In The Works

well, good morning. just got back from starting another bisque load and it's COLD here in N.H.. 2 degrees to be exact. thought i would post some shots of things in the works. these pieces have been thrown, and assembled in the case of the pig banks, and are drying. i like taking pictures of pots at this stage. something about the surface .......... they almost look like black and white images. we're doing the Boston Gift Show next month as part of a multi-participant booth sponsored by the League of N.H. Craftsmen, and we're taking the piggy banks to offer to the wholesale market. hoping they'll be a hit !! i've made so many of them i have it down and can generate cash flow with them. gotta do a little more work on the kiln. have discovered the second stage regulator that was part of the system when i acquired it isn't designed for that application and is acting as a restriction and has to be removed. i'm counting on good 'ole Home Depot to come to the rescue and thread some pipe. the kiln should fire like a rocket ship after the change and i'll have to make sure it doesn't go too fast. but i need it to fire as efficiently as possible with the price of propane being what it is.

guess i'm rambling now ....... i said i would probably talk too much.

one more thing - Michele's brother Paul built a light box for taking images and we tried it out last Fri. night for the first time. i'll be borrowing it and working with it, so will get the results posted.

adios amoebas ~

mugs

mugs are the most intimate item a potter makes. they get used often. choosing the right mug for that first cup of coffee is the first decision of the day. mugs are most likely the first form a potter masters. and they are all about the handle. well made handles make the mug successful. handles also become a stylistic trademark. like achieving your own " sound " as a musician, handles become recognized as made by a particular potter. i still love throwing 100 mugs in one sitting. after the first 5 or 6 it becomes a meditation ........ lately i have been stamping designs into them before attaching the handles. the mugs pictured above are made with a white stoneware, sprayed with slip and glazed with an amber glaze, fired to ^10 in reduction.

more coffee ................

Rules . . . . .

John Cage wrote " ten rules for teachers, students and anybody else. "

rules about no rules, really. good rules to live by. i can't say i understand his music very well but i admire his attitude toward it.

Solstice

tomorrow is the Winter Solstice - the shortest day of the year. oh yeah, Christmas is right around the corner too. my buddies, Daniel and Joseph, who i mentioned in the previous post,helped me to understand that the holidays we celebrate are connected to the Earth's trip around the Sun, and to the thinking that existed before Christianity. no one knows the actual birth date of Christ, so it was deemed a good idea to use the Winter Solstice, since it was already being celebrated. our Christmas holiday was " piggy - backed " onto the pagan observance. and look into the history of Coca-Cola to find out why Santa Clause looks the way he does. in Europe, where Christmas began, he is depicted as tall and lean. that guy could more easily get down one's chimney. hmmm ......... start piercing the veil. it's a whole lotta fun !!! so, what does all this mean? we are still connected, in our thinking and actions, to something bigger ....... though we don't know it. i just came back from turning a kiln on and it is starting to get light in the Eastern sky and the traffic on Rt. 4 is picking up. being a potter is a lot like being a farmer. once into a cycle of production it is a daily thing. and i mean every day. seven days a week. it's a privilege to be able to work like this and to be outside before the Sun comes up. and to have this quiet time of day to think about it all ......

go in Peace

other things . . .

OK ...... so i'm a potter ..... but i intend to have different links and what-not here on my blog. the " usual suspects " in terms of pottery books, magazines, links, etc. are pretty well covered. if you are reading this you most likely have an interest in pottery and are already aware of all that stuff.
that being said, some interesting reading can be found in the work of Daniel Quinn. how we got to this point from the advent of agriculture. the first book of his that i read was My Ishmael and it was a real eye opener. don't be fooled by the seemingly simple writing.

along the same lines another hero of mine was Joseph Campbell. i recommend The Power of Myth, and that can be digested most easily in the interview format with Bill Moyers on dvd. his phrase " follow your bliss " keeps me making pots ............ and music. more about music and guitars especially in future " other things " blogs.

lovecompassionhumor and good Rock & Roll.

ahhh ....... the female form. Artists have been intrigued by it forever. And for a lot of us the love of women draws us to capture that spark. Or edge ........ I have just recently started making these " lady " pots and they are a nice change from throwing - they start out as thrown but are then finished by hand. And each gal is different with her own personality. It's about time to start a couple more. They have been getting more life like as they go along. I may have to find a gallery that deals in erotic Art

5 1/2" ht. celadon glaze cone 10 reduction