Jeremy D. Randall

A couple of new surface details

2012-01-14T18:36:00.001-05:00

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

2011-11-20T15:28:00.000-05:00

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

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

2011-11-02T22:06:00.000-04:00

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.

2011-09-09T14:00:00.001-04:00

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

2011-08-24T21:39:00.001-04:00

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

2011-08-20T14:08:00.002-04:00

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

2011-08-20T08:14:00.001-04:00

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.

Filming for American Ceramic Society

2011-08-12T09:35:00.001-04:00

I am going to try this blog updating thing a bit more regularly, although I do keep saying that, and hopefully I will be a bit better at sharing some thoughts, updates and developments with everyone out there. The studio and life have been busy, and I have been currently getting ready for the upcoming filming of an instructional DVD that will be filmed by the Ceramics Monthly/American Ceramics Society about my process and techniques. I filmed the short version during a workshop at Funke Fired Arts in Cincinnati back in march, check it out here, and was asked afterward to do one that was full length and much deeper in content and process. It so far has been an interesting yet different experience from some of the regular studio processes. In preparation for it I been building the work in triplicate so that I can get things to various stages of completion and then will build them again for the film. I am the type of maker that never seems to make the "same" work multiple times. I have pots that I make consistently, but I am constantly tweaking shapes or playing with proportions, forms and volumes and color are always evolving. I have also been working with some templates recently to assist is some more geometric or calculated shapes so for this process I has been a good tool for multiples.
I find that it is good process to work in series, I can see the smaller nuances in the forms that I am working on. New forms come from this and the process evolves repeatedly and some really informative things emerge. This process has been the opposite. I have been particular about size and dimension, height, volume and measurement and I am trying to make things so that I can do the Julia Childs from cake batter to cake in no wait time, and it will seem to the viewer that I am working on one piece start to finish, being fast tracked to keep it condensed and interesting.

I am pretty excited by this new shape that I am working on. I have always been interested in implements and other non-ceramic utilitarian objects and references have always shown up in the work. Bu this pot is a little bi more literal. I found draftsman's plans for tin forming and there were some diagrams for flared tin pans. I have been wanting to make some bucket forms for a while, and this bucket is a variation on that tin pan shape. It will get a bail type handle and a ceramic handle grip. I'm sure I will develop over the next little while, but it will make it's debut in the video. Until next time, cheers.

2011-07-18T14:27:00.001-04:00

Spring Fever

2011-04-13T17:56:00.003-04:00

chasing hatches from RA Beattie on Vimeo.

I have posted this before, but due to the feeling of spring this little clip really helps me get exited. The fish always seem to be a little dumber in the spring, maybe its the colder water. Regardless I hope to get out on it really soon. Enjoy.

Show at Szozda Gallery, Syracuse NY, Opens this friday!

2011-04-04T15:10:00.003-04:00

Hey all that are in the area. This show is opening on friday, April 8th 5:00 - 8:00. If you are able stop down, it should be a good one. I will have 23 pieces in the show so it should be a pretty good collection and Karen Thomas-Lillie's painting are spectacular. Dont miss it!

Cheers

CraftBosotn and NCEcA wrapped up

2011-04-02T21:28:00.008-04:00

Well, another two month have passed and I am glad to admit that the reason that I have been away is due to the fact that I have been buried in the studio. As I had said in my last post, I had been prepping for a social and research/development experiment by doing Craftboston, a handcraft retail show in Boston that ran from Thursday the 23rd of March through Sunday the 27th. I haven't done one of these before but was invited by the Director as a "Directors Choice" exhibitor so I though I should take the opportunity. After all of the three+ A.M. mornings had been logged, the late nights designing, constructing, and finishing the booth, kilns had been fired, trucks had been loaded, and all of the necessary "i's" had been dotted and "t's" crossed I set out with my Sister in Law, Carolyn, towards Boston. I really didn't know what to expect. Up until this point I had normally boxed up pots and sent them away. The gallery would then take over and it was hands off for me. I would either receive a check, or a box of pots back after the show closed. Of course I would always hope for the prior, but it wasn't always the case in full, but it was up to the gallery owner/director to really sell the work.
So we pulled into Boston Wednesday afternoon and unloaded the truck. The booth framing was set up in order to hang floating wall panels. I have a number of things from plates to tiles that I tend to display on the wall. I feel that they are more dynamic and are more about color and texture, less about function or service when they are on the wall so needed a way to get them off the horizontal surface. These panels allowed me to do that plus give a more economical use of space. I also put green AstroTurf down as a flooring material. I love the relationship that my work has to the landscape and wanted to pull some of those things in through background color.
The tables went up next in order to put out the rest of the work. I wanted to have a nice, recognizably domestic surface to be able to put the work on and I wanted the structures to be visibly light, airy and unobtrusive. The other challenge that I was faced with here was to make a space that fit in a ten by ten booth space but could be flat enough to use little real estate in the back of the truck, yet fill the space nicely when set up. The tables were built with detachable legs that once off can fit inside the under cavity of the table.Then we needed to unpack and set out the work. I think that we came with about seventy to ninety pots in all, and had enough space to put out just over half of them.

The folks at Craftboston, who are not only awesome to work with, but also took care of putting my images all over publication materials. Come to find out images were used in three to four of the major Boston area newspapers including the Boston Globe, there was an image used in one of the subway lines, and when we were in the middle of setting up, I looked up and this was what I saw.
The Director of the Society of Arts and Crafts, Beth Anne Gernstein, came by at one point and when I had commented on the amount of publicity she said, "If you don't sell anything, it's your own fault."
So Thursday came and was all about tweaking things. We finished setting up the lighting and got all of the work that needed to be out, out. The preview party was that night, was a sucess and set the tone for the rest of the weekend.

One of the great things about this experience was the face to face research and development that i was able to do with the people who came into the booth and also the people that bought work. I got a lot of great feedback about color for one. People really responded well to the saturation and color palette that I was using. People for the most part were responding to the color and how it made them feel, and almost all of them stood in the booth and smiled while they looked at the work. Another great thing that came out of the show was the networking and connections that were made with galleries, craft centers, and potential outlets for my work in the New England area. I knew that this would be an opportunity to work on those connections, and made it a point to be as professional as possible with my materials, and have a feeling that the financial and professional returns from this show will continue on for some time.
Boston was great, we had a lot of great food and great drink, we met a lot of great people and saw and incredible amount of outstanding handcraft. I think the gallery at home will pick up some new accounts and get in some new work. Carolyns help was immeasurable and her extra set of hands plus the company while driving for six hours was invaluable. I hope to return next year and do the show again.
So I returned from Boston, had two days to spend with the little ones and a few classes to teach and then it was off to Tampa Florida for the 40th annual NCECA conference on the ceramic arts. I had work in the Resonance show, put on by the university of Florida and curated by Nan Smith and Ray Gonzales, plus I felt like i needed to recharge my batteries on the thinking end of things. NCECA has probably 80 shows of contemporary work that is up for the week of the conference and all of that work begs to be looked at. Having done my graduate work at University of Florida in Gainesville Florida, it was also like a home-coming of sorts.. So many colleagues, friends both new and old, Mentors and artists were reconnected with, many of whom I hadn't seen in an incredible amount of time. Two of those Mentors and friends, David MacDonald and Linda Arbuckle received lifetime achievement awards. The reason that I teach is because of the the passion displayed by the two of them and it was awesome to see them be awarded for their passion.
Florida of course, was amazing. After the winter that we have had in Central NY I think that sarah and I both needed a little break that included some sun. We got there just in time for torrential rains to arrive and to have an amazing dinner with the Snyders who have been lovingly married for 40 years. These two people are incredably loving and sharing people and it was wonderful that they included us in the evening. We had the pleasure of sharing the night with some amazing minds in the world of ceramics as well as some amazing object makers. It was unbelieveable and we went home beyond stuffed. Thursday was like a hurricane, litterally, and gave me great flashbacks of our time here. High winds and torrential downpours kept us inside for most of the day, but didnt keep us from getting out to see shows and making it to the opening of Resonance at The Studio at 620. Friday and Saturday were both outstanding days and the weather only got better and better. The egret that is above came up to the back door at the house we were staying at while we were eating lunch on Saturday. It seems that they are drawn to food because morons choose to feed them human food.
The weekend at a glace couldn't get much better, but later found out that indeed it could. Once the conference was over we wanted to spend a bit of time with our friend John who had been putting us up (or putting up with us...not sure which). With business done we decided to have a dip in the gulf. What trip to Florida is complete without a bit of saltwater on the skin. Took a swim, and then headed home to eat some dinner. John being a birder said that he had a spot that we could go to check out a little wildlife and take a walk to get some air. We went to a local park/state wildlife area and one of the most amazing thing happened. He knew that there were a couple of Barred Owls that were nesting in this area and he managed to call one of them out. After a couple of seconds of calling, this giant owl silently swooped down over our heads and flew up to purch in the tree behind us and continually told us to get the hell out of there. It wa samazing. The perfect end to an incredible two weeks. Now to get home and spend some time with the kids, and to get back out in the studio to make some more work. I'll keep you all posted.

Cheers.

Back to it?

2011-01-26T11:24:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been two months since the last post. Maybe I can say that I have been so busy that I haven't been able to find the time to post which is true. The studio has been rocking and I can't seem to keep up which is awesome. I was asked to do a retail show through The Society of Arts And Crafts called CraftBoston this march in Boston. I thought long and hard about it and finally decided to gove it a go. It is a huge commitment both work wise and financially but I figured it would be a good experience. I always thought that maybe a couple of these a year may be able to get a bit more work out there as well as keep the fire lit under my backside (not to mention a little bit more cash in the bank). I will keep this up to date over the next couple of months to document the process so I can see it in reverse at the end of the whole thing. The link to the show is on the CraftBoston website.

I am also getting ready to head to Cincinnati to give a workshop at the Potters Council Surface and Form conference/workshop. The format is a little different and I will be giving two half day workshops, one Saturday and one Sunday and they are set up a bit like a condensed working period. I am going to attempt to bring a couple of unfired pots in a carry on and hope that they get there safely in order to do some surface demonstration and discussion on Terra Sig and low fire finishes. Its sort of like a Julia Childs episode where she puts the food in the oven and then pulls out the finished casserole with no time wasted. Build, finish, slip. Should be interesting, just hope that i can pack it all into the allotted time. I'll try to post some pictures and things from the workshop.

