Cousins in Clay

 Jeff and I took a much needed break on Sunday and went over to Bulldog Pottery's "Cousins in Clay". This is an annual event that they host at the end of May. Along with Samantha and Bruce Henneke's stunning work, there are guest potters from various parts of the country. A special treat this year was Henry Crissman's mobile anagama kiln. Many potters from the Seagrove area had a few pots in the kiln. Each of us donated one pot to help raise money for the Dwight Holland Scholarship Fund. The scholarship gives assistance for ceramic students to be able to attend the North Carolina Pottery Conference.

 The firing is quite short. I think it was about 8 hours and reached cone 11.

The day was gorgeous and sunny, which also meant it was really hard to take photos with a phone. I was sort of shooting blindly! I was happy with all three of my pots, but this is the only one I got a photo of.
Tomorrow I should have some house makeover pics. Things are coming along nicely. I also have good news about my Dad! He was moved to the intensive rehab facility and is doing much better. His brain is pretty much cleared up... no more hallucinations. This place is keeping him busy. Therapy three times a day and they take him to the dining room to eat meals. He can now stand with a walker to move from the bed to a wheelchair. I hope that he will regain his mobility eventually.
That's it for now, check back tomorrow for more house blogging. Happy Monday!

Seagrove Weekend Update...

This week I decided to try out a new form. 

Cheese boards... but can you really call it a "board" when it's made out of clay?

They are obviously very simple to make. My only problem was that I underestimated the amount of clay I needed. The one in the photo is smaller than I would have liked. The subsequent ones are the size of the bat. The first one I made was way too thin. They need to be hefty because the idea is that you can warm the "board" in the oven and place a slice of brie on it or chill the "board" and serve cheese and fruit. They will also make good trivets.

I will admit that I wanted to make these because I want one for myself. I rarely make things that I want to keep but we are cheese lovers and I know I can put it to good use.

 Yesterday I took a break from the work day and took a drive over to Bulldog Pottery. It was their "Cousins in Clay" weekend. There were some fabulous pots there by Samantha, Bruce, and their "cousins" Michael Kline, Dan Anderson, and Blair Clemo. I wanted to get there early because I needed to to replace a Bulldog Pottery tumbler that had met it's demise last year. My goal was accomplished!
"Cousins in Clay" continues today with a potters potluck at noon and demonstrations by guest "cousin" Dan Anderson from 1:30 - 2:30. Jeff will head over there this afternoon, while I keep the gallery open.

I couldn't resist snapping this photo of Samantha and Bruce's beautiful bamboo stand on my way out.
Happy Sunday to all. I hope you enjoyed your weekend.

big weekend in Seagrove

it's a busy weekend here in the 'grove. events around town brought lots of people into our shop. sales were good in the morning and the afternoon was mostly visitors. jeff and i took turns getting out to see the openings and show. he went to Donna Craven's  kiln opening in the late morning and we both were able to get to Cousin's in Clay at Bull Dog Pottery as well as the Osmosis Show at Tom Gray's.

we both came home with some sweet new pots to use...

jeff's Jack Troy cup from Cousin's in Clay at Bull Dog Pottery

my new Ron Philbeck bowl from Osmosis at Tom Gray's

today is my day to work the co-op gallery in town. this is the first time i do a sunday. i am hopeful for a busy day.