Salt Jars

I needed a break from the tiles and we needed to fill the kiln up for a firing so I threw myself into some clay work this past week. It seems that no matter how hard I try I have not forgotten how to throw a pot.
I was working with one of the students this past week making closed forms, it made me think I need to make some of those myself.
So I did.
Wrapped up until tomorrow when I need to go back and write SALT on them.
Short and Sweet.
M

Just another day in the studio

 It's the end of the day, mud has been tossed at the wheel, pots have been made.
Time to put our feet up and plan out tomorrow.
I hope you get to do the same.

stage two of the lamps and the witness protection service

Just after I was out shooting pictures of the lamps Mark was in behind me to carve them.
Lovely, they will make great lamps for someone and stay tune for the final stages of bisque and glaze.
These needed handles, so I was told.
Makes me think they are in the pottery protection service.
Name, rank and serial number please.
Or hats- maybe they just need a hat.

I have spent a few days on glaze...........................................mind numbing at times and frustrating at times and then all the sudden done!

I have my small electric kiln working away today with tiles, butter trays, tea caddies and odd vases.

In early May I had an email from a friend and fellow potter of Hollis out in Cape Cod.
Gail Turner of Millstone Pottery would be traveling to North Carolina to visit her friend Lee and they would spend a day in Seagrove visiting the area potters and would love to come by.
We had a terrific visit and talk came easy for us all.
I felt I had known Gail, Lee and her husband ( who was kind enough to come along!) all my life- you know the feeling.
I had this when I met Hollis, Dan, Hannah, Angela and Tracey as well.
Some where on another planet in a place far away we have been connected before.
Is it the clay?
Or is it that common language that we all have with the work we do?
Mark and I have been very lucky to have met many potters from all over the USA and the world and we find we do have that common language even if we do not all speak the same language.
It makes me feel we are some how all related like one big disjointed family living all over the planet.
We plan to continue this journey of pottery and hope to one day soon show up in Cape Cod and follow the pottery trail they have up there.
Gail was kind enough to leave me with a book and map that both Mark and I have been reading over- road trip going through our heads- how quick can you pack a bag I think....
I have a few things to take care of but I do think a trip to the Cod needs to be on my list.
After all now that I have "family' there how can they turn me away?!
Whoops- time to check on the kiln!
M

Friday Flowers

The kiln is cooling and I have started planning a gas load.
From the frying pan into the fire- gas to electric.
Electric it is a push of the button and gas it is pushing all the buttons.

Several of the potters went in together and bought me this Orchid.
She is elegant and lovely reminds me of Lee with her long lines and beauty.
I hope to be able to keep her around.

This peach tree volunteer is bloomimng.
She grows where I once had a compost pile- seems she hung in there and we have watched her grow.
I always wondered why we never see any fruit until last year as we watched one squirrel after another come and "help" us harvest.

My house is hard on plants.
I live on 100 ac farm and usually all I can get to bloom in the house are African Violets.
They were made for me.
They love to be ignored and really work best when left to dry.
They are forgiving and continue to bloom in spite of me
My kind of flowers.

So fingers crossed for the electric fire and hope for the next gas one as I am mixing things up.
I have planned a bottom shelf of 8 inches to see if we can get that heat down there.
Cheers!
M

uneedakiln

Mark and I are clearing out space for the new kiln and are selling the three kilns we have been using mostly for bisque over the past, who knows, years.
We have 2 10 cubic foot kilns- selling price 800.00 for both no furniture.
Here are the specs:
28-27 H    cone 10
240V
11520watts
single phase
kiln sitter with timer
5 switches

28-27H the same as above
no inter connectors
single box houses switches-sitter and timer
6 switches

Last one-
23-27H cone 10
240V single Phase
10800 watts 45 amp
sitter and timer
extra floor or lid
3-3way switches
4 full round shelves- 300.00

Contact us if you are interested an any of the above.
info@whynotpottery.com
Or stop in for a real look and bring your pick-up truck!
M

