All Clay Saturday- All Fired Up and More

All Fired Up was last night. All in all, it was a long, wonderful day. Before the fundraiser for Clayworks called 'All Fired Up', there was 'Art on the Green' a juried event in Davidson.
There were a bunch of booths in Davidson with all kinds of art. It was hot, so I didn't stay as long as I had originally thought. Check out these mini birdhouse clay ornaments.

Robin Briggs is one of the resident artists at Clayworks. She sold her art there. Great, varied colors.

Roger Strom's pottery was there too. With some of his pieces, he threw the form using two types of clay. Shoppers seemed intrigued.

Courtney Fall Tomchik makes raku sculptures. Check out her work here. These pieces in this pic above are hollow. Her booth was popular.

Check out these plates. Gorgeous!

I forget the artist who made these birdhouses. How unique! There were a bunch more artists there. Lots of beautiful jewelry in particular.

On Saturday evening, 'All Fired Up'' took place. There was plenty of great silent auction items such as Ben Owen III's vase (in red) and Gary Rith's pig teapot. Both were popular items.... more on the teapot later.

Each that attended received a roly poly or whatever it's called. These turned out beautifully!

This was a popular item too. Thanks, Michael Kline! Lots of artists were so generous in donating their art.

The food was incredible. It was a catered event with desserts brought in by many. I like it that the whole event was in the studio and that the glazes were close-by!

A new part of the event was the Clay Olympics, where five potters competed against each other in certain categories. Each was asked to make something in an amount of time. For instance, the most recognizable animal was a task to make in a minute. Here, Greg, one of the contestants is wedging some clay to get it ready. Check out the categories on the dry erase board.

All the while, my yunomis (on the right) waited to be glazed.

Another shot of the dessert table.

Minke getting some wine at the bar.

Clay Olympics was fun and full of laughter!

Hard to see, but here the contestants (Amy Sanders, Greg Scott, Cary Pickard, and Tomoo Kitamura and one other) are making their tallest pot in a short amount of time.

Outside a few pieces were put into the raku kiln. Blurry pic, but they turned out well!

At the end of the night, Brenda was thrilled that she won Gary Rith's teapot. It's a gift for someone in her family who has a pig farm. She said this was the best part of her night.

Right before Brenda won, it was funny to watch folks watching closely their favorite pieces in the silent auction. Brenda is right in front of the teapot, intent on getting what they want. All in all, it was a great evening. I was told that less folks participated, but it was well worth everything. I think next time, I'll get more people pics though.

I Was There Today!

Yeah! After a good but tiring conference in D.C., I figured out I had a little time to go to the 27th Annual Smithsonian Craft Show. I found out about it from reading one of the potter's blogs... I forget which one. Whoever you are, thanks!
Time there was a highlight of my trip. Incredible, for starters! Here are a few of the pics I took. I saw most of the pottery work there and didn't get pics of each of the booths.
Above is the guide to the Show I received.
It was fun to meet Emily Reason and talk with her briefly. I really like her work. Of course, this pic doesn't do it justice. Soft, gentle lines- these pieces are elegant.

Met Naomi Dalgish too with Bandana Pottery. She and Michael Hunt in Bakersville, NC make these. I liked these teacups.
And these and more! Check out their website in the link above. I like their use of slip and the deep texture and lines it creates.

These belong to Jerilyn Virden. She lives in Penland and works on Lyman red earthenware clay which she says is real forgiving. Loved these vases. Said she'll be teaching at Penland in 2010.

And these. Wow...

Akira Satake's woodfired pieces caught my eye. My camera was doing weird things; these did have some color, but are mostly in earthen tones. He is from Swannanoa, NC.

Gosh, that yunomi! The soap dishes too and the taller pieces. Wow...

Also talked a bit with Stephen Merritt, from Irondequiot, NY. His bottles were thrown incredibly thin and he managed to get glaze on the inside too! His teabowls are called chawan and made with a porcelain clay. Stunning work.

Also talked briefly with Ron Geering. Such detailed sgrafitto.

Didn't meet any of my pottery blogging buddies.... oh well. I think that will happen someday!

All in all, my short time there was rich and beautiful. This post is only a glimpse of all that I saw, as there were so many more artists. Check out this link to the show itself , running from April 23-26 and these artists' links for more!

Refreshing and Exhausting

This week I'm in D.C. at a conference that is good but exhausting.

It reminds me of the gift of pottery and amidst the conference one of the best things has been to read pottery blogs as I am way too many miles away from the studio and wheel.

So, thanks to all my pottery blogging friends. What a refreshing, amazing world of pottery this is.

Thankfully, I'll be back on Friday night.

I did find this in a Starbucks here. It says, "One journey ends with a sip and another begins." Yes, how true.

Brushes, Pots, and More Pots

Took a bunch of pics today, getting ready to sell these pots and some others on etsy.

It was a gorgeous day though, so I went to the Circle of Eight sale here in Charlotte. Bought these brushes there from Kent McLaughlin, one of the guest potters there. He makes them. These are made from deer and bamboo.

At the sale, there were all kinds of pots from 8 different artists. These bowls are Greg's. I have yet to find someone who puts the amount of intentionality, color, and beauty to surface work as Greg does. Greg can tell you why he puts everything on the surface of his pots. Plus, he has great stories!

I really like the blue in Jen Mecca's forms.

These are Kent's. Notice the handmade brushes in the background. He even grows his own bamboo!

I especially liked these cups of his.

It was a day full of much sun. Spring is here!
Even the inchworms came to see the pots. (look closely at center of pic). I don't think they took any pieces home though. They picked great pots to hang out next to. (Julie Wiggins)
Back at the studio, this plate of mine came out of the electric kiln. I like making plates with the earthen red, but sometimes they warp a bit. This one is a gift just for me; so that's fine.

Can hardly wait to use the brushes. I spent the rest of the time in the studio trimming these yunomi. Listened to lots of music as I did all this, which was peaceful.

I love peaceful music and time at the wheel.