Runaway Orb

I started a large orb before Christmas, wrapped it up and sort of forgot about it. It was still in good shape, perfect for applying slip and carving into.

I drew my design Friday afternoon and carved everything except the background. I left it on my banding wheel and went into the house for a few minutes.

When I returned it was gone! It had rolled off the banding wheel onto the floor, and then over to one of the wheels a few feet away.  I was so mad at myself for leaving it there. The orb was flat on one side and had a few cracks. Never mind the dirt and dust it picked up on it's roll. At Jeff's suggestion, I smoothed the cracks and paddled it back into shape. I had to go over some of the carving, but I did manage to save it.

Jeff went right to work and cut me a piece of foam with a hole in the center. Now my orbs have a safe resting place when my back is turned. 

Prior to the orb catastrophe, I took out some porcelain and threw a few shallow bowls of the hump. I don't usually throw that (I never was very good at it) but decided to give it another try. I was pretty happy with these. I am probable going to glaze them in my Temple White. The one with the stamps will get some black underglaze.

It felt good to be in the studio making exactly what I wanted to make and not something that someone ordered and has to be completed by certain date... that's what I will be back to soon enough.

December Art Journal

The journal theme that I am working on this month is autumn colors. I believe that fall gives us the most beautiful sunsets. Since we typically close our gallery at sunset, I rarely miss seeing them.

For this journal I have been working on a series of watercolor sunsets with pen and ink trees. Pen and ink was my favorite medium in high school, since our ceramics department was extremely limited. I prefer to work with an old fashioned ink pen and nib with India ink. I have used, and still own, an Osmiroid cartridge pen, but find they don't work well for me. I blame it on left handedness, but perhaps that's my own excuse! I am waaay out of practice, but this has been a fun art journal to work on. I'll take photos of the various artist's fall inspired artwork when I have completed my contribution.

I can't believe I haven't blogged in a week! Christmas really kicked my ass, but now I have taken a short break and I am ready for an exciting 2014.

Santa's Elves

That's what we have been feeling like! Our kitchen has been transformed to a packing and shipping station...

We have sent packages of pottery all over the United States and Canada these last few weeks. We met our Etsy goals for the year and plan on building on this momentum through 2014!

Our gallery is decorated for Christmas but our house is not.

We closed early last Sunday and went to the local guy selling trees, only to find out they are closed on Sunday. The week was hectic and we never got back there. Chances are there are no more trees. We will make do with my little stick of a fake tree.

As you can see it has worked just fine in the past. Even Sophie didn't seem to mind it. Jeff said he actually knows where it is in the storage room! So tonight I will take my Halloween runner off of the hutch in the kitchen, and put the stuffed dog, dressed as a  turkey, away. Then we will dig out the little tree and decorate it in all of about 15 minutes. Like the Who's in Whoville, we know Christmas will come, even without the horns and bamboozles... or a real tree.

I said the "F" word

... on the clayart listserv. Do you subscribe to clayart? I have for nearly five years. I mostly just read and not comment. I haven't commented mostly out of fear. There's a lot of mud slinging going on over there and sometimes it gets nasty. I like to compare posting on clayart to calling in to the Howard Stern radio show. If you do, be prepared for the attack.

About a week ago there was yet another problem with their server. It stopped sending the list in a digest form and was sending individual e-mails from everyone that posted to the list. I was getting more than 50 of these e-mails a day! This problem crops up every couple of months. In between that, the system decides to unsubscribe you and you have to go to the web page, resubscribe, and re-do your settings.

After deleting all the junk e-mails I decided to send a post asking if the group ever considered switching to a (here is where the "F" word comes in) Facebook group . Facebook would make the list easier to manage for admin, cost effective (no hosting fees), as well as easier to post to. There was lots of discussion about my suggestion. Many agreed, it would be easier and more dynamic. Others like the outdated listserv and of course many expressed their disdain for facebook. It was a good conversation where everyone was able to express their opinion.

and then it got ugly.

I received an off list personal e-mail, from a guy named Kyle, dressing me down for being extremely rude for suggesting FB on the list. He said I should have sent a private message to the administrator with the suggestion and then I should offer to help facilitate the group. He accused me of being a "newbie" who felt I had the right to tell the group how to run their business. I wonder how many more years I would I have to be a subscriber to not be a newbie anymore? I have a feeling Kyle was in high school when I joined the group! There was more to it but I won't bore you with the details. He ended his rant to me by saying I was lacking in "netiquette".

After sending Kyle a personal reply, attempting to clear up his misconceptions, I posted once more to the group. This time I apologized if mentioning the "F" word was rude and also that I didn't appreciate off post private messages, attacking my integrity. Then, in so many words, said that clayart and I were going our separate ways.

I unsubscribed.

The conversation about how I was treated (and how MANY others were mistreated in the past) continues. You can once again follow the archives online but can't post without a subscription. There is a wealth of information on clayart, but I just don't get why there are so many meanies on it.

