Glazing and a new clay.

Sunday studio time again, with two pictures.  I spent most of my time glazing these pots:

With any luck they should be fired and ready to travel in time for the holidays.  Here's hoping, right?  While I was there, our VP Tom (whose duties include facilities/materials upkeep/inventory) asked me if I'd be willing to throw with a new clay he picked up at our supplier's while he was down there last week.  The clay in question is ^5 Red B-Mix, and the pots I threw can be seen below.

B-Mix, if you'll remember, is the super-throwable white clay I started using a couple months ago.  So when Tom asked me if I'd be willing to throw half a bag (~12 pounds), I was more than willing.  Mostly he wanted an alternative opinion on its throwability, as well as somebody willing to dome some glaze testing on it.  So here's four little vases, and I still have about four pounds left to go.  I'm not sure if I'll go back and do a couple vases, or a few little footless bowls. 

After four throws, my opinion is more-or-less positive.  The clay throws nicely, and as red clays go, doesn't stain too badly.  My hands were slightly reddened for most of the day, but I don't see any abnormal coloration today - something I wouldn't be able to say 36 hours after throwing with some of the other red clays the Guild stocks.  Unfortunately for Tom, what he really wanted from the Red B-Mix was a red-body clay that throws smoother than the others we have.  Which it does.  But not by much.

Traditional B-mix is a very fine clay, the slurry from throwing is silty at its worst, and it trims like butter.  The Red B-Mix, in addition to colorants, has a little grog added, and it was definitely noticable.  Not as bad a SB-Red or Santa Fe, but not even close to standard B-Mix.  And it seemed a little more coarse even than the Spec-Buff stoneware that I normally throw with.  Which could be wrong, but it's just my take on it.  So that's my review of the Red B-Mix, and that's it for today.

I will be in the studio once or twice more this week and should have plenty of new pots to shoot and show before I take some time off for the holidays.  Not that I wouldn't love to spend Christmas Day in the studio, but I don't think I'd want to spend Christmas Day in the studio...

Show Review and Back in the Studio

Well, I went another week between posting.  But sometimes that just happens. 

First off, I'd like to thank everyone who came out to the Northern Colorado Potters Guild 6th Annual Holiday Show and Sale, and a very special thanks to those who took home a piece of my pottery!  It was a very fun event and I don't think anybody let the weather get them down.

Here are just a couple photos from my display - it turned out that I never got a chance to take any more than this, as I stayed relatively busy all weekend.  But I have here for you the top-shelf of the display, after Krystal's help, as well as a sample shelf with my artist's statement, and a close-up of some vases hanging out together.

I think my favorite part of these sales is the opportunity to meet new people and talk about my work, and art in general, and experience that exchange wherein I am more excited to know a little bit more about just who is taking my art home, and they can feel even more attached to the art knowing a little more where (whom) it came from.

A Brief Lesson in Grammar: Whom is correct, by the way.  The simple trick to know this is that "whom" corresponds to "him/her," while "who" corresponds to "he/she."  To say, "The pottery came from he" would be incorrect, therefore you would not ask "From who did that pottery come?" (Though nobody I know really speaks like that, given the proclivity of midwesterners to leave prepositions hanging at the end of their sentences - just see the end of the above paragraph.)  The correct question would be "From whom did that pottery come?"  However, it would be appropriate to say "Who made that pottery?"  Because were really changing the nature of the question there.

Many apologies for that interuption.  So, as I was saying, I enjoy the interactions, and getting to talk at length about my pottery, and my process, and my inspiration, and why don't I glaze the outside of your pots?  Being my second year participating in this sale, it was also fun to meet folks who took home a piece of my pottery last year and came back looking for me specifically.  First of all, that just makes a guy feel good.  But it goes deeper than that to a feeling, however superficial, that there is some longevity to your connection. 

