Looking Back, Looking Forward
In preparing for a few upcoming events, I’ve been cruising through images of old work and thinking a lot lately about how this whole pottery thing got started and where it has been going. Here is the quick version: like a lot of clay people, I got started by accident and I was hooked before […]
Workshop March 13, 2010
As promised, here are the details about the upcoming one-day workshop. It will be at Claymakers in Durham, NC Saturday March 13th 2010 from 10-5 pm. The cost is $70 for the day, which will include demonstrations and discussions by Joy Tanner and myself. That’s two for the price of one. Below you will find […]
In the Studio
The last week has seen the first pots of the next firing cycle. Some times it seems odd how much time is spent not in the studio when one is supposedly a studio potter. Aside from all of the general day to day duties, the stacking and moving of wood to heat the house, etc., […]
“Asheville In the Bull City”
A new year is off to a good start with a few exciting plans on the horizon, and hopefully a few more yet to come. Of course, we can only print those that have been confirmed as of this date…but stay tuned for more details of upcoming shows and workshops… First up for the new […]
Happy Holidays
Wanted to wish every one out there in blogland Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year. I’ve been out of the studio for a few weeks but staying busy as always…where did the month of December go anyway? Here’s a brief review of the last few weeks: the last two sales wound up all right […]
Online Holiday Sale is Up
The Online Holiday Sale is up and running! Stop by the ETSY SHOP to view about 30 pieces I’ve held onto for your online purchasing pleasure. The Etsy Shop is a convenient way to purchase these items safely online, you can even make a little wish list and pass it on to those who need […]
Online Sale Coming Soon!
The Holiday Season is fast approaching and I’m putting the finishing touches on the online sales gallery. Here is a sneak peek of some of the pots going online this weekend. I’ve set aside a nice selection of pieces from the Fall firings this year to offer in the ETSY SHOP, and I hope to […]
Highlights/Events
This little group of three tumblers went to New Orleans recently as part of an Annual Invitational Juried Exhibition held at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art and titled “The Art of the Cup: Functional Comfort”. I was very pleased to be included in this event and happy that at least my tumblers were heading to New Orleans […]
The Last Firing
The October firings went well, although each one lasted a few hours longer than usual. Here are some pictures from the unloading of the 14th firing, showing a larger serving bowl, a mug, and a new vase form. Many of the dinner plates and most of the square jars have all ready found a good […]
Relaxing on the BRP
Septmeber and October seemn to be the busiest months around here. With all the finishing and firing and packing and unpacking and craft shows, it gets to where you just have to squeeze in a little break. Last year about this time we hiked in the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area. This year, we took the […]
Fall Wrap-Up
A cold, mean wind came down the mountain today. The leaves were still turning and the first snow flakes fell. October had a busy start, right after my firing I split another one with Joy so we could head into the fall with a good pile of pottery. The Spruce Pine Potters Market was a […]
Spruce Pine Potters Market
If you haven’t already made your plans to head up to the mountains this weekend, it’s not too late. The fall colors are starting to come in, and this weekend you can find all of these potters under one roof. The Spruce Pine Potters Market is held in Spruce Pine, North Carolina this Saturday and […]
Slow and Steady
Up on the mountain Fall has been creeping in since the last of August, with rain rain rain. This working cycle seems to be taking forever, but I’m finally nearing the end in the studio with hopes of firing the kiln in the next two weeks. The pottery is slowly piling up, plates and bowls […]
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 smaller plates suitable for lunch or perhaps dessert. An exhibit of great pieces for serving and sharing is opening this […]
Mudfire Exhibit
The good folks down at MudFire Gallery and Studio in Atlanta included my work in their exhibit “Mug*Shots”. The show features the work of over 60 artists from across the country, filling the gallery space with mugs and wee cups from some of the finest ceramic artists around. The show runs through September 26, 2009 […]
Another Mickey Kiln
Back from a week long excursion with Captain Conepack to build another Shane Mickey kiln. I’ve worked with Shane for the past few years, helping him build kilns in I think three states now. I’ve learned a lot from him about design theory and the practicalities of building kilns, and we tend to ramble on […]
Here and There
The summer is flying by while I run here and there on all the various projects. Most of them are moving along slowly, but at least they’re moving. One of the websites is nearly complete, the plans for the reduction kiln are almost Final Plans, we finished up the building of the little “test” soda […]
Summer Workshop
Coming up in a few weeks I’ll be leading a wheel-throwing workshop with a splash of soda firing thrown in. The class will be held in Bakersville, NC at ArtsCentered. I’ve been teaching a class there one night a week for the past few months, and I have converted a small electric kiln into a […]
Back to Work
Hard to believe that we’re well into the summer season. Settling back in after the Studio Tour, found the blueberries coming along nicely up here on the mountain. The traffic trickled in all weekend, with many of the visitors being folks with whom we were already acquainted. It’s always great to see the rare breed […]
Studio Tour!
TRAC Studio Tour June 12, 13th and 14th Friday 12:00-4:00 Saturday and Sunday 10:00-6:00 [Click here for a map and more info!] The big weekend is here! It’s the Toe River Arts Council Studio Tour, of course. Over one hundred craft studios to visit in the mountains of Western North Carolina, and out on the […]
Back in Town
Back from the trip over the mountain and across the state line. The sale was not as exciting as we had hoped, but it brought us right by Great Smoky Mountains National Park which was a great excuse to hike around a bit. We happened upon some great places, took some photos while rockhopping in […]
Busy Few Weeks
A few snapshots from the recent firing I shared with Joy. A number of nice pots came out, a few new forms I tried out and lots of Joy’s vases too. She needed a few extra vases for an important event so we hustled down to Bakersville to fire the little converted electric soda kiln. […]
This Weekend
A brief interruption from the studio where I’ve been trying to get situated for the upcoming firing. This weekend it’s off to another event, but this is no mere ‘craft fair’. This is an International Arts Festival for this humble wood fired potter. I’m speaking of course about Artisphere in Greenville, SC taking place this […]
A New Soda Kiln
Back from the two-week stay at Penland, a little tired but mostly unharmed. Another Shane Mickey kiln now resides in Mitchell County, built with the help of several students. I was there to assist Shane and in the two weeks we built a modest sized soda kiln and fired it twice with the work made […]
