a few pictures... FINALLY!

Jeff posted these on facebook and I stole them from there. This is the site of the wood kiln that they fired. I believe that it is at a museum location. I know that it isn't where the festival is taking place.

On facebook, Jeff titled this photo "No Chimney Needed". It is hard to figure out from which angle the picture was taken when compared with the others.

He says he has more pictures of gardens, the festival site, and the countryside. He also borrowed his sister's flip video. This morning when we were on skype (which is totally amazing if you haven't used it) he introduced me to Charlie Youn, who is the potters host. Charlie told me that they are impressed with Jeff's work (of course) but the best part was he told me they call him "Pottery Grandfather" because of his long gray hair!! Jeff says he is probably ten years younger than many of the other potters there but none them have the lovely gray locks. I think I will get a lot of mileage out of that one :-)

it's very quiet around here...

Still no pictures from South Korea. I didn't hear from Jeff yesterday. I don't think he has much down time and with the 13 hour time difference it's hard to be online to skype at the same time. The only internet connection he has is in the lobby of the hotel.

It's been very quiet here on the home front. Sales were slow this weekend and so was my work! I only got those two boards of pots done. They are now waiting to get slipped and carved. It's been humid and they are taking their sweet time drying. When Jeff gets back we are participating in a wood/salt firing in Carthage. Most of these will probably go into that kiln. The carved flower design is selling well. The originals were fired in salt and were all sold before Christmas. A few of the gas fired ones leave the gallery each week. 

UPDATE! I just had a really quick chat with Jeff... he is going to try to send me some pictures later. They were taking a break in between slide presentations and everyone went to get a beer. That sounded so strange, since I was sitting here having morning coffee!

Perhaps I will have another post by this evening. Happy Monday, and check back later.

living vicariously through Jeff via facebook and skype

Jeff's flight to South Korea went well, we had a delay in communication when he got there... his e-mail to me took about 8 hours to arrive in my mailbox. I had checked his flight online and new it arrived on time so I wasn't too concerned. We were finally able to chat on facebook the night before last, while he was still staying at the airport spa. Yes... the airport has a spa where for only around $25 or $30 dollars you can spend the night, have shower, sauna, etc. It worked out perfectly for him since he arrived in Seoul in the evening and wouldn't be picked up by the festival group until the next day.
I hadn't heard from him since Friday night but tonight we talked on skype for a bit before he had breakfast (they are about 13 hours ahead of us). He is having a great time, the food is awesome, and the opening ceremony of the festival was exciting and a real learning experience. He took some video and I begged him to send some pictures for me to post.
On the home front, my friend Bonnie came to visit for a couple of days and we had fun with clay and an evening of good food, cosmos, and girl talk. We also watched some dvd's about fine craft. It's so nice to have friends that don't get that glazed over look at movies you suggest!

Jeff took the newest camera to S. Korea so I have been updating Etsy with my old Sony - 2.1 megapixel camera! It has actually surprised me. The one thing it sucks at is taking close ups. Even when I switch it to macro, they are blurry. I suppose I could search for the handbook, and get some help but for now I will make do.

Hopefully the next post will be pictures from South Korea!

and he's off!

We were up at 5:30 this morning, which is SUPER early for us, and heading to the airport in Greensboro at 6:30. I couldn't believe what Jeff managed to pack in his one checked suitcase (50lb limit), carry-on, and backpack. He needed to bring finished work to exhibit and hopefully sell, as well as bisqued pots to wood fire in the climbing kiln in Mungyeoung. The firing we squeezed in on Sunday was excellent, thank goodness, since I handled the kiln and some of the reduction for a few hours while Jeff caught up on some much needed sleep.
Here is a side handled teapot that didn't make the final cut...

It's a beauty but Jeff wasn't happy with it's pour and the lid did stick in one spot. Once ground, the spot is barely noticeable. Perhaps we will keep it and enjoy it's beauty ourselves.