When you spend an entire weekend hanging out by your wares, you also develop a stronger sense of what people are really drawn to.  I can think of several pieces that sat out all weekend and were not once touched.  Not too many, but more than a few.  Other pieces were picked up and handled over and over again before the right person found it.  And some people are immediately drawn to a specific piece, pick it up, and hold it in their hands for five or ten minutes while asking me about it.  Those are the pots that never get put back on the shelf.  It was a no-brainer that these were the pots to fly off the shelves this time around:

Colorado, mountains, vases, and the holidays right around the corner: did anybody else think these would last long?  I started out with only 6 of these mountain pots: two little lidded jars, and four vases of assorted size.  And they were all sold by 10:30 on Saturday morning.  I'm going to be making more of them because they were fun, different, and apparently the sell like hotcakes.

So, one more time, a very special thanks to everyone that came out, and especially to those who were able to take some pottery home.

I got back into the studio right away on Monday night, althought it is time to slow down my production.  While I sold very well in this sale, I had even more pots leftover (mostly because when I get throwing, I can really crank them out).  Maybe I should feature a daily pot on here in hopes that someone online will want to buy it from me?  It may have merit...

So, I'm back in the studio, at a slower pace than normal, with a focus on Christmas gifts and special orders.   And maybe some things that will just be fun.  I'd like to do another couple of larger vases this winter, perhaps nice, mountainy ones.  Here's a peak at what I've had going on this week: 

Bowl, and a dog dish.  Hopefully Dolli hasn't learned to use the internet, because this would really ruin the element of surprise that makes gifts so special...

Small vase form.

Larger (medium) vase - this one will get mountains.

So, that's it for now.  If I get on the ball, maybe you can look forward to featured pottery for sale.  Have a great weekend!

(p.s.: I still haven't stopped listening to Hello, Hurricane.  I'm thinking it's officially my album of the year.)

Sickness and Woe...

Well, I've been a complete and utter (read: dismal) failure when it comes to keeping this thing updated.  Of course, for me that means it's been almost two weeks since my last post.  In real blogging terms, that's not failure so much as minor negligence.  I've known people to go eighteen months between posts before.

And this one wasn't even my fault.  I was ignoring this space because I didn't really want to post an update on my experience with the Lincoln Center's show (read: not the greatest), which accounts for days 1-5 (October 31-Nov. 4, for those keeping track with a calendar).  Wednesday is never a good blogging day for me anyway, as that's the day that Krystal and I go out for lunch together.  Wednesday afternoon I found myself increasingly ill.  I wanted to call foul play and food poisoning, pegging all responsibility on the Indian place we tried out, but as my affliction generously avoided my digestive tract, that argument was sketchy at best.  I stayed home sick for two days (6 & 7, or Nov. 5-6).  Then came the weekend, and we all know I don't blog on weekends.  There go days 8 & 9 (Nov. 7-8).  Monday and Tuesday I found myself without lunchtime available for blogging on account of playing catch-up at work (Days 10 & 11, Nov. 9-10).  Yesterday (Day 12, Nov. 11) we did lunch again.  No Indian food, but rather Chipotle, because that's always reliable.  And today makes day 13 of the blogging fast, which is now broken.  Thank you for staying with me on that self-indulgent rollercoaster of excuses and justification.  All that to say, it hasn't been entirely my fault.  And that the Indian food was quite enjoyable.  Now, let's see if I can make up for lost time.

Lincoln Center's Mugs, Bowls, and Casseroles: I was mostly disappointed by my experience with this sale, but I'm not sure what the central issue is there.  I don't do a whole lot of sales events, so when I do, I always appreciate it when they're exciting for me.  I would do it again, though.  It's low stress, and low work, so if I do sell a half-dozen pieces, that's worth it.  But it could have been more exciting...

Since the last post I've had (three?) batches of work come out of the glaze fire to some gorgeous results.  All this, of course, in preparation for this weekend's big Holiday Sale at the Guild.  I've spent most of this week setting up my display area, with a few hours here and a few hours there.  I'm quite pleased with it, and have plenty of pictures, none of which are on my person.  But if you check back later, I may update again with pictures.

