A Year in Review #1: Form, Function, and Firing

#1 I think my tumblers really traveled far this year. To look back at some older forms, it feels like now I might have the shape where I want it. The flowing form of these feels so comfortable to hold in your hand but takes a few warmups on the wheel before I can get them just right.

Better yet, is that I'm using porcelain for them now and have learned the best places in the kiln to put these to get these dramatic firing surfaces on them. The tumblers pictured above were fired in a soda gas kiln, and the ones below were fired in Will's wood and soda kiln.


So, it is the combination of the form and firing that puts these tumblers on the top of my list. After firing this particular soda kiln for two years, I feel like I have really learned the kiln. I have also been involved with every one of Will Baker's wood and soda firings. His kiln is just like the soda gas kiln I have used for the past two years, although his is wood. It is a catenary cross draft and is mostly the same size as the gas kiln I use. By firing both of these kilns, things have really clicked in my mind about learning where to load particular pots in the kiln, using different flashing slips in specific spots in the kiln, learning about moving heat through the kiln with gas or wood being my source of fuel, and learning how much reduction and soda I want, and where I want it. There are so many variables, but through time I feel like I have sifted through all these things and am very happy with the firing results that I am getting.

Here's to a new year of potting! I feel like I have a lot of good ideas for fresh pots and some energy and momentum to "keep on keepin on," as they say over here in these parts.

A Year in Review #2

Besides teapots, now ewers are my favorite thing to make in the studio! They really are just like making teapots, only they are smaller. Actually, I think they took me longer to make than teapots, but they were fun putting all the parts in different spots, trying some with clay stoppers on them, some with funky handles and different textures. I'm very eager to make a lot more of these and keep altering them to make them all different.

A Year in Review #3

It is getting difficult to choose the lineup of these 10 posts as far as which one is going to be #1. These last three are going to be close in my rate book, at least for now.

Teapots are my favorite form to make, and while I have made a similar form for a while, they tend to change for the better in small leaps. I'll change small details like the handles or the angle of the rim. I added a small lid key to this teapot so the lid has a specific side it is supposed to sit on. I also loaded that front side in the kiln where it was facing the fire and soda. You can see the interesting flame mark that was left on the surface.

My teapots are one person teapots. They fit almost two cups of brewed tea in them, which to me, is a perfect size for a one person tea party. Any time I've tried to make teapots larger, I'm never satisfied with the proportions. I always go back and make these smaller, more intimate sizes. I really enjoy making all the parts of a teapot come together and create a cohesive form where your eye can smoothly move over the piece to see all the parts contrast with the implied negative space.

A Year in Review #4

Making this oval dish was a new form form for me this year. I really am happy with the way this one turned out and the red and peach colors from the soda firing are very rich and vibrant. For this one, I was playing with the idea of the inside reflecting the outside. When impressed into the clay, a trace of this texture shows up on the inside. I definitely am excited about making some more of these and play around with different textures, placements of the handles, lines, and glaze colors.

A Year in Review #5

These tumblers and mugs were some really nice ones from my last soda firing in October. The tumblers especially have some really interesting flashing marks from the soda and the way they were stacked in the kiln. I have been throwing this same form for a few years and it is amazing to look back at some old forms of these to see how they have progressed. The flow and curve of the form sometimes is hard to get "just right" and I think these show what I am looking for. A new detail I changed this year was making the green carved areas be a curved panel rather than a straight fenced in line. I think this gives more movement to the form, which is carried through with the gesture of the carved patterns.

A Year in Review #6

This little jar has a nice feel to it, with the nubbly texture and contrast of the heavy gray soda and the reed handle. I really like the way this one turned out.

Merry Christmas!

I took this unusual picture of a crystal ornament hanging on the tree with the light reflecting through.

To continue with my unraveling showcase of pots, here's #7:


I like to arrange these square wall pieces on the wall in a grouping, with the varied tones and textures suggesting a landscape. I hand build these forms out of a slab of clay and use a branch to texture its thick edges. The soda firing on this piece has some really interesting patterns with a diverse range of colors, with the warm peach tones contrasting with the cool icy gray colors from the soda. I love the rich burgundy tones that came from the flashing of the seashells I loaded onto the piece for the firing.

Merry Christmas to everyone out there reading! Thank you for following along.

A Year in Review #8

This was a new cup form I recently made. When you are using it, you have no choice but to hold it by the deeply textured area. The tactile qualities feel comfortable in your hand. I think it's one of the best examples of textures that I use that gets my point across in the way I mean for it to. I enjoy the deep connection I feel with natural materials and the environments I discover them in. Therefore, it is only natural for me to choose clay to record the subtle nuances of line, repetition and depth.

