Ready to load

I finally finished glazing this batch yesterday. I'll load today and set up the kiln to do the majority of the firing overnight, reaching peak temp. in the morning after I wake up. I really need to be able to unload Monday, assess the situation and begin glazing again for a second firing before next Friday. Unless everything in this kiln turns out spectacularly beautiful, then there won't be that pressure. I'm under this pressure because of a small but crucial detail I forgot about.

NH has a League of Craftsmen. I was accepted in May. However, all members are accepted under conditional acceptance. You still need to send in three review shipments, probably so they can see the consistency of quality or whatever in your work. They have to be spaced at least three weeks apart.

Well.

In order to increase my chances of getting a booth in next summers League fair, I need to apply by Nov. 1. The fact that I hadn't sent in my review shipments yet completely escaped me until about three weeks ago. It wasn't that I was blowing them off for a while. Almost immediately after my acceptance I had surgery and was pretty laid up for about 5-6 weeks. Combine that with a pretty big change in the style I had been working in, and I've got a lot of work to do now in a short amount of time. Oh well. If it works out that's great. If not, there's always the next year. I'll still have other shows I can do this year. Okay bye.

The Scoop

My last test firing was a little disapointing, but maybe two or three nice ideas. I managed to get a few tooth jars in. I really like the black one and the blue one. The black one's blue inside, so a little contrast. I'm mentally and physically exhausted right now, so bear with me. I wanted to put something in the photo for size reference. The blue one is so cute. It's maybe as big around as a quarter. I'm on day three of glazing, and I'm hoping I can get everything finished tomorrow and fire Saturday or Sunday at the lastest. It takes soooooooo loooooooong glazing like this. But I'm figuring out a system along the way.

A little update on my discount gift shop dilema. I called up Rolanda, Farrah-whatever-and I first approached the conversation with an open mind (always good). Heard her out and it was shockingly bad what she wanted for so little money. I'm sure she didn't really understand fully what she was asking for, but I explained it to her.

What she wanted was a little tea set. About maybe six of them. It's something she saw somewhere and like I said yesterday, thought she could get it cheaper through me. The set consist of a teacup, a tea strainer that sits inside the cup, and a cover which also serves the purpose of a little plate to put your strainer in. This is a three piece set (I know you can count) a nesting set, everything needing to be fitted together and such (I'm sure as potters you are all aware of these things, but I need to add drama to my story).

The first thing I asked her after she told me what she was looking for, was how much they were charging for this set? Hold on to your trim tools. 35$. Well, I didn't require a whole lot of thinking after that. One more detail is that the set she saw was mass produced. So, 35$ for a three-piece, mass-produced tea set, and I diplomatically explained to her that there was no way I could possibly do better than that for a price for a hand-made set like that given everything involved, and that it sounded like she had already found a good deal. She wasn't upset or anything, but I sensed a slight bit of surprise, but my senses are occasionally off. I wasn't apologetic at all-in fact-quite businesslike, which I think was a good way to approach the situation, because I am trying to run a business after all. So that is my story and Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

The Petty Potter

Okay. Um, I think I just found another pet peeve. That's probably not the correct term for this. Here goes.

I get a phone call today. I don't answer the call because I'm a big call screener and I was glazing and didn't want to get sucked into a conversation. So the phone beeps with a message and I check it. On the message is a friend of mine. She says this, and I'll try to quote as verbatim as I can.

"Hi Deb, it's Farrah (not her real name). I was out today and I saw this pottery and had an idea and I thought of you."

(I'm thinking right now that she's about to tell me this nifty little item that she thinks might be good for my work and I'm thinking, oh how sweet of her to call me). Then she goes on.

"I can't really afford to buy these for everyone for Christmas and pay retail and so I thought you could make them for me and we could figure something out and I could pay you a certain amount."

I know I'm a little sensitive sometimes. Things rub me the wrong way easily. But I wonder if I am being too sensitive, or maybe am just not as tolerant of insensitivity towards me and being used as I once was. Ten years ago I would have agreed to work pro-bono making Christmas gifts for her, because I probably would have been concerned of what she might think of me for refusing. Might I seem petty? Or not a team player? Nowadays, I just don't care so much anymore. Why should I strive to be tactful and generous about this? Why do I feel the need to preface this post with "I'm sure she didn't mean anything by it but . . ."

