What, am I getting my monthly post out of the way already?
No, I'm trying to make a more conscientious effort to stay connected. So here I am, writing to you on March 2nd, and thinking Maybe - just maybe - you'll here from me again before April Fool's Day comes around.
If
you don't follow me on Facebook, you might not know that I've got some
pieces I'm featuring as a bit of an inventory reduction movement sale thingamajig. These
are pieces that just don't travel to shows with me anymore, as they are
either no longer representative of my style (older pieces) or never
representative of my style (experimental pieces). I think I've
currently got twenty-some odd pieces listed with dimensions and prices
over there, including those pictured below. For the complete inventory
with dimensions and pricing, please check out the full album at Luke Langholz Pottery Facebook.
Arizona Jar #1 - $30
Arizona Jar #3 - $50
Arizona Jar #2 - $32
Arbor Bowl - $40
Flared Bowl - $25
Medium Bowl #1 - $30
Medium Bowl #2 - $35
Grass Vase - $40
Set of Bowls - $60
Tea Set - $80
Bottle Vase - $45
And for a limited time (while they last) I'll be including a small bowl from one of my first glaze-test firings with any purchase. An assortment are seen above.
And this is just a fair sampling. There are more pieces listed on Facebook, as well as more details on each piece including dimensions and glazes, etc.
If you're interested in something listed here, there are a few ways to let me know:
Leave a comment on the blog indicating which piece you'd like, and we'll go from there.
Shoot me an e-mail at lukelangholz (at) msn (dot) com, indicating what you'd like.
Find the photo on Facebook and leave a comment or shoot me a private message about which one you'd like.
Sales are on a first-come basis, and I will accept payment via check, Paypal, or (if local) I'll take cash or credit card. If you'd like, I can also post a requested pot to Etsy listed as "RESERVED FOR..." and carry out the sale transaction that way.
Note: Local sales will be subject to SD State Sales Tax.
Enough business, though. Enjoying a beautiful, sunshiny March day here this weekend. The air is warm and the grass is... well, most of it is still dead. But it feels practically springy. Of course I see we've got snow in the forecast for later this week, but that's the way it goes. All that to say, it's hard to drag myself into the dungeon studio when it's sunny up above the ground, but I'll get down there. Got some work to finish up this week, and then I'll be firing soon. Lots of firing. Uff-da!
This week in the studio I've been listening to a lot of music I've picked up from Noisetrade over the last couple of weeks. In case you don't know, Noisetrade is a site that promotes new and established artists by releasing singles, EPs, samplers, and full length albums for FREE LEGAL download in exchange for your e-mail address and zip code.* It's a great place to discover new music, risk free.
Recent highlights receiving a lot of playtime on my iPod include (in no particular order): The Stone Foxes (blues rock), Panda Panda! (electric/eclectic), Rogue Pearl, The ACB's (both alt/rock), Thad Kopec (alt/folk), and a stunning concept record by Heath McNease inspired by the writings of C.S. Lewis (umm... acoustic/singer-songwriter/hip-hop/spoken word?). So I guess recommend checking them out.
Well, I guess that's it for today. Hope things are sunny in your corner of the world and thanks for indulging these verbal expressions. Adios!
Right on schedule, time for my monthly update. I'm keeping myself busy lately which means I'm spending more time on pots and less time on posts here. However, I have been doing a relatively decent job of sending quick updates out into cyberspace via my presence on Facebook (just pottery!) and Twitter (shenanigans of all sorts!). So if once a month is simply not enough of me for you, go ahead and give me a follow at one of these locations.
For those not interested in the social media angle (ye antisocial mediites), here's a recap: throwing. Lots of throwing. And trimming. And decorating. And firing. And glazing. And more firing. And more throwing. Rinse and repeat.
No, but seriously - I've been pretty diligent about my studio time this fall. Krystal's been having to do a lot of professional traveling, so I've had lots of time to commit guilt-free to the pots. I've been focusing on making fun pots, and not stressing about quantity or volume for my next show (November 10-11, here in Pierre). I always have more than enough work, so I shouldn't stress too much. That's my goal anyway. Also continuing to play/experiment with shape and texture in addition to my old faithful sgraffito.