Buying a Kiln and opening at the NCPC

In February of this past year I posted questions about buying a new electric kiln.
I had a lot of good advice from good peole.
There is nothing like hearing straight form the source about buying a kiln.
We are back at that point now.
Having gone through the year nursing along our aging kiln- one more fire baby , just one more.
Its like an aging horse or animal come on one more breath or hill and we can let you rest.
Well, now I am back reading  the suggestions and narrowing down the choice.
I am looking at buying an L&L, we like the small one we bought for tiles 2 years back.
Now it is size and model.
I really don't want a kiln that is too big, nor do I want one that is too small.
I want one that is just right.
Hey- there is a fairy tale in here somewhere!
So here are my choices:
JD2927
or
e28t3 10.2 cubic feet- so far this one is top on the list.
Anybody have any good solid reasons to go with something else?
Now I am comparing prices- sales and free shipping are my plan.
I have also looked at used kilns but seems I have some of those and I am making plans on how best to use those.
Maybe a little wood kiln or soda kiln with the leftovers.
There are plenty of ways to use them I just need some motivation and a good back.

There are several kiln openings in the area today if you are out and about in Seagrove.
We are open our usual hours 9-5.
This afternoon is an opening for a really GREAT show at the NCPC.
This show is done from the prospective of a collector.
I was able to see pots yesterday that I only dream of.
Good grief there was a Webster there that was just wonderful.
And close to that a salt glaze Jug that I am going back for another look and pictures.
Since I was with a group I did not get to read the tags.
There were pots calling my name from all directions.
I find that I am still drawn to those old shapes from those old kilns- salt drips and kisses.
Oh, they need to have a touch day up there and let potters come in and hold these pots.
Now that would be the ticket.
Yum!
From the NCPC website:

This exhibit will explore North Carolina pottery through pieces selected by seven North Carolina collectors.  The collectors in this series are Monty Busick, Steve Compton, Bragg Cox, Leon Danielson, Joe Foster, George Hoffman and Joe Wilkinson. This exhibit presents an interesting perspective on North Carolina pottery. This is the first of the Collector’s Eye series that will begin the visual journey around the state through the collector’s eyes.

Monty Busick, an educator for 37 years and currently a consultant for Wake County Schools, is the current president of the NC Pottery Collectors’ Guild. His collection is from the Seagrove and Pittsboro areas, focusing on Mark Hewitt’s apprentice’s work.

Leon Danielson, an Economics Educator at NC State in Raleigh, and wife Sue moved to NC in 1972. They collect NC art and utilitarian pottery generally with emphasis on Hilton Pottery from the Catawba Valley. Their collection of Tobacco Road Pottery is remarkable; they established this business with a partner in 1979 utilizing the turning skills of C.B. Craven and the artistic talents of Ernestine Hilton Sigmon.

Joe Wilkinson, an Antique and Fine Arts dealer from Spring Hope, worked summers in the early 1970’s with Dot and Walter Auman at Seagrove Pottery, developing a concentrated interest in pottery. Joe collects Transition Period Pottery 1916-1930 and utilitarian pottery being transformed by Arts and Crafts influences.

Steve Compton was first introduced to North Carolina’s pottery traditions in the mid 1970’s while on assignment as a photographer for the Mebane Enterprise-Journal. Steve collects 18th to 19th century earthenware, utilitarian salt-glazed and alkaline-glazed stoneware, and early to mid-20th century art pottery. Steve is currently District Superintendent for the North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church.

Bragg Cox, a North Carolina native, has collected NC Pottery for twelve years; he collects early utilitarian, transitional, art and figurals from North Carolina and focuses on pieces with exceptional glazes, decoration and form. Bragg also collects Southern decorative arts including folk art.

Joe Foster is a self taught potter, having begun as a pottery collector. He began working for Archie Teague around his shop in the 1990’s where he learned a great deal. When Archie died suddenly in 1998 Joe found himself with the increased responsibility for the day to day operations of the shop.

George Hoffman, originally from Delaware, Ohio has been collecting pottery for twenty five years. He began collecting North Carolina Pots when he was traveling down Hwy 220 from Ohio and stopped in Seagrove at Seagrove Pottery on his way to Seven Lakes. He collects early Jugtown, early Ben Owen III, Billy Ray Hussey, and candlesticks.

The opening reception is Saturday, December 4, from 3:30-5:30 and is being sponsored by The North Carolina Pottery Collectors’ Guild, Raleigh, NC. The Reception is free and open to the public.  The exhibit will be open November 23, 2010 through February 12, 2011.