Surface and Form Workshop

2010-11-17T16:03:00.001-05:00

Awesome.

2010-10-29T23:13:00.002-04:00

OIL & WATER DO NOT MIX from Happiness Brussels on Vimeo.

Benefit Auction at Charlie Cummings Gallery

2010-09-14T23:18:00.003-04:00

You should all check out the Charlie Cummings Gallery website regarding a benefit auction for Drew Johnson now being previewed online. Drew Johnson is a student attending the University of Florida ceramics department that lost a foot in a motorcycle accident where the driver of the car wasn't able to pay for the damages. This auction is a way to raise money to cover some of the incurred medical costs. I am proud to be involved in the auction as well as being connected to such a wonderful and incredibly generous and talented community. The auction will run from September 21st to September 27th. The following is the list of participants...this is a great way to collect some great ceramic work as well as donate to a great cause. Good Luck!!!

(The above plate is up for auction as is one other. Get em now!)

Participants:

Heather Alexander, Dan Anderson, Linda Arbuckle, Posey Bacopoulos, Tiffany Bailey, Marian Baker, John Balistreri, Tom Bartel, Deborah Bedwell, Curt Benzle, Sandy Blain, Catherine Boswell, Joe Bova, George Bowes, Bob Brady, Lucy Breslin, John Britt, Sally Brogden, Bill Buckner, Richard Burkett, Jon Burns, Larry Bush, Doug Casebeer, Donna Causland, Ceramics Monthly, Eva Champagne, Andrew Cho, Linda Christianson, Autumn Cipala, Naomi Cleary, Meridith Coen, Nan Coffin, Elaine Coleman, Tom Coleman, Jim Connell, Pat Coughlin, Charlie Cummings, Malcolm Davis, Chandra DeBuse, Josh DeWeese, Eddie Dominguez, Lynn Duryea, Thaddeus Erdahl, Mark Errol, Jana Evans, Lauren Faust, Kathryn Finnerty, Yoshi Fuji, Erin Furimsky, John Glick, Raymond Gonzalez, Heidi Grew, Chris Gustin, Holly Hanessian, Molly Hatch, James Herring, Pam Herring, Jennifer Hill, Anna Calluori Holcombe, Niel Hora, Ayumi Horie, Steve Howell, Matt Hyleck, Sarah Jaeger, Jeremy Jernigan, Drew Johnson, Mark Johnson, Garth Johnson, Brian Jones, Kristen Kieffer, Michael Kline, Phyllis Kloda, Alix Knipe, Lebeth Lammers, Sandy Lance, Martina Lantin, Fritz Lauenstein & June Raymond, Mary Law, Jim Lawton, Simon Levin, Jenny Lind, Suze Lindsay, Matt Long, Jiri Lonsky, Tyler Lotz, Scott Lykens, Andrew Martin, Missy McCormick, Nancy McCroskey, Kent McLaughlin, Joe Molinaro, Mudtools, Kate Murray, Richard Nickel, Kevin Nierman, Richard Notkin, Kelly O'Briant, Mary Obodzinski, Dandee Pattee, Anne Perrigo, Chris Pickett, Don Pilcher, Elise Pincu, Pete Pinnell, Pottery Making Illustrated, Rainbow Gate Pottery, Jeremy Randall, Beau Raymond, Scott Rench, Lee Rexrode, Lindsay Rogers, Chloe Rothwell, Nigel Rudolph, Cheyenne Rudolph Chapman, Cassie Ryalls, Shoji Satake, Kristin Schimik, Mike Schmidt, JoAnn Schnabel, Bonnie Seeman, Nancy Selvin, Leland Shaw, Jane Shellenbarger, Marge Shore, Sandy Simon, Gay Smith, Nan Smith, Collette Smith, Keith Smith, Kevin Snipes, Jane Spangler, Chris Staley, Studio Potter, Stephanie Stuefer, Sarah Tancred, Shoko Teruyama, Julie Tesser, Diana Thomas, John Tilton, Sara Truman & Naomi Mostkoff, Tom Turner, Rimas Visgirda, Mikey Walsh, Wynne Wilbur, Lana Wilson, Varian Wolf, Stephen Wolochowicz, Jenchi Wu, Rosie Wynkoop, Gwendolyn Yoppolo.

The beauty of Machines

2010-09-08T15:37:00.003-04:00

Zimoun : Sound Sculptures & Installations | Compilation Video V1.9 from ZIMOUN VIDEO ARCHIVE on Vimeo.

As I was searching through the ever expandind virtual pile of art information today, I came across this which I had seen before and lost track of. I talk to my students about the art of simplicity, and the difficulties in attainment of the simple. This work is quite complex in structure, but it seems as though the structure isn't what the artist is talking about. The sounds that this grouping of work creates is awesome. Such simplicity in individuality can create such a complexity of sound. Awesome.

These others are works by Arthur Ganson. Such playfulness, such delicacy. The mechanization of movement transferred to an object of wonder. Enjoy.

Dalton Ghetti Carvings

2010-08-31T11:04:00.004-04:00

In starting the new semester with a drawing class, this came across my screen and I really loved it. This is a great example of common materials transcending and how concept and content can be implanted into an object. Pretty great stuff. There are more images if you google his name, and it seems to be a pretty extensive series. Something interesting.

The Pond Creek Bogstompers at Kellish

2010-08-29T23:06:00.002-04:00

Just a couple of photos that I came across this evening of a recent show we played at Kellish Hill Farm in Manlius NY. Great time had by all, and was kind of the big debut of the band, only to find out that we are probably going to have to change the name. Were working on it now, but everyone has been shortening the name to "Bogstompers" and I'm sure that the bogstompers located in northern vermont may object to us. Ah well, we just need a name before the next booking which is on the 11th of September at the Pourhouse in Trumansburd NY. Should be a good time and the Ithaca area loves old time music and they serve good beer there. And after looking at the billing, "Pond Creek Bogstompers" is the billing so we may be sticking with it for a while. The next gig after will be in Old Forge NY and hopefully the list will keep on growing.

Anyone in the area that pays attention to this thing, you should come out and check it out...we don't disappoint. And we are the only ones billed so we will be able to roll out a night full of old time music. Hope to see you all there!
Cheers

Tarpon awesomeness.

2010-08-27T17:03:00.001-04:00

This made my day. It's not trout, but it makes me miss my days in Florida. Having the chance in the past to cast to tailing tarpon, this gets me exited.

Conversations Show at Art Center West

2010-08-27T07:58:00.003-04:00

Just an announcement for our upcoming show at Art Center West in Roswell GA. The press release will go out today, and the show is myself and my wife Sarah Panzarella and will consist of about two dozen pieces, focusing on the diversity of work that can be made by spouses in the same studio. I am always supprised at the difference in our work despite the close proximity in which the work is made. We freely give feedback and have an open dialouge regarding the work which is an extremely helpful tool in the studio. Sometimes I wonder what it is like to be a studio potter working alone in my studio without that feedback. Studio practice can be lonely, and lacking of outside feedback at times and there is a trend for artists to get together with other artists regularly to gain this feedback. The critiques of graduate school were always grueling at the time, but now we long for the heavy criticism and constructive feedback. I love that the interchange of creativity is a commonplace in our studio and despite the complexities of having a two artist household, I wouldn't have it any other way (even though a rich benefactor would be nice). Come see the show if you are able, and let us know what you think. Cheers.

New Cup Forms.

2010-08-20T16:08:00.002-04:00

Thought I would post a few pictures of some new cup forms I have been working on. These will be in a show at Mississippi State University through the next couple of months. I have been on vacation for the past two weeks and thought I would actually take a vacation from the computer...it sort of worked.

"Drink" Cup show now Online

2010-08-08T23:16:00.003-04:00

The "Drink" cup show is now online at the link above. Just click on the image above and it should take you there. Some really nice cups are included and a big thank you to A.J. Argentina, Connor McKissack and Debra Fritts for putting it all together. Enjoy

New Vase Forms in the Studio.

2010-08-04T08:33:00.003-04:00

These forms have been pervading the studio lately, and have really enjoyed their planar qualities. I was doing some thinking about form recently and was thinking about some of the Shaker influences that I have looked at over the past number of years. I always have loved the oval stack boxes that the shakers used for various uses, and have become such an iconic image of their handcraft. The reason that they made the boxes oval were for two reasons. The aesthetic of the curve was both beautiful and allowed for less joints and simplicity in manufacturing. The other reason was so they would fit on a shelf more efficiently. I loved this idea of efficiency and had made oval forms for some time because of that. I have always been bothered by round vase forms because of the way that they orient themselves to a table. My mother loved putting large arrangements of flowers on the table, but I realize that they didn't really occupy the space fully. A long rectangular space with a round object in the middle seems odd spacialy to me now. I really love the idea of a flower brick which has been a new staple for many potters altering forms or hand-building pots. I have a feeling that these forms are going to stretch out more, giving the viewer more of a landscape view to the pot. I also love the idea of some of these industrially aged architectural forms spewing forth color and life in the form of flowers and foliage. Seems to be a nice dichotomy in the way I view my influences. I love the forms of old industry and the residue of production, but the produced materials are usually not to my liking, and detrimental to the environment. Duality is interesting.

Bass and 'Boo and a good old fashioned fish yarn.

2010-07-30T22:46:00.004-04:00

Not all together glamorous, but this fat little bass found it's way to the other end of my fly line yesterday afternoon. It has been so hot lately and the amount of time I have to catch fish has been slight and slim lately that I have been visiting the family pond lately for a quick tug. I've also been having such fun fishing this bamboo rod that I recently built that I cant seem to even break it down to put it away. Such a great little rod at 6 foot. I got really great satisfaction when I first caught a fish on a fly of my tying, and the experience of catching a fish on a self built rod it tenfold. I also love the fact that it was this neglected antique bamboo rod that needed a bit of modification that has been brought back to new life. Super satisfying for sure.

