December Days

Have made lots of bowls like this one these past few weeks as Christmas gifts-- orders from friends. It's been a busy December.

Here are a few random pictures. Above is a casserole bowl that I made.... the finished one is beautiful. Will post a picture of it soon.

The kiln was busy in December, firing a few times.

Made several teabowls--- and really liked the blues of the insides of them. That's blue/green celadon with alfred's blue on top in certain places.

The insides of more teabowls.

These are those teabowls. Some of my most recent favorite forms.

It's amazing what the variation can be with these glazes... I'll make more of these in the future. One of my New Year's resolutions? To write more posts... and keep in better touch with the blogging world of potters.

Christmas Gifts

Christmas will soon be here and I have been very busy making Christmas gifts. There are some pics of teabowls and bowls on my facebook page. Friend me and you'll see better pictures of each individual one there. I hope to put up some pictures here tonight. Here are a couple. There's various shades of blue and purple in these.... and some have a bit of red in the inside from the reduction, which has spots/flashes of blue/purple, and sometimes red. Almost all have an indentation in them- perfect for a thumb to hold.

Not enough time to be in the studio these days! Somedays I wish I could be a pottery full-time.

Today I'm mailing out Christmas gifts and orders to folks...

What fun this is!

Amy+

Bowls and Glazing

Cereal bowls drying.... Christmas gifts for my nephews and nieces. Please don't tell them! :)

The beginning of a small serving dish. Made the bottom after this pic was taken- and added handles.

Glazed a few pieces recently. This vase is one of my biggest pieces. For that, I threw two forms and then put them together. Will be good to see these finished. Blue/green celadon base with acccents of alfred's blue and then some tom's clear on top of that to help the blue run.

Here's the other vase. Ended up putting a few small glass shards on the top lip of the vase. Oh, and of course, teabowls. :) Gas kiln will be fired in the next couple of weeks.

Meanwhile, made a couple bowls and big teabowls. Could be for soup.... not sure what yet.

Oh, and while the color is bad, this was dinner. Breakfast for dinner! Polenta, eggs, biscuits, and bacon. Yum! This week I'll head back into the studio after a few days away and make some more bowls... These days I find myself thinking... if only there were more hours in the studio.

Kiln Firing

Kiln Firing! Kiln was loaded last night and it's almost full. Firing begins tonight. There are a bunch of my teacups and bowls in this one.

Meanwhile tonight at the studio I etched a quote by Langston Hughes onto this jar and this bowl. Bowl will dry a bit more and then I'll put the black stain into the words and take a soft sponge and wipe off the excess black stain. A long, tedious process, but I really like the finished product.

Here are many of my teacups with one of Becky's bird and a bowl----not sure whose. All of my pieces are glazed in blue/green celadon and then dipped in alfred's blue.

The back stack of the kiln. That shelf with the teacups and bird is the third shelf from the bottom on the right stack.

Can hardly wait to see what the results are! Kiln unloading is Sunday afternoon. :)

Most of these will be sold at an upcoming sale on November 13 from 6-9 pm. More about that later.

Monday

Spent an hour in the studio. Made these four cups. The form on the left is a new one for me. It just appeared. Wanted to try something different, especially with life changing around me. Leaves, etc.... life just keeps on changing.

A bowl and jar that are drying. I may etch some words on the outside of them. Just not sure of those words yet.

More

Here's what I worked on in the studio this weekend. Two tumblers. Two teacups and two vases.

More writing on a bowl...

New form for me.

Meeting Linda Starr, Jacksonville...and more pottery!

It's been awhile. Too long. Most recently, I was out of town for two weeks... and when I returned, this bowl awaited me.

Here's one side of it. I like the glaze colors and while it takes awhile to etch the writing and paint the black in it and wipe off the excess black, I really like the finished piece. The writing on this one are the words from my favorite hymn.... 'love divine all loves excelling.'

Some more yunomis, my default and favorite form. Am experimenting with simple glaze patterns.

The teacup on the way left--- has a Julian of Norwich quote and it's my favorite. All shall be well, it says. Those colors--- blue/green celadon wiht alfred's blue dipped over half of the teacup.... that is my favorite combo. More of those to come.

I recently spent a week in Jacksonville, FL visiting another Episcopal parish there. It was refreshing in more ways than I have time to write now. During my time there, I saw Linda Starr again.... after her and Gary's short visit here to Charlotte. I learned in reading her blog that she and Gary had stopped at Amelia Island for a few days on their way home. So, I met her and Gary there and we walked around a bit at an outdoor arts festival. We met Chris Jones there, who is a potter on the island. Here are some of his mugs. Bought one. Smart purchase! Check out his website for more.

I'm a booklover, which accounts for the over 20 boxes of books I have. Went to the BIGGEST used bookstore I've ever visited in Jacksonville. I was pleasantly overwhelmed by how many books were there. And they even gave me a teacher's discount--- 10% and I'm a priest! Bought a couple books and shipped them to my home-- media mail. This was a taste of heaven. Check out Chamblin's Bookmine. And I only spent a few hours there--- in one small section of the huge bookstore. If you're ever in Jacksonville, this is a must-visit place. I only bought 5 books.

Just one of many, many shelves.... more than I could count.

Managed to visit the beach three times. Loved time there. Even ran a bit on the beach. Loved time there.

And, I really enjoyed meeting Linda Starr--- a wonderful potter and blogger. She and Gary were passing through Charlotte and our paths crossed a bit. She brought me this beautiful leaf--- as a small gift. She's full of pottery creativity, wisdom, and IDEAS. Gosh, I wish she and Gary were closer. It would be fun to get together more. AT least I know a few more people in Florida. Thanks, Linda for your generosity and kindness. And to the reader-- just in case you haven't checked out her blog, it's here. Hope our paths cross again soon! Gosh, there really is a whole additional community in the blogging world.

