Together We're Better

Jeff threw this large 22" vase over the weekend so that I could carve my ginkgo leaf design onto it.

I am always nervous to start carving into his pots! I have to talk myself into making that first mark. Thankfully I can lightly draw the design in pencil before digging in.

It took me about 5-6 hours to complete. At one point we turned it upside down, resting the rim on a bat, so that I could get to the bottom third without killing my wrist. I had to be careful not to exert too much pressure on the shoulder. Jeff and I are both pretty happy with the end result.

This is one of the many collaborative pots we will be working on this summer for a show in September at Campbell House Gallery in Southern Pines, NC. Stay tuned for some large platters.

Getting Ready for the Celebration of Spring Studio Tour

Jeff and I are doing some collaborative vases for the upcoming studio tour. Jeff threw some larger than I make vases, then handed them to me to carve away...

I always get a little nervous at making that first mark on Jeff's pots. After that first pass with the carving tool, the fear subsides!

Seagrove Area Potters Spring Studio Tour

April 20 & 21, 2013

38 area potteries will be participating. Tour maps are available at participating studios, now and on the weekend of the event. www.discoverseagrove.com

working together

Jeff made a whole bunch of mug bodies the other day and gave them to me to do as I pleased. I decided to brush the bottom halves with white slip and carve my flower design into them. Jeff likes to know how much time it takes to complete things so I set the stop watch on my iPod to see how long it took to draw the flower design and carve it... on average it was about 14 minutes. I am sure Jeff knows how long it takes him to throw the bodies but I didn't time myself on pulling handles (I probably don't want to know!).
The plan is to glaze these with shino inside and to the start of the design on the exterior and either the glossy green or blue glaze below. I didn't think I would enjoy working on collaborative things but have found that I quite enjoy it. We have a stamp with both our symbols for these pieces... when we are old (or dead) and famous, these pots with be highly collectible and will be seen on Antiques Roadshow... the owners will *gasp* at the value and run home to add a rider to their homeowners insurance!! Can you tell I have watched many episodes?

It was a pleasant day in the studio, we had the doors open since it was nearly 70 degrees outside. The warm weather brought in a good number of customers for a January weekend. In between the mugs and the customers, I took advantage of the warm air and rinsed off all the clay covered towels and aprons with the hose. This is a chore I don't usually get done in winter. It felt like a bonus and a good excuse to be outdoors. I could get used to these kind of winters!