There is a nice group on facebook called Clay Buddies. They are informative, pleasant, and, yes... nice. There are conflicting views on things but no one gets ugly.

That's my rant for the day. I will leave you with a photo that will make you smile. Piggies make everyone smile...

Coincidence or The Universe at Work?

After writing my blog post on December 12th, I went out to get the mail. Inside the box was a thick envelope, addressed to me, postmarked Pennsylvania. It was a letter and photos of a dining table set with dinnerware made by John Zentner.

Last summer this gentleman had contacted me via e-mail to say he had purchased this complete set at a consignment store in W. Virginia. He spent a few months researching who the "JZ" maker was. Through my blog he figured it out. He told me he would send photos of the work, but I never heard from him again and put it in the back of my mind.

I find it amazing that his letter and photos arrived on the fifth anniversary of John's passing. 

five years...

"The Kiss" Father and Son

It's hard for me to believe that it's been five years since John died. I have stopped counting full moons, but I never stop thinking of him. This week I have been reflecting on the last few weeks of his life. Aside from the day to day and night to night care, we had wonderful visits with family and friends. I think these photos, taken by John's brother Joe, are a peek into the moments we shared. We enjoyed meals around his bedside, laughed, reminisced, listened to, and played music.

John made the choice to die in his own way.

I think he made a good one.

uke playing - Jimi Hendrix style

Holiday Open House in Seagrove - Saturday, December 14, 2013

Less than one week until our annual Holiday Open House. We have been working like crazy to finish Christmas orders and have new pots ready for the event. There will be LOTS of bowls, in both the my ginkgo leaf pattern and Jeff's aqua and shino carved designs. We also have a nice selection of wood fired pots from the most recent firing with Fred Johnston. We are located at:

1423 NC Hwy 705, Seagrove (across from the Whynot Wesleyan Church)

Open from 10am to 5pm


Plan to spend the day in Seagrove... SIX other shops will also have kiln openings! Pick up a SAPA map and mark these locations to visit:

Michèle Hastings & Jeff Brown Pottery

Bulldog Pottery

Ben Owen Pottery

Donna Craven Pottery

Dean & Martin Pottery

Johnston & Genthithes Art Pottery

From the Ground Up Pottery

A Second Chance

I am not a fan of re-firing, but Jeff is. This week we had orders that needed to be shipped and had extra space in the kiln. Jeff decided to re-fire some pots. Along with orders.
My biggest fear. Blow ups that will injure pots that need to be shipped!!!!

Remember this sad little pig from last spring?

He was granted a new life via re-firing...

He is glorious in all his wood fired juiciness! Sort of like plastic surgery only more affordable.

The rest was a mixed bag. At least no orders were harmed by them.

Orb Making

Coiling and coiling, smoothing on the inside, as I go.

Looks more like a lumpy egg doesn't it?

Now that's looking better! After the form is closed I scrape it with a credit card and roll it around on my work table. It slowly become ball shaped. I set it on foam and the bottom flattens because it is still very soft. When making a closed form, remember to poke a hole in it with a needle tool.

This is a smaller one that I made the day before. I lightly covered it overnight and yesterday did more rolling and scraping. I left it uncovered all day and occasionally rolled and turned to keep it in a ball shape as it stiffened. Today I will do that to the larger orb and this one will get a coating of slip. Tomorrow the smaller one will be ready to carve.

 Here are a couple of finished orbs that were wood fired in Fred Johnston's kiln last month. The one above is about 6'' tall and the one below is 3" and is also a rattle. Both of the orbs I am working on this week will rattle, everyone likes that surprise when they pick them up.

I enjoy the meditative pace of making these and believe it or not they sell! It's not like anyone really needs an orb, they just like the way they feel and sound... meditative.

Art Journal - Circles - Round

 Michèle Hastings (me)

 Cindy Payne (journal creator)

 Cindy Payne

 J. Bossert

Cindy Payne

The missing journals were all found and I ended up with three of them in November. I have no clue how I did it during this busy season but they are all completed. This one is headed to New Jersey this afternoon. My December journal has already arrived. I think I will work on it between Christmas and New Years!

Turkey and Pork

Jeff and I continued our double Thanksgiving dinner tradition this year. On the big day we had dinner with Jeff's family in Rockingham, NC and on Saturday we cooked a turkey here in Seagrove. I grew up with stuffing inside the turkey, I don't quite get this dressing in a pan cut into squares. It's just not as flavorful (or as moist) as stuffing cooked in the bird. Once a year I get out this rather ugly platter that belonged to my great-grandmother. The platter sounds really punky, I don't know if it will survive to be handed down to Danielle.

I have been photographing work to add lots of new pots and piggy banks to the Etsy shop.

 I listed this wood fired pig last night and he has already booked a flight to London and is leaving tomorrow. The pigs are world travelers!

 Jeff did these blue and white pigs, the ears are modeled after the piggy banks he made earlier in his career.

I love how this one came out, check out his cool looking pork butt...

Happy Sunday everybody!