Remembering

Some of you may recall that sometime last month, a woman named EC posted on my blog that she bought a pitcher at a second hand shop in Rhode Island, with a JZ stamp on it. Upon researching the JZ , she found my blog and realized that the pitcher was made by John Zentner. I asked her to send me photos and she was very kind to do so.

This pitcher is definitely John's, because there is his chop below the handle. I am thinking it is very early work. I don't have anything that looks like this and I have some pieces going back to the 80's that he and Bill Van Gilder made when they were working together. I am thinking this is perhaps from the 70's.

Here are some pitchers that he made in last few years before he died. This salt glazed one sits on my counter and we use it everyday. It fills the steamer on the wood stove, carries hot water to the studio to fill our throwing pails, and has watered many plants. It's a beauty and feels so good in your hands.

I just love this little one. It's on a shelf in the living room and I most often use it for sangria or cheap jug wine. It makes the cheap stuff taste so much better.

I thought this was a good day to share these pitchers with the world. John died six years ago today. Each year is a little easier, but the holiday season has never been the same since 2008.
If you are a new blog reader you can read about our story here or here.

Thank you EC for sharing photos of JZ's work from the past. I am glad that his pitcher found you. I think it is in good hands.

Look who I met at the fair today...

It's Suzie, aka Smartcat!!!!!

Oh what fun to meet blogger buddies in person. Suzie has family in NH and has made the League of NH Craftsmen Fair a near annual visit. I think we could have talked for hours, if it wasn't for the fact that I needed to be selling pots! She is planning to return one more day to the fair (it's way too big to take it all in in one day) and I hope that we get more time to visit. I still need to have my annual fair ice cream (or two!) so maybe she will join me, and we will have more time to chat.

... in business news, sales picked up a lot today with the cooler weather settling in. We are confident it will continue. In between selling pots, we are having fun catching up with all of our artist/crafter friends. I truly love North Carolina, but it does feel good to be "home".

one of my favorite people...

Jane Kaufmann sent me an e-mail this week:

Heat getting you down?

Have two stiff drinks.

Then go to You Tube and search for "Gossip Lady with Artist Jane Kaufmann"

and let me know if you learn anything.

I always follow Jane's advice...

What did I learn?

1. A much easier way to make rattles than the method I was using.

2. That Jane went to jail for three weeks.

Meet my NH potter friend Paul Haigh...

Here is the second in my series of interviews with NH potters who are members of NHPG.  Jeff and I have participated in many wood firings with Paul. He creates beautiful jugs and flasks that are kissed by the flame of his wood kiln in Londonderry, NH.  Next month Paul and his wife Jen are coming to Seagrove for a visit... we can't wait to see them again!


M: How long have you been making pots and what got you started in
pottery?

P: I started in high school and dropped it for many years, to the protestation of my mother.  The running joke is that the older I got, the smarter my mom got.  I picked it back up maybe 6-7 years ago when my wife got me a class with Jeff Brown as a present.  Jeff is still a friend and influence in my work.

M: Who or what inspires you the most and how is it incorporated into
your work?

P: Old American pottery is a strong influence in my work.  My aim is not to copy works, but to contrast the forms with a modern feature or texture.  I also like contrasting more classic "delicate" forms with a heavy wood fire effect that makes them approachable.

I recently had the chance to visit Old Edgefield Pottery in SC, where local materials are used to recreate old local slave-made pieces.  The connection I felt to the old collection was pretty powerful.  Wire marks from cutting the piece from the wheel, a fingerprint at the handle join, or the fire direction evident on the pot made me feel like it could have been made this week and that I could talk to the potter about kilns.  Producing quality work that still shows that story and "soul" is what I strive for.

I've introduced just a bit of sculpture to keep my mind working as well.  A lot of that is influenced by my interest in science and the horror genre.  It's 180 degrees away from a lot of my functional work and it forces me to slow down and learn a few things.

M: Clay body?

P: I use T3 (a good standard stoneware) from Sheffield Pottery, Domestic Porcelain from Dave Pellerin at Wellhouse Farm Pottery (this clay picks up incredible salmon blushes in the wood fire), and a mix of the two bodies that gives a swirled effect.



M:  Firing method?


P: My work is all wood fired in my Bourry box/sprung arch kiln.  Now that I send warning notices to the neighbors, they are a bit less likely to call the fire department.

M: What is your favorite pizza? (just because we potters LOVE to make
and eat it!)

P: There's a local place that makes a BBQ chicken pizza that is just killah.  Last year I made 10 pizzas on my birthday and broke our oven.  This summer I hope to make a wood fired pizza oven; I suppose that I could use the kiln if I wanted to burn a quarter cord of wood every time I fire it up.


A big thank you to Paul for answering my questions and sparing my readers of another post about ME.  


If you want to contact Paul or purchase his work:

Paul Haigh
Wiley Hill Mudworks
Web: http://wileyhill.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wiley-Hill-Mudworks/108145139230652
etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/WileyHillMudworks


All Photos Courtesy of the Artist

pots, pots, pots and more pots

the kiln is unloaded and over all it was good firing...i was very happy with most of the pots i fired...

the door is unbricked!

examining the treasures

close up of inside the kiln

more pots!