Loaded this up yesterday (Saturday). That's a kiln stuffed to the gills with greenware, now bisqueware. Looks like I'll be doing some glazing this week to get these pots ready for a couple of my spring shows. 

First on the calendar, I'll be showing at the Pierre First United Methodist Church Spring Bazaar on Saturday, March 24. That's just a one day deal that won't require my full setup but should be good for local name recognition.

Next up after that is the Pierre/Ft. Pierre Zonta International Craft Show on April 14-15 at the Pierre Mall. Supposed to be a good turnout for these Zonta shows, so I'm looking forward to it. I may still have time to make a few more pots between now and then. 

So if you're a local reader, or you're interested in road-tripping to central South Dakota this spring, come visit me at those events! As usual, I'll keep you updated ad nauseum as to the preparations for the shows.

The (Last) Week's Work

In addition to the glaze firing, I also did get to do some throwing/trimming/studio work in last week. All sorts of trimming and decorating. I'm reaching my self-imposed deadline for production of new work for my October show, so gotta really crank out a few more things this week before It's fire-fire-fire mode!

 

And lots of pots waiting to be glazed. Gotta get on that sooner rather than later.  In the meantime, Switchfoot's new album is streaming on ESPN.com right now (why ESPN? Because they have good taste, obviously). And it's pretty grand. So that's what I'll be doing from here until the record releases. And then I'll just be listening to my copy. Because it is really that good.

Back to the studio. Not a lot of time yet to do quite a bit of work still. In addition to work, household stuffs, and running for hours at a time every weekend. It's been a full fall here. Not sure why I thought that was a good idea.

But yes: back to the studio.

Busy Bee

No bees here, just pots. For bees you'll have to go see my father. Or, alternately, skip the bees and raid the honey larder. Just don't tell him I sent you. That's sweet gold, honey is.

All that to say, if this blog were to be trusted, all I've done in the last two weeks is drop one pot on the floor and load a kiln for firing. Well! Be not fooled! I've been quite hard at work, and found the time not only to load that kiln, but also to turn it on and unload it 12 hours later! Amazing!

Here's a glimpse at what else has been going on in the studio:

Redemption: dropped pot on Saturday, threw this one on Sunday.

Big bowl. Going for more minimalist design. Broad blue spaces.

Still waiting for some design work.

I think this is the same bowl seen above, just earlier in the process. They sure are pretty right off the wheel. Love the look of the wet clay pot. Nothing better.

Pots drying.

Detail of the tall vase above. This one was fun. Came out looking like birds (I think). Marching penguins and all that. Krystal says they look like fish. Maybe narwhals. So, abstract representation of pseudo-quasi-semi-mammal-ichthy-ornithological critters.

Biggish plate.

These are actually from the July firing but haven't been seen here. These are the three that DIDN'T crack.

Practicing for my upcoming show. This shelf folds down to be nice and flat and portable. Also, gets the pots off the floor. Very useful.

So that's about it. Firing went off without a hitch; no exploding pots, no collapsing shelves. Ran a normal 12 hour firing cycle.

Other occurrences include an 18 mile run (8/28) and a 20 mile run (9/4), both of which were followed by lots of food and hobbling around. We're going to have to start drawing straws to determine who should be responsible for bringing food and water to the couch. Also, if we keep it up, we might not any long be able to resist stopping in for a pick-me-up as our route takes us by Pizza Ranch right around mile 17. It's getting mighty hard to resist the call of Cactus Bread after running for 3+ hours. Mighty hard.

In music news, I've been digging the debut EP from The Hawk in Paris - synth-heavy pop drawing comparisons to M83 or Depeche Mode. I like to think of it more in a U2 meets Postal Service vein. Which may be the same thing. Very good stuff and worth checking out. I was able to snag a preview version during a limited window last weekend, but a FREE 3-song sampler is currently available over at Noisetrade and the EP releases on iTunes (and elsewhere?) on Tuesday 9/13.

