Wood and Soda Fired Pottery

Updates

Spring 2012

There a re not many things more wonderful than Spring in the mountains.  I love seeing the first hints of color coming back onto the trees after staring at the same old bare branches for so long.  The Fall colors get all the glory, but the and even though the Spring ones are more subtle they are full of potential for the coming months. Although we had a temperate winter in these parts, there has been no rest for the weary in months and it seems so to believe we are already on the downhill side of March.  Too many things to catch up on since the last update here...so I'll sum it up with a few pictures and even fewer words. Lots of bricks moved, some pots made, getting ready for another go with the wood kiln in just a few days. I hope to make more frequent updates in the coming months over at the William Baker Pottery Facebook page. Lots of exciting news coming in the next few months...an exciting new gallery forming in the area, a few exhibitions that I am a part of which open in the next few weeks, and hopefully an answer to the age old question "can you drink a Mint Julep from a Yunomi?"

Pottery Everywhere

It's a big weekend here in pottery land, and it looks like it's going to be a beautiful one in the mountains.  If you're near Chapel Hill in the next few weeks, I have a few pieces in the show "Dining with Frank" at the Frank Gallery.  And the show of work by Joy and myself in Georgia is still available online for another week, so have a look at that one before it disappears. But really, the thing to do is to head on over the Spruce Pine this weekend for the Potter's Market.  I don't think you'll be sorry.

Pots and more pots

From here you can just see the edge of fall coming around corner.  Of course it’s a fantastic time to be in the mountains, but this year has been a busy one for us.  Joy and I have been putting  in the long hours as usual, getting ready for the second firing of the Fall.  But there's no time to talk now, we're still finishing pots for our next firing in a few days. Last week, our show opened down in Roswell, Georgia.  The entire show is online for a few more weeks so be sure to check it out.  And just two short weeks away is the Spruce Pine Potters Market, which you need to know about if you don't already. Here are a few of my favorites from the recent firings. Stay tuned for more as we get ready to have another go.
William Baker and Joy Tanner

Firing the Pallet Kiln

Getting Up to Speed

Oh how the weeks have flown by…so many events have taken place in the last few weeks it’s hard to know where to start? Let’s see, well.. making pots for the last two months mixed with another kiln building trip, and of course there was the wedding.  What else can you say?  It was a simple affair in the mountains where we live, with a small group of family and friends.  Couldn't have been more perfect. joy-and-will-4 So you’ll have to excuse me for not checking in for sometime, but it has felt a little hectic the last few weeks getting back to "normal" life after a fantastic honeymoon.  But we did manage to make enough to fill the kiln, working a few weeks here and a few weeks there.  Not your typical work cycle, but we just unloaded our fifth firing in the pallet kiln and we’ll start working on the 6th soon enough. For this last firing Joy had most of the cups, bowls, and plates, and I focused on making more larger pieces. IMG_6030 A few of my small pieces came out nice too, but…these pieces fired on their sides are some of the most interesting I’ve seen come out of this kiln yet.

We’re gearing up for a big fall later this year, trying to squeeze in as many work cycles as we can in the next few months.  At the same time we’ve been looking back on the last year in our “new”studio space and thinking about how our work has changed in that time. Early morning at the EnergyXchange

Fresh Flowers

Hurry on over to the Schaller Gallery online where the latest show just opened this morning.  A few weeks ago I sent off a few vases and little bud vases off to their new location in Michigan.  There is a fantastic selection of vases, all photographed with flowers. Stop here and smell the flowers. Around the same time I dropped of new work at my other favorite gallery, Crimson Laurel right here in Bakersville, NC.  I left them with a stack of small lunch plates and several larger pots as well. If you 're visiting the mountains anytime this summer you don't want to leave the area without stopping in to see the amazing selection they have put together there.

Finishing up the Penland Salt Kiln

Penland Salt Kiln

Finished up the kiln building class a bit ago, and forgot to share these photos.  In about 10 days we had the new salt kiln built and ready to go.  The two students in the class were able to make as much work as they could squeeze out at night, and they still managed to keep up with us during the day.  Shane candled the kiln overnight for a few hours, and then lit the main burners.  About 14 hours later we had 9's and 10's down and a bunch of salt in it.

Back to the cycle--making work for the next firing while still sorting through some of the pots from the last one.

Who says the first firing of a new kiln has to be bad?


Spring 2012
Spring 2012

There a re not many things more wonderful than Spring in the mountains.  I love seeing the first hints of color coming back onto the trees after staring at the same old bare ... [ More ]

More in Updates
Pots and more pots
Pots and more pots

From here you can just see the edge of fall coming around corner.  Of course it’s a fantastic time to be in the mountains, but this year has been a busy one for us.  Joy a... [ More ]

More in Firing Notes
Local Happenings
Local Happenings

I've been holding on to this set of four dinner plates from the last firing as some of the finest. I dropped them off at Crimson Laurel Gallery today, along with a set of four... [ More ]

More in Uncategorized
Local Happenings
Local Happenings

I've been holding on to this set of four dinner plates from the last firing as some of the finest. I dropped them off at Crimson Laurel Gallery today, along with a set of four... [ More ]

More in Uncategorized

  • Fresh Flowers

    Hurry on over to the Schaller Gallery online where the latest show just opened this morning.  A few weeks ago I sent off a few vases and little bud vases off to their new loc... [ More ]

  • Finishing up the Penland Salt Kiln

    Finished up the kiln building class a bit ago, and forgot to share these photos.  In about 10 days we had the new salt kiln built and ready to go.  The two students in t... [ More ]

  • Here We Go Again

    It's that time of year again, and I'm heading to Penland to help my pal Shane and a few students rebuild the salt kiln.  Luckily for me I barely have to leave the neighborhoo... [ More ]



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Wood and Soda Fired Pottery