I am going to share a fish story now. I know that these sorts of things are sometimes hard to believe, and the myth is that the fish get bigger the longer the time from the event, but I am going to tell this because it is an awesome story. Not only was it awesome when it happened the first time, but it was even more awesome when it happened not just once, but twice this last trip to the family pond. So here goes...and remember that this story is 100% true.

My wife's family has a great place located in the rural hills of Tully NY, about 30 minuets south of Syracuse. The property is about seven acres or so plush with a great garden, the place where Sarah and I were married, room for the kids to run and someday will be our home and the potential place for a small gentleman's farm that Sarah and I dream about not to mention the studio/pottery where we will get all of our work done. The other thing that the property has is a great pond equipped with zip-line, swim dock and a plethora of hungry Bass that have been thriving for over fifteen years. Deep within the depths of this pond (calculated to be about 8 - 9 feet at the deepest) is at least 1 monster Bass. No I don't tend to go out searching for bass in my pursuit of fish species. But this pond is a place that one can go when they have been skunked on local waters by wily trout, in order to regain a bit of self respect and feel an end of the day tug on the line. This was a day that the kids were sleeping after a morning of play and swim, and the rod was rigged and in the car. Why not.

Now I'll flash back a few years to the start of the story proper and my first encounter with the aforementioned fish. I was fishing one afternoon with a one weight rod and little micro poppers and had brought several small six inch or so sized bass to hand but nothing larger than that. There are a number of larger fish in the pond, and occasionally the will take, but they have smartened up over the years. And a six to eight inch fish on a one weight is a pretty enjoyable time so I kept on fishing. Another cast and another small fish...but this is when it gets good. As I was letting the fish play a bit as I was stripping it in, and all of a sudden my rod doubled over and line started pulling back out and even started taking line from the reel. My eyes got big and had no idea what was going on but whatever it was it was big. So I managed to get a handle on things and started working line back in and managed to make it to the butt end of the leader, and as I looked down into the water I saw the nose of a pretty heafty bass look up at me...open its giant mouth...and spit out the small 5 inch bass intact with my fly still stuck in it's lip. The bass-a-gator turned and swam back don to the depths of the pond. I would probably venture to say that it was 14 - 16 inches and as big around as my calf. I know that the water's surface refracts light and changes how we perceive things, but I would say that was a conservative estimate.

Fast forward to this past weekend. I am standing at the same pond, different rod (the new old bamboo) and different flies but the same mentality. I am looking to get a hold of a few sure thing fish and call it a day. On the fourth or so cast and the second fish, as I am bringing it close to shore, there is a boil at the surface, the line goes tight and then nothing. Whatever it was it snapped me off and now has a bit of jewelry in his lip. Re-rig, another cast, another fish, another boil. My line goes tight and I play the fish and then BANG! The wake from the fish was huge, the tine goes tight and then SNAP! Second fly gone along with the second sacrificed fish. I caught a couple more fish with no more sightings of the loch-ness basster but he is in there. Some day I will find him and I look forward to the event with relish. Soon...very soon. Besides, how long can a fish with no other predators in the water live? I figure I have a number of years to be able to shoot for him.

It was an awesome day, and I can't believe that the experience would repeat its self not only twice, but three times.

"Drink" upcomming show at Roswell Art Center West.

2010-07-30T21:10:00.002-04:00

Aurora in the studio!

2010-07-29T17:08:00.002-04:00

The Bogstompers had their local debut this past weekend, and were met with good response from those in attendance. The show was on a monday which was tough for a lot of people, but the turnout was good. Nothing like a small town to be able to drum up enough people to come out and enjoy some old time music. For all of those that missed the show we will be playing on August 13th at Kellish Hill Farm in Manlius NY. Not sure of the billing or the time as of yet, but keep it on your calendars so you wont miss it. I'll send out reminders as the time gets closer. I'd love to see everyone and have you give a little feedback. We have a great time and all of the tunes are nice foot stompers. Stay tuned to the launch of our myspace page and soon you can all be friends/fans on facebook. Nothing like a little social networking to provide free publicity and visibility.

The studio has been cranking and I keep getting invites for shows. I feel like at some point I will need to say No just so I am able to get things finished, but for now it is keeping me busy and the ideas are new and the forms are fresh. I also go notice last week that a piece was selected to be included in the 2010 Strictly Functional Exhibition in Lancaster PA which is a great show. It's always nice to have a piece in that show as it has great visibility. Aurora has been showing her interest in making things lately and has spent two consecutive days asking to come out and work in the studio with us. She has been carving a tile of clay over and over and she loves it. It's also been fun being able to work while she is occupied and I can keep an eye on her. The picture above was taken the other day with one of the new vase forms that I have been working on seen in the foreground. Today was spent sigging the pots to get color on them in order to go into a bisque.
Well, the end of the day has come and all of the pots are in the kiln. Time for some well needed rest, and to get up and fire some pots and start the process all over.

Encore!: Upcoming Show at Baltimore Clayworks

2010-07-20T15:31:00.004-04:00

If any of you are in the area for this show, it will be a good one. Baltimore Clayworks has always been a steady as far as great exhibitions as well as outstanding support to the local community of Baltimore as well as the clay community as a whole. Check them out if you are not familiar, and go see the show if you are able. Support handcraft!

Encore!

August 14th – September 25th, 2010
Opening: August 14th, 6-8

Baltimore Clayworks is proud to host Encore! an exhibition celebrating thirty years of bringing clay to the Baltimore community and beyond. This exhibition runs August 14th – September 25th, 2010 with an opening reception on Saturday, August 14th, from 6 to 8 pm. Admission is free.

This exhibition will feature artists who have been an integral part of our legacy and advanced our mission of showcasing outstanding ceramic art. They are part of an elite group who have supported and strengthened our artist-centered community that promotes the best of established and emerging ceramic art.

Invited Artists: Doug Baldwin (MT), Jason Briggs (TN), Ben Carter (FL), Doug Casebeer (CO), Linda Christianson (MN), Richard Cleaver (MD), Michael Corney (NM), Patrick Coughlin (NY), Kevin Crowe (VA), Malcolm Davis (DC), Bruce Dehnert (NJ), Paul Dresang (IL), Lynn Duryea (NC), Melody Ellis (IL), Shanna Fliegel (MT), Debra Fritts (GA), Krista Grecco (GA), Giselle Hicks (NY), Rick Hirsh (NY), Bryan Hopkins (NY), Nick Joerling (NC), Peter Karner (CO), Reena Kashyap (NY), Matt Kelleher (NC), Kristen Kieffer (MA), Jeff Kleckner (PA), Maren Kloppmann (MN), Stephanie Lanter (KS), HeeSeung Lee (PA), Suze Lindsay (NC), David MacDonald (NY), Linda McFarling (NC), Kent McLaughlin (NC), Laura Jean McLaughlin (PA), Brooke Noble (NY), Richard Notkin (MT), Jill Oberman (IL), Lisa Orr (TX), Sarah Panzarella (NY), Brenda Quinn (NY), Jeremy Randall (NY), Allison Rednour (OH), Justin Rothshank (IN), Frank Saliani (NY), Brad Schweiger (OH), Virginia Scotchie (SC), Andy Shaw (LA), Nancy Selvin (CA), Eric Seritella (NY), Tim Sherman (MD), Debbie Sigel (PA), Linda Sikora (NY), Gertrude Smith (NC), Bill Stewart (NY), Shoko Teruyama (NC), Bill Van Gilder (MD).

September 12-25, Solo Gallery: Baltimore Collects
An exhibition of distinctive art pieces donated by contemporary artists and collectors. Artwork will be available for purchase at the Collector’s Dinner and Auction on Friday, September 24, 2010. Tickets available by calling 410 578 1919 ext 17.

My new favorite tune.

2010-07-14T23:37:00.002-04:00

As I was going through some recent recordings, this caught my ear and was happy that I had grabbed it on the recorder. This is a tune called Stinsons #2 and we jammed with Rachel Eddy and Kristian Herner the night before their Kellish Farm show. This was a great night and so many tunes were played. This was the first tune played that night, and it is one of the things that I love about old time music. The group assembled had never played with each other all together before, but the first tune out we clicked and it set the tone for the night. Stellar people and a great time.

The assembled were: Rachel Eddy, fiddle; Dave Karam, fiddle; Joe Trudeau, fiddle and mandolin; Andrea Asperelli, fiddle; Joan Meitz, fiddle and vocals; Kristian Herner, banjo; Jeremy (myself) Randall, banjo; Jason Borisoff, guitar; Rick Mason, Guitar; Dave Rybinski, Bass.

Enjoy, and as I go through these files and convert them I'll post more for you. This tune is great.

The Pond Creek Bogstompers

2010-07-13T21:58:00.004-04:00

For all of you out there that love old time music...it is official. We have started a band and are ready to take the small world of Old Time music by storm. Well, maybe not, but we really are a band with real practices and everything (keep posted for the upcoming CD release and T-Shirts at gigs...hahahah) . We even have our first gig booked for the 26th of July here in Tully at the Tully Community Church. They have a coffee house type of venue during the summer and we were asked to play. We will be playing with the Salt Potatoes, a killer folk/swing band form Syracuse. The Pond Creek Bogstompers are myself on Banjo, Joe Trudeau on fiddle and mandolin, Jason Borisoff on Guitar, and Joan Meitz on vocals. We play old time music solely, and we love to play some of the more obscure tunes from Appalachia and the surrounding areas. We also have the possibility of potentially playing in Saranac Lake this summer, and an idle pass at playing in Burlington. Could be awesome. And after making $100 busking in front of Imagine in Skaneateles for their 1st friday opening (we were employed for the evening and it is my wife and father in law's gallery) we will probably be out there again for August.

The music has been happening a lot lately and I love it. It's been a while since my fingers hurt from playing and I played more than once a month. The last few weeks have been at least once a week if not a couple of times which has been fun. Our weekly practice session this past week turned into a great Jam that included Rachel Eddy and Kristian Herner and was awesome.
There were a lot of tunes played that night, and the best part was that there wasn't a tune that came up that we didn't all know. There were a number of them that really rocked, and a couple of really sweetly played tunes like "Lazy John" and the following version of "Cotton Eyed Joe".