A Year in Review #9

This vase form is #9 in my countdown pots of the year. There are several things going on with this form that are new and improved details. After throwing on the wheel, I divided this piece into three parts, so it is slightly triangular shaped. Each triangular side has a green carved paneled area that is curved to mirror the flowing nature of the form. I added peaks or ridges to the rim of this vase that I feel add to the organic nature of this piece.

I'm excited about this form for its possibilities. I would like to make this classical vase form evolve into more of a sculptural organic vessel, one that really suggests the feeling of moving water or patterns in leaves and plants. I think that the base of the form should have more detail added that mirrors the high ridges that I have on the rim. Or, quite possibly the rim should be more dramatic by making the rim more undulating and petal-like.

I do think that making this out of porcelain is my best choice of clay so that I can achieve these vibrant colors, like this warm, yellow interior in contrast with a vivid bright green carved area. I really love how there are smoky gray markings on the rim of this piece, each edge and line is accentuated by a different tone.

Working as a studio artist, it is very influential to have outside sources of feedback, whether it be praise or better yet, criticism. That being said, to move forward, I find it helps me to self critique my own work. After a point, you must learn to become your own teacher and be aware of every aspect, every choice you make in each piece you create. I feel that it is then, when you begin to find yourself in your work.

A Year In Review #10

I thought I would do a top ten countdown the remaining days of the year highlighting some of my newer forms and ways I feel I have moved forward in the studio this past year. By clarifying these thoughts I think it can help me move forward to outline some goals for myself as the next year approaches. So, stay tuned for the remaining days for my top ten images of work.

These dimpled bowls were a new form for me this year. I was trying to create a bowl that was more open, rather than the inward closed bowl forms I usually throw. I enjoy the contour of the form and the trimmed edges and lines that are accentuated by the soda firing. The inside of the bowl reflects the outside in that it shows the four creases that were created by the clay being pushed in from the outside. I think that I like using porcelain for these bowls better since it creates a brighter more colorful piece in the soda kiln, like the one pictured below. I'm still hoping that I can find a glaze for the inside that I'm satisfied with. These bowls feel masculine to me and slightly different than my other forms that have delicate carvings and textures on them. Perhaps it is because I chose not to incorporate texture and instead I rely on the simplicity of the divided lines to create an interesting composition. I'm wondering, though, if there is not an element I could add to them that would make them appear fuller and lighter, more feminine, should I say? The heavy rim paired with the heavy trimmed foot gives this bowl a different feeling and maybe I should challenge this a little further.

I think these bowl forms have room to grow, meaning I am still working out the small details in them to get them just right. I'm going to continue with it for a while and see where it takes me. Sometimes I will change the slightest thing in the next batch, like the angle of the rim, or the placement of a specific line. Every detail matters.

I must have missed a spot

Well after a busy week of doing odd jobs for some other potters, I also did a huge job for THIS potter. I finished cleaning my studio in and out! Yay! The only problem is that this tufted titmouse has been tapping incessantly on the window, literally for two days with reckless abandon. I guess it's one of those things where he sees his reflection and thinks it's another bird. Only I think he's telling me that I missed a spot.

Cup of Joy

After several dreary days, the sun graciously poked out for about five minutes today, and I thankfully lapped it up. Now at this hour it's back to a dreary cloudy day. So I figured I needed a tea break and this teabag happens to say it all for me. Every choice I make in each piece of clay I shape at the wheel has a trace of myself in it.

I like Terry Gess' thoughts over making pots: "Over the years of steadily making, marking and firing pots, something distinctively myself has slipped into the process. It's a sensibility as intangible and basic to me as the way in which I hold the salt shaker when I tilt it to pour, how I turn the pages of a book or how I kick my potter's wheel."

Fun Mail and Glaze Ideas

I just got some fun mail from my friend Meagan Chaney. Two new cds! I hadn't ever heard of Geri X before, but I highly recommend her! Don't you love fun random unexpected mail? Thanks, Meagan!

I'm excited because in January I'm going to be taking John Britt's glaze class. He's building a small test soda kiln right before the class. I'll be able to take the glaze tests that I recently did and take them further to fix the crazing and do line blends of them to find the exact color I want. I also have a lot of other things that I've been wanting to try, like vitreous engobes with mason stains. This is great because I might actually get somewhere with my glaze ideas and be able to test them right away! The possibilities are endless. Yay!

From Top to Bottom

I've been busy cleaning my studio, but the only problem is, I'm not done yet and I believe I've created a bigger mess than when I started. I'm taking a break now, though, this is backbreaking work! It's the kind of thing that's hard to get started on, but once I get going on something, I get extremely project oriented and have to do it all! It had been quite a while since I've really deep cleaned and the layer of dust is horrible in there.

