SummerTime!

Community: Harvard came to Nobles and we fired in the heat! Kusakabe-san was back in town and we ended up doing a 16 hour firing - very different than how Nora and I have been firing. I certainly learned a lot about the possibilities of how to fire this innovative and versatile kiln. In preparation for the heat, I dusted off my sewing skills and created some shades - the kiln now has wings!

Kusakabe-san's trademark angels were again blessing the firing. The Harvard folks have been having fun posting their photos on Facebook. We had such a good time during the entire process - Wayne does a great job of teaching and the rest of the crew kept it lively and fun. We ate so well during the entire day, taking advantage of our "pizza oven".

A new goal? To write about this kiln and its genesis and submit it to The Log Book?

Studio: In my own studio, I worked hard in June to improve my space. I created more of a divide between the show space and work space, adding more shelves and a work table. I'll post images of the revamp soon. I needed more space for all the work we've been firing lately...

Also, my essay was published in Studio Potter this month - very exciting to receive it in the mail! My headmaster happened to be in the mailroom when I opened the package (they send you four copies) so I gave him one - he seemed pleased! At the same time, Laurie Erdman featured me in her Wood Fired Wednesdays - seemed like a lot was going on in a short amount of time...

Harlequin Milk Jugs

Been playing with pattern lately - gridding out the bottles, texturing in very specific places. I like that the staid form of the milk jug is livened up by the harlequin design. Harlequin was one of the old world jesters and seems a fitting way of giving these vessels some personality.

Now the trick will be to figure out how to glaze these puppies - leaving some skin available for the wood firing, of course.

Meet The Potters

Meet The Potters in Brattleboro was a very fun event. Not quite sales worthy, at least for me, but it was worth it to go up and connect with all the local potters. It was held in the River Garden, a great place to show - right downtown, with skylights and plenty of room for all. We had two local acoustic bands play during the afternoon and coffee was always right there.

Here's my little setup:

I did get to trade a piece with one of my favorite Brattleboro artists: Natalie Blake. She was able to set up her stuff but had to leave to catch a plane. Her mom Mary sat the entire show. I traded one of the tokkuri's for one of her carved wall tiles - spectacular!

Also, it is always great to talk to Eric and Noelle of ZPots - so cool and hip and Vermonty...

One of my other favorite potters was there as well: Maya Zelkin. She woodfires some beautiful pots - clean lines, perfect proportions, sturdy yet loveable...

Open Studio Weekend

The weekend Open Studio is over and it is time to get back to the wheel. We had a nice flow of people throughout the weekend although Celia's First Communion took priority on Saturday. Here's a couple of shots of the new display areas:

Next up is Meet The Potters, in Brattleboro - this Saturday I will head up there with a carload of the work and see how Vermont reacts to the stuff...

St. Earth and GreenFire

Did anyone else read St. Earth's blog about bilateral and trilateral symmetry? Jeepers, it was a good post. First, Three Is A Magic Number is definitely my favorite School House Rock song. Second (or should I make this the third point?), I am a big fan of trilateral symmetry and often think about numbers when determining how many I should make of something. Third, I love the discussion of history, culture, science, and mathematics that permeated the blog. It was invigorating to read and the only bummer I could find is that I couldn't easily leave a comment. Anyone see how to do this?

Yesterday, we fired GreenFire. 14 hours total. I write a little bit more technical stuff on the GreenFire blog. It was a beautiful day to fire and the first that Nora and I did on our own. It was a little nerve racking in the beginning to get the thing off the ground - the last time we fired, we had a huge crew on hand, everyone fighting for time at the stoking area, or time to ask Kusakabe a question, or cooking, or eating, or whatever. It was exciting and crazy and energizing. This time it was super quiet, with just the two of us firing. We brought it up slow (worried about dampness from the winter) but it climbed beautifully and reached temp in about 11 hours. We side stoked for two hours and then monitored cooling for another hour before shutting it down. We'll unload tomorrow. If the work turns out well, it will be so exciting to have dialed in this part of the process. Now, just to make some interesting work...

Lights and Fire

Back home

after a whirlwind day. Glazed pots this morning for raku firing tomorrow. Stopped by Nobles to drop off library books, see friends, pick up mail. Went to Foster Gallery to see the latest iteration: Awesome!

Tony Kudner's

installation was so cool. A black box was created inside the gallery. The space changed over the course of many minutes. Grids, columns, walls

were created out of light and mist. I loved it!

Then I went

to Portland Pottery to pick up supplies and decided to hop over to Thayer Academy to see my friend Steven Branfman and the show he had going on at their gallery: John Baymore.

Really beautiful wood-fired pots. Lovely proportions, luscious glazes, pretty true to Japanese traditional work. John studied for some time in Japan and has built his own naborigama in New Hampshire. He will be doing a workshop at Thayer next Thursday, so I'll get a chance to meet him! So cool!