This is the best version of the tune that I have heard, although not all that different from the standard version which I also really like to play and is one that we pull out every so often in Jams. Now, these are very different from the techno version usually played at weddings and such. I'll stick with the old time, thank you. Come check us out at The Tully Community Church, Meetinghouse Road, Tully NY 13159 on the 26th of July if you are in the area. Bring your Boogie shoes.

2010-07-13T17:38:00.002-04:00

It has been a super busy week around here with family and studio happening full speed. Aurora and Jasper had great visits with great grandparents which is such a treat. We took the trip to long island to see Sarah's side of the fam, and then came back to spend some time with my side. My 93 year old Grandmother and Aunt (not at all close to 93) drove across the country to come visit for a few weeks which was outstanding. It's always great to see them, but is hard with little ones to have them away for so long. Las Vegas is a bit of a trip to make often, and the kids grow so fast.
Jasper, Aurora and Great Nana

The studio has been rocking, and work went out for the Motley Moxie show in West Palm Beach at the Armory Art Center that opens this Friday. Any of you in the area should go check it out as there is a great list of participants, all of which have ties to the University of Florida. Pavel Amromin, Renee Audette, Andrew Cho, Lynn Duryea, Magda Gluszek, Yumiko Goto, Holly Hannassain, Tammy Marinuzzi, Connor McKissack, Beau Raymond, Shawn Rommevaux, and Alyssa Welch will all be in the show. Should be an interesting assembly of work...too bad I can't take a road trip and head on down.

Some new forms have been coming out of the studio lately, and I am fairly pleased with them so far. I seem to have figured out the sig problems I have been having and the last batch looked great. I have also introduced a new slip which has a dryer surface and looks really nice with a layer or two of stain over it. When it rains it pours and right now the electric kiln is loaded and ready to fire, the test kiln is firing a couple of small cups for a show at Roswell Art Center West, north of Atlanta, and the soda kiln is full bore, soda in and about 45 minutes away from being ready to shut off. Slabs are drying and will be ready to get back to making tomorrow for the next batch. Have a good night out there, there is a beer with my name on it in the fridge which will be great after this long HOT day.

Wow, an actual vacation

2010-06-29T21:37:00.004-04:00

Unbelieveably I am actually on vacation. These photos are the view that I had waking up this morning at 5:45 am with the resident family of swans passing by the house...I suppose that a vacation with kids tends to change the time structure of a standard vacation and 5:45 is just another day. The only hitch was that Aurora had a fever of 103.6 so that was a bit stressful. Thank god for Motrin, although the fever spiked again this evening hopefully it will break over night sometime. The day was good and started with low tide and me oystering before the time tide came back in. Sarah's grandmother lives on the Long Island sound and you can walk across the back yard and over the sea wall and end up in the water. One of my favorite things is to go out and collect a bunch of oysters and then suck them down for lunch. There really isn't much like eating an oyster literally right after coming out of the water. Some don't eat them in the summer months, or those months that don't have an "R" in them, but I couldn't taste the difference. I ended up with about two dozen oysters and a fat clam, which was a great pregame lunch to the BBQ that was scheduled for the evening. Hopefully Aurora will be feeling better in the morning, as we are planning on taking the ferry across from Port Jefferson to Bridgeport CT and thought she would love it. She has been watching the boats pass off the back patio and getting a huge kick out of it.
The studio has been popping lately, and I finished up some new cup forms before leaving. They are these flattened slab forms that have Nichrome wire rims...we'll see. I'll take a fresh look at them when I return and see how they sit with me. I do that with new forms sometimes just to try to get a new look at an idea that has usually been tainted by rattling around in my head for a while. It seems like everything has been happening at the same time lately and I have about six deadlines all coming due mid July. I can't believe it's July already, but the kiln overhaul maintenance is almost complete and I'll post some pictures of the new work soon. I always say that, but sometime shooting the work in process makes it a bit too solid. I enjoy looking at other pictures of work in process, but it makes it a bit too real for me when it's my own.

We head home tomorrow, and I'll get into the studio a bit in the next couple of days. Somewhere here I need to start scraping the house to get it ready for paint. We have anew baby sitter starting soon that will come and hang out with the kids for the day while I am getting work done in the studio. I can't work in short bursts so this may make it a tad easier to get some volume done. It will also help Sarah as she has had an even tougher time of getting things made. Word...I'll keep you posted.

Back again

2010-06-12T22:57:00.003-04:00

Well, I feel as though I am finally able to sit down again and write a bit here, even if it is 11:00 at night. I have turned a corner in my schedule and it feels great. The past month has been a huge stress, and it's not over, but it has settled a bit. I have spent the past month moving my mother out of the house that she had been in for close to 3o years and that I had grown up in. Its a shame that it is no longer going to be a place to spend time. So many good memories as well as some that we not so great but still integral to the person I have become. All of the thoughts of elementary school friends, sneaking out in High school, getting into alot of trouble, spending time with the greatest fishing buddy ever(my Father), learning to cast a fly rod in the back yard, family dinners, and unfortunately Hospice with my father, were there as I cleaned out rooms and boxed up stuff. My Father passed away two years ago, and the house was just too much for my mother to take care of, and too big for one person to rattle around in. Soo on the market it goes with numerous mixed emotions all around.

The house is in Syracuse NY and is a Carpenter Gothic farmhouse built in 1849 for a MR. Nathaniel Burt Searl. He owned a good hundred plus acres in the valley of Syracuse at the time given from a civil war land bond. My folks were both artists and lovers of American primitive antiques, so there was a lot of stuff to go through. It makes me evaluate the amount of stuff that has accumulated in our house after five years, much less than my folks 25 years there. It's scary to say the least. It is interesting to see how that is undoubtedly how I have found my love of the "old" and the beauty that can be found in the patina of age found on antique objects. So many hands and so many lives have added to the bones of these objects and to the House its self. How a structure can become an entity baffles me, but this house is indeed an entity. Two summers ago I spent the summer fixing the exterior of the house so that it could go on the market. Sweat and a few drops of blood for sure are now in that house from me and I have an even greater appreciation of it now. I really did it the way that it needed to be done, and I poured just as much attention to detail that I put into my pots, into that house. The thing that scares me more than letting it go is driving by in a few years and seeing that the new owners have let it go to shit. No control over that though.

Now that the house is empty and Mom has moved in with a friend, the studio has been calling. It is clean, chicken dirt has been vacuumed up, and I spent the last couple of days pulling slabs and wedging reclaimed clay. I love this point in making pots when there is so much latent energy out there, all of this raw material just ready to explode...its exiting. I have new glaze tests to continue testing and some temp explorations to get into and the light at the end of the tunnel has opened up, and the grass is greener for sure. Stay tuned for images of new work, pictures of new fish, and the smell of the creative process.

Cheers.

2010-06-09T22:12:00.002-04:00

Gundowringa Sheep from Maria Fernanda Cardoso on Vimeo.

I came across this while doing research for some course work I am prepping for the fall. Pretty great project, and a really interesting way to look at a dying method of yet another traditional industry. Agribuisness and synthetics have almost pushed wool out of the picture and this is a pretty poetic response.

Chickens In The Yard!

2010-05-17T19:39:00.007-04:00

Well, today the chickens had their inaugural trip to the yard and it was an enjoyable event had by all. Aurora was the most intrigued, although a close second was probably our Labrador, Sadie who was curious, but surprisingly calm. I figured you put a dog whose genetics tell it to retrieve birds in the same proximity with chickens at least one wouldn't fair well.
Only five came out to explore and quickly began to peck and forage and were supprisingly tolerant of us, although the rest of them stood at the door watching and were close to joining. Aurora chased them around trying to pick them up and most allowed her to at least pet them, and one of the reds even let Aurora give her a kiss. Not the best thing, but some things you can't intervene with in time.
The ladies seemed to be especially curious of Aurora, even though she chased them around trying to pick them up, and they stayed right around her. The chickens love the coop, and I bought a large metal feeder the other day which means I don't have to feed them daily. It's amazing how much these birds eat and I was feeding and watering them every day. Our schedule is so crazy that this frees us up a bit and the ladies stay happy. It's nice to have them housed and happy and watch them have some more space to move. They haven't found the nesting boxes yet and they kind of nestle into the hay on the floor at night, but they are definitely happy.

So is Aurora...

"Trout That Swim"

2010-05-14T07:56:00.003-04:00

Just some words for the day. Found this in Greys Sporting Journal, thought I'd put it up to share with people.

"Trout That Swim"
John Poch

Wait to wade. Streamside, kneel, retrieve a stone
from the wet edge. Beneath slither the nymphs
of flies, a moving prehistoric sketch.

They scuttle their inept attempts at bone
to undermine the light, your sight, and hints
of what will cast successfully. Yet you catch

that shine, that peacock herl. This refusal
whets wish, is charming as a timid princess.
Understand a rock if you would match

(undistracted by the bobbing ousel)
this hatch.

Progress!!

2010-05-12T19:37:00.010-04:00

The last two days proved to be wonderful in terms of getting some much needed time building the coop. As of Friday it was framed, the roof was on and the plywood sheeting up which was a bonus as the wood and floor would remain dry, but it had been pretty slow moving and the chickens aren't waiting to eat and grow until I finish the coop. Seeing as how my semester is now officially over, tuesday was a day that I was able to focus solely on building. I had to pick up a few pots from a local show in Syracuse, but for the remainder of the morning and all afternoon was spent driving nails. It was a really satisfying day to be honest. I forgot to eat until six o'clock, and my plans were pretty fuzzy so I was figuring things out as I went. I finally figured out how to get the nesting boxes to work which are the overhanging structure on the side of the coop. I started to trim things out in order to finish the door and get the window in, and things started to really take shape.

It was really awesome to see it go from roughed out openings and plywood, to actually having a resemblance to the drawings I had done as preliminaries in just one day of work. This evening I went back out to try to figure out the little chicken door that will allow them to leave in the day and return to the coop in the evening. I decided to put the door on the front so that we could see the activity of the chickens from the house, and it also breaks up the solid front wall a bit. I threw the little trap door together while Aurora came out and helped a bit. Her visit was a bit short lived as it had been raining most of the day and everything still was wet. She went back in and I got the little chicken ladder together, screwed it to the coop and called it a day.