Yesterday I had a nice lunch in Asheville with some of my fellow clay artists (Ben Carter, Cassie Ryalls, and Annie Singletary) who were with me as resident artists at the Odyssey Center a few years back. We were a magnetic group and although we are all in different places now, we end up reuniting on a whim sometimes. It's so neat how clay unites people together and establishes bonds that last a long time, no matter what corners of the world we end up in. It's equally nice reuniting over homemade soup and muffins on handmade pottery, thanks, Annie and Cassie!

This is an old picture from two years ago when the 6 of us resident artists had a group exhibit. On with the journey...

It had to be done

Brace yourself!!

A case of the Potter vs. the Hammer has taken place.

I know, I know. It's heartbreaking. But those of you who are potters out there understand. In with the new, out with the old. I've seriously got piles and piles of really old pots, really BAD pots cluttering up corners of valuable studio space. It's time to clean! I've decided to try to get my entire studio cleaned up and ready to go before I leave for the holidays! That way when I return, I can get going right away in the studio with a fresh clean start. That will feel so good.

Really, the pots I smashed were worthless. It's a fate that happens often with potters. Sometimes you just have to get rid of things. I did donate all of the decent bowls to Empty Bowls, and I saved a few of the shards with interesting textures.

The pot shard collection reminded me of my shell collection I've gathered on this bark plate below. What I like about these shells is that they aren't all picture perfect complete shells. There are shards of shells, with interesting textures and faded marks of the weather and tides. I'm getting a beach trip in before New Years, so hopefully I can get some more nice shells, even if they are shards. I also need to collect them for loading onto pots for when I wood and soda fire.

New Releases!

I've unleashed more of the recent wood and soda fired pots here on Etsy.

~a sampling of bowls, vases, tumblers, cups, serving dishes, and little pitchers~

Hope everyone is well out there! Thanks for stopping in!

New Pots on Etsy!

I've added some of the new wood and soda fired pots to my Etsy shop! More to come soon!

You can view them here:

Etsy Pottery Shop

The Long and Winding Road

I'm winding down after the whirl of the studio tour this weekend. We had a nice turnout of people at Wing Road studios on both days. I usually do the tour where I am exhibiting on the outskirts of the counties, down a narrow mountain cove, so it is hard to get traffic. This time I noticed way more visitors coming our way to see all the things we had to show. It was nice being in such good company and to get so many admirers in the door, and carrying pots out, too! Overall, sales were lower and of smaller priced items, but thank you to all who could come and show their support during this time.

Now for me, things are winding down slightly, well, somewhat. There's always something to do. I am done with all my retail adventures for the year, which feels nice. I'll be putting some of my newest pots on Etsy very soon. I just photographed them and am lining them up for posting. Linda is firing her soda kiln for a huge load of bowls for Empty Bowls. I'll go to help her load it tomorrow and then we'll fire it Wednesday. I'm going to test some of those test glazes in her kiln, and possibly put some leftover bisqued pots in if there is room.

Other than those things, things are slowing down, really. Alongside some holiday traveling, I'm hoping to get some rest. Good old R&R.

Toe River Studio Tour

This weekend in Mitchell and Yancey counties in western North Carolina is the Toe River Arts Studio Tour. It is a self guided tour of over 145 studios and galleries where you can meet the artists, see the studios, and come home with some beautiful handmade artwork of all mediums. This year for the studio tour, I am honored to be exhibiting at the studio of Terry Gess Pottery and Carmen Grier Textiles.

Here is a nice article that I'm quoted in about the upcoming tour in the Mountain XPress by local Bakersville writer, Katey Schultz.

The tour is December 6 and 7th, Saturday and Sunday 10- 5 pm. Come on out to Terry's and visit, there will be homemade cookies, brownies, hot apple cider, and warm friendly people. What more could you ask for?

The never ending learning

I thought I'd show you some of my glaze tests that I have been working on, just to carry you on throughout my day. These glaze tests I just got out of the wood and soda firing, and next week Linda's firing her gas soda kiln again, so I'm going to try some more test tiles with these same glazes in the gas firing to see how they are in a slightly different firing with less reduction. The goal was to find some nice liner glazes for the insides of my cups and bowls. I usually use a white shino just because it is tried and true, or I use a celedon which is having pinhole problems lately in the soda kiln. But I've been wanting some bright cheery glazes for the insides, like a pretty glossy yellow or light honey color. Also, I had some old copper test glazes I thought I'd try out in the wood kiln because usually I can't get the copper glazes to turn out in Will's kiln because the reduction is different and more patchy than when I do a more neutral atmosphere in Linda's gas kiln.

