happy holidays

happy holidays everyone..
a brief break with my brothers and sisters
a big dinner with my boy Wyatt and everyone together...
then the work continues...
pictures coming after the festivities...
Wyatt says ... have some joy...
let the glow inside...

home in time for a nice morning snow...

Finally Back

home from CraftBoston, after Demarest...
hoping to unload the truck today
and begin photos of cups and bowls for those who asked
before I left...
long 2 weeks on the road
it's nice to be home and see my boy!
they're coming... I promise...

Demarest

it is time...
I will soon be joining 29 outstanding potters from around the country
all converging on Demarest to share their excellent work with us all...
a weekend of fantastic pots, good conversation and hopefully
many smiling faces, carrying packages back to their homes...
be there or be a rhombus!
see you soon...

Sanding and more sanding

the sanding continues...

Comfort

 I have spent the early evening with this cup
to check it out, of course...
after a day of sanding and cleaning cups...
there, unfortunately, is no way to communicate the "feel' of these cups in your hand, through the limits of this format... the landing places for your fingers, the slight damp of ice's condensation and it's enriching effect on the colors... the shifting of those colors through firelight... and the simple, sensual seduction of rotating it and allowing your hands to find new purchase... constantly changing, never the same...
to some these seem crude and lacking in the traditional American view of "craftsmanship"...
I can only say that this particular cup is the most comfortable and inviting cup I have ever held in my hands...
having gotten there, after 40 years,  is many times worthy of thanks on this day for giving thanks...

Whiskey Cup
4.5in.H x 4in.W

Shot Cups

when Wyatt surveyed the pots for the kiln he said
Dad you really don't have any of the "big honker pots" in this load
I know I said...but people might buy these...
from the kiln of cups

for those who like to pour it down...
Shot Cups or Saki Sippers
2.5-3in.H x 2.5-3in.W

Fluted Vase

Fluted Vase/ 3 views
12in.H x 3.5in.
$175

Squared Bud Vase

Squared Bud Vase
White Clay
11in.H x 2.5in.W
$150

Vase w/ Burl

Vase w/ Burled Top
14.5in.H x 7in.W[top]
$650

Triangle Vase

Triangle Vase
13in.H x 5in.
SOLD

Vase w/ Cones

Vase w/ Cones
18in.H x 5.5in.W
red stoneware w/ kaolin dust
$475

White Clay Vase

White Clay Vase
11.5 inH x 5in.W
this clay sure likes the bright color!
too bad so many of the pieces didn't survive firing...
sorting for Demarest...
$250

a survivalist...

white clay that survived...
I don't know
looks damn nice to me...

Burly Vase

from the new kiln...
Burly Vase
11in.H x 6in.W
$350

sorting and finding

as the sorting continues...
sounds like a soap opera, at times feels like one too...
yet as decisions are made, some stand out
4 views of a whiskey cup of excellent quality
price yet to be determined... SOLD... 

the beginning of the afterglow...

opening a kiln is always an emotional time
waves of contradictory thoughts following one after another
uncertainty and certainty side by side, sometimes mocking each other sometimes not
it takes time to actually see what you have
accept it and then begin the process of decision making
these two I may hold onto for myself...

rest

with the firing completed it's recovery time...
it takes a while to feel rested again...
it's a long haul
then comes the unloading and hopefully
many wonderful surprises...
we'll see...

firing

the door during the first day of preheating...
today all was mudded over for the 2nd day of preheating
looking all gussied up for the dance...
going to bed now at 6:30 to sleep till 12 or 1 am
the firing will then begin under a sky of stars and a sliver moon...
wish me luck... it's a long push alone...

nearly ready to go...

for some time I have wanted to fire a kiln of nearly all cups and bowls
compare and contrast the results, enjoy the bounty
circumstances have given me that chance...
I have a studio filled with bowls like this, along with many cups of a similar nature,
nearly all ready for loading in a day or two...
excitement is building as the Demarest firing approaches
calm, quiet excitement, tinged of course, with the requisite nervousness...
make the cone packs... relax...
be still, be calm and trusting... listen to the sound of the fire calling
that's what I tell myself...

porcelain bowl

a porcelain bowl from the gallery
as the winter settles itself in
 the traffic seems to end in the gallery...
this bowl, fired next to the fire box,
has the smokey grey of carbon
along with the nice golden run of melted ash...

Demarest firing

continuing the glazing and setting of cups and bowls,
readying for the Demarest firing...
long road with more to go...

window3

window 3

window 2

a warmer window, a later sleep...

back

heading back  from where it came...

alluvial plains?

alluvial plains
or the bottom of the wood stove pan
all the same...

windows

condensation on my bedroom window in the morning...
these images change each day
until, of course, the freeze comes...
then it is time to consider moving in off the sun porch...

Cups

my cups runneth over...
onward to the kiln of cups
why did the cup cross the road?
how many cups does it take
to have a cup?
is that a cup in your pocket or are you happy to see me?
knock, knock... anyone left in there????
#TheRoadToDemarest

Old Church

to all pottery lovers far and wide...
please consider coming out to support this show and these great potters
coming from all around the country ...
for a short weekend this "old church"
becomes a makeshift Temple to pottery, it's makers
and all who are supportive of the endeavor...
it is a time, rich with visual treasures, lively conversation and the sharing of knowledge and magic...
your attendance will be supporting the art school housed within
and the fine work it does throughout the year offering classes and events,
as it provides testimony on behalf of the arts,
in a multitude of ways, to it's surrounding community...
a worthy enterprise on all levels
give it a try... you'll leave with a sparkle in your eye and a warm smile in your heart...
and just maybe... that rich, magical sense of wonder we all wish to carry within...

kiln of cups...

some of the preglaze washed cups
drying near the kitchen wood stove
the kitchen island is also full
why you might ask...
the studio tables are full too...
bowls, vases and etc...
the kiln of small pieces...
it begins...

Vase w/ cut sides and chips

Vase w/ Cut sides and Chips
20.5in.H x 5.5in.W
$525

Basket bowl 2

Basket Bowl 2
10in.H x 13.5in.W
$750

new surfaces from older pots

seems I have found a way forward without the wood kiln
with a look back at some old pots found in the barn...
one never knows where the necessary info will come from
yet it inevitably comes
from a new source or an older one,  matters little
only that a way forward emerges is the point of things...
magic wears many coats and comes in the most surprising ways...
I remain grateful it comes....