The coop is a seven by six foot footprint and is six feet tall at the front of the coop and slants to four feet in the back. There is an added sixteen inches of depth plus the thickness of the wall for the nesting boxes (with a trap door lid for collecting eggs). It seems as this should be enough room for a dozen chickens, and it's funny how through this process I feel the chickens should have a little bit more elbow room. It's hard for me to not do all of the snidley nit-pickey things because that is the stuff I love. My studio mate Matt Shaffer in Grad school was (and still is) a figurative sculptor and he used to call all of the finish work the "Gravy". I loved that term and still use it as well because it is indeed all of the stuff that goes on top to make the meal that much more tasty. I still have a little bit to do like closing in the soffits and putting in some roof ventilation, a bit more trim, and of course paint. My summer project this summer is to paint the house and the barn, so the leftovers will go on the coop. I'm having a bit of trouble finding some portable fencing so I can move the ladies around as they graze. Having a lab and tempting genetics with birds in front of her nose means "free range" needs to be a bit more structured. I really need to get the girls in the coop though, as they are quite large and could use some room to move. Hopefully I can find some fencing relatively quickly and get them into their new home. I give it another day or two...

What a week!

2010-04-30T23:14:00.006-04:00

Well, this week sort of kicked my tail. It's the last week of the semester so classes are working on final projects and I am running around trying to get my crap together. Some nice stuff had been in the works, and we were in the middle of an Anagama firing at the Syracuse University kiln plus raku mania during class wednesday. All in all pretty eventful. I even managed to get the floor framed up for the chicken coop so the chickens will be able to move into their new house and I will be able to have the studio to myself again. I thought clay was dusty, those chickens take the cake there. This post will be a photo post so enjoy!

Evan, a great student who isn't even an art major.

Raku firing with my ceramics class.

Chicken Coop floor getting leveled up.
All framed up and ready for plywood and some walls.
Even had a little to try to fly a kite. Not enough wind but some great time spent with Aurora.

Ahhh humans. Such funny creatures.

2010-04-23T09:28:00.002-04:00

This was found on the happy homesteader blog from mother earth news. Aren't we an interesting group of animals. Funny stuff.

Help for Aggressive Roosters

4/9/2010 11:45:44 AM

By Robert Plamondon

Tags: Robert Plamondon, roosters, baby chicks, keeping poultry, raising poultry

People often ask me how to handle difficult roosters. They tell me, “I went out to the chicken yard to collect eggs, and the rooster attacked me. Of course, I had to show him who’s boss, so we had a fight and I won!”
And I assure them, “Sure, I can show you how to fix this, and it’s worth it. Imagine how much more pleasant your life will be when you never have to worry about a rooster again. But first, I want more detail. So you’re out in the chicken yard, and there he is. He acts in a threatening manner. You act in a threatening manner back. He acts even more threatening, and before you know it, the two of you are fighting, right?”

“Sure.”

Then I ask, “But did I just describe what happened from the rooster’s point of view, or from yours?”

Maybe you’ve heard that a stage hypnotist can make you think you’re a chicken. That’s nothing! Even a chicken can make you think you’re a chicken! In these barnyard fight scenes, the rooster is in charge from start to finish. First, he decides what’s going to happen: a fight, right here, right now. Then he gets you to join the fight. How does this happen? And how do you make it stop?

But let’s not give too much credit to the rooster. The issue isn’t that the rooster is powerful, but that the human automatically accepts whatever role is thrust on him, and that means that even a chicken can redefine who you are! … at least for a minute or two.

Of course, everyone makes mistakes, and the first time a rooster attacks you it’s a big surprise. You can’t expect to do your best decision-making when startled, so the first time doesn’t count as far as I’m concerned. We’ve all been there. But what’s the long-term solution?

Don’t forget, a rooster who thinks that you’re a fellow rooster is mistaken! And by fighting him, you are not only participating in his delusion, you’re reinforcing it. First he was convincing you, and now you’re convincing him.

Suppose you win. What’s the payoff? The glory of vanquishing an eight-pound bird? Sort of a foregone conclusion, wasn’t it? And what is all this fighting going to look like to the neighbors? Are you sure you can explain it to your kids … or the cops?

Thoughs on "stuff"

2010-04-22T17:35:00.002-04:00

Why is it that our mindset is based on the accumulation, personification and the inevitable sentimentality of stuff? I have been reading a Blog lately called "Wet Fly Dry", which is a really great attempt on the writers part to re-evaluate the need for stuff, and basically sells everything that won't fit into his truck and any unessential fishing gear, and is about to embark on a journey of a lifetime, one that is unencumbered by work, equity, furniture, object, real estate and the like. His words really allow one to process what it would actually be like to go through this purge because he is doing it...or rather I assume he is. I think about this idea of stuff more because I am a generator of it, and funny that this post is on Earth Day. I make things. I love to make things. I make pots, I make fishing paraphernalia, I have made two wonderful and amazing children (with the help of my wonderful and amazing wife) who hopefully will one day grow up and change the world. I love the idea of people living with and using things that I have made to effect their daily activities.
I think that the human people on some level, be it genetic/physiological, social, cultural or whatever, need stuff...and it's funny that that idea bothers me, because I am adding to the stuff. It's amazing how over the course of our lives we accumulate so much stuff. It's like the remnants of life's existences swept into the corners of our memories, all attached to some tangible thing. I am a month out from having to move a life's worth of stuff with my mother, all of which is so connected with her life, or more importantly her life with my Dad. These things are the embodiment of close to twenty four years of living in a house. But I guess the thing that I find so interesting is how the memory overpowers the object. They become one.
Hopefully I will be able to purge the unnecessary, hold on to the important, and find the things that need to remain on a lot of levels both mental and physical. I will never stop making and I embrace that. I am a crafts person, and the only way to be good at something is to do it, repeatedly, until it is right. And even then when it's perfect, I'll do it again. Happy Earth Day and hopefully everyone can find a way to simplify.

Short Hiatus...

2010-04-18T22:44:00.005-04:00

So it seems as though I have been taking a bit of a hiatus from the blogging thing lately, and it's funny that I feel a little bad about it. Can't say as I haven't had a lack of things going on, but it is amazing how little spare time there is in the day right now. It is the end of the semester and that takes a bit of time to prep and get organized for, but I think my schedule is not conducive to spare time this semester. Teaching until nine four days out of the week seems to take a bit of energy out of the equation. Even more frustrating than not being able to keep on the virtual world is not being able to find much studio time. I have some things I really need to get done, not to mention some of the things I would like to develop and work on. Two weeks left in the semester and time will be on my side once again...I hope. This weekend was good in some respects and strange in others. I feel like this has been more of a fishing blog lately, which isn't a problem at all, but I have been able to fit in some of these things in between naps and bed times and early mornings.
I have had this old bamboo rod that I picked up in an antique shop somewhere, and it was in pretty rough shape, put had a feeling that it would make a pretty nice small stream rod. Well I finally started reconditioning and altering it a bit from it's earlier form, and I am really exited about how it is turning out. I made a simple cork ring clamp to clamp up the grip on saturday and got the rings all reamed out and glued up. The alterations on this rod mainly is the fact that I am only using the top two sections of the rod, taking it from a nine foot three piece to a six foot two piece, and from feeling it before stripping it down it had the feel and spring of a stiff 3/4 weight or a soft 4/5 weight.
Two summers ago on a trip to fish the Battenkill river and others around the Manchester Vermont area, we also coincided with the American Museum of Flyfishing summer festival. We came across a guy that I think was making rods called "Yoshida Rods". He was making Bamboo rods out of Japanese bamboo, or Madake, instead of the standard Tonkin cane and they were phenomenal. They were small, light, beautifully made and cast farther than any graphite rod of the same line weight that I had cast before. So in putting this rod together I decided to take a couple of ques from a couple of my favorite rods. The first was the reel seat from my Orvis one weight with the cork and double ring slide bands. Nice and simple. I also came across this one on one of those small bamboo rods and thought it would fit. Simplicity but class and the color of the bamboo wouldn't compete with or be competed with by an exotic insert in the reel set. And the little flash of nickel silver wasn't too bad either.
I then shaped the grip to a simple fat cigar shape, that is about five or so inches long, which was a new experience for me and am really pleased with how it came out and by how it feels when held. I can't wait to see how it handles a couple of casts. I'll post more pictures and words on the project as it develops, and would love to hear from anyone who might have any comments.

Ramblings

2010-04-08T21:40:00.004-04:00

This is a always a strangely glorious time of the year, riddled with frustrations and exitement. This is the time in the semester when things begin to heat up to tail out at the college. Projects in full swing, students stressed out, me pulling triple/quadruple office hours to put out all of the fires. Things are changing. Trees are budding and the fish are waking up, not to mention the studio ideas that are mounting on paper and in my head that aren't happening because of the never ending list of things that crucially need to get done, now that spring is here. The chickens are already beginning to get their wing and rump feathers...need to get on that coop building project. The hops are beginning to grow and I can already tell that they are just primed to explode when they reach the top of their climbing poles. I can already taste the end of summer pale ales that will be a reward to the harvest of bitter flowers. My brother in law leaves for Afghanistan in two days for another twelve months in one of the most unstable regions in the world. I can't understand how someone mentally prepares for that type of thing. To be faced with the prospect of leaving a wife and two kids, just to be faced with the idea of what is taking place there...double f...ing whammy if you ask me. I never have agreed with what is going on around the world and our involvement in military conflict, but ask him and it's a job much in the same way I have a job teaching college students how to make things out of clay. Not sure if I agree with him but I will hope every day that he comes home safe. I just hope that my teachings of art teach more people to be peaceful makers instead of angry souls. Soon it will be time to paint the house and roll out the grill and spend more time with the kids and I love that idea. Although I will relish every day of watching new growth popping out of the ground and smile as the landscape slowly grows chartreuse. I will also soon be watching mayflies and caddis being quietly sipped by frisky trout and hopefully I will fool them with my illusions of bugs floated over their noses. All of these things are dancing around in my head making me jump from one thing to another, thinking about the planning of another friday and another weekend of to do's. Tomorrow is not just any Friday though, it is the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of two wonderful craft galleries. One of which is eighteen years old and the other is less than a year, but they are joining spaces as one space and spending the next year or more enjoying what develops. Imagine and Imagine that in Skaneateles NY will have the grand re-opening party which as with any Panzarella/Randall party, it wont disapoint. The usual suspects (the old time band) as well as the usual people suspects will be there, and the art will be in full swing. It will be great to develop the ceramic representation that we are working on into something that will be deeper and richer and excite people with pots as well as other hand craft. Karen Thomas-Lillie will be exhibiting work and the paintings are not to be missed. Thanks for all who read these posts and I hope that your Springs are springing where ever you are and that the energy of growth and change is engaging all of you in whatever way you see fit.