After the airport I spent some time in Greensboro visiting friends and picking up some groceries at the Asian market & Costco. When you live in Seagrove, you take full advantage of a trip to the "city". This was the first time I wandered around alone in Greensboro (sort of weird since we have been in North Carolina nearly two years!). I actually had a little anxiety about finding my way around at first, but then realized... heck,   I used to drive in Boston... and for nearly a whole year was heading into Boston once or twice a week. I have gotten so comfortable living and working in one place... I really need to get out of town more often!

Recovering from the weekend...

Celebration of Spring in Seagrove has come and gone and overall we were pleased with the weekend. The weather cooperated (for the most part) on Saturday and we were able to fire the raku kiln once. I use a bisqued plate to fire pendant tiles. This way the tongs can grab the edge of the plate, lift it out of the kiln, and be dropped into the reduction can. Unfortunately I used a plate that Jeff brought home from a neighboring pottery (I usually make my own)... neither one of us gave any thought to the fact that it may be made out of a clay body that can't take the quick firing of raku. The plate was on a pedestal shelf in the kiln, the edge cracked off and a few of the pendants fell onto some glaze tests below. When Jeff reached in to grab the plate more tiles fell off and onto the floor of the kiln. Long story short, the raku tongs BROKE, the other pair we have had broken some months ago and weren't fixed yet... we had to use fireplace tongs to remove the rest of the pieces. Shortly after cleaning up the disaster we had a huge downpour. It didn't last long but it helped us make the decision to not fire again. At least there were lots of people watching, who hopefully can now appreciate the work that goes into raku firing!
In between all this we were talking to customers and selling pots. One of our repeat customers brought us a gift...

12 pounds of beans from the Indian Market near her home! Evidently the last time she was in, her and Jeff had a lengthy discussion about beans. She even brought us some large jars with labels to store them in! The ironic thing about this gift is that two weeks ago Jeff and I decided we were eating too much meat and that we were going to eat more plant based meals. We have a bunch of Moosewoods Restaurant cookbooks so I have been trying out some new recipes. Last night I made veggie burgers with a combination of black beans & pinto beans.

They were delicious and rather easy to make... and everything is better with tater tots!

Despite off and on rain all day yesterday, we had a steady stream of customers. The weather prevented us from firing the raku kiln and we were actually relieved. Jeff had been up late on Saturday, glazing pots and loading the gas kiln again. On Sunday morning he bricked up the door and starting firing once more. Yesterday afternoon I sent him off to bed for a nap and I took care of customers and the kiln. He leaves for S. Korea in two days and I thought he looked like he was needing a break. The kiln is loaded with an order going to Canada and tea bowls that he will take to Korea. I think I have only a couple of pots in there. The kiln was done at 11:30, which means we had a good nights sleep.
A desperately  needed, good nights sleep.

P.S. from the raku firing I had one nice wall tile... it was the only survivor.

it was a good firing!

oval bakers and covered oval boxes with carved designs

the wedding cake box... looks better in person. I'll take a better photo soon

porcelain cupcake stand

Jeff's tea bowls were awesome!

and of course there is a new litter of pigs... we had some fun with glaze combos this time!

the end of the old photos (i promise)

Here are a few more pictures that were on my old camera...

One of our last tasks before moving to Seagrove was to finish building the NH Potters Guild community wood kiln. The committee completed construction and fired it just before our big move. 

The kiln is on Al Jaeger's property in Deerfield, NH. Al makes really detailed wood fired houses. This one is sitting atop of Al's old and falling down wood kiln. He also has these house and other sculptures scattered throughout the woods alongside his mile long dirt driveway.

I missed this workshop with Ken Matsuzaki in 2010 at the NH Institute of Art but Jeff, being a faculty member attended and took these photos.

The Institute has a good relationship with Pucker Gallery in Boston so typically when they are having an exhibition the clay artist will do a workshop at NHIA. The year before Matsuzaki, Randy Johnston was a presenter and Phil Rogers has presented a few times.
I think that is the end of the "found" photos. Time to get to work, there is another bisque kiln to load while we wait for the gas kiln to cool. Tomorrow I should have a photo of the finished "Wedding Cake Box" as well as a couple of smaller covered ovals. Can't wait to get them out of the kiln!!

a day of surprises...