Also in heavy rotation lately is Burlap to Cashmere's sophomore release, hot on the heels of their 1998 debut. I was fortunate enough to win a copy of the CD through an online drawing I'd forgotten I'd entered. I never win anything, so this was very exciting. Also exciting? The music. Greek inspired acoustic folk rock stuff. Very well done, musically engaging, lyrical storytelling.

I highly recommend both of these collections of songs, and they've been pretty good studio music for me. What have you been listening to lately?

 

Well, I think that's all she wrote. Or, at the very least, all I've got time for on my lunch break. More pots in my future, and hopefully that means more pots in your future.

Pots and puppy and pMusic.

So, I'm about due for a "real" post. With more than fifty words. I'm also due for some real throwing time, and while we're at it, a vacation that includes white sand beaches but excludes being in the car for eight hours. But that's sort of another story.  So we're almost done with July, and I'm almost done with this week, but I have been progressing with pottings and such.  Also, this:

Is that our dog?

Tempy got her hairs cut (almost two weeks ago, now?) and did just fine.  Much more traumatizing for us than her. She's acutally pretty relieved about not being so fluffy, which is a good thing, given the current heatwave.

Speaking of which, you know you live in rural South Dakota when everybody just leaves their car windows down in the office parking lot on account of the heat. I haven't yet figured out, culturally, if it is appropriate/expected/necessary to lock the doors when you leave the windows down.  Cause, you know, seriously?

So anyway, Tempy got her haircut and has recovered quite a bit already (in the cuteness department) but it was really touch-and-go there for the first couple days. Suddenly it was all, "Oh, so there really is some poodle mixed into that doodle after all!" And then yesterday she got all shaved down again for ye olde snip-snip.  Also known, on our itemized vet receipt, as an "ovariohysterectomy." I think. I'm too lazy to get up and go check the receipt (it's in the other room) but that was a pretty intense word when they could have just been all: SPAYED.  So there's that. 

Ah, yes: pots.

Well, I got some out of the kiln. Overall it was a very good firing. Good results, good colors, good glazing, good time.  Fired to the right cone range, which is always a plus. Unfortunately, totally had a cracked plate in one of my sets. Bottom of the kiln, last plate out. Think about it: unloading five levels of pots, each one more satisfying. Success! Colors! Bowls! Plates! Vases! Yay! Then you unveil the bottom tier and there are four plates, sitting pretty. Beautiful. The glazing was perfect. One by one you pull them out, check the feet for any glaze mishaps, and hand them off to the wife (or hubs, or studio assistant, I mean, whoever helps you with these things), and then as you take number four, the last thing out of the kiln, you see that the plate has cracked along the pea catcher, a deep crack (all the way, actually) that runs for about 120 degrees around the flare of the plate. Kinda sucks. So THAT set, commissioned, bought and paid for, will not be shipped and I'm back to the wheel.

However, if anybody wants three BEAUTIFUL matching plates, just let me know.

The firing. I liked it, overall. Some pretty colors, and some colors that needed to be tried, even though they're not quite pretty.

This set did turn out (the blues). On the right you see a sample of the now trio. Some test bowls in the upper left to play around with some overlapping glaze combos.

The bowls that went to the plate. These I did send merrily along to my patron. They'll just have to wait on a set of plates that doesn't decide to ruin my otherwise perfect firings!

So that was the firing.  I'm in a hurry to get on to the next round as I have a couple of time-sensitive commissions/projects that don't have a whole lot of wiggle room. If I don't get more throwing time soon I may have to fire a less-than-full bisque kiln which would be less than ideal. But we'll see.  I still have a couple weeks before I get to that level of crunch.  But I'd rather not push it.  In the meantime here are my throwing projects over the last couple weeks:

Some bigger-ish bowls of the slipping variety.

Drying bowls. They're pretty inside, I promis.

Mountain 1, drying.

Mountain 2, dry. With bowl. Bowl might not pull through. It's a bit clunky for what it is, in almost all ways.

Vase, on the wheel.  I think this one will go all mountainy, too.