Exhibitions are made possible through the generosity of our membership, the Mary and Elliott Wood Foundation and the Goodnight Educational Foundation. This project was supported by the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Pack a bag, your warm clothes and walking shoes and come on out!
M

PS- There is the opening for the Green Hill show tonight- so much to do!
I think I need a nap!

Just working, because that is what we do.

Thank  you to all the folks who posted advice about buying a new kiln.

We have made the decision to buy a new kiln this year, just not right away.
We put it on the high priority list of things that need to happen.
Mark did tighten up some connections on the kiln and it just worked like a charm today.
In fact we had to hold it back it was going too fast.

But an 8- 10 hour bisque is better than the 18 hour one.

We were cooking today.

Good thing since we are hearing news about more weather coming our direction.

This week has been a lot of start and go, interruptions to our flow.

I always get up on Mondays with my list of goals for the week.
I think this week I will reach a small part of those.

With the bisque chugging along and an unexpected trip to the doctor, that I am happy to report was nothing major, we did get back to turning some pots.

I have mugs made and covered for handles tomorrow.

Plates, one batch trimmed and more made.

Then I started a round of small jars.

Mark has vases in the works and bowls.

Some days the slap of the clay on the wheel head sounds like music to the ears.

I hope tomorrow’s weather comes and goes quickly.

I could you a whole hunk of sunshine!

Thoughts about electric kilns

In case you were wondering what we look like.

Yesterday we did make it out to the studio.
 There were pots to be made and that pesky electric kiln to fix.
It turned out to be two lose connections.
Mark had lent our kiln repair box of connectors and such to a fellow potter up the raod.

With ice on both ends of the quarter mile driveway it was to tricky to have him drive in or Mark drive out.
So Mark walked out to meet him while I finished up some plates.

Later, we both spent some time looking over new electric kilns on line.
Wishful thinking.
They are not that expensive when you look at the whole picture.
Yet, in February it is not wise to spend 2 to 3 thousand dollars.
I was happy to have the fix it guy fix this one yet again.
We have bought 4 electric kilns since 1982.
We sold the first one off years ago.
The second one has been running like a top with only one change of elements, but it is 7 cubic feet and runs a bit slow now.We figure this kiln to be at least 25 years old.

The other two, one of which is the one with age problems, has been a good sound reliable kiln.
No computers, just a kiln sitter, which we now bypass.
We have replaced the kiln sitter 3 times on this kiln.
It has issues on when it likes to pop off.
So one day I thought I would just use the pyrometer and forgo any cones.
We have done that ever since.
But this does mean a lot of back and forth checking the kiln as it gets close to target temperture.

We did buy a short round electric computer kiln for the tiles.
Punch in the numbers and leave it alone.
So here is the thoughts and weight in on this.
Keep in mind we are only useing these kilns for bisque .

Do we buy, sometime this year, a programmable kiln?
Or just stick with a cone sitter style?
Any thoughts?
Any pros and cons?
Some better then others?
What about repair cost if something goes wrong.


And Tracey- there might be an old kiln in your future to turn into a Raku kiln after we get this all figured out.

Oh, yes it did!

Yes, it snowed and the tempertures are dropping.
 It was 24.4 at noon.
It is now 23 degrees....

We did go out and take a walk up the drive.
It looks like we could be stuck for several days.
The drive will soon become ice and that does not give us much chance of driving out anytime soon.


This is the disadvantage of a 1/4 mile driveway with shade on both ends.

Great in the summer- stinks in this weather.

So a few winter pictures.

And when we thaw, an electric klin to tinker with.

What should have been quick bisque yesterday turned into 18 hour bisque.

I think it just might be time to replace this kiln.

Do you really get more then 24 years out of one

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Shhhhh- I am suppose to be doing the taxes!

Tiles and such

Tiles are in all stages of dry right now.
Allison's tiles are glazed and just waiting for Mark and me to finish up ours so we can fire.
I have done some of the pillow pots, from the nightgown series.
I was inspired by a nightgown which was hanging in my bathroom.
It is electric blue with these wild flowers all over it.
The flower got stuck in my head and needed to go somewhere.
They decided to come out on tiles and these pots to hang on the wall.
People keep asking what they are for.
I tell them just to look at- they have no use.
I think you need some pots that have no real purpose.
Just to add that splash to a room.
Mark had someone ask that other day and his response was, "to make you happy."
Nice- something to brighten the day.

