Kiln coming down!

So we have been in the middle of a house and studio move for the past month or so, which I wouldn't recommend to those who have a number of deadlines in the studio, but the lure of land and family has pulled us to the country.
The studio is still operational, but the soda kiln needed to be relocated. I wasn't too sure how successful the disassembly was going to be as we have been spraying six pounds of soda per firing for the past five years or so, but the majority of the brick came free with no problem.

It's hard to remember after six years how many brick it took to build a kiln, but having to move it again is a full reminder. I think I'm still recovering. Satisfying to do, but man I'm paying for it.

Someone is going to have a sweet BBQ patio for sure, with direct line right to the natural gas. As I get through a redesign of the kiln and get to building I'll post more pictures of the progress. Having so much room, and the ability to build to suit, I am pumped to be able to work in a number of sustainable attributes to make the studio a lot less impactive. More to come soon.

New instructional DVD now available and other news.

Hey all, wanted to pass along the news that my new instructional DVD titled "Slabs, Templates, Textures, and Terra Sigilatta" is now available for pre- order at www.ceramicartsdaily.org
I got to watch a preview copy the other night and they did a ton of work and it looks really great. It was a bit weird to sit and watch myself make my pots, and you always sound weird on film, but all in all I think that it will be a good resource to people and studios.
Things have been really cruising lately an the next couple of months are jam packed with upcoming events. This Sunday Sarah and I have been invited to do a workshop for the Syracuse Ceramics Guild in Syracuse NY.

It will be a full day of making pots starting at 9:00 am. The guild just moved into a new space that sounds like it should be a good central location for them, an we hope the workshop will be well attended. Should be fun.
I am going to be doing Craftboston again this year and I have been gearing up for that. Last year was successful, and I hope to have learned a bit about the market in Boston and have been busily making work to take. There should be some nice new pots coming out of the kiln in the next couple of weeks so stay tuned. The dates for the show are March 23, 24, and 25 and it will be located at the Seaport Convention Center in Boston.
In April I am scheduled to go up and do a workshop for the ceramics department at St. Lawrence University where Shawn Oconnor is teaching a couple of classes.
I'll put up some pictures as soon as some come through. Later!

Upcoming workshop in Syracuse, NY.

A couple of new surface details

I have really been enjoying some of the new surfaces that have been coming out of the kiln lately. It's interesting that when I really try to pick apart every part of my glazing process and test, I end up with 90% ho-hum results. Then I go and put together a glaze that I haven't used in a while and a slip that I have been using alot of, add a little soda ash and some new things come out. I suppose that while using an easy bake oven, I have to take my surprises when I can get them. Here's a couple of details.
Cheers, here's to finding some time to post. More to come......as usual.

BREAKING: Occupy Protesters Walk 230 Miles From New York To DC

BREAKING: Occupy Protesters Walk 230 Miles From New York To DC

Work at Charlie Cummings Gallery for "Cup: The Intimate Object VII"

I wanted to let any of those that don't know about the new show up at the Charlie Cummings Gallery in Gainesville, FL, it is amazing and you should check it out as soon as possible.  Charlie has put together a phenomenal collection of cups from somewhere around one hundred and fifty artists to have a cup show with over six hundred cups in all.  Not to mention the logistical nightmare of all of those cups coming in at once,  to photograph and post all of them for the masses to see and buy, and to have such a great group of potters is awesome.  I'm honored to be a part of it.  I have included a few of the cups that I sent for the show, all of the photos are taken by the gallery and are great shots.  

I have been having fun with making these hipped cup forms for a little while now and they're really engaging me.  I am really interested in the new movement and energy that they put out and also how the surfaces can have an even greater dialogue with the form, texture and new movement.  I haven't put many out into the world yet, but they're heading there now and we will see how they're received.  

Here's the link to my page:  Cup: The Intimate Object VII.

The full show:  Cup: The Intimate Object VII

I am also still really exited about how these pots have such a strong profile but are really flattening out more and more.  There is this Flatiron building in downtown Syracuse that I drove past the other day and have looked at a lot in the past, but there is a certain point that you can stand while looking at the building, and due to a shift in the end of the architecture the building almost looks like a paper cutout.  The building completely flattens out in such an illusionistic way that it is very disorienting.  I love that.  I want some of my pots to have that same quality, and that same strong profile and these are starting to really do that.  I like when the studio energy is really crackling. 