Cheers.

The chickens have come home to roost!

2010-04-04T23:12:00.003-04:00

Well, we have taken the first steps towards our small gentlemans farm here in our little piece of the village in Tully NY. I went down to pick up the newly arrived chicks, ready to bring them home and get them set up in the studio. I laugh because Linda Arbuckle always kept her chicks in the studio in the brooding box to get them big and strong. They seem to be a happy bunch, already eating and drinking and running around the box. I got them home after Aurora was already in bed, and it is super exiting thinking about taking her out to the studio tomorrow to let her check them out. She has been clucking lately in preparation for them to arrive. Too bad she is only two or I would have her helping me build the coop. We got four Rhode Island Reds which are good for laying (actually we ended up with five), four Black Australorps, and three Araucanas. The first two are great layers and the Araucanas lay nice bluish green eggs so there is a bit of variety. This will be the first of many posts I'm sure of the development of our little clutch of hens. I'll have to get used to sharing the studio again, but the peep of little chickens will be fun as I am out there working. I'll put up the advance signup list for egg takers. We will definitely be eating a bunch of eggs before too long. Cheers!

Pictures from the Yellow Breeches

2010-04-01T20:47:00.002-04:00

I told you that that rod was bent right over! Thanks Bean for the photos.

Pennsylvania Spring Fishing

2010-03-31T10:34:00.008-04:00

So somehow this weekend the planets aligned and brought three corners of the country together, Alaska, New Mexico and New York, on two amazing streams of central Pennsylvania to do a little pre-season trout fishing. I got a call on friday morning that good friends Sam Snyder and Ben Casarez were traveling up from northern Virginia to do a little fishing, so I packed everything up friday evening and hit the road saturday morning early. The last time the three of us were together with rods in hand was about five years ago when Me and Sarah, my wife, and Sam and Ben went up to Alaska to see friends and fish for ten days. It was great to be able to all be in the same water again, and the four hour drive was definitely worth it. I made it to the Yellow Breeches at about 11:00, geared up and walked down to find the others. It was a great piece of water, and was all catch and release due to the section and the early season fishing, and there were a fair amount of other anglers on the stream. Despite the pressure on the water from other fishers, we were pleased to find a number of trout that were compliant with us. Lots of Rainbows and a few Brook trout made their way to hand and started the day off right.
The other nice addition to the morning was the fact that the new three weight that had been completed mere days before was the rod that I had in hand, and christened it on those Pennsylvania waters. It cast like a dream, with accuracy and delicacy, once I worked out the first spring day on the water bush snags and wind knots, and got to feel it bend under the weight of it's first Brook trout. I can't wait to see the pictures Ben took of it bent right over and the smile on my face. It is pretty satisfying to catch a fish on a hand tied, and actually designed by myself, and a hand built rod.

We fished the Yellow Breeches for a few hours, made a quick lunch and a beer at the side of the stream and then decided to head over to the Letort for a while. This was a treat to be certain, and the Letort is legendary in terms of trout streams both for it's history of conservation, and it's place in the development of dry fly fishing and design as a sport. This was a true spring creek, meaning that it's source is spring fed from numerous springs along the length of the creek, and was classically picturesque. Due to the slow moving deep waters of the Letort, the trout that inhabit the waters have grown accustomed to the food sources and bugs that pass by them daily. They have time to look, scrutinize and select their meals which makes it hard for those of us floating little "bug puppets" (in the words of John Gierach) by their noses. Spring creeks tend to also have silty bottoms making it impossible to wade to get to fish. The above photo was taken by Sam, and shows a small Blue Winged Olive on his sunglasses. They were about the size of a pinky nail, and we were fishing with size 20 and 22 versions of these flies. Because if the cautiousness of the fish in determining their food sources, presentation of the fly has to be perfectly placed in front of the rising trout without spooking it and timed appropriately with the rising feeding action of the fish. Sam was the man on this one and brought two rainbows to hand. It was for sure a humbling experience and a chance to fish one of the toughest situations I've been up against. Hopefully the three corners of the country will find there way back onto the same piece of water soon, as these two friend are truly brothers to me. Thanks for the invite and congratulations to Ben on the upcoming wedding.

Tight Lines.

Sam on the Letort
Ben and I observing the Letort from above.

Newly completed fiberglass 3 weight

2010-03-25T12:03:00.007-04:00

Just wanted to add a couple of images of the long awaited custom 3 weight fiberglass fly rod. I had all intent on having this finished before the end of the year last year, and as per usual only a few months late. I did want to do it right and really thought it through fully before making any decisions. I already have the itch to make the next one, although I have a bamboo rod to recondition and change up a bit so that might be the one. This was my first rod build project, and there are some things that I would do differently next time, but all in all I am pumped to get out on the water this spring and throw some loops. It is such a soft rod that I can already tell through some grass casting that it is going to be super fun to fish and extremely sensitive and responsive. Here's to tight lines!

Bruce Molsky at Kellish Farm, Manlius NY

2010-03-22T12:10:00.005-04:00

So it seems as though these posts have become weekly instead of daily, but I suppose I am able to make it happen as time permits. Hopefully I can get back to it on a regular basis. The week has been good, though jam packed with stuff and hopefully the onset of spring will help in spreading out the to do list as I won't have to pack it all into one or two days. The highlight of the week was having the opportunity to see Bruce Molsky play locally at Kellish Farm in Manlius NY. For those of you not familiar, Bruce is an amazing fiddle player not to mention his ability to play banjo and guitar plus an amazing vocal range, and he is world renowned for his musical ability. I always check his tour dates and they usually consist of a lot of tour dates in Europe and the UK and have missed him twice coming near to the area. As I figured, the show was awesome and some of my favorite tunes were played.

I was asked by a good friend who accompanied me to the show, why I was drawn to Old Time music as the type of music I wanted to play. I answered him saying that Old Time is a type of music that can be played in the kitchen, with anywhere from a bunch of people to two people playing tunes that are familiar or not familiar, but it is relaxed and communal and people have a great time. I thought about it a little more as the evening wore on and started to think about some parallels to my pots and some of the references there. I thought about its tradition and history and the connections to a rich and complex oral history. I don't know how to read music and frankly, since quitting the french horn in elementary school the idea of reading music has completely left my mental catalogue. These tunes are tunes that were played by my ancestors either directly or indirectly, and they were carried with them as they immigrated here. They were passed to sons or daughters through playing or singing, not written down or recorded and I am continuing that history by learning and playing the tunes in the way they were meant to be played. They are stories and they are lives, and those stories would be lost if it weren't for people like Bruce Molsky and in a way, myself. I am physically connecting myself through this long string of notes squawked out on an old fiddle or banged out on an old banjo, and I am proud to be a conduit for those things.

To know where we came from is the only way to continue moving forward.

This tune is called "Bury Me Not On The Lone Prairie" and as Bruce said at the show, it is the saddest song ever, and I agree. But there is something beautiful about those old sad songs and there is a great tradition of these mournful tunes. They hold a nice spot in my heart right next to the great old murder ballads of the 1800's.

I also had the privilege of getting to play Bruce's banjo which is a beautiful example of one of Kevin Enoch's instruments. Awesome tone and amazing craftsmanship. The evening was such a treat on all levels. Check out Bruce Molsky's website for his dates or for booking and if he's coming near to you, check him out

Martha's old time Jam, March 2010

2010-03-15T23:34:00.006-04:00

Here are some clips from the most recent Old Time Jam at Joan Rooks-Mietz's place over in Manlius NY, which also took place over spring break which was great as I was able to get there on time. These people are some of the most interesting and enjoyable people I have ever had the pleasure of playing tunes with and every time we get together great times and tunes ensue. There is something to be said for sitting around the living room playing old tunes the way they should be. I was asked by the woman that taught me how to play banjo, before we sat down and played for the first time what type of music I wanted to play. She said "If you want to play music that fits right in with a bunch of people playing around the kitchen then you're in the right place." She sure was right. When I moved back from Florida I found two people, Dave Karam and Martha Jenks, to play music with and from that, our regular monthly Jam got started. Martha graciously opened her house each month for people to come and play old time music. She passed away almost a year ago, yet the music get-together as well as the tunes we played plus a number of forgotten new ones have lived on. There will always be a seat for Martha and we all hear that great rhythm guitar whenever we play. It's a great time and I always look forward to the second wednesday of the month. Old Time Music...it's the same but different. "What tune was that?"

Spring break

2010-03-15T13:30:00.002-04:00

Well, spring break is over and I am about to start up another week of classes. It's funny how a break or time away from the regular job is like osmosis and other things rush in to fill space. I spent the week, however, doing something that I really enjoy by building a new built in cabinet and display case for the front window of the gallery. Glass inset in the top, and a shelf splitting the case, it will be a nice way to show more expensive jewelry as well as objects in the front window. We will be teaming up with our sister shop in town due to some well needed renovations in the other building, and come April will be a dynamic duo operating out of the same space. With that joining of forces there was some needed infrastructural development that needed to happen which was where I came in. Doing things like this is like a big math problem and really enjoy figuring out how to make things work. I do become a bit conflicted though about being out of the studio for that week off, but I can manage the eight to two am studio shifts after the crew has gone to bed. I came across Sequoia Miller's blog the other day which had some interesting comments on the ideas of being both in and out of the studio. He was referring to how the computer and blogging activity in a way seemed to detract from the productivity in the studio, but in a way it was no different than making pots. He stated that he was a producer of experiences, both functional ones and written ones through his blog presence, (which I suppose is just as functional) and I found this to be quite interesting. I have hoped that through my pots, the classroom, as well as now through the gallery, that I am an educator. I hope to educate people on the importance of objects and the role that objects play in our place in the world. I also really appreciate the act of doing something with skill and I want to be able to apply that to anything that I do. I too am bothered by being out of the studio especially when so many thoughts and ideas are going through my head that need to be addressed. There are a few deadline that are looming on the horizon which should light a fire under me, but it is indeed hard to juggle all of these things. It'll be nice once the shops are settled and work is in place. If anyone is in the area on April 9th come on by between 7 - 9:00 to Imagine That in Skaneateles NY. There will be a great Old time String Band "The Usual Suspects" (me on banjo) playing, refreshments will be served and lots of great work will be on display.