Yesterday was a fun day and full of surprises. First thing in the morning I packed an Etsy order and placed it in the big mailbox for pick up. Later when I went out to be sure it was gone, I opened the box and it was FULL of mail... and it wasn't just bills! There were three packages inside.
One was a new type of mask that a company wants me to try out and write a review (more on that later), the other was a laundry line cup that I ordered from Ron Philbeck... it's as sweet as can be and it's in good company with my dinner plate and small bowl. The THIRD package was from Gary Rith! I helped him out with a real estate question awhile back and he sent me one of his dogs chasing cats (or is it cats chasing dogs?) mugs as a thank you. He really didn't need to do that, but I am real happy that he did. Gary and I have soooo many connections in NH but we have never met. He met John through the League of NH Craftsmen (LNHC), Jeff was one of the jurors when Gary applied and was accepted into LNHC. From these connections we have a whole bunch of mutual friends and acquaintances. One day Jeff and I will have to take a road trip so that I can meet Gary, Maude, and there menagerie of pets for real.
Now that the weather is great we moved the glaze operation outside to give us a little more elbow room. I brewed a pot of coffee and enjoyed it in my new mug while glazing in the afternoon sunshine...

Thank you Gary!

Today is a finish glazing and load the kiln day. Jeff is going to fire tomorrow while I am working at the co-op. Have a great day everyone.

found (fond) memories...

We have been preparing for Jeff's trip to S. Korea, figuring out what we have for suitcases, electrical converters, passport, cameras...
On the camera front, we decided that Jeff should take the newer camera so I dug out my old Sony that is 10 years old. It's only 2.1 megapixels but it should get me by for blog pictures while he is away. I charged the battery and turned it on this morning. Low and behold there were picture on there from 2010! Jeff must have taken them...

It's the gypsy potters school bus... towing Jeff's pickup truck! We were heading south and stopped at my parents house to say good bye.

I am sure that Mom and Dad were thrilled to have our hippy bus parked in front of their home with the perfectly trimmed hedge. My Mom would also not be thrilled to know I posted this pic on the web when she didn't have her hair "done"...she will never know because at 85 years old they are clueless about the internet.
My parents sold their house in Nashua last year and moved to an apartment in Dover, NH. Most of the relatives are there and they are closer to my sister. The manicured yard was getting too much for Dad to take care of and he was never happy with how anyone else did it. I was happy to find this photo of the house I grew up in as well as some more recent photos of my parents.

A walk around the pottery...

2012 Celebration of Spring in Seagrove, Studio Tour & Kiln Openings

April 21st & 22nd

Plan to spend some time at our studio, Michèle Hastings & Jeff Brown Pottery, and participate in a raku firing. Click HERE for more details. It's going to be a fun weekend in Seagrove!

Download a map of the studio tour HERE

Wedding cake box

... that is what I decided to call this one

The slip has no color so it will a raised texture only. Jeff called it the wedding cookie box :-)

working in porcelain

Last week we finally bit the bullet and bought another ton of clay from StarWorks. The last few weeks we were mostly using our recycled clay, which is fine, but we need to make pots for raku and there may be too much zella clay in the mix for that purpose. I have been itching for Laguna B-mix these last few months but the B-mix from a supplier near here is more than I want to pay. It was time to try something new so I told Jeff to get 50lbs of a Highwater porcelain for me to try out. . He came home with P-10. 

I started out throwing some mugs, tumblers and small vases. Then gave a couple of other forms a go.  I like the way it throws, it stands up well.

This is a small cupcake stand... it's a trial run for a cake stand. I have made many in the past and have had big issues with warping. I decided to try this method. I should have choked in the middle of the stand more so that it would have a more elegant shape. Next time!

I was surprised how easily I was able to assemble a lidded oval box using porcelain. It was easier to get rid of the "assembly seam" on the top and bottom. I mixed up some porcelain slip and tomorrow I will do a slip trail deco on both the cupcake stand and the box. There is no color in the slip so it will create a raised decoration only. I am thinking about glazing these in Temple white and maybe some sprayed on accent glaze.

