Ms. B 2020

We had planned a firing for the small kiln a few weeks back and with everything that has come up we pushed it aside.
Last week pots were glazed.
 Thursday Mark fired.
Here are some pictures.

Sold

We will continue to keep in touch as we move along.
Please stay safe, hold your family tight, from afar.
I am missing mine today.

A taste of spring in winter

6x6, more like 61/4

 We did get over to unload the kiln the other day. It took some careful steps with ice on the ground. I am much more aware that I do not want either of us to take a spill.

I was overall happy with the tiles. I always see what I could have done better first. Then I have to tell myself to set it all aside and sleep on it, look with fresh eyes, note issues and move ahead.

I am guilty of taking a left on a sharp curve instead of staying straight on a path. I am always rethinking the background of the tiles. I jump back and forth and sometimes I just jump off the deep in and try something else. I don't want those areas to take over the tile just to add to or sit quietly in the back part of the design. 

6x6 more like 61/4

It is always a process.

I tucked this one in a frame because that is another thought that I have, framing some of the tiles.

I always come back from that just wondering if it is what I want to do.
I can make a tile and then let someone decide how they want it to be used, framed or not. I like both.
Still mulling this one...

When I am choosing color I will quickly go red. I like red, I like the pop of color. We are in the age of gray walls, red loves gray walls.
But, this yellow combination has grabbed me lately. Oh, I am smitten with the yellows and greens. They are bright and cheery.

8x8, plus

 True confession on the tile on the bottom, I think I got carried away by the dragonflies...too many?
 Or, not enough!?

We are still waiting to be safe from ice on the driveway and will be closed another day.
Thursday I head over to teach, let's melt this stuff today, please. I will leave it up to Mark to open tomorrow  while I am gone. We should be open on Friday and Saturday.
Put Seagrove on your list of places to visit. I would be happy to point you to places to stay, eat or have a drink.
Stop in!

Last week it was

 HOT!
It was so hot that all you want to do is move from one building to the other. You need a lot of water to drink, and there is not enough water that you can put on a plant to make it happy.
The flowers I planted  have gone from grand to miniatures. I have these tiny flowers instead of the large ones I planted.

 Then today we only reached the 80's. Thank you!

Mark has been making many mugs, beer mugs, coffee mugs, mugs, mugs and more mugs. Just in case there is a run on mugs we are ready.

 The end of he day picture.
We still maintain the habit of cleaning up before we walk out for the evening. It is the ritual of putting it all to bed. It also makes for a nice beginning to come in and have a clean space to work.
I spent one day last week cleaning the gallery. Dusting and rearranging the pottery, fluffing things up a bit.
It makes me feel better...
I don't have a lot to say this week, I am just trying to work while I have a few weeks off. I am working on more tiles while Mark is working pots.

Stop in, it's cool inside, we have a/c in the store.
We don't want folks running out the door because they are too hot to think.
How are things going in you neck of the world, hot, cold, just right...

This is how we shop for you

 We get an email or a message off fb with a request for an item. Last one was for a lamp for a new home.
Congratulations! You know who you are!

Then I get to go shopping.
I have my own weakness for Mark's lamps. I know I am married to the guy, and, in business with him, but in my book he makes some fabulous lamps.
I have written here before and sung the praises of what a beautiful lamp can do in your home.
I stand by that.
I love the ones we have and I love getting pictures of the ones Mark has made.
May times we are asked to custom make a lamp to a certain size.
Mark pretty much nails it within fractions of an inch.

I am very fond of this black and wood ash one to the right.

The shape is wonderful and the glazes work well with his handiwork.
Oh, but then there is the iron red as well.
Lush.

I can just see and hear the excitment when someone finds just the one they want.

 I also like the ones in the black and blue ash combination below.
Please ignore my price tags. I just leave them on when shooting for customers.

When all the deciding is over.
We pack, we ship, off they go to a new home.

 I'm still teaching. I dropped down to 2 days a week this semester to try and help more here. I have one more semester after that before I make a decision on staying past the end of spring. I still enjoy it. I still like the drive over and the drive home. I still feel conflicted in how best to use my time here.  Life is always a work in progress.

Cheers for the coming fall.
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

Kiln loading 101

 There are times that it is better for the folks that read us that I post pictures in a different order than I usually would. This time I started with the front stack of the kiln.
It will become apparent why when you see the last picture.
There was someone living in the kiln.
Which seems to happen now and again.
They see it as abandoned property.
We see it as, we are getting there, and, we are coming back.

 Middle  stack going in.

It seems that all we need to do lately is leave a room for 10 minutes or a kiln for 3-4 weeks and someone has moved in.
There are times that they bring in all their family and friends.

I have been trying to stay one step ahead of them with no success.

As we were loading the kiln yesterday a spider started building her web as soon as you stepped past the door.
Turn around and you stepped back into a web.
Hey! We're working here.....








More of the middle going in.
Almost lunch time.

 Back stack loaded up- you see those orders???

 

And here you go.

I know she wanted to help, but we parted company pretty quick.

Firing today.

Cool down Wednesday and Thursday.

Friday- the door comes down.

If you are taller than a mouse we would let you help.

M

The tall ones

 Mark has finished his throwing for the next firing with more tall lamps.
 I really like what he did with the neck of these.
 I thought it really finished off the look well.

As soon as these dry they are heading to the bisque kiln.