While I am carving on my tiles Mark has picked up the brushes.
He had planned to carve the tiles below, but after laying down some red slip on the white clay body this is what came out.
How could you not like this?
It made me smile and think of how different we approach the tiles.
Me, I am all over them covering and carving.
I have plans for bright glaze.
Mark he takes his brush and with some well placed strokes......
Well- these tiles should make someone happy.


Allison's.......just waiting

I'll post some of the tiles finished but it is December.

Things move a lot slower here then other months.

A note on the white clay.

Linda Starr, the soon to be traveling potter, living in an RV and getting ready to hit the blue highways and visit potters all over the USA, asked about colors on the two clay bodies.

The glaze colors are completely different.

The iron in the red body adds color to the glazes, where the white body does not interfere with the true color of the glaze.

For different reasons I like both.

I will do some side by sides of the colors after I fire again.

I told you it's December- things slow to a crawl in December.

Visions of sugarplums and all that stuff.

Cheers!

Is production a dirty word?

In the past few weeks I have had a mind snap.

Snap! I could feel it.

My mind clicked out of the stress of last year and begun to simmer or settle down enough to throw pots again.

I was having trouble staying at the wheel and I believe it was just all the stress of last year's fire and other things as well.....

Then one day- snap it was if I could really think again.

And since then I have been in the mode of making pots.

On the wheel and off.

I try to throw in the mornings and after lunch.

Then I switch over to the slab roller to roll out clay for tray's and bread bowls.

It seems to be working for me.

So here is some of last weeks work.

Mark was on vases, casseroles,large spoon crocks and mugs.

I was on tumblers, jars, cruets, small crocks, trays and bread bowls.

This week I will add in some time for loading up the bisque kiln and getting pots through for another glaze firing.

So about production.

We both trained as production throwers.

We weigh out our clay, knowing what we are going to make.

We make multiple items, using a pointer for size.

We try to hit the shape over and over.

Then there are items which we don't do this with.

Those items can take on their own shape and be played with.

I still find some comfort in throwing production. It is like an old friend who allows me to just hang out.

I also find through production a new item will start to form in my mind.

What if.......

Comfort in clay,

Focus and stability.

those pillow pots

I posted these up on facebook the other day.
So apologies if you have already seen them!

I was pleased with how they came out of the kiln.

I had one favorite, the red flowers with yellow background, which ran and stuck to the kiln shelf.
I like it well enough that I just might keep it for awhile.


I have it sitting with some pots and it will hang okay.

I used cone 6 glazes on these and fired to just below a true 6.

This is a highwater clay body, red stone. It does not like to fire all the way to 6 so I keep it around 2185degrees- this hit about 2195 degrees at the top and 2181 at the bottom.
I have some cone 6 glazes which prefer to get a little hotter or soak a bit more.

I might separate those glazes from the tiles and pillow pots. I ended up with several flat bowls and trays which I would like to refire.
This was also the first firing in the new fancy computer kiln.
We both thought it did pretty well for the first glaze fire.
And I know the pictures are not great- so more apologies!
I hope you don't go blind from looking!

Just a quick firing

We loaded up the electric kiln on Tuesday for a quick bisque firing yesterday.

Well- we noted that the kiln was only 800 degrees by 5:30-

We thought did we do all the turn ups?
Isn't it usually 1,000 to 1200 degrees by now- yes we thought.

Now for some paper and a pencil- we never track the eclectic kiln any more.

We noticed we were only making 140 degrees an hour.

Humm everything is on high let's push it on.

7 pm still climbing slow as molasses.

8 pm still only 140 degrees an hour.

10 pm and we have slowed to 115 degrees an hour-

at 11:30 we finally hit 1700 degrees.

We look up charts on line and fingered this was a hot cone 08.

We usually take the kiln to 1750-1756

So today along with concentrating on the upcoming wedding, we will be unloading and taking a look at reasons why the kiln decided to crawl to the finish line.

We just rebuilt this kiln last June-July- In fact just finished it a week or so before the studio fire.

So it has new wiring and has been working just fine-

something loose maybe?

Or my sister tells me Mecery is in retrograde........