Hi Folks!

Well, we have officially lived in our new little town of Beaufort NC for almost three months. We are loving it more and more every day and are even starting to feel settled. Its crazy and quirky and electic. Its inspring! So, what does that mean? The hunt for a property for the new pottery has begun! I am spending a lot of time looking and researching. I feel in my heart that things will soon start to happen. The sense of community here is huge and I have a lot of people looking for properties for me. It is amazing to feel so embraced and this community is exactly what was missing in our lives before. So stay with me beacuse the race is on and we will be back in business in no time!

Time Out

this latest blog entry is to make an official announcement. my husband and i have made the decision to leave western north carolina and move to beaufort nc. he was given an offer too good to pass up. no worries! the pottery will stay in business, as soon as i find a studio. so keep me us in your thoughts in this crazy time of change and check back with me while the hunt for a new studio space is on. thanks y'all!

Cone 6 Oxidation

more "expirements" from the electric kiln!

the idea is to stay within the realm of what i have been working towards, while not fighting the inherent qualities of firing in an electric kiln. i am using a white midrange stoneware clay. i have been testing celedons and ash glazes with some pretty good results. i am also striving for a nice matte glaze, which is hard to acheive in an electric kiln. ugh. still shiny! even with the slow cool. anyway, i guess i'll have to keep you posted on that one.

i have always been interested in carving flowers into my pots. something i really appreciated about the salt kiln was the way the carvings came out in the fire. when i was switching gears to electric firing i was driving myself crazy trying to figure out a way to translate what i was working towards in the salt kiln to something i could love in the electric kiln.

then one day.... i found it! mishima! the answer to all my problems! mishima, in its most simple definition is inlaid clay. the process is still that of carving the flowers into the surface of the pot in the same manner in which i always have. but now i inlay the lines with slip. this creates the fine lines and hard edges that i love. and the best part is.... no rough surfaces. just a few flowers as a border on a pot might be enough for some potters, but no-no, not this one! more flowers please! this approach is great! now i can run my fork across my plate. and i can cover the pot in ash glazes and the images stay crisp! something, i couldnt achieve witha brush, lord knows i've tried.

so i threw together this little pot trying to work out the skills i need to make these things look good. this new quest is not without challenges. but i am excited and motivated and refreshed by my happenings in this little electric kiln. take this little pot as a "sketch" if you will, and stay tuned for what is to come. yay!

thanks for reading!

4-H Pottery Day

One of my favorite parts of being a potter is being able to share my skills and my love for clay with others. A few times a year I work with the 4-H ers here in Haywood County making pottery for a day. This year we made sculptures of fish and sculptures of birds in a nest.

Usually we start with an assignment and before long the kids are over flowing with ideas of what to make next. I love giving them their initial "assignment" and watching how kids let their creativity go crazy. They don't hold anything back. Its amazing! And not to mention inspirational!

Electric Glazes

my first "decent" glaze results in the electric kiln. celedon and basic white glaze with wax resist.

4-H Pottery Preview

finally! i have found a non-commercial glaze for the 4-H pottery i have been working on. here's a little sneak preview....

Its Electric!

hello all!

sorry for my delayed posts. with summer in full swing, teaching a little pottery here and there, and the farm keeping me at 120%....oh yeah... and the pottery too! no wonder blogging has escaped me!
to catch you up, i am currently deep into the exploration of cone 6 oxidation glazes. i have had mixed results and will continue to expiriment. pictures will be posted soon!

thanks for checkin in with me!