At this point in time I'm quite overwhelmed by the amount of pottery that I currently have in stock, and I'm hoping to reduce that significantly this weekend.  So we'll see how that goes for me.

In other news, I received my copy of Switchfoot's Hello Hurricane on Saturday and I haven't listened to anything else since (with the exception of a little Miles Davis on Sunday night, but one can always make room for Miles...).  I'm not sure that I'm prepared to say it's their best album to date, but it could be.  If you'd like to experience it, they are streaming the album in its entirety here.  And you can read more of my general thoughts on them here.  In summary: the album is phenomenal, and currently ranks as the highlight of my week.  So there you have it.

Since I can't provide pictures of my display, or of the new pots, or anything that useful, here's my artist statement that will be on display at the sale.  And if you live in Northern Colorado, I'd better see you there, or else!

(or else I won't see you there, I guess.)

Click to enlarge, if you really want to read the words clearly...

Productive Weekend - Photoblog.

Today I don't really feel like writing that much, but I have a lot of pictures from the weekend, so I'll be doing a quick photo/caption-based update on the progress.  Krystal was out of town for the weekend, so I spent way too much time in the studio.  Overall it was very productive and I'm pleased with the results of my weekend, but I did have a couple of pieces that just weren't going to make it.  On account of the upcoming Guild show, there is a deadline for greenware (dried pottery) to be bisqued, and that deadline is tomorrow.  Which means that to guarantee my work dry for firing, it would have be completely decorated and trimmed by yesterday.  Which I just wasn't able to accomplish with a few things.  C'est la vie.  Here are the pictures:

Platter 1 of 2 for the weekend.  Good sized - 15-16"

Platter 2 of 2 for the weekend.  Comparable size.

Trio of white bowls to be decorated - possibly a set.

Smallest of the above trio - a preview.

A family of Vases (Clockwise, from top-right: Papa Vase, Sister Vase, Brother Vase, and Mama Vase).  They're like the Berenstein Vases, except they probably don't end each adventure with a moral lesson and maxim to live by.

Bowls.  12" across.  I like the one on the left.

Everything hanging out on the top shelf drying.  See all the happy vases?

So that's my weekend in review.  There were a vew other pots thrown that didn't get photographed, but you'll see them sooner or later.  Also got another batch of glazed stuff out - I'll try to get some photos up in the (nearly) immediate future.  Tomorrow is the big day where I drop my pots off at the Lincoln Center (not the one in New York) for this weekend's show (see poster/banner at the top of the page) and the fall sales begin.  This is the first real test to see whether any of my recent work is at all likeable.  I guess we'll find out.

Endure your Monday! 

(Because "Enjoy your Monday" is just too optimistic for my blood).

Some Pots, some Autumnal Pictures

It's been sort of a crazy week or so for our household, and while I've actually logged more studio hours than normal, I haven't been doing such a great job posting.  So here's me, trying to make up for that by posting pictures of a week's worth of pots, etc.

We'll start with a low point:  the bowls below, wherein the blue-slip spiral design is not particularly attractive.  These will find themselves filled with glaze further toward opaque on the transparency spectrum.  The slip/spirals should lend some texturing/depth to the glazes without overpowering them.  Also visible on the bat there are a couple lids for some hopeful little pots.  I don't do lids a whole lot, but every once in a while throwing a lid on a little pot makes a world of difference.  I've got a couple little vases from last week's batch that could just possibly benefit from getting a little lid action on.

A few splatter bowls.  I like to splash a little slip into the bowl before I finish off the rim of the bowl with a chamois.  That produces a pretty slick look around the edge, and a nice clean line, as in the top two bowls, where the slip actually seems to have been spread around the whole edge of the bowl.  I rather like this look, and I hope you (and others) do, too.

Here's a couple little pots that will have lids.  I'm trying something new here with using two slips **oooh!!!** It's kind of a sunset effect.  Or something.  Just doing something fun for myself here.  If it doesn't work out, I'll survive.