This kiln load will have at least 6 tall lamps in it. That means we will not need as many shelves to fill the kiln.
Instead of the usual 21 we might get by with 19.
My work for those shelves will start today when I pull out my planning board and see who makes the cut.

On another note the weather yesterday was a pleasant surprise for us. It never got beastly hot, then when afternoon storms rolled in, the wind picked up and brought with it a nice breeze with a bit of a drop in temperature.
It was a good night for sleeping with the windows open as the frogs sung us to sleep.

 I enjoy listening to the many sounds that are going on a night, free white noise for me.
I know that many people find the chorus to be a bit much, but, for me, it is like a lullaby.
I have an app on my kindle of night noise that I have used when I am off somewhere else trying to sleep. I was using it on my last trips off and then the next morning comes up an offer that asks me if I would like the potty app.
I had to laugh.
Not yet, I thought, I am good in that department.

The butterflies are crazy flying all over the place. I have been sitting out where I can just watch them.

We finally had a good tomato sandwich this week! I am using these!!! because it was so good!! They are very late this year and small but tasted so good!! Homemade bread with homegrown tomato and dukes mayonnaise. !!!!!!!!!!
I like to pluck some basil as I am walking over to the house and toss that on as well. !!!!

But- don't eat these!

Or these.

We also grilled eggplant and corn last night.
I love summer foods.
What about you?
Anything good coming from the garden?
We did our grilled veggies like small plates.
Eating one food at a time in order to savory how good it was.

Time to flit off to work and coffee.
Cheers,
M

What are you working on?

There are some pots moving through the studio.
Mark has taken a few orders for tall lamps.
This one is going to be sweet.

I have said this before, there is nothing that will pull a room together better than hand made lamps, there I said it again.

Mark has sent more tall lamps out the door this past year than any other year I can think of.

Maybe this is the year of the lamp.

There is the hole in the back for the wire to go through.

Here is the front view.

And, another tall lamp.
I think this one is not getting the treatment that the others are getting.
We will have work some  glaze magic  on this one.

And, this one must be in the witness protection program.

I'll have to check it out when it comes out of the bag.

There are other pots in the making.
Mark is making Tea Pots.
I am working up some SALT jars.
I just realized that I only have one left  in the store.

More pictures to come.

In case you are busy tomorrow, have a safe and happy 4th of July.
(with no rain..)

M

Me, do you want cake or cookies for your birthday?

Him, " I don't need a cake."

I think I can figure that one out.
There are a batch of cowboy cookies resting in the refrigerator for me to bake later.

On another note, we played tag with the weather while we figured out the best day to fire the kiln. I think we found it would be today even though it is his birthday. He was up, not at the crack of dawn, but somewhere around 1 am to start the kiln. I did not notice until I woke up cold and alone at 5 am.

The plan was to load part  of the kiln yesterday and then finish off today making it 2 easy days. Then as I was listening to the radio they talked about today being a good day weather wise with winds moving back in on Thursday. Time to crank it up and change the plan. We just kept up the pace and had the kiln loaded with the door bricked by 4:30.

 Here is the back stack waiting for the "crown pots" to be placed. This one was a 17 inch crown.

Today it is his birthday and although a person should get the day off on their birthday he has a witch of a boss and working it is.

To help him through the firing there will be cookies. What else could a person want???

A little bit of a close up shot of mugs and things.

Middle stack in and ready time for a break.

A closer look.
Wee teapots, fingers crossed that they come up and the top ash glaze does not run too much.

Me, " Oh! I forgot to take a picture of the front stack!"

Him, " Too late!"

Fire today, cool down Thursday, Friday, open on Saturday.

Come on over and  we will let you help.




Happy Birthday Cowboy!
XXOO,
M

Lamps

 When we were planning what we would make to fill out the kiln, and go with all the logo mugs,we realized that what the store really needed was a new crop of  lamps.
We make lamps off and on all year but find that the end of the year is a good time to get a nice group of lamps made and fired.

Mark made this round and if I do say so this is a bunch of nice lamps.

I was going to take some pictures of the lamps but you know how it is when you try to photograph lamps don't you?

There is the shade or no shade, light blub on or off.
No matter how you try I think that lamps look odd in most pictures.
I really feel that they really look their best in a place in your house, on a table, with a light on and a nice shade. ( Somehow the father in Father Knows Best is sitting in the chair, next to these lamps, smoking his pipe...but then I am telling my age. I mean who smokes any more? And if they do, who smokes in the house???)

 So instead of mucking them up with all the bells and whistles I found myself completely lost in the details of the lamps and thought I would share those with you.

When Mark was glazing the top lamp we discussed how he was going to glaze it and then he zoned out and brushed wax on an area that he was not going to wax.
He stepped back and said a 4 letter word and thought he had messed it up.
No, I thought this is going to work out even better.
His mistake, divine intervention, made this lamp all the better.
Look at those drips that would have gone somewhere else if the wax had not been there.
I would keep this lamp if I could.
She is yummy.
A tasty mistake.

 See.......

 I love the extra details that Mark adds to his work.
The stamp and that vine design that cuts around the pot.
Then top it all with some wood ash- Well heck -there you go.

Here is the whole crew.
I personally like the fact that they do not match and that you could use several of these as "pairs" and yet they have their own twist.

I still have my eye two of them.
The one to the right and the one to the left. Then again that one in the middle.

But- I have a feeling if I was to sneak one into the house someone might notice.


We are a week away from setting up for the local potter's show here in Seagrove.
I think some of these lamps will look great in the booth.

Cheers!
M