Commercial Break
I did want to let people know about a couple of events in the Chapel Hill/Burlington, NC areas. One is the library show in Carrboro–sorry about the short notice, but if you get a chance to see it before it comes down tomorrow afternoon (June 10), it’s at the Carrboro Branch Library on Fayetteville Rd. For directions see http://www.co.orange.nc.us/library/carrboro/index.htm Curator Alex O’Connor’s website is http://alexoconnor.com/ Also, this Thursday, June 11, Emily Weinstein has a reception and book signing. It will be at the Alamance County Arts Council, on...
Read MoreFungus-y Fungi
Just opened the kiln and was pleased with the results. I think Suzanne and Tom will be happy with their mushrooms. Those are some fungus-y fungi! Tom is a microbiologist, so this is most appropriate! They haven’t seen them yet, so that’s all I’ll say for now. I threw in several test tiles and got some good results, as well as some serious Halloween. I have a love-hate relationship with test tiles. They just seem to take so much time. Other ceramists may disagree with me on that, but (1) I’m pretty impatient in some areas of my life, and this is one of them, (2)...
Read MoreMushrooms and LLamas and Dogs, Oh My!
It’s been an interesting day in the studio–I’ve been very fortunate to be invited to some really nice shows and have been making different types of work for each one. Currently, I have four pieces in a lovely show (which ends on Wednesday!) in Carrboro, NC called “Animals Without Borders,” curated by Alex O’Connor. She is an amazing painter and an animal lover. I was so thrilled when she invited me to participate. As expected, I found myself among the most excellent company. Alex asked me to bring my “Cat Fish.” This body of work is...
Read MoreBlogging lesson
Cranked up the kiln this morning and will spend a few minutes (while it’s still quiet around here) learning more about blogging. Here are some photos of Jackie & Mike and Suzanne & Tom, making their wonderful garden art. I think it was late January. The goal is to finish the pieces while their gardens are still going. What with all the busy schedules, we’ve had that much trouble connecting! Mike and Jackie making art–It’s funny, when people are so engaged, they don’t smile, so when I show photos, I feel the need to say, “They’re really...
Read MoreJust opened the kiln and so far, so good. This was a first firing for the ware—the bisque firing, to prepare the work to receive glaze and be fired again. In general, the bisque firing is slower than the glaze firing, and is intended to burn out materials in the clay that could cause problems for the glaze. There is a lot of chemistry in pottery making! I usually work in earthenware–kiln temperatures are set for around 1900 degrees F for both the bisque and glaze firings. In this case, I’m firing stoneware, and the second firing will be around 2200. Those few hundred...
Read More