Having said this I want to make this clear. I am not stingy with my work. I am more than happy to share with family and friends. It's just clay that I shaped and I'm happy to give it away-when I want to, and when it's a choice I've made. Granted, a lot of what I give away for free are seconds (or what I view as seconds but they think I'm crazy for not liking), but not always. Come to my house and express a love for a piece, and I'll probably tell you to take it with you. But I don't feel as generous when someone views me as an option to "paying retail".

I still haven't called her back. This could be interesting.

Just Words

I have this pet peeve. It centers around people acting and saying things that imply that making pottery isn't really work. It's become such a pet peeve, that I don't tolerate it anymore. Someone says something, I say something back. I know they probably don't intend for their comments to offend, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be called to task and perhaps learn a little bit more about life.

Subject: yesterdays comment

"So, are you still working, working (said twice) or are you just doing the pottery thing now?"

Is this making anyone elses hair stand up like it did mine?

My response: "Well, I still consider it working, working (said twice) but yes I'm making pottery full time now".

Subtle, but direct in its' own way. Oh, if I kept a book. One of my favorites starts with this:

" . . . it must be nice . . ."

Black bears and black pipe

Just wanted to jot a quick post with some info about my wheel legs. I decided not to take a photo because I just posted a couple of photos with my shorter wheel legs, and I think you can aptly use your imagination and visualize it taller. But I would like to share the details. I had written that I wanted to raise my wheel higher, but I'm a little priss and didn't want to put the wheel on blocks, and so we drove to Lowes on Sunday (stopped in to see my daughter and grandson while we were there and took him out for ice cream-he is so cute), but anyway-at Lowes they have all different sizes of black pipe-the exact thing my wheel legs and short extensions are made of-and so I bought three 18" pieces of pipe, which they cut for free. I wish I had gotten them 20" because after cutting I discovered that I had to pay for five feet even though I only got 4 1/2 feet, but with 18" extensions my wheel can go high enough if I want that I could stand (which I don't want) so I'm fine. Another small detail I discovered after the pipe was cut, was that if I bought less than 10' I had to pay a higher price. Ten feet and over it was 2.40 a foot, and less than ten feet I think was 4.19 a foot. I could deal with it because the new legs still only cost me 20 bucks. So I'm pretty excited and Adam helped hold the wheel up while I put the new legs on. He's a little goofy and very helpful. He was more excited than I was.

This photo above is from a couple of weeks ago. It's really bad I know, but the best we could get in a where's the camera panic. We were sitting on the couch and all of a sudden Adam just says: Bear! and I look up and there is this relatively large (but I've seen larger) bear lumbering down our street. Now I don't live in the boonies, as in, on my street there are probably 8-10 houses within a few hundred feet, I am 1/8 mile from McDonalds and the highway, and about a mile from Hannafords and Walmart. I am however on the edge of the woods. We live smack in the middle (or maybe the edge) of bear country, still you don't just expect a bear to go strolling by in the middle of the day. Adam goes running out down the street after it trying to get a picture (not smart-and you'd think he'd never seen a bear before, although at the restaurant where he used to work in the Valley they would have to scare them away from the dumpsters).

I used to work at the same restaurant as Adam (how we met-he hired me-how cute) and one night I'm walking out to my car and I open the drivers door and this bear stands up on its back legs from the other side of the car. You just can't imagine how intimidating that can be. They are pretty big and imposing while standing erect. But my encounter was one of probably hundreds there. The bears are so strong they pick up the grease dumpsters and tip them over to get at the fat. I worked at another restaurant a few miles down the road from that one and same thing, on my way out to the dumpster and there one is. Fortunately I was not alone, and the guy I was with was much taller and meatier than I am, so I think would make a better meal, so I wasn't as worried. We stood and watched him for a while and finally had to scare him away to get to our cars. Realistically they are not dangerous. They are not attack animals-but they occasionally do attack, and it's almost always ugly, and so I would like that it never happens to me. Or anyone else for that matter. We have Black bears around here and the thinking is, if attacked, to fight back as hard as you can with a Black bear, while I believe the thinking with Grizzlies is to kiss your ass good-bye.