Spike Jonze Flashback

2010-03-09T08:23:00.007-05:00

Last night I watched Where The Wild Things Are, which was directed by Maurice Sendak and Spike Jonze and anyone who is familiar with the children's book probably saw the movie. I did enjoy it, and there was a nice departure from the book with some really wonderful visualizations. I couldn't help but think about earlier exposure that I had with Spike Jonze's film genius. The film was "Mouse", a girl and chocolate skateboards film back in 1997 or so. I was really blown away by this film at the time an still think they were some of the best skateboard videos. Good entertaining stuff for sure. Enjoy

"Old Flies" website

2010-03-08T08:42:00.003-05:00

"Colonel's Lady"
Fly Anglers Online Archive

Came across this site recently and found it to be a great resource for both old and traditional fly recipes as well as some interesting stories. Good one to spend some time and peruse, it's worth it. Click on the image to get to the site.

Ken Price getting some New York art world coverage

2010-03-07T11:26:00.003-05:00

Ken Price, Suddenly Dominating New York Galleries - NYTimes.com

Interesting article in the NY Times regarding Ken Price's work in New York. Is ceramics actually getting some visibility in the art world? Viola Frey, Betty Woodman and now Ken Price...awesome.

Old Work...

2010-03-07T08:10:00.005-05:00

"Yellow Cup Bucket" Earthenware and Cast Porcelain, 2005

"Elevated Cup Tray" Earthenware and Cast Porcelain, 2005

After last nights post I thought I should go through some old images and see what I came across of the older, cast work of mine. This was one of the pieces from my graduate thesis show in which I was making these buckets and tool caddies to carry porcelain slip-cast plastic solo cups. There were a number of cup shapes, most of which I could get at the grocery store, and a two liter bottle that were used in the pieces. The tables were clay as well, with cast legs to give the reference back to the domestic space as a space for ritual use. The buckets seem to be the thing that I held on to as I kept making work, but have been known to pull out the old molds and cast a few cups for special occasions. I was thinking about the way that material can change a persons perception about an object, and that importance can be added through a transformation of material. I was also thinking about how a specific material, like clay, can build awareness of action through the use of an object. For instance, someone using a disposable cup would be less apt to consciously think about the act of using therefore losing the chance to be aware of ones actions, the moment and the ritual. It was also a tongue in cheek comment on the ideas of consumption as in material, and the act of consumption as in food. Ahhhhh... graduate school. I really do like looking back though and seeing how the work has evolved. Seeing all of the references be boiled down into something that is a little more subtle, and still in line with my ideas about pots. Always fun. Enjoy the start to the end of the weekend. I am on spring break next week so the studio will be a busy place. Cheers

Not your grandma's beer can

2010-03-06T23:33:00.004-05:00

Lei Xue
Tee trinken, 2007
Porzellan, handbemalt

Just a little object of note. I have an affinity to things that have been transformed by clay, and these are right up my alley. I like to think about how materiality changes the way that a person might interact with an object, or read into it's place and purpose. I also love the juxtaposition of historic reference with pop culture iconography...the new cultural status symbol.

Just what I needed tonight...

2010-03-04T00:06:00.005-05:00

chasing hatches from RA Beattie on Vimeo.

Came across this video earlier on Cameron Mortenson's blog, The Fiberglass Manifesto and did it ever perk me up. It is a clip from RA Beattie's new project "Off The Grid" and it looks just as beautiful as "Nervous Water". Now that it is march, which for some reason I always feel like that means spring is near, I have been thinking more and more of the allure and excitement of rising trout. This film sure did hit the spot and I will think fondly of the sound of slurping fish untill I am able to be standing in the midst of flowing water. Can't wait to see the whole thing. Tight Lines...

Holy Winter!

2010-03-01T23:35:00.008-05:00

Well, it seems as though winter came and I've spent the weekend trying to dig out from under 24 inches of new, wet heavy snow. This is always the time of the year when spring seems like a really wonderful thought. I am sure others feel this way too, but I get to a point when a green landscape would be nice and not having to wear four layers to go out would be a dream. I feel as though March should be spring, but am always disappointed that we potentially will get snow in April. The above picture is the "tunnel" that I needed to clear in order to get to the studio. Between roof raking and shoveling 30 lb shovel-fulls of snow I do feel as though I've gotten my exercise, but not mush else has gotten done. No wonder I put color on my pots. The below image is one that I came across recently. The photo was taken in poland and it about sums up my feeling at the moment.

Found out today that Red Lodge wants to keep the work that I sent out for my featured artist exhibition, and keep me on as a represented artist. I'm pretty psyched about it, and hopefully the work will do well over the coming months. Red Lodge has a great online web presence, and if you haven't seen the work yet, check out the Red Lodge Clay Center website. It's always good to pick up a new spot to have work.

Winter up north

2010-02-25T12:30:00.007-05:00

Aurora and me in front of the Green Lake Ice House and 'Prince" the draft hourse

It has been nice lately to be able to get out a bit and spend some time in a bit of actual winter lately. Last weekend the family went over to see the annual Tully Ice Harvest that happens here each winter. Tully has a number of these kettle lakes that were formed when the glaciers receded and left potholes in the landscape and the lakes are fairly deep and are spring fed, keeping them colder in the summer. The Ice Harvest is a practice that has happened since I think the late 1700's/ early 1800's and was a way that ice houses and "refrigerators" were stocked with ice to keep food cold. The ice was cut from Green Lake, loaded onto horse drawn sleds, and carted to an ice house that would stockpile the ice. That ice was then transported across New York to various towns and people.

Ice Being Loaded onto the horse drown sleds, after being cut from the lake.

Being and enthusiast of all things old, I really enjoyed the fact that they were using all period original tools, saws, and ways of getting the ice out. Never thought I would end up living in the country, but I am more and more glad that I do. These are things that hopefully will never be forgotten.

Today was a snow day for me. They're calling for a foot plus of snow and some freezing rain mixed in and my back-roads 20 mile commute wasn't going to be the easiest going in those conditions. I've already totaled one car on that commute and really wasn't looking forward to doing it again. So I will be spending my time on Job packets and studio research which will probably consist of trying to finish putting epoxy on the guides of a fiberglass fly-rod that I have been working on for the past eight months. I never seem to have enough time to finish these things from start to finish. April first is the opening of trout season and this little number will be perfect for around here. We'll see, but nap time is coming up shortly and may afford me a couple of hours. I'll add some photos of the glass rod as I get some finish on it. I really enjoy the process and hope to start another one soon.

My studio tasks have been leading me to work towards developing some new surfaces for my work. I have found a slip recipe for a mid range vitrified slip which I hope will give me a bit more sheen than my terra sig gives me at low temp, but want to find some mid range sculpture glazes that are dry and textured. If anyone out there has some recipes tested or not please post them and I'll let you know what I come up with. I've been fighting for a while now about the issues that low fired surfaces bring to functional objects. I am really drawn to the dryish textured surfaces that allude to age and weathering, yet those surfaces don't really provide a surface that speaks "use me". Maybe this can provide something new to the work as well. Bring on the test kiln!

2010-02-19T18:07:00.001-05:00

My sentiments exactly. Jasper doesn't know what he has coming...Don't know about another dog though, but I could always buy more banjos!

The Meaning of Making

2010-02-19T07:14:00.007-05:00

Jeremy Randall "Red and Green Oval Plate" 2009
The Meaning of Making

This is an article written by Bruce Metcalf on the ideas of making and the address of the art/craft debate. I feel this debate at times is overly discussed, but I feel like a lot of his comments are right on the mark. I am thinking of this this morning after having a critique and subsequent talk with an pottery focused student about the inherent concepts involved in making things. It is interesting that in this day and age we still choose to "craft" things by hand, and I feel that it is an incredibly potent political act. Even ones choice to use handmade objects goes against the mass produced mindset found throughout current contemporary culture, and addresses subtle ideas about the importance of personal connections between object and maker. Good things to contemplate at the start of the day as I sit with my coffee with my daughter reeking havoc on the house.

I am about to go into the studio to do surface, slip and glaze testing and hopefully extract a few new surface options to begin to introduce to my work. I have been wondering what a shift to Cone six might do for some of the technical issues that I have been having lately. I also have been getting tired of burnishing multiple colors of Terra Sigilatta on each piece. I have used some vitrified slips in the past and also thought about what that would do for the durability of the work. I dread the testing process, however I am really exited about the opportunity to be able to start a new dialog with the work and potentially some new color information.

I just finished repairing and retrofitting a small electric enameling kiln with a kiln sitter to be able to do some small test loads. It will be nice to be able to have that option and not have to do full loads of work in the large kiln to be able to get out a few tests. I also have the task of kiln repair on the large electric to do before I can fire again, which always seems to happen in the middle of the winter when standing out in the freezing temperatures is my last desire. It's nice that I have access at two schools to be able to fire in the meantime, so it takes a bit of the pressure off. Our home kilns are situated outside but under a large kiln shed roof beside the barn studio, but even though they're undercover I think the components corrode faster than normal. I have to change leads on the switches fairly regularly and is usually a spring overhaul/maintenance activity, but is a pretty easy task. Well, during the last bisque firing everything was cruising along and I went out to see if the sitter had tripped before going to bed, and noticed that the sitter box was black and smelled like electrical fire. Not good, but it got to temperature and wasn't actively on fire so I figured I would deal with it when I woke up in the morning. I took the box off to take a peek, and the hot lead to the sitter switch had looked as though it had arced out and the wire was burnt completely through. Looked like some corrosion had built up from previous firings and I'm sure the resistance was high, but thanks to circuit breakers the juice was cut off and no big time damage happened. Electricity is one of the things I don't like to mess with unless I have to and 220/240 volts is big enough to make me nervous. There has been talk recently about the opportunity to rebuild the studio, increase the square footage as well as having more storage and barn space available. It would be great to be able to enclose a kiln pad and rebuild the soda kiln in a space that was a bit more protected. I could look forward to swinging a hammer this summer for the sake of building a new barn. Hmmmm...