Here are some snapshots:
Itty-bitty bowls.
A full bisque kiln. Had to make room on my shelves for more pots to dry!
Textures and such.
I've been commissioned to do a complete communion service for our congregation. I don't think this pair of chalices quite make the cut, but a good start.
This? This is just a steak dinner hot off the grill a couple weeks back that was quite photogenic. I'm not giving up summer that easily. I'll still be grilling when there's snow on the ground.
This week I finally got around to glazing a load of pots and was quite thrilled with the results. Every firing is a little different and I usually try to include at least one or two experimental pieces per firing. Looking forward to finishing up more work this fall.
Final thoughts before next month (post-show summary?): Lots of great new music this fall from Mumford & Sons, The Killers, No Doubt and more, but I've been letting the iPod run on shuffle for the last couple weeks and have enjoyed happening upon such wide and varied selections as Switchfoot's 1997 debut, Led Zeppelin's 1976 live concert recording "The Song Remains the Same," older (and newer) Ben Folds (& Five), Bob Dylan, America, Jimmy Eat World, and so on and so forth. Last night Apple up and shuffled me into a jungle of Krystal's Ani Difranco selection which simply didn't last very long. I of course reserve veto rights. But it's been enjoyable to not put any thinking energies into picking my soundtrack and taking what comes my way. Within reason, of course.
Well, I suppose I've been away long enough - two weeks past the Art Sail (my big summer event this year) and I'm ready to get back into the studio. Trying to plan the coming batches of work to be efficiently productive for fall sales and also with enough room for creative growth. I squeezed a little bit of experimental work into the last batch of pots for the Sail, and I'd like to go back and pursue those further. Looking forward to mixing some things up.
But first, a look back!
A great big thank you is in order for any and all who came out to the Art Sail at the end of July! It was a wonderful day for an art fair, with plenty of sunlight, moderate cloud cover and just enough breeze off the lake to keep things refreshing. The sun never stayed out long enough for things to get truly HOT, but it was never cloudy enough to scare anyone away. Rain fell north and south of town, I heard, but we stayed dry all day long. Late that night, after the pots were long packed away and I was tucked into bed, the thunder finally rolled in and we fell asleep to the sound of the rain pelting the window panes. Beautiful day.
Looking down Main Street USA the morning of the Art Sail.
Sales were steady and, as far as I'm concerned, very good for a one day event. Seeing as how Clear Lake is my hometown there were a lot of familiar faces - folks I haven't seen in many cases for close to ten years. But great fun catching up and sharing what I've been up to.
Booth Shot.
I didn't know quite what to expect for this show as it was my first year doing it, but the Clear Lake Art Sail attracts quite a crowd from all demographics - young, old, local, vacationers - all sorts. And getting to meet everyone is just such a treat.
Pedestals in action.
My favorite incident from the weekend came in the form of a man who approached me while I was standing out in the street in front of my booth doing some people-watching. After asking if that was my work, he began with "You know, I really don't like pottery," before continuing, "but man, I really like your stuff!" Even from out in the street, he said, the decoration stood out boldly amid the shapes and colors and really exuded the style of my work without getting busy or overpowering. We chatted for the better part of 15 minutes, going over my process and stylistic influence and he left with one of my sgraffito bowls with a Retro Blue-Green interior.
It's for the stories like these that I love the shows.
It's for a lot of the rest of the stuff that I wring my hands and fret and become a mess. I had a few "Ah, #$%&" moments while loading up the chariot for the commute to the show before finally squeezing everything in with barely enough room for my copilots.
That's what we looked like 2/3 of the way through packing. No rear view? No problem!
And then the first in-the-field trial of tent and pedestals and such brought their own challenges (shout-out to my father and brother, Paul and Noah Langholz, for some assistance in my set-up and tear-down!). But overall, I think I'm figuring things out pretty well. Maybe a couple more of these things on the schedule next summer? We'll just have to wait and see!
In addition to the sales the day of the show, I was grateful for the opportunity to fill a wholesale order for the owners of a couple local jewelry & gift stores in northern Iowa, and also took some time to restock the Clear Lake Arts Center with more of my work for the gift shop. All told, I was able to come home with half of my bins empty, which meant that I had a functional rear view for the drive home. Hot dog!