Another bigger plate.  We'll see what happens with it.  I'm always a little nervous about larger pieces (like large-based plates, bowls) on these wooden bats, because wood has a tendency to absorb moisture and release moisture and generally fluxuate freely with moisture which can: a) warp the piece as it's on the bat, and/or b) lead to issues decorating as the bat's warping can cause irregular motion on the wheel, even if the pot itself is relatively centered and stable.  So, in short, I threw a plate on a wooden bat and I may regret it.  Moving on...

Quite low flat bowl.  Much closer to a plate than most of the bowls like this have been.  I'm optimistic about it.  I'll keep you posted as things develop.

More bowls.  A set, perhaps?  1.5, 3, and 4.5 pounds respectively, so they should be nicely scaled as a set of serving/mixing bowls.  We'll see how I feel about it later.  These have been trimmed and slipped and will be decorated tonight.

And some more bowls.  A trio of bowls, in fact. Not so much a set, but they could be I suppose.  These were fast, fun, and easy.

In the meantime, my darling wife Krystal (left, wearing my awesome, clay covered, Switchfoot t-shirt) and her friend Katie (right) are taking the Guild's intermediate throwing class this fall.  It's been fun to spend time in the studio together, even if we're working separately.  They're both doing very well with the throwing, and enjoying Hide's instruction very much.  If you're in Northern Colorado and have wanted to take a pottery class (throwing of any level or handbuilding) I'd highly recommend checking out the Guild's classes - there should be plenty of offerings starting in January.

In any event, this is what Krystal threw on Tuesday night - a beautiful pot which they're going to Raku at some point.  Should be fun. 

In the meantime, we've also spent plenty of time doing appropriately autumnal things.  Here's just a few snapshots of the fall we've been able to enjoy the last couple weeks...

Sunny fall football games - Go Rams!!!  Row 4 for CSU's 35-20 win against Nevada.  For the record, the Wolfpack were favored to win by 3.

Watching the aspens turn to gold.

Hiking in the mountains.

Hiking on top of the mountains.  Here I've conquered the Estes Cone (RMNP's 94th tallest peak).  It's not particularly tall, but the views are incredible.

That's it for today.  Note that below I've also posted an ad for an upcoming show (end of October) that I'll be particpating in.  I should be posting one more such flyer as it is available.  Thanks again for reading, and have a great day!

RETRACTION: I was momentarily dyslexic this afternoon.  Krystal, my wife, is on the LEFT in the above picture.  Katie is on the right.  I can assure you that these mistakes and confusions never occur in real life.  And, Krystal has forgiven my transgression. 

Throwing, Decorating, and New Clay.

Some studio updates - several days' worth, and some weekend, but I've been a little under the weather, so this is me trying to catch up all at once.

I've been able to get some solid throwing time in the last few days which has been nice - throwing, trimming, recycling of clay, etc. All-around studio time that has been very helpful in catching up on some things. Here's a whole table of progress:

So, you can see I've got some decently sized bowls in the works, and some large plates/platters(chargers?), and a couple test plates to try out some different glazing options for plates. We'll just have to wait and see what happens there.

New West Fest/New Pots

Not much news to report, but I do have a couple picturese to document the weekend. I put in my two hours tending the Guild's booth at New West Fest on Saturday afternoon. It was more or less uneventful, aside from the couple times I had to chase down our brochures thanks to the friendly gusts of wind we were experiencing.

I believe we did sell some of our pots/plates/cups over the two day festival, but not too many. To be honest, getting our name out there a little more was definitely one of the key objectives to boothing. We had a lot of interest in our classes and workshops from folks, even in the short time I was present, and we also got to talk to a lot of people who didn't know we existed! If you found yourself in our booth at New West Fest this weekend, many thanks, and we certainly hope to see you at one of our upcoming events!

One of my sets.

As I mentioned, we did have some wind this weekend, and scattered occurences of minor precipitation (aside from one torrent on Saturday, I'm hesitant to call any of it truly "rain"), but the ominous and omnipresent clouds didn't stop Krystal and I from biking back up to Old Town for Ozomatli's set to close the festival.

