Glazing on a Sunday afternoon...

I was sort of lazy today. Slept in, then didn't get motivated to get into the studio until late in the day. I did finish all of my glazing (finally) and I should be happy with that accomplishment. 

 It seems like every year that goes by I make glazing a more complicated affair. The mugs above are carbon trap shino with wax resist designs. That process goes pretty quickly. Below are the platters for the cheese/dip/veggie/cracker platters and they involve a dip in shino, then washing off the interior. Next comes waxing the rim of the plate and glazing the center with gloss green. The bowls that go with the platters get the same process. Actually, all my ginkgo leaf design pieces get the same treatment.

The porcelain plates and platters have black velvet underglaze brushed into the stamps and then the excess wiped away with a sponge. That's the time consuming part. Thankfully they get dipped into a single glaze. I also had about 20 mugs that were stamped and glazed with this technique.

This post is included as a link on Sunday Ceramics, head on over there to read what else has been happening in the ceramics world this week!

Done and Delivered

Jeff fired the rest of the dinnerware order while I was in New Hampshire. The new owner picked it up this week. There are a few extra pieces and I snagged a bowl and plate for our own cupboard. If you click on the photo it will take you to Etsy where you can order a set like this one.
Have a great weekend!

Back at it

Two weeks away from clay and the skin on my hands has gone all wimpy. After a day of glazing they feel like sandpaper! I spent most of the day brushing on underglaze and wiping it off.

 These porcelain tumblers will be glazed in my Temple white, while the mugs below will be nuka.

I thought I had brought all the mugs into the studio today but noticed when I was heading into the house that I missed a ware board and a half that was on a higher shelf next to bisque kiln. I am sort of relieved that I had more pots made than I thought I had. We have galleries needing work, a small show next month, along with the Celebration of Spring Studio Tour. I am on my own for the studio tour... Jeff received his invitation to go back to Korea in April. The dates coincide with the Celebration event this year. It seems we haven't been seeing much of each other lately! What's the old saying... absence makes the heart grow fonder?  Jeff will be back from his three day teaching gig shortly and I plan to cook him dinner and we will have a relaxing evening with (hopefully) no work needing to be done.

Back in the 'Grove...

...and now to get back in the groove of work!

It feels so good to be home. My one week trip was extended to two. My siblings and I decided it would be a good idea for my parents to have some extra help for one more week. I am still a little nervous about them being alone but they have a nurse coming everyday to change the dressing on my mother's leg, and my sister is going to visit them mid-week to cook dinner and see how things are going.

The view from the balcony of my parents apartment

Living among the senior population for two weeks was quite an experience. It was interesting to get to know the cast of characters that live in their building. I have two aunts and an uncle that also live there, thus giving me ample opportunity to hear all the gossip. They refer to other residents with nicknames like "The Reader", "The Black Man", "The Egyptian" and, "The Chinamen". They evidently don't care about being politically correct! There also was Marie who thinks she is boss of her floor, and the group that hangs out in the lobby for half of the day, waiting for the mail. If you choose to have lunch in the dining room, beware that it's very territorial. Sitting in someone else's seat could get you the evil eye. I told my brother that the next TV reality show should be "The Real Seniors of Dover".

It wasn't always easy to be there. My parents can be difficult and extremely particular. There were times when I had to step out on the balcony and take a deep breath. Despite the stress, I am happy to have spent this extended amount of time with them. The highlight of the day was pouring my Dad and me a glass of wine each evening. He was never a drinker aside from a whiskey and ginger ale on holidays, or an occasional beer in the summer, so it surprised me when he said he would like to have a glass of wine each night. I am sure he needed it as much or more than I did.

The BEST part of being in New Hampshire was seeing Danielle. She came up one weekend and we celebrated her birthday. My sister came with her grand daughter and we had a great time together. Birthdays are much more fun when you have little ones around!

Now it's time to shift gears and get back to work. Jeff is teaching pottery at a private school in Greensboro this week, so I will have the studio to myself and there are lots of pots that need glazing.