Another Round

This is about all of the pots that didn't make it into the kiln, and there were a bunch! On these shelves are two of my bowls:
2nd shelf first on left.
top shelf third from left.
The rest belong to other artists. Kiln will be opened on Sunday. I have at least fifteen pieces in it. Can hardly wait to see them! I'll share more pictures soon.

This and That

Pics of this and that. First, here's some scalloped potatoes that my mom made for dinner recently. Amazing food! I don't know a cook that can outdo her- she's the best in North America. And in her younger years, my abuela in South America was the best there.

Most recent glazed pots. Base-- blue/green celadon with accents in alfred's blue. These are awaiting to be fired in the gas kiln-- cone 10.

Recently, I traveled to PA to visit my parents and siblings. Dug potatoes with Dad one morning. This was a new experience for me. The dirt above shows where the potatoes were growing. Dad did the hard work (digging with the shovel) and I put the potatoes in the baskets.

My mom is one of the best chefs there is. Here are tomatoes with a bit of cheese and herbs on top--- tomatoes straight from the garden.

And finally, the potatoes... these are the red ones. Dad works fast... we dug this basket and the sweet potatoes too, all in an hour or so.

The sweet potatoes were huge and long. Some were too big for one person for a meal. Great time with my parents. They are the best.

Went to Asheville this past weekend. Visited Highwater Clays where I got some new pottery supplies. What fun! They had an open house there and I now have some new ideas for design work on my pottery.

Classes have started again at Clayworks. I'm back at it and hoping for cooler weather! Will try and stay better connected on my blog.

New Batch of Pottery

Here are some pictures from the latest firing. Glazes are blue/green celadon as a base with alfred's blue glaze poured on the inside of the bowl.

I really like the colors-- the reds/purples/blues of the glaze. Etched words into the outside of the bowl as it was drying and then brushed black slip/mason glaze into the crevices. This bowl in the first two pictures I gave as a gift. Oh, the clay is phoenix clay, fired in the gas kiln.

I've decided to use this glaze for the time being... so this is now a new chapter of pottery. More pictures to follow.

Oh, and no good reason as to why I've been away from blogging.

It IS good to be back.

On the Verge?

I think I'm on the verge of something new. The above jar could be an example. Have never made the design on the above jar before. Saw it on another piece in the studio and thought I'd give it a try.
Spent a couple hours at Clayworks today. More than I spent there for most of the summer. It has been so hot and I've worked alot. Those are my not good reasons for not making much pottery.
Even so, I have managed to collect all of these bisqued pots on my shelf. All are awaiting glaze. Many are bowls... a few jars and a couple yunomis. Like I said, there is something new around the corner. I'm just not sure what yet.
Time will tell. May even glaze these tomorrow afternoon.
I must say- it's good to be back in the blogging world. It's been way too long.

Summer and... Writing

It's summertime and I haven't experienced the warmth and heat of summer like this one in Charlotte. And with temps in the 90's regularly, I haven't been too motivated to play with clay at the studio--- which is not air conditioned.
All this has left me in a sort of a rut... I have the sense soon my pottery will take a new look; that I'm on the verge of new style and look of pottery. Style means I'll keep throwing clay at the wheel--- I am thinking that the design on the outside of the pottery will be different. Maybe new forms too. Hmmm
And I haven't had a vacation in a long while and many where I work have been on vacation already for a long while, and well...
With vacation a few weeks away, perspective is incredibly important. Yes, perspective is incredibly important.
Time at the pool has increased. I think that reading while in the pool is a very good thing to do.
And in the middle of all this, I began to write some more. Yes, write. I don't consider myself a writer; my friend Jim out in WA State has encouraged me. It's not very easy all of the time.
Oh, I took a few pics recently of time in the studio, yet when I tried to send them on my blackberry I did something wrong. I need blackberry 101 sometimes.
Lots going on; am going to visit family for a very short trip tomorrow. Then when I return mid-week, I'll get back to the studio by the end of this week.
It's been too long that I've been away...
Off to write- something.

Wishing

Part of this day I've spent wishing about several things.

And for now, one of my latest and recurring wishes is that I had a studio in my home. Hopefully someday. It's been a goal for awhile now. Somedays it seems like a dream, yet this dream is alive! For now, Clayworks is closed until next week which is not fun at all.

Somehow I'll pass the time between now and then. This reminds me of how much I love to play with clay and the gift it is to me. The countdown till when the studio reopens continues!

Raku!

Here are a few pics from the raku firing on Wednesday. Took these with my blackberry--- so they're not the best. Glaze on this bird house is white crackle and superstition. Found out afterwards that those two glazes don't give the best results when used together. The white crackle worked- and well, the superstition didn't give the variation in color.

I'm thinking of making some more raku bird houses although they won't keep the water from seeping in--- well, if bird houses are out in the world on a branch for example, water will come in too. Hmmm

The raku kiln was hot!

Here's the same bird house in the trashcan with burnt newspaper around it.... the top can be barely seen in the middle of the pic.

The pics are out of order-- this is the very hot bird house going into the trash can. Right before it went in, Dorothy sprayed some water on the white crackle--- this helped it to crackle.

The bird house amidst others (in the middle) in the raku kiln.

The raku kiln once opened. Have missed spending alot of time at clayworks recently. Have been working lots. Gotta change that--- at least I have work.