller kiln I hope to go back to taking care of some of the gas fires myself.

I snapped a picture of the kiln just under 2,000 degrees.





 











And one of the burners Mark made back in the day. He has replaced the fans once in the 24 years of the life of the kiln, I asked him how to set the air one time and he said he does it by sound. This was where I figured since I could not wear his ears it would be best for him to fire.

 

Cool down day one today and lot's of things to get done.

I will be loading a kiln with tiles to fire tomorrow .

And the word today is wintery mix.

Just rolls off the tongue.