Time to start the day. Happy Friday.

Jeremy Randall "Green and Yellow Tank" 2009

Glaze Mixing Service?

2010-02-15T14:28:00.005-05:00

GlazeMixer.com

I came across this site not too long ago and was wondering about it a little more lately as I have a number of glazes that need to be mixed/tested. I know for many including myself, that the space to have glaze materials handy for glaze mixing is not really a reality, not to mention the cost of said materials. I also have many colorants and materials that are pretty toxic and housing them makes me a little itchy even though I do have them on hand. But after perusing this site to see what it offered was pretty intrigued by the premise. Basically they are offering to mix you glaze by recipe specs that you as the artist provide, and for a $12.95 per 25lbs. flat rate they will ship your dry batch, mixed and ready to wet down and use. I would probably test before using as I don't even trust my own mixing habits sometimes, but it seems like an interesting idea for me at least. It also looks as though you would pay current going rate on materials, so the markup is slight and I'm sure that the flat rate would include labor, but this could be the solution to limited space and a glaze materials storage space. If anyone out there has any experience with this or another company let me know as my curiousity has been stimulated. Cheers.

Buying art in philadelphia

2010-02-13T19:15:00.005-05:00

Casualty of Snowpocalypse 2010, Philadelphia, PA.

So this post comes as a return back to the comforts of home as we just returned from the Buyers Market in Philadelphia where we were scouting out new work for the gallery in Skaneateles. For those of you that don't know, my wife and I opened a retail craft gallery space in Skaneateles NY, called "Imagine That..." back in July as an extension of her Father's shop, Imagine, also in Skaneateles. The store has developed over the past months and we have begun to understand the direction and vision of the gallery as well as the scope and type of work necessary to make the space sucessful. We will be joining forces with Imagine come March as building renovations will require them to move out of their space, and the shop should really be nicely filled with work that will span the range of medium and price.

Philadelphia was in the midst of cleaning up TONS of snow and it was interesting to see a city who is not used to snow have to cope with it. People do not know how to drive in the snow, although there was an incredible amount of snow piled up in mountains at the sides of the street. The weather didn't keep many of the artists away although many were late in setting up, but it didn't seem to hurt their success. The show is huge, which is actually an understatement, and the booths of artists filled the cavernous convention center. I was pleased to see a lot of nice new work and was doubly pleased to see the amount of young ceramic artists with work that was really attractive. We did pick up a couple of new potters, and look forward to the addition to the shop.

The other nice thing was that the Reading Terminal is right across the street from the convention center and lunchtime tended to find us there with wonderful food choices. I always have said that Philly would be a great city to live in, and one of the reasons is the collective presence of the Reading Terminal Market.

The Little Ones

2010-02-11T19:52:00.008-05:00

I came across this photo today and thought I'd put it up because I think it's awesome. Jasper is moving into his fourth week at the moment and Big Sister Aurora loves every bit of him. I'm glad that they are two years apart and hope that her interest in him continues on as they get older. Aurora's birthday was on the 29th of January and I wanted to build her something that she could grow with. My father's influence as a wood worker has definitely rubbed off on me and have enjoyed coming to understand the process. I have also been interested in Shaker handcraft and Shaker objects for some time and they have influenced my pots greatly over the last ten years, so I bought a Shaker toddlers chair from Shaker Workshop to put together for her birthday. Basically they are still fabricating furniture in the process, materials and style of shaker furniture from the 1900's and you can purchase the furniture finished, or in my case buy the parts unassembled and put the piece together myself. This was nice because now I have had a hand in finishing the chair that Aurora hopefully can give to her kids.

So the chair is Hard Maple with three coats of a light oil based stain with just a touch of cherry stain in it to give a hint of color. It actually came out quite nice as it almost looks old and well loved already. I then knocked down the grain with super fine steel wool and applied the first coat of a traditional linseed oil finish. I applied three coats of that, wiping everything down after about ten minuets of staying on the surface, until a nice soft satin surface began to develop. Then two layers of hand rubbed paste wax was applied to give a nice hard but non plastic surface that would withstand all of the various food that it would come in contact with. The seat is a traditional Shaker woven seat in a blue and white herringbone pattern. This took a bit of trial and error to get right, but it's tight as a drum and comfy for Aurora to sit on. She loves it and it makes me happy to know that she will have it for years. Now I just need six or eight adult Shaker chairs for the dining room to match and we'll be all set.

Morning Cup of Coffee

2010-02-11T11:24:00.007-05:00

Suze Lindsay Mug, a morning favorite for over ten years.

As I sit here this morning getting ready to start the day I am taking part in my normal morning ritual of a cup or two of coffee. It's nice this semester because I teach in the afternoon/evenings so after getting up between six or seven I am able to start the day with the family and contemplate the actions of the day. Today I am reading an essay by Suzanne Ramljak, called Intimate Matters: Objects and Subjectivity. Here is an exerpt that I was particularly fond of:

Returning again to the cultural role of intimate objects, we can see that their effectiveness derives from a number of converging features. In general, we need objects for our physical development and to keep us focused and anchored in the world. Etymology stresses this stabilizing function of objects. The word "object" stems from obicere, meaning "to throw in the way of or hinder"; as a verb the word "object" means "to oppose or resist." Without the grounding force of objects, we would be adrift in a void without measure or weight. Objects provide us with a tangible source of comfort, something to hold on to in a shifting world.

The overall importance of objects in our lives, coupled with the rewards of personal involvement, lends the intimate object an increased value. Our interactions with such objects become even more precious in light of the digital revolution now under way. In many respects, digital technology is the antithesis of intimacy; it removes us from direct contact with experience, with each other, and even with ourselves. The price we pay for such technological advance was captured in 1928 by E. M. Forster's disquieting story "The Machine Stops." In this futuristic, but not improbable, tale of life ruled by machines, people have become horrified by direct contact and have entirely ceased to touch one another. An epiphany at the story's end leads the characters to realize that the machine "has robbed us of the sense of space and of the sense of touch, it has blurred every human relation and narrowed down love to a carnal act, it has paralyzed our bodies and our wills."18 Although Forster's story is fictional, this impoverishment of our relations due to computers and other machines cannot be overstated. In spite of current efforts to make computer technology more human, it will always lack the "imponderable bloom" that is the essence of personal inter-course.

As I sit in front of the computer I have to chuckle at the irony of this excerpt. I am personally taking part in this digital revolution by writing in this virtual space, and in many respects I feel that at this day in age it is impossible not to be involved in the intangible spaces of the virtual world. This form of communication is so accessible, but within this I feel that a grounding is absolutely necessary. My "objects" are the handmade objects, and my interaction is both through use and making. These are the things that help to put things back into perspective for me and it seems as though anyone out there reading this who's a maker of pots/objects can relate. The personal touch puts us back into direct contact with someone else, and the conversation can continue on a very intimate level. The importance of touch and the importance of time can be found in these objects, and it is here that the idea of intimate object resounds so strongly with me. Enjoy your cup of coffee and hopefully it is from a handmade mug. Cheers.

AccessCeramics, Contemporary Ceramics Archive

2010-02-09T08:30:00.003-05:00

Thomas Orr, Pomona. 2008. From AccessCeramics.org

This archive site came across my attention recently and it is a great visual contemporary ceramic resource. A project of Faculty and Staff at Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, AccessCeramics is a database of nearly 3000 images of contemporary ceramics. A quote from the Lewis and Clark website states "In the short time since its inception, accessCeramics has grown tremendously and has caught the attention of artists, scholars, and experts in instructional media services. The originality of the project and its educational mission have earned it grant support from prominent foundations such as the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)." A wonderful resource for teachers, students and artists, AccessCeramics is a wealth of visual information on contemporary ceramics that is worth spending some time getting to know.

2010-02-07T08:41:00.001-05:00

More form that I came across. I saw one of these ford vans in an undisclosed movie that I happened to watch recently and thought that there was something special going on. I have always admired the VW bus, and this was something just a little bit different. Frankly, the van was the best part of the aforementioned movie...go figure.

interesting form

2010-02-07T08:27:00.001-05:00

Just some interesting examples of form that I came across this morning. They really don't make things the way that they used too.

Morning Cup of Coffee

2010-02-07T07:49:00.000-05:00

Sitting here this morning with my morning cup of coffee while watching my daughter play with blocks I realize that I am watching our innate nature to create. What is it that causes us to make things, and imagine such large things from the creation of those objects. I am also thinking about what causes some of us to hang on to this child like imagination as we grow into adults that still desire to make things. I am driven to make things, both art and music. I want those things to go out into the world and infect the people that encounter them not to mention have those object integrate into a personal landscape somewhere that is not my own and not familiar to me. If these desires are genetic or physiological than I am exited for my daughter because she is showing that interest with reckless abandon. Everyday I see new developments and interests in her that blow my mind. The ultimate in creativity.

Red Lodge Clay Center Featured Artist Exhibition

2010-02-05T19:00:00.001-05:00

http://www.redlodgeclaycenter.com/lists.php?type=featured
Check out my show that is up at Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana. The Show will be up for the month of February. Let me know what you think.

Still Cold...

2010-02-05T18:01:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm going to give this a try and hopefully people will let me know what they think. It's quite cold here in Upstate NY, and it will be for quite some time. The Fly Tying bench is calling and so is the water, but the wood stove keeps the home cozy and my mind off not being able to fish. The studio occupies a lot time not to mention two little ones. I'll keep you posted so stay tuned...