That's what I've got for you. Also, I recommend that you hit up NoiseTrade this week for the debut EP from Leagues, a new group full of musicians that you may have heard otherwise. Free this week only, it's a fun little set of songs and well worth your time. To finish up, I'll leave you with a couple of things I'm very much looking forward to this fall: new records from both Switchfoot and MuteMath.

Here's what we've got to look forward to:

(Watch on YouTube, or listen to the first single at Switchfoot.com)

(Watch on YouTube or remix your own version of the video!)

Brief Firing Update

Continuing my themes of not doing pottery, I haven't done any pottery recently.  And I'm on the road the next couple of days for a family funeral.  And then I'm home to host the in-laws for a visit.  And then it's back to the daily grind.  Blurgh. 

But, I did get the kiln all loaded up and fired last night (Wednesday).  I didn't get to unload it as it was still 1000 degrees at noon, but all seems to have gone well.  Firing was completed in 12h52m - slow bisque fire to make sure my vases were all super dry.  Filled the kiln pretty well this time, too, so that was nice.  Glad I didn't wait much longer. 

Bottom level.  Apparently I need to start making mugs/cups again to help fill those little gaps in.

Top split-level - had to fit those taller vases in!  More bowls under that shelf.

So there you have it.  In the time that I haven't been making pots I've been giving a lot of thought to the craft of it, and the art.  I've read a couple of very interesting essays/posts from one of my favorite authors regarding creativity, as well as mulling over some saved passages from a book I read last year; these things have kept me thinking hard about the way I approach what I do here.  Which I will hopefully flesh out in a later post.  But for now, bed. 

Good night, moons!

Busy busy busy...

It's been a hectic week(end) and the next one looks to be no better.  Mostly family stuff, and that's just the way life is.  BUT! I did get to do some potting last week, even if it wasn't nearly as much as I'd like to be doing.  Here's a little of what I accomplished, and then some stuff that needs to be accomplished yet.

Finally got around to decorating this vase.  Not sure how I feel about it at this point - starting to feel stuck in a rut with some of my decorative styles.  But they're my styles, so I shouldn't feel like it's a rut to be producing work that is stylisticly repetetive, right?

Trying out some new slip colors on these bowls.  Trying some new-ish pattern types of things.  We'll see what happens!

Here's some of my white clay that started out as slip and ended up bone dry.  Which is great for recycling, if I take the time to recycle it.  Which I need to.  Just showing a little life around the studio for ya.

Here's a shelf of greenware still waiting for a bisque fire.  Maybe this week?  Don't know how I'd fit it in, but I kind of need to.  Maybe on Wednesday - firing on Ash Wednesday seems appropriate, right?

So that's really all I have to show for last week.  Of course those bowls involved trimming to go with the decorating, and that does take some time.  Mostly I haven't been able to dedicate large chunks of time to hard work (more than 30-40 minutes at a go) and not being around on the weekend has been a real productivity-suck on the artistic front.  Blurgh.  But that's the way it goes sometime.

Otherwise, I've been listening to a lot of Jars of Clay back-catalog stuff in the studio and in my free time - relishing the underrated efforts that make up their sophomore and junior (?) releases, and also picking up on some new music to be excited about.  Radiohead released their newest as a direct download a couple of weeks ago and it is a funky electro-jazz experience.  There are also new singles out from The Strokes and Foo Fighters which bode well for spring albums from those creative guys.  So I'm pretty excited about that.  And finally, the latest in the Yearbook project from Sleeping at Last has been enjoyable: of the three tracks on the March EP, one track is a beautiful instrumental, and another features guest vocals from none other than Switchfoot's Jon Foreman.  So that's a treat.  You can listen to that track in the "video" embedded below, which is titled "Birthright."

Have a great week, and hopefully there will be potting news from me sooner than not!

Hola!