I've never given Ozomatli a listen before, but they were definitely enjoyable - a fun, musically diverse, very danceable performance. I think I'll be looking further into their music, and would recommend them if you're interested in latin/funk/salsa/hip-hop/reggae/ska/world music. They made me think of a latin Supertones, or No Doubt, if they'd been born & raised south of the border.

And I stop by the studio to pick up a couple more pots that were fired last week. I've been really pleased with the firings lately, and that's a good thing. Although then it does always leave me wondering why I didn't have more pots in said good firing. You can't win them all.

That's it for today. I'm sure I'll be in the studio sometime this week, though not tonight. Check back Wednesday or Thursday for more studio updates.

Messy bowls

Finally made it into the studio last night for a bit. It was good to be back to a regular sort of schedule with time for the studio, albeit on a Tuesday night. It was wonderful to have some company this weekend, though, and certainly didn't miss my studio time too much. The weekend was rather filled with non-pottery endeavors, including a Rockies game at Coors Field, a hike in the mountains (we found a bear!), working in the garden, and plenty of sitting around and playing games. Thanks, family, for a great visit!

Well, I had a few bowls that were yet in need of some trimming, so that's what I did last night. I had a handful of mid-sized bowls to trim and slip, plus one of the large decorated bowls, so that occupied plenty of my time.

Here's a shot of my wheel halfway through the trimming of said bowls. It's a messy business, with strips of clay flying hither and thither in utter disarray. Trimming is certainly not the hardest mess to clean up, but it's more impressive than most throwing messes.

I've tried various methods to minimize the mess of trimming, or at least speed up the clean-up process, but the best thing seems to be just letting the clay fly where it will. I've tried using splash pans (the yellow trays that fit around the wheel) to catch the trimmings, but not all the trimmings stay in the pans, so I still end up sweeping an entire swath of floor. I also have tried rigging up a catch-all net of towels and plastic, but all the trimmings just ended up on the floor anyway. So, in the end, it seems that letting the clay fall where it will and sweeping it all up at the end seems to be the most efficient option.

Unless I'm trimming and throwing on the same day and the trimmings get waterlogged. That's a whole new problem altogether.

So, here's the four mid-sized bowls trimmed, slipped, banded, and ready for carving. Apparently I'm being very secretive about the insides of the other large bowls I've been working on. Mostly I don't remember to take pictures of them. Anyhow, two of these bowls came home with me to be trimmed whilst watching a pleasant episode of Bones.

Pleasant may be debatable, especially if you've ever sat through the opening of an episode. Forensic anthropology is not a clean job. We'll leave it at that.

Looks like the Guild cranked a good-sized bisque firing through this weekend as well, as I had plenty of pots waiting to be glazed when I got in last night. It may not happen this week, but hopefully soon.

That's all for now. If you're in the area, be sure to stop by the Guild's booth at New West Fest this weekend.

Trimming and Glazing. Loads of fun.

Sunday afternoon studio time. Trimming fundraiser plates and glazing a lot of bisque. I actually glazed everything (inside & out) in this batch. We'll see what happens. Glaze and bisque kilns were both cooling as of yesterday as well, so I'll have a fresh batch of finished work the next time I get out to the studio. Eventually I need to commit some time to shooting these finished works so all my fine readers (you!) can see what's new.

Here's the fundraiser plates that I trimmed yesterday. I think they're pretty. I think they should turn out alright. Hopefully.

And, just because AJ asked so nicely, here's a picture from No Doubt last week in Denver. It was a good time - solid show, great band, great venue. Fiddler's Green is no Red Rocks, that's for sure, but it's hard to beat a concert with the sun setting over the mountains behind the stage. Not a shabby backdrop at all. LLPInteractive: Best concert you've been to lately? Let me know in the comments section below.

Family and friends coming into town this week, so studio updates will be sporadic, at best. Mostly on account of the studio time itself being sporadic, at best. Take care.