The ideal situation for me would be to set up a wheel and tools and use it only for porcelain. I had to clean my wheel and tools before making the switch yesterday. It's either that or make the switch to porcelain only... I don't think I am ready to give up stoneware just yet!!

Thank You Easter Bunny!

HAPPY EASTER!

Bowl by Natalie Blake

I am not sure why, but for some reason, over the past year, I have been getting into the holiday thing. This week I decided I wanted to color eggs. I didn't want to be overloaded with hard boiled eggs, so I made the decision to blow some of them out to make an omelette for brunch yesterday. Good ol' Martha Stewart suggested using an ear syringe to do the job... much easier than blowing them by mouth! I also used the liquid wax from the studio to do some wax resist. After the eggs are dry, place them in the oven, preheated to 250 degrees, for just a few minutes, until the wax gets glossy. Take them out and wipe them down with a paper towel.  What was left of the wax created a nice smooth surface on the eggs. If I pack the blown out ones carefully, I can save them for next year. I used to do this when Danielle was little and had quite a collection until Sophie the kitten came to live with us... the first Easter she batted every egg out of a basket and that was the end of them.
She is now 10 years old and has better manners.
Most of the time.

Ham for Easter Dinner?

It's been a whirlwind of activity for us here in Seagrove. The spring celebration/studio tour is two weeks away, and Jeff needs to get his ducks in a row for his trip to Korea at the end of the month. The pig supply is running low so we decided to work together to move them along more quickly. Jeff threw all the bodies one evening before dinner...

The next day they were ready for assembly, which is where I took over. I first use my clay gun to extrude the tubes that will be become legs, ears, and tails...

I then cut the extruded parts into the correct leg lengths, score and attach them to the bodies. After attaching the legs I smooth and pull them slightly with wet hands so they look a little less like extruded parts.

After the legs I use a whole cutter for the eyes and score where the ears will be placed. As I am scoring and spongeing on water I can't help but think I am the esthetician, manicuring this little pigs eyebrows... don't they look like eyebrows?

I roughly shape two extruded parts into a half moon and adhere them to those "eyebrows". I then pull and smooth them into ear shapes. I like to use a synthetic sponge to wipe away finger marks and excess water. The thing I like about this type of sponge is that it is less apt to bring up the grog in the clay.

With wet fingers his ears get a little whimsical bend...

Tails are attached with a finger squish on the top and of course a little curl!

The best use for a credit card is as a guide for cutting the slot!

Ta-Da! He is done... this little guy got the word BACON branded on his sides.

You may have noticed that I was working on this with paper between the pig and the banding wheel. It helps prevent the legs from sticking and getting screwed up. I usually work on a plaster bat the size of the the banding wheel. I hadn't been able to find it until yesterday afternoon.
It took me about a day and a half to assemble nineteen pigs, I could never work in a production setting! When I am working on these guys I find myself talking to them and telling them what's going to happen next, or apologizing for having to reset a leg! I guess my motherly instincts find there way into the clay.

No one can resist a "Sale" Sign!

I was up this morning a little after 8:00 am and was settled on the sofa with a hot cup of coffee and my computer. Round about 8:25 I hear someone outside saying "Hello, hello!". I got up and looked out the window to see a woman on the porch walk towards the window and peek in!
I was still in my jammies, but went out to see who she was. She saw our "shyard sale" tent outside and the big 20% off sign and had picked out some pots that she wanted to buy. I followed her out to the front of the gallery and we chatted a bit. Seems she and her husband have a farm in Carthage and they had a job to do here in Seagrove... she saw the sign and the tent, and made her husband (who was pulling a trailer with farm equipment on it) pull over. She must have been out there awhile because she had quite an assortment of pots picked out. We went inside to make the sale and she said she would be back in a few weeks with guests from out of town.
So I will admit that I will shamelessly go outside in my Snoopy pajamas to sell some pots...

Why didn't we have a "shyard" sale sooner? Today was another busy day and lots who have stopped in have said they have driven by before, but the sale sign made them pull over. It got them in the door, some bought sale pots others bought the not on sale pots. Most everyone said they would be back... with friends.