Anyway, long story short?, the copper glazes didn't work in Will's wood kiln, but I got some other nice results. I also tried a crackle slip that I dipped glazes over, pictured below. They turned out really nice. The tiles below, though, are my favorites. This caramelized yellow glaze might be just what I was looking for, although it has intense crazing. So that means that I have to run a serious of tests to try to correct that.

These tiles below are also good candidates. I like the bright white one on the left, as well as the green. So you see, I'm sitting here on all this information and need to branch out even further and test some for crazing problems, and possibly test some others in a line blend to see the range of colors I could get.
And another fun thought, is remember this picture I posted just yesterday of these cups below? The middle one is my favorite, so I'm keeping it and have been drinking tea out of it since yesterday. When I decided to keep it, I thought I'd be analyzing the form, proportions and deciding where it works and how I want to change it, and make it better before I make the next batch. What I have been particularly drawn to, though, is something different. The texture is positioned right where you have to hold the cup in your hand and it feels so nice to grip onto. Usually that texture is positioned somewhere else on my cups and I guess I've never really felt it while drinking. It's a whole new tactile experience and something to think about trying again. So, I think I won't make them as mugs, but continue making them as these cups with no handles, so that you can enjoy feeling the texture while you are drinking from them.

Another note about drinking tea, today one of my teapots was featured on Etsy on someone's Treasury, you can check out the link here. Maybe that sweet little teapot will find a good home!

Today I went up to Terry Gess's to check out his studio for setting up for the studio tour this weekend. I'll be exhibiting at his studio for the show. More on the details of the show later. It was so nice going up to see his studio and new house renovations and see his inspiring environment. Leaving made me feel very hopeful for good things to come. This weekend's show will be a good end to a year full of growing and learning as a potter. I'm starting to line up things for next year and it looks like I'll finally get out and do some much needed teaching, down at the local community clay studio in town. It's time for me to get out and give back. I really feel like I need it.

A Few of my Favorite Things

Here's the rest of the pots from the wood and soda firing. These cup forms pictured below are somewhat of a new form. I think I'll keep my favorite two and use them and see how they work before I make a new batch. I usually keep a few of my favorite pots especially if it is a new form so that I can really study it and decide if it still needs things worked out before I make the next batch.

These black cups below look like carbon soaked pots, rather than "carbon trapped." They are wild! They were obviously in a rare place in the kiln.

I really am happy with the way these little creamers turned out, as well as the tumblers and bowls. They all have the same helmar flashing slip on them and this particular firing they seem to have come out especially rich red.



It's nice to freshen up with a few pots for my display for the studio tour sale this weekend. I'm going to also put some of these for sale on my shop at Etsy, soon, too, or at least put what's left early next week right when I get back. It's good to put dabbles of pots here, there and everywhere in shops and shows to bring in some earnings before the end of the shopping season.

For the pottery lovers out there...

Here are some detail shots of the wood fired baskets. They all have really great firing surfaces on them...soon they will all have tall reed handles that I weave onto them. To be honest, I'm procrastinating right this very minute about starting them. My last show of the year is this weekend, the Toe River Arts Studio Tour, so I'd like to have a few of them ready by then. I've learned though, that I don't always have to take every single pot to the shows, so I'm not going to stress too much getting them all done before this weekend and just take whatever I do get done. Some of them I might save for taking a really nice photo image of them. I always photograph my own work, but when these have the really tall handles on them I can't fit them onto my small photo backdrop. I might have to pay someone to do it, or finally get a big backdrop.I spent last night studying these pots up close, looking at every soda, ash, and flame mark. I'm not sure if everyone looks that closely at pottery as I do, but I just can't get enough of it! It's so exciting looking in detail at all the crystal formations, glaze pools and ash runs. I wish I could show those of you reading out there in person..., but here's a glimpse of some of the things I noticed and love about wood and soda fired pots. As I walked past some of my "older" pots, just from my last October soda firing in the gas kiln, it was funny how even my favorites from then have now been pushed to the backburner and seem old and faded. What is it with potters and our incessant wonder about that next pot, that next firing, all leading to new ideas?

I really like this pattern above with the pooling glaze, ash, and gray carbon markings highlighting the grooves of the texture.

More to come later, maybe I'll get a few reed handles done after I sand some of these pots. I haven't even started looking at all the tumblers yet.

Wintry Mix and New Pots!

Unloading day finally arrived after being extremely patient for an extra few days. I felt like I was busting at my seams to get in the kiln! The firing was great, have a look for yourself!




I'll post more details later, I had a lot of porcelain tumblers that got a lot of carbon trapping on them from the soda. We reduced the kiln more than usual right at the time when we were putting in the soda and that trapped the carbon with the soda onto the pots. It resulted in my new term for soda, "winter soda", where there are mixtures of black, gray and frosty white areas with contrast of rich reds. I'm so excited! I'll bring you along for a closer tour tomorrow.