After we were done setting up she ditched me for a long run. Devoted, that.
And no show recap would be acceptable without mentioning that none of it would be possible without the unwavering support of my lovely wife, Krystal. Leading up to the show means sacrificing nights and weekends and free time and many, many fun times of the summer-y sort. And to top it all off she's on-site the day of helping with set-up and tear-down and selling pots while I take potty breaks (<-"Potty" breaks? It's funny!). So she's awesome and y'all should be amazed.
"Oh, hey - thanks for stopping by!" Just your friendly neighborhood Potterman.
Edit: I realized shortly after I hit "Publish" that I'd forgotten something very important. I'd also like to give a great big thank you to everyone who helped make the Art Sail a great experience - it was a very well organized and pleasant event to be a part of. Big thank you to Jacky Garlock as well as Kim Larson and Amy Palmer at CLAC for all their hard work and for allowing me to be a part of North Iowa's premier art festival!
On the non-pottery front, we were very excited to be in-state for the arrival of the newest member of our family, nephew #2 (congrats to my big brother Sam and sister-in-law Kristin on their beautiful boy!). We couldn't have planned it better, and we were so happy to be near enough to meet him right away!
Krystal loves being an auntie!
I got back into the studio last week a little bit, and so will be back to a more regular schedule of throwing now I think. Tackling some larger mounds of clay, right now focusing more on practice and form than intent of finished project - meaning I'm not so attached to these pieces that I won't decide they need to be recycled at some point pre-firing, but here are a few things I've done.
Vase is 12" tall, for comparison. That's a rather large bowl. Not quite sure where it will be going - either stylistically or otherwise.
Yesterday's pot. 25#. Not 100% pleased with the top, but there might be some room for adjustment yet. Decent amount of weight to trim out of the bottom, though not so bad as it could be.
In addition to the big pots, I need to re-stock some of the things that sold well this summer. It's always a little predictable, but there are some things that I do always need to have on hand. I also need to spend a little time this fall hanging out with mugs, trying to find common ground that doesn't harbor any hostilities. Explore creative expression with mug as a canvas. That sort of thing. And, always, a couple commission pieces to take care of and fulfill those obligations.
And I'd be remiss to sign off without recommending some music to y'all. This fortnight I've been rather taken with one J. Tillman's full catalog. He released a record this spring under the moniker Father John Misty, and he may be best recognized as Fleet Foxes' former drummer, but his full catalog is phenomenal. Simple, earthy and mostly acoustic (solo work) and all that + amazing rhythmic sensibilities (especially with the FJM project), he will probably comprise the better part of my "official" fall soundtrack this year. Phenomenal. Check it out for yourself. Like in the video below (or here for the e-mail subscribers).
Thanks for stopping by. Don't forget to check me out on Facebook!!!
You know you live somewhere special when 92 degrees is a refreshingly cool midday temperature. Yesterday I didn't even have to microwave my leftovers for lunch; I just set my plate out on the deck for a couple minutes and it was ready to go.
Nothing like picking the hottest week of the year to run my kiln nonstop. While the air conditioner is also running nonstop. I'm looking forward to this month's utility bill, that's for sure.
Unloaded the kiln this morning, loaded it back up for another firing at noon. Still have maybe 2/3 of a kiln's worth of pots to get in a third firing. I'd rather not fire it with any room to spare, but that's just the way it goes. Everything is glazed and ready to go, just waiting for the kiln to open up.
Top shelf.
Bottom Shelf.
Loaded back up and ready to go again!
Pretty!
And a little bit closer now.
And even closer.
Details.
Reds and blues.
It's all patriotic up in hurr.
So that's where we're at. Shooting to unload/reload the current/next firing(s) on Thursday which will give me a full week for sanding, pricing, inventory-ing and packing. Which is more lead time than I've ever given myself on a show, so that's great news.
Around the house and during the glazing have been playing a lot of the new House of Heroes record. Well, that and some Zeppelin. Always good to keep one foot in the classics, right?
