Breathing, working and a gift.

I am slowing figuring out where the few tools that I need to quick edit a picture are and I think I am finally working in only one program thanks to my tech guy.

Happening right now in the studio:

Mark is working on an order of pots that will be two groupings. The vases will finish at 22 inches, bottles to finished at 16 inches.   Nice...

Happening right now at the home front:
Tomorrow me and the guy will have been married for 40 years. Yes, I was a child bride.
On Sunday Mark presented me with a stunning and very sharp handmade knife made by our friend and fellow potter Tom Gray. Mark had slipped over there and taken Tom some Zebra wood that he had and Tom then made this for me.
It fits my hand perfect.
I was totally speechless, me, I know, does not happen often.
Thanks Love.

Mine is the one in the front. She is is very sharp! Contact Tom if you would like one.
Cheers!
M

You will be happy to know there was no dancing

The celebration went off with out a hitch- or at least it did for us.
Mark was nervous when the band walked in- Jazz band- to play at the Friday night Gala and I looked over and said, " Hey that was one of the guys in my dream."
Mark was sure to note the fire Exit when we walked back to our booth.
This year we were close to where we set up last year but in a smaller booth space.
We lucked out that even with our 10x10 we had a corner.
I am not sure we were fully able to take advantage of the corner but it worked out well.
The sisters rolled in to help and you want these two on your team.
Not only do they come out to help they bring food.
No street food for the weekend we feasted on homemade pimento cheese and chicken salad.
Right across from us were Bruce and Samantha from Bulldog Pottery.
This vase on the end of their display looked like an eggplant to me.
It was stunning.

 Around the corner from me were a couple of my friends and fellow bloggers- Tom Gray and Chris Luther.
I caught them talking- maybe fishing stories?
Things looked pretty intense!

I did not take many good pictures this go round- maybe the light where we were set up, maybe just me.
But I did get this picture of a shopper in Tom's booth.
I kinda liked it.

This plate is from Westmoore Pottery.
This is the first year they have come out to the show.
I stopped in to talk with Mary and chat with her.
We met in 1978 not long after she and her husband opened Westmoore Pottery.
We know each others kids and it is always nice to see who is doing what and how all the kids are doing.
They make some beautiful slip ware, but this plate really called to me.
It was done by one of their sons.

I never did get a shot of our booth that I liked....

All in all it was a good weekend-
Attendance was down by about 400 people from last year.
Could have been the beautiful weather.
Warm weather does not make you think about Christmas shopping.
Although many of the buyers at the show were ticking off their list.
And many confessed they came to buy Christmas gifts but were buying for themselves.

Monday is a new day and after I get the shop back together I plan to get back to some clay work....
Cheers!
M

Tom Gray and Tom Starland

As I was saying.... this week has been full of fits and starts and yesterday was no exception.
We were lucky and just had rain yesterday, no ice and no snow.
But I tell you me- it is soggy wet out there.
A bit like walking on pudding.

It has made our trips across the yard an adventure.
First the snow, then the ice/snow followed by the mud and slush and now the soggy mess of just wet oversaturated ground.

Red pudding.

But we did get some work done.
I did not get anything posted up for Mr. Kline's challenge.
I though I would but yesterday I did not even make it down to the basement where my computer lives.

After lunch yesterday we had a nice surprise visit with Tom Starland from Carolina Arts Unleashed.
Tom writes about the arts in the Carolinas and has done a great job of keeping us all up on what is going on in the art scene.
Tom also has a great way of speaking his mind.
Yesterday was a treat to just take some time and chat.
He one of those people you wished lived closer.

The day before that Tom Gray stopped over to pick up potatoes.
We have a veggie delivery here once a week and we are down to the last of the stored potatoes, Yukon gold, that were dug last spring.
Eat them up or lose them so our farmer friends were here to distribute.

Tom stayed and we chatted away before they came.
It is always fun to talk to Tom.
He spent time in the area Mark and I grew up.
Nothing short of parallel lives because we are very close to the same age.
So we were playing the name game- what was the name of the drive-in on...
Where was ... located?
Did you ever go to?

Before Tom left I asked him how long he has been writing on his blog.
He wasn't quite sure and I thought it was at least 6-7 years.
Turns out, after he looked it up, he started his blog in May 2001.

That is quite a while in the blog world.
I had asked his about his thoughts on blogging and he sent me this response.


"When the graphical World Wide Web began, the only people who knew their way around it were the geeks and the prop heads. If you wanted a Web presence you had to be one of the former, or hire them to build and upload your Web site for you. Within a couple of years tools were developed that allowed anyone with enough time and curiosity the ability to build their own sites. When the graphic artists became involved, the “look” became much more slick, more professional, and even began to compete with print. Today, with programs like blogger, wordpress and typepad, anyone with a computer, digital camera, and the desire to share their lives with others can do so very easily and very quickly. A blog page, blog being short for Web log, can be set up in a matter of minutes, and you can be publishing immediately."

I know there are so many different stories out there.
The community of potters who are out there writting all blog for different reasons.
What's yours?

PS- above is one of those tools we use all the time.
Not for throwing but for clean up- simple, yet, useful.
The handle is about 5'9".