You may be sick of this by now, mug test #7

Well it's finally here. My seventh test, what for me is thrilling, and what for you might now be a little old hat. But, see here. My first test was rather disappointing. As was my second and third really. But my last couple of test have been quite inspiring. I pretty much liked all seven of the seven mugs in this last firing. A high success rate for me. Shape of this one-not so great. Design, I like it pretty much.


Gotta compare this next one maybe as well.Like this little guy up here. Really like the black dots against the . . . black. Subtle, but makes it far more interesting I think.
These next two are results using two of the three new white liners I am testing. I am relatively happy with all three, but two give a little pinholing, but I can almost garauntee they won't on this new clay I am testing. so I'm not writing them off yet.



Ahhhh . . . yet another reason why I am looking for another white glaze . . .

I think I have two test firings left for now. One I need to do to test the small batch of white I made up as a result of these last tests. I really don't want to invest an entire kiln load until I know for sure. Also, I made up a larger batch of the new clay I have been testing, and threw about eight mugs and some bowls the other day. I am impressed. So far with the fired color and density, and glaze interaction, and now with its' throwing ability. I can't believe how well it collars in - for five day old clay. Impressive. Well, if you haven't been bored to tears by now, there is still more to come. And if you are bored to tears . . .

Some mugs from test #6

Well hello. Here are just a few cups from my sixth test. Overall I was happy with everything, some more than others. Above is a tumbler that had white slip on the outside. You can see what a difference that makes with my white glaze. Much brighter white and no defects. I wish more of my bisque had slip on it so I wouldn't be having this white issue. I did have three very promising results from my white test the other day however, so hopefully I'll be able to get through my current bisque without any more white issues.

Here is a detail of the blue stripe above. I love what's going on here, and I just love the black, white and blue together.

Here is a cup similar to one I have made before-but that's a good thing. Always good when you know you can repeat something.


Here is the mug that was supposed to have black dots with a black liner, but ended up with stripes. I think the blue is far less overwhelming this way. Well, taking the day off because family is coming, and then tomorrow off because Adam is off on Sundays, so I won't be making much pottery. I do plan on building a new workbench in my studio however as I am badly in need of more counter space, and under-counter storage. Bye for now-

New potters stool

My new stool arrived today. I was in the back yard taking some dazzling photos of my #7mug test results (and I haven't even posted the photos of #6 yet-what a sly devil) and I heard this sound like a UPS truck. I thought- could it be? And it twas. Thanks again to Joy Tanner for sending me this link to Sheffield Pottery where I bought the stool. I still need to get my wheel up a little higher. When I bought it years ago I bought leg extensions for it, but I got the short ones because I thought, what kind of wacko would need 18" extensions on their wheel? I am opposed to putting it up on cinderblocks or such, so I need to figure something else less obstrusive out. So, up above is the stool in its' shortest position.

Here it is in its highest position

And here it is in its clever little potters position. All four legs are independently adjustable. Pretty cool huh?

Here is a little critter I saved from our patio drain. We have to remember to check once in a while because frogs and salamanders can get in, but can't seem to get out. We also just get a lot of frogs on our sunken patio, who, I think go hopping by and drop into the abyss and can't get out. They like to go under and behind our hot tub. I saved two today.

Yesterday was a sad day for the animal kingdom at my house. I found a little blue jay who had obviously been attacked by my cat Batman (I didn't see him do it, but I know it was him) and I held him for a little while but then decided to let what would happen, happen, and put him in the grass under the trees. Later I went to check on him and he was gone! I was excited for about 10 seconds when I turned around and saw a very dead blue jay behind me. Oh well.

I did save a grasshopper from my mystery glaze however. I have the cover off this 30 gallon can, which is 3/4 full, because I'm trying to dehydrate it so I can get rid of it. Little guy was stuck in the glaze on top, so I gently gave him a bath and sent him on his way. Daisy stepped on a frog the other day, and that wasn't pretty. But that's another story.