"The chief source of art is man's pleasure in his daily work, which expresses itself and is embodied in that art itself."
William Morris (1834-1896)

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Pots, pots, pots



Those of you familiar with the Arts & Crafts pottery made between 1890-1910+ are familiar with the Roseville jardineres on pedestals. We thought we would attempt to make at least one. It is a difficult challenge because the two pieces are made separately and must fit together after the 15% shrinkage our pieces undergo from thrown to finish. Roseville pottery was cast and though handling plaster molds fill of liquid clay slip is tricky, they were a factory and had appropriate mechanization. Here is a large base Steve has thrown. He'll put a slab on top from which he'll make a rim for the bowl to sit on. Next he'll make the bowl.



This is also a difficult piece, inspired by an original Teco design. The donut shape at the bottom was thrown first, allowed to set up while the next section was thrown. Then the two were joined and here you see Steve adding yet another section for additional height after the first two pieces have set up. He was successful and that is a feat in itself with all that weight sitting on the donut.
Now he'll decorate it.


Of the two, which has the scariest Halloween face?

Monday, October 19, 2009

Bethesda Row


Well, this is why some artists do not sell their work at outdoor art fairs. Atypical for this geographical area at this time of year, it was wet and cold in the 40's with a constant rain on Saturday. Sunday was colder but no rain. Still, we had sent out over 400 postcards inviting former customers to the show so we set up in the rain and put all our clothes on. (We came prepared thanks to the internet weather postings.) It couldn't have been a good show but a few of our loyal collectors saved the weekend. We are grateful.
Bethesda Row is an interesting area with a lot of good restaurants, unique shops, plenty of parking and hotels. In good weather, it would be a fun place to be so we hope to try it again next year.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Unloading the kiln 10/13/09



We unloaded the kiln tonight and were pleased with the Classics. The glaze was very nice.

Tomorrow is a day off for hiking in the gorgeous fall colors we have here in the North East. It is at zenith now and won't be much when we return after our show this weekend in Bethesda Row.

You might want to check out Century Studios blog right now. They are showing a beautiful stain glass shade of Daffodils they made on a pottery base we made for them. You can get to the blog by clicking on their image in the friends section below. At the end of their studio description, click on their blog link.

Monday, October 12, 2009

Unloading kiln


With one kiln cooling and the pots for the next firing waiting to get in. Here's what was in there.

Tonight we fire the second kiln load.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Glazing & Firing 10/11/09



Today Steve glazed all day while I brought the orchids inside because of a frost warning for tonight. We will be firing tonight and again probably Tuesday or Wednesday to finish a couple of orders and add to the stock we'll take to Bethesda Row this coming weekend.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Armonk & Catskill


We've just returned from a weekend art fair in Armonk, NY. It benefits the North Castle Library there and is in its 48th year. A wonderful high quality show, it was plagued by bad weather on Saturday but Sunday was beautiful.
Tomorrow we will unload the car and pack up the pieces we have chosen to take to the Kaaterskill gallery show in the Doctorow Center for the Arts, Hunter, NY.


For more information visit their website at http://www.catskillmtn.org/events/exhibitions/2009-10-10-he-and-she.html

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Elm Tree


This is the beginning of my Elm Tree design. First I've laid out the tree structure, then I throw out a slab for the leaves.




This is an easy way to make a small slab. You literally throw the ball of clay at an angle onto the table and it stretches it out repeating the process until you get the thickness you want.



Finished!

We are off to a show in Armonk, NY tomorrow. If you live close by, I would recommend a visit on Saturday or Sunday. Sounds like the weather will be better on Sunday. Admission is $9. For directions and more information, go to their website at www.armonkoutdoorartshow.org
The crafts there are good but the 2 dimensional work is outstanding and there is lots of it.