I am slowly getting caught up with my blogging buddies. I haven't had much time to comment, but do know that I will get around to reading your posts.

Heading North

My mind has been preoccupied, therefore I have had nothing to blog about. I can't say that I have gotten much work done either. I have spent a lot of time worrying about my parents in New Hampshire. Last week my sister Anita had to go back to work and my parents were alone for the first time since the accident at the end of February. They have lots of support, my aunts and uncles are nearby. A nurse comes nearly everyday and there are physical and occupational therapists a few times a week. Anita took a day off to take them to an appointment with the surgeon that will eventually do the skin grafts. Despite all the support, they had a tough week. Dad isn't sleeping, my Mom had quite a bit of pain, and was sounding grumpy when I called. When I got off the phone with her on Friday Jeff and I came to the conclusion that I needed to go. I will leave tomorrow, flying out of Charlotte, and spend a week. When I called to let them know I was coming my Mom was so happy she was crying. I made the right decision. No matter how much they sometimes (often) drive me crazy, I need to be there for them.

Last night Anita filled me on what to pack (light clothes, summer jammies, their apartment is 75 degrees!) warm clothes for going out (it's been in the single digits most mornings) and what to be prepared for as they are very particular in their old age. She also said that when I grocery shop, my Aunt Rita will stay with Mom and that Dad will tag along to the market... and will insist on pushing the cart. She said he is also a bad cart driver and you have to make sure he doesn't run over the other shoppers! We don't need anymore accidents.

The wonderful sister that she is, she left a bottle of wine in the fridge for me... she said I'll need it.

Jeff will stay behind and hold down the fort. He has been working on a large dinnerware order. I absolutely love it and I am hoping there will be a few extra pieces that will find their way into our cabinets. Large and small plates and mugs are done, as you can see. He is now making the flared rim soup/salad bowls, serving bowls, and a two quart casserole.
No internet access at  my parents. Since I only have a "dumb phone"I will be unconnected for most of the trip. Ya'll have a great week!

What do you say...

when someone asks if you can do better on price?

That's what happened to me this weekend. A very nice woman came into our gallery. She spent a lot of time looking and we chatted a bit, mostly about the cold winter (she was visiting from a northern state) and the exorbitant price of propane. And then it happened... she asked if I could do better than $45 for a piggy bank.

What? Didn't we just talk about how the price of propane was KILLING us? I politely said no, that the piggy banks at $45 are our best sellers and will most likely go up in price this year. She passed on the piggy bank and purchased a small item.

These are things I would have liked to have said:

"No I can't sell it for less, we squeak by doing this for a living."

"Would you ask the grocery store if they can do better on the price of milk?"

"How would you feel if your employer said, today we are going to pay you a dollar less per hour?"

"Do you think this is a flea market or yard sale?"

Jeff would like to say, "I can certainly do better on price, how about $50?"

I am glad I don't have to have this conversation too often. If I did I would probably resort to some of the answers above! Not long after the "can I get it for less" person left, an older couple came in looking for a large mug. They had driven from Lumberton, NC to replace a mug purchased in Seagrove 20 years ago that had recently broken. They found what they liked and decided to buy two since they had driven all this way. No question on the price. This lovely, retired couple made my day.

Leave a comment, let me know how you respond to the "Will you take less?" question.

Yay for New Pots!

 Last night we un-bricked the door to the kiln and took out a few pots. We knew right away it was a good firing. ALL of our orders were PERFECT! This morning I was out there unloading the kiln in my jammies. I was anxious to see how my nuka mugs with underglaze came out. I was pretty happy with the results.

These mugs were underglaze applied to leather hard pots and bisqued (above and below)

Below is underglaze applied to bisque fired mugs. All are glazed with  nuka. 

I did some flowers in blue and green but they pretty much burned out or melted away into the nuka. I think if I want flowers to be blue or green I will have to apply it to greenware. 

 I played around with the new carbon trap shino that Jeff mixed for his workshop a few weeks ago. The stripes are where I applied liquid wax.

 and every firing has to have pigs...