Vases, Plates, and Cups

I convinced Krystal to join me in the studio for an hour or so last night. Finished up a couple vase or two and threw some more plates for the upcoming Fundraiser. Here's the details on that event:

Potters' Palette: Flavors Around the World
Saturday, June 20, 2009 ~ 5:00 - 9:00 PM ~ Ticket Price: $60
Ticket will include your choice of an appetizer plate to be used over the evening, plus an art piece of your choosing valued at least $40.* The evening will feature gourmet appetizers and a guided wine tasting. Additional beverages and clay tumblers/cups will be available for purchase. To order tickets, call 970.204.4809
*Selection order will be drawn at random - the right to the first 5 picks will be auctioned off*

But enough about that. Here's some pictures taken in the studio last night. There was also a bisque being unloaded, so I'll have more stuff to glaze soon. I've got about 20 pieces that need to be glazed, and I'm sure I'll get around to it eventually, but it's not my favorite thing to do. So, some pictures.

Vases. 10-12 inches tall.

Hey look - I got a haircut. And that's clay on my arm, not leprosy. Checking out my signature on the bottom of that vase. "Yup, looks like I spelled it right!"

Fundraiser plates - I'm pleased. I like the blue in that plate on the right.

Fundraiser cups. I made them to match the plates, but it turns out we're selling these inside at an additional cost. If you buy a clay cup that night, you'll get a complimentary refill of wine or beer of your choice. They also make great toothbrush holders...

That's it for now. I'll be out of the studio, most likely, until next Tuesday or so. We'll see what happens. In the meantime, have safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend!

About an uncle.

I was in the studio last night for a little while, most of which was spent in a meeting regarding our upcoming Guild fundraiser event. Not the way I like my time to be spent generally, but being there was the responsible thing to do. I'll try to convince myself it was worth it.

I spent some time working on a couple chalices, one of which will be part of a communion set order, as well as the paten, or plate, to accompany it. I also finished up another one of my vases and glazed a couple of pieces. I forgot to take my camera, so no pictures. Sorry. Maybe next time.

Also on the agenda in the near future is the necessary shooting and posting of new work. I did come home from the studio with a half dozen freshly fired pieces last week, and there was a batch of work at the end of April that went straight to sale without photography. Sadly, I still have most of those!

In the meantime, here's a pot that I didn't make. This is a piece by my late uncle, Timothy Langholz. Tim was an extremely gifted artist and a prolific potter, selling his wares nationally at fine arts and crafts festivals. Tim's work was extremely unique, and decorated with a geometric precision that makes my head hurt. This piece is titled "Hiding Cat," and is featured on his website, which his family has kept online in his memory.

I had the opportunity to "work" with Tim on two distinct occasions - work used lightly, as work and play were never clear distinctions in Tim's world.

First, when I was thirteen, I spent a day with Tim in his rural studio in Northeast Iowa. I tried my hand at the wheel, which was quite unsuccessful, and then spent the better part of an afternoon decorating a trio of large chargers that Tim had thrown earlier that week. One of these is in our home and will be for a long time, and the other two I believe are still in my parents' possession.

Last, Tim invited me to accompany him in July 2008 while he exhibited at the Cherry Creek Art Festival in Denver. I spent four days with him, setting up, tending booth, making friends with our neighbors. It was an amazing experience of fun and learning, and hard work. Tim wasn't sure what my duties would be in helping him out - he told me originally that my primary responsibility was to provide him company and help allay the boredom and anxiety that can creep up on you if a sale is slow.

I must not have been too bad of a helping hand. The first day started pretty menially - fetching coffee, carrying bins of pots, unloading bins of pots, storing bins of pots... A few hours in he was letting me handle most sales - while I was dealing with money and packing up purchased pottery, he could converse freely with newfound patrons. By that afternoon, he would leave me for 10 or 15 minutes at a time to man the booth while he perused the neighboring artists.