I really need to have that energy going right now as the spring is really stacking up.  I have gotten in to two more retail craft shows in the first half of the year.  One of which is the Craft-boston Spring show that I did last year and really enjoyed.  It will be interesting to do it again and not have the enormous overhead of making a booth, travel and truck rental, etc. that made the profit from sales of work practically null.  I am also going to do the Paradise City show in Northampton, MA on memorial day weekend so i should have a full schedule with just that.  I know what my winter break will consist of this semester break, and I can't wait.  Bring it on.

Thanks to Charlie Cummings for the great photos.  My hopes to a great show.

I love this time of year.

This time of the year is awesome. My morning commute felt like I was in another world, with thick fog and low light. It feels as though the air is changing and light is following. I love the light of fall in it's warmth and depth. There was just a group show that opened at the Cazenovia College art gallery that dealt with the idea of dwelling. Sanders Watson's paintings that are in the show made me think of this type of light and a very particular time of day.

Columbus/DVD filming fun

Well, it's done. The DVD is a rap and tomorrow I head back to New York. This has been a great time and I met some great people and got to know a pretty great place while I was at it. The last time I was in Columbus Ohio was for the 1999 NCECA here and it left a good impression on me. I'm not sure if it was because I was in college and getting to know what happens at NCECA, but I would like to think that it was the combo of that and the fact that it was a pretty great town.
This trip firmed up the fact that I do really like Columbus. The DVD filming was great and it was really interesting to go through the process. It is super strange to talk to a camera instead of a person, but that slowly dissolved over the last two days. The Ceramics Monthly folks are awesome, as are the American Ceramics Society folks and it was great getting to know them over a few beers. This was the studio where we shot, and it was a really nice community studio/gallery and seemed like it had some really great things going on.

The other thing that I discovered thanks to Jen Harnetty, is Jeni's Splendid ice Cream. this is unbelievable ice cream. We went last night to get a cone and I was blown away. I took a walk this evening after supper and wouldn't you know it but I ended up back there...and along with the small cone I got I also got a shirt. I will wear it with pride. Highly recommended with a trip to columbus.
Be on the lookout for the release date for the DVD as it should be out by NCECA Seattle next year. I'll post more about the filming later when it has a chance to sink in.

This was Jenni's ice cream with the line out the door. I guess others in Columbus know it's good too.

South Carolina nostalgic

Saw this clip today and it made me think back to June while on vacation with Fam and Friend on Folly Beach, South Carolina. Sam Snyder of Headwaters and I had the fun of spending an evening stalking Redfish on gorgeous salt flats in absolutely beautiful weather. We learned just how hard it is to sight fish to tailing reds and only had the pleasure of casting to a few of them. It makes me want to go back, both for the fun of being on vacation with family and friends as well as for the potential to hook up with one of these beauties. Happy viewing and thanks to Carolina Fly for the facebook post, much appreciated.

Morning cup of coffee

These are the mornings that I love. The semester is barreling down, and the pressures of getting things ordered, meetings getting scheduled and upcoming registration, new schedules, new syllabi etc are all crowding my mind, but then there are the things that remind you that the moment itself is awesome.
I am a firm believer that the handmade cup can save the world, and this morning was no different. Today's choice is a great Victoria Christien mug which is one of my recent favorites. But while I sat at the table, with the sounds of the kids coloring in the other room, I was reminded why I love where I live. At this point in the year you get a slight hint of the changing of the seasonal weather patterns. It's colder at night and the new crop of foods beginning to be harvested. The beauty of fresh local peaches and the first picked Paula red apples is a great example. Summer and fall are intermingling, and they are sitting on my dining room table smiling at me.

The kiln is being fired now, getting prepped and ready for the journey Monday to Ohio to begin production on the DVD. New work in the kiln is exiting and it has been nice to be able work on some new shapes recently and I like the things that are happening in the studio lately. Things will be out and assembled tomorrow, and I'll try to post some images before heading to Columbus. The coolness if the night was evident in the fog across the road from the house and studio, and the morning sun lit everything up is a great way. The perfect start to the day, all starting as usual with a good cup of coffee.