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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 neighborhood. The class met for the first time last night, and we’ll get to talking things over and moving some bricks today. […]
Did I Forget to Mention?
There is an opening reception tonight as part of the big NCECA conference down in Tampa/ St. Petersburg. I was honored to be invited to participate in a show highlighting some of the wonderful ceramic artists who have passed through the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts. I sent some nice pots down for the show, […]
From One Kiln to Another
I’ve been hiding in a cave for the last week…at least that what is feels like. In reality the cave was Kyle Carpenter’s kiln shed and rather than hiding of course I was building a new cross draft salt kiln for him. Things are moving along well and Kyle can’t wait to fire it up […]
Straight Into the New Year
It’s shaping up to be a busy and exciting year from the looks of the calendar. Getting ready for a firing in a few weeks means another wood day at Pallet Mountain. After a few more weeks working towards filling the kiln I’ll be taking a “break” to head down to Asheville for a kiln-building […]
This Weekend
So many events going on this weekend, there’s no way you could make it to all of them if you tried. You’re just going to have to make some decisions on which way to go. Here’s a little list to help you. We’ve all ready covered the Holiday Sale down at MudFire Gallery in Atlanta. […]
The Holidays at MudFire
While waiting for the unloading of the first soda firing, I remembered that there are a few events coming up this holiday season. I sent some pots down to Atlanta for a show that just began down at the MudFire Studio and Gallery. Below are the full details of the show including the extensive list […]
Brick by Brick
It has been one never ending pile of bricks for me over the last few weeks. As mentioned in the last post, I was hired to build a new soda kiln for the good folks at the Odyssey Center. This particular kiln is a cross draft soda kiln, about 15 cubic feet of stacking space, […]
Skills
Just yesterday I was discussing “the business” (aka William Baker Pottery ) with someone at the bank when I was asked “do you make the pottery”. I am repeatedly amazed at how deeply engrossed we can become in our chosen career/obsession only to be reminded that most folks out there in the world have absolutely […]
Back In the Studio
Another month come and gone. Not too much time in the studio in the last month, but lots of other exciting developments. Went on a great hiking and camping trip in Maine, and another kiln building adventure with Captain Conepack himself down to the Seagrove area of NC. There are more kiln building activities developing […]
First Firing Report
After all the work of the last few weeks, it’s good to finally be on the other side of all of the changes taking place in my little world. Settling into the new studio took a bit longer than expected, but with the first firing now over and done with there is finally a bit […]
Good News Coming
There is definitely some good news to report once I can find the time. The first firing of the Pallet Kiln has come and gone bringing success and a few deep sighs of relief. I’m working on a full report of that, and trying to get everything battened down and ready for the next adventure. […]
Burnt
I was very pleased to be invited to participate in an exhibition at the Schaller Gallery, which is an online gallery based out of Montana. I packed up and shipped out some of my favorites a few weeks ago for the show titled “Burnt”, and subtitled “from crusty and toasty to smooth and silky”. I […]
Mt. Pallet
We had a work day up at the EnergyXchange last week to finish up some of the last details of the new wood kiln, but mainly to harness many hands and a large trailer to move a bunch of pallets. This kiln is designed to eat entire pallets, whole. Did I mention that I’ve moved […]
This Weekend
In case you haven’t heard already, it’s that time of year again. The Toe River Studio Tour once again opens up the wilds of Mitchell of Yancey County, North Carolina. The hours are 10-6 today and tomorrow, June 12th and 13th, and you can find a map and listing of all of the amazing studios […]
Catching Up
What a busy Spring it has been…and here it is well into Summer already. It’s going to stay busy for a while but I’ll try to keep you posted. Last post I had a few pictures from the firing we finshed just before I headed off to the Artisphere Festival. Currently the kiln is cooling […]
After The Firing (ATF)
It’s been a busy Spring here in the mountains, but we finally managed to get the kiln fired and unloaded. So many times with a firing looming it seems that everything gets put off until after the firing. I was reminded by my pottery pal Michael Kline that this phenomenon is not limited to me, […]
A Little Help
I was invited by my old pal Drew Nicklas to be part of an exhibit at Pottery Northwest in Seattle entitled “Four By Four”. The theme of the show was some of the current resident artists there at the arts center inviting some of their friends and mentors to send pieces and create a diverse […]