By midmorning the next day, I would turn around and find Tim missing without a word - fully entrusted with his tent and his pots. Sometimes he'd be gone an hour at a time. By setup on the third day, he was letting me price his work and arrange the display in the tent. My grandmother, who lived in the same town as Tim, later told me that he talked for weeks about how much fun it was to have me around, and how helpful I was. I'm glad he told her so.

I learned a lot that weekend - about what it takes to be a successful artist, the work and stress that accompanies a show, how to relate to those who appreciate your work. He called that, "Poking people, to see what kind of noise they'll make." Sometimes they're intrigued by you, or your work. And sometimes you get a scowl as they scutter away. I learned more about he proper display of work, about the adequate care and feeding of pots whilst on the road. I learned a few little games that can help you pass the time on a hot July day.

When Tim passed away last fall, I kept coming back to my recollections of that weekend in Denver, and all the people we met, all the people who took his pots home. Many brief interactions, and some lifelong connections. A woman who had bought work from Tim in Minnesota, and Arizona, and found him in Colorado. A young man just passing through on his way to a friend's wedding cross-country who couldn't pass up the vase featuring the cat-butt. Garry, the photographer 2 tents town who praised us for our strong, German surname. Every person who lined up a dozen tiny bowls comparing and contrasting the designs, trying to find the right match. The folks that couldn't buy anything, but were amazed by his work and so interested in talking with us about the pottery.

Such small interactions, such important connections. To share your work, your art, your passion, with another person - to relate, to converse, to send home with them a piece of yourself in clay form - this is what is amazing about being the artist. Whether you sell two pots or two hundred, whether it's a $500 vase or a mug you pass on to a friend, complimentary. I think these connections are what it's all about.

Tim definitely made that connection with the people who own his pots. He is, and will be, greatly missed.

(Thanks for indulging me in my lunch-hour cathartic experience.)

Decorating.

Spent a couple hours in the studio last night. No throwing to speak of, just triming down and decorating pots. Uneventful, overall. Here's pictures of a few of the things touched on. I had 7 or 8 pieces on and off the wheel over the evening; here's pictures of a few of them.

Still needs another coat of slip, and perhaps a bit more shaping before it's too close to done.

Bottle vase with brown slip and arboreal motif.

Nice little lid for this jar.

That's probably it from me for this week. We've got family coming into town tomorrow to celebrate Kystal's graduation (Master of Arts!!! Kudos!), so I probably won't be into the studio until next week. I have some finished pieces to shoot and post - tried some [new] glazes this time around, to mixed results. I'd also like to post some pics of the plates and cups I did for the Guild's June fundraiser - turned out nicely, also with glaze!

Wow, so much glazing! Turning over a new leaf?

I doubt it.

Vases, vases, and jars.

As you can see, I've got a few vases going on at the moment. And there's a couple others that didn't make it into the pictures. It's been a good challenge for me, these vase forms. Pushing for something new, different, expanding skills (I think). Regardless, it's been good to have some motivation for getting in and cranking out some pieces that are interesting/engaging. Hopefully, after these next two sales, I'll be able to churn out some more bowls. But until I get some (many) sold, I need to stay away from the whole bowl scene.

The top picture had a few vases in it, and one that maybe needs a lid. It also maybe just needs to be recycled, but we'll have to wait and see what happens with it. In the meantime, they've been good practice and something different for a change.

Second picture down we see a small vase (probably 8 inches tall?), and a couple of pieces which will be donated to the June fundraiser.

Last we have a couple of larger "arizona" pieces - nice 10" diameters. I like these jar/bowl pieces, and they feel really good to hold.

It was a good evening in the studio for throwing, trimming, and working on "stuff." That's it, probably, for this week. The next couple of nights are going to be spent doing inventory and pricing in preparation for the Northern Colorado Potters Guild's 4th Annual Potters Market this Saturday. If you live along the Front Range and don't have anything better planned, come check it out!

I mean, seriously - what could possibly be better than a pottery sale on a beautiful weekend in Colorado?