Well, I'm back to my usual two weeks between posts.  While I have been into the clay a couple of times, I must confess I haven't really committed THAT much time to the pottery over the last couple of weeks, due to a number of distractions, specifically on the weekend.  Last week I blame the Friday-Monday bookends of Krystal's birthday and Valentine's Day, meaning that the weekend was hers, and so was my time.  I still did get into the studio for some minor throwing, but not so much in general.  This past weekend was a holiday weekend, and the first time I've had President's Day off, actually.  We decided to take advantage of the extra twenty-four hours and make a quick jaunt down to Colorado to visit dear friends and mountains.  We made a quick pitstop on Friday night to hang out with some new friends in Rapid City.

For those not in the know, that's Jars of Clay.  And they're awesome.  And now we're buds.

MercyMe's "Rock & Worship Roadshow" tour made a stop in the Rushmore State on Friday night, and while we're (neither Krystal nor I) aren't crazy about MercyMe (or anyone else slated on the tour, actually) Jars of Clay is always worth the trip for a live show.  Especially when you can purchase advance tickets for an intimate pre-show Q&A and acoustic set.  I'm pretty sure there are other artists out there who would cancel or blow off an event if only six people bought tickets for something like this, but Jars of Clay aren't that band.  I recall going to see them in late 2002 when The Elms (exciting!) were supposed to be opening, but had to cancel due to family illnesses.  With no opening act, Jars of Clay stepped up and played an extended set for us including deep tracks and covers ("Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"?  Yes.).  This is a band that steps up and delivers, through and through.  All that to say:

Wow.

Though they've leaned into their indie rock influences on the last couple records, it was an amazing experience to hear them get back to their roots (anyone remember that song "Flood" from the 90's?).  Two acoustics (their own signature model Taylor guitars), one rhythm shaker, and four voices harmonizing in a room the size of our kitchen.  In addition to creating the purest sound I may have ever heard in my life, these guys were the epitomy of authentic humility.  My only complaint is that they didn't blow off their later set to sit down and play their entire catalog for us.  But seriously, one of the neatest experiences of my life, and definitely near the top of my list of live music experiences.  Maybe the top.  Probably. 

But I've digressed.  (It was amazing!)

On to the pottery.  I've had some pots sitting around drying for quite some time.  Some were trimmed a couple weeks ago, some just last week, some tonight (not photographed).  I still have a little more work in the studio before bed tonight, so I thought I'd save those results for a later post (maybe within 24 hours?!).  I'm thinking I'm nearing a full load of greenware to load up a bisque firing, but I'm waiting until our local temps get back above freezing before I go stand in the garage for an hour loading the kiln.  Not to mention that firing kicks our car out into the cold, so the less cold it is, the happier our car is.  And if Volvo ain't happy, ain't nobody happy.  So here are the pots!

Some bowls, and a bigger vasey thing.

 

I rather like these pots.  I think they've got quite the lovely shape going on.  Excited to glaze these, actually, without any additional decoration.



Bowls!  Of the decorative variety.  These are slightly larger than a kookabura, and probably would not fit into a breadbox.

Alright, that's it for now.  "Catch ya on the flip side," as the hip folk say.

P.S. For some fine listening experience, here are my top 5 Jars of Clay Albums, in no particular order.  Actually, in Chronological order:

Jars of Clay: Self-titled debut.  Classic, acoustic post-grunge.  Has anybody gotten tired of this one yet? 

Furthermore: Double album includes live concert recording, plus collection of reworked classics and new songs in a very acoustic vein, giving a foretaste of...

Who We Are Instead: They cover America's "Lonely People" and go folk.  The touring in support of this album was stripped down and gritty: upright piano, acoustic and pedal steel guitars.  This is Krystal's favorite, by far.

Christmas Songs: The only Holiday album I listen to year round.  It's just beautiful.  Mostly original songs, you'd think they were old standards by how Christmassy they make you feel.  Plus, covers of the Charlie Brown Christmas song and Paul McCartney's "Wonderful Christmastime."

The Shelter: Their latest.  Because it's just that good.  And I couldn't actually pick a #5.  Because they're all just that good, uniquely.  Although I'm also partial to their widely underrated sophomore effort, Much Afraid.  The back half, as we would say if it were on vinyl, is a haunting collection of modern hymn-ish tunes.  Gosh.  They're all so good!