Digging through the winter months

 I'm guilty.
There I said it.
Of mentally hiding away this past winter. It was cold, messy and the perfect excuse to not be present in all things.
I was able to get the tile order out and done, work my day at the school and show up for family functions, but I am avoiding many things that help us function in the pottery.
I am tossing many things through the brain but is too easy not to implement the actions.
There is and are many distractions that take our attention away.
I thought the other day that our business was stronger before 

 we had a website, before we all had easy access to the WWW.....before FB, and all the other things I have not joined.
Before that we use to pack a bag, toss the kids in the car and go explore a place.
Yes, drive there rather than look on goggle earth, FB, or pin it to a board.
It does make me wonder how this last chapter will play out for us.
We love the creating, don't want to do an on line shop, it is a job that I don't want to take on.
I would rather be here creating, and greeting you as you drive up to find us.


For now, we will be here, it is up to you to come and find us.
It's good for the soul to step out and explore the world around you.

We are small, but we are mighty.
m

The man behind the lamps

Mark should be known as the reclusive potter.
His reluctance to be in the spot light has always been very clear between us.
Some potters seem to need a big light shinning on them at all times, as if that is more of the focus than the work.
 We would rather have the pottery speak out.
We are now at an age when we just enjoy the process of making and selling but don't need a spotlight to hit us.
I am always impressed by the many potters I meet that just have a need to create.
I married one of those.
So when I had the camera out yesterday I asked that he just work and let me take some pictures.
And, that is what we did.
Mark working on lamps:

 Thanks,
M

Front

Later-------M

Good grief

And Mark said to me, "you are not taking more pictures of me are you"?

No, I said......

I am such a liar....



On another note I wanted to know what others folks do with their "spare"  time, not that I am checking on on you or anything. I always thought since I played in clay all day that was enough to keep the mind busy and hands and back, but lately I have been sewing. I have a room upstairs that I finally set up to sew in. Call ahead if you need the bed I have it covered right now.
I am enjoying the different fabrics and for now I am working out this one bag. I figure if I can get that down I might move on to a bigger one. They are fun with a quilt like piece on the front and fully lined. They are suppose to be a make-up bag, but I have found that folks are using them for different purposes.
Right now I am playing with adding rings and I have plans for a new strap..

The other night I figured out that I should call these my good grief bags.
Grief has a funny way of working out of the body and this has worked for me.
It is better than bags of cookies, which is where I was heading.
I just mailed one to a friend who is going through Cancer treatments in hope that she can fill it with a few things to take along with her on treatment days. I used a fabric with a lot of images of  that could take your mind away...like I said, "good grief...."

Happy Saturday,
M

The end of the season and moving into December

Living here in the greater Seagrove area has always been a bit of a different season for us. Where retail stores add more employees for the extra shopping we are at the point of planning for the spring. We have a full store for our December shoppers and there is really not enough weeks to fire a big kiln load. We do plan on getting out a firing on the small one, who will get a name as soon as she settles her self down. For now we shall refer to her as Wild Child.
This brings me back to thinking about December.
It is a good time for us to wind down and reevaluate the past year.
What worked.
What did not work.
What are our plans as we go into 2012?
This will be our 30 year anniversary in October and you would think after 30 years we would have this down.
But, customers change, tatse change, situations change, clay bodies change, chemicals change.
We are going into December with some new relationships for the next year and what we hope is a plan that will keep us both in the pottery this year.
Last year, truth be told, Mark worked 4 days a week elsewhere through June.
It is hard to take a two person operation and then send one person off to work some where else and then ask that said person to produce at the level he usually does.
I know many of you are gearing for the Holidays but in my mind I always hear one of the older potters who use to say, "if don't have it made by August then it's too late..."
August mind you.
But in many ways he is right in that a person should take the slow months to grind away and stock pile some work.
This year that is the plan.
That is the plan if the universe allows us a year without as many interruptions as we have had the past 3 years.
We are going to go for it.
We are pretending that all is going to work its way out and we are going to be able to keep ourselves working and paying the bills.
I am still thinking no shows as I want the studio here to be full of pots for customers.
And if the new things work out that just might cover the cost of the time it takes to go away for shows.
The other day I thought one should never have their eggs in one basket, how true.
So I am separating the eggs into 4-5 baskets.
Let's see how that works.

While we were in Va. I was walking around my mother's house.
My parents were great supports of the arts.
I snapped a few pictures.

The vase on the left and pitcher- early Whynot

above the microwave-back left Jugtown, front left Tom Gray- the rest Mark and the small one mine.

The down stairs bathroom with a mural down my Lee

The only painting that I know of that my father did- I studied this while I was there. As a kid I found this very scary and now I wish I could ask he about it....

  So off for some breakfast and a list of pots to be made.
Cheers,
M

That was so yesterday

I spent today helping my dentist buy a new car,TV or at least have some good money to take a trip somewhere. I thought that was very kind of me.
When I got back from my worthy trip I noticed that Mark had been working hard to help pay for that new item that my dentist will be enjoying.
I did not get to watch him carve these two pretties but I hope they will find good homes after they are through the gas kiln.

I admit I was sitting in the dentist chair playing the cost game

This tooth will cost blank vases, or blank teapots, or blank......
The joys of the self employed.
I remember the first time the light went off in my head when I realized that selling pots meant paying bills.
This was no hobby for us but a reality.
Blank=shoes for two kids.
Blank=food on the table.
Blank= electricity,insurance,phone......

So here are the blanks for tomorrow.

I am digging this jug!

Best get my own work done tomorrow and help pay the bills.
Cheers!
M