Just Work.

Jeff spent a lot of hours working on this thrown and altered vase. He paddled it into a hexagonal shape, then rolled foot. In this photo he is adding his signature texture.

When he was ready to put the handles on he asked my opinion... two or six? I said SIX! Isn't it a beauty?

The next morning we woke up to this...

Can you see that crack? Into the slop bucket this beauty will go. Cracks are one of the hazards of pushing your work to the edge. Luckily it doesn't happen often and Jeff doesn't let it stop him from creating more.
If it were my piece, I might have cried. Heck, I almost cried and it wasn't mine.

The moral of the story is:

 Shit happens and never give up the strive for excellence.

Making Vessel Sinks

The great thing about making vessel sinks is that it isn't tied to the holiday season. People order them year round. This week I took a few photos of Jeff's work in progress. Last month he had to order a new torch. He finally wore out the last one. The nice thing about this torch is that it doesn't need a striker to light. I can't even tell you how many times the striker was misplaces and we had to search for it.

Torching the pot stiffens the clay and allows Jeff to finish throwing the sink in one session. When he is using the torch it's gets very warm and steamy in the studio. Which was very welcome while we experienced a cold snap.

This sink is getting a textured exterior and glazed in our nuka white glaze. I think this is one of my favorite patterns. I really like how the glaze breaks to gray over the texture.

Today was sunny and 70 degrees. We have enough work completed for the first firing of 2017. It was a perfect day to load the bisque kiln. Tomorrow we will fire it off.

Need Dentures?

Jeff might be able to help...

Photo Credit: Jeff Brown

Jeff has this awesome commission to sculpt a set of skull mugs with a matching pitcher. He has done skull commissions in the past, but it's been a long time. I am absolutely amazed at how realistic the teeth are going to be!

Photo Credit: Jeff Brown

Jeff has been working on these at night, in between making sinks. He loves to throw pots... any pots, but he first got into pottery through sculpture and I know he is enjoying this opportunity. Some of you may have seen these photos on facebook, I swiped them from his page. I will post again when they are completed.

Jeff saves the day!

What a week it has been. Remember our firing over the weekend, the one with all of the Christmas orders? When we un-bricked the door on Monday, half the kiln was filled with hideous glazes. It seems that the bottom reached temperature and the rest was spotty. We also weren't sure if our new batch of green glaze had some bad gerstley borate in it. I just wanted to puke. My mind raced ahead to letting everyone know that they wouldn't have their pigs for Christmas and having to refund boatloads of money. Jeff told me to calm down.

He was going to re-fire everything in the raku kiln. We couldn't re-fire in the bigger gas kiln, because we are getting ready to have the tank moved and we pretty much drained it with this firing.

Here are examples of the re-fire results in the raku kiln...

I love the way this glaze combination re-fired! The orange is beautiful.

Jeff also got great copper reds from this little kiln. He had some tests that were a rich, deep red.

The green pigs were packed and shipped before I took photos, but they all looked awesome.

Nuka white always looks good. This double bowl was fired in the raku kiln. Luckily all the whites in the bigger gas kiln also looked fine. What a relief. I told Jeff he is the kiln wizard.

I have spent the last couple of days packing pots. Late yesterday I took a car load to the post office, just before they were about to close. When I got out of my car, there was a despondent looking woman, sitting in her car with the door open. She asked if could help her. Of course my first thought was, she is going to ask me for money.

I was wrong.

She said that she needed to pay bills, her English wasn't good, and she didn't know how to write the dollar amounts in english. No one in the post office would help her. I told her I would bring my boxes inside, and then I would see what I could do to help.

She had three bills. Her checks were all signed, she just needed me to hand write the dollar amounts and find on the bill, who to make the check payable to. It took maybe five minutes.

She was so very thankful and appreciative.

We all hear so much negativity towards non-english speaking people in our country. Most commonly heard is if you are living in the United States, learn to speak english. 

My grandparents spoke both English and French. My great grandparents lived in this country for a long time and never learned to speak English. I wonder if they experienced prejudices back then.

The Kiln Gods (and Jeff) saved me from a major stress this week. It was a small token of repayment for me to help someone else who was distressed and needing a helping hand.

...and that's what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

New Tool!

A couple of years ago, Jeff made me a tool to cut the slots in sponge holders. It did the job but it wasn't always great. We started to talk about what would create a straighter cut and work efficiently. Jeff came up with a mitre box design. This is his prototype, which is working quite well. I am sure it's going to get some tweaking along the way.

Using the back side of the saw makes a cleaner cut in the clay. We need to find a smaller blade that won't be so cumbersome to work with on my bench.

 I cut across the bottom with a fettling knife.

After all the cuts are made I go back and clean up the edges. I also give them the green kitchen scrubby treatment before they go into the bisque firing.

Now if we can only solve the warping problem...

An Interesting Commission

Jeff was commissioned to create three large and interesting pieces. They are Mediterranean looking pots that will only be bisque fired. The buyer wants them to have a sandy look to them. If I remember right, they are going into a sunroom in her home. She was inspired by a large Rebecca pitcher that we often put out in our flower garden in the summer. It looks like a relic with a big chunk missing from it, and is unglazed.

 The large pitcher (26") is reminiscent of the Rebecca pitcher.

Large amphora

The coolest one is this "half buried" amphora! I would love to see photos of these pots when they are placed in their new setting. I can imagine them surrounded by lots of plant life.

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!

running water

We spent today battling the frozen water pump/pipes issue that comes along with arctic temps in a structure that wasn't designed for this kind of weather. As I looked at the dishes piling up in the sink, my mind drifted to the vessel sinks that Jeff has been making, and shipping out across this country and Canada...

Jeff's sinks are a generous size, deep and wide enough to function well. I have seen, and used, many vessel sinks that just weren't deep enough to wash your hands in without splashing water everywhere.
Clicking on the first photo will take you to Jeff's Etsy shop where you can take a look at pricing etc. We have a few sinks in stock, but most are custom ordered.

I am hoping that tomorrow we will have water and I can wash all those dishes that are piling up! In the meantime, I hope you are all fairing well in these frigid temps.

Simply Elegant in White

 I am loving these pots of Jeff's glazed in only nuka. They remind me of snow in winter. The mug makes me want to fill it with hot chocolate. How about a table set for Christmas or Valentine's day with this dinnerware and red table linens? I am definitely keeping a mug for me!

coasting along to the finish line...

Spring Garden

I have been working over at STARwork Garden this spring as a workshare for the CSA program. I have really enjoyed getting out to the garden in the morning and spending some time outside. Anne Partna, Blue Hen Pottery, runs the garden. She is teaching me what the weeds look like here in North Carolina so that I am not pulling up plants! Yes, there are some of the same weeds as in NH, but there are others that are different and actually look like they could be plants.

Yesterday after the veggies were picked, we cut flowers and made bouquets to go with each member's share. What fun! I am sure everyone was excited to see fresh flowers along with their vegetables. I put ours in my favorite vase. I bought this from Jeff nearly ten years ago. I love how pottery we bought from each other, traded, or gifted to one another over the years, now live in the same home again.

Oodles of brushes

Brush shop on Insadong Street in Seoul, S. Korea... one of the first images from Jeff"s adventure

The White House Sponsors Cup Show

... in my dreams that is! Last night I dreamed that the White House sponsored a ceramic cup show and that Jeff won an award. Michelle Obama was the juror.

Doesn't the First Lady have excellent taste?

We were so excited that the White House was recognizing ceramic art, despite all the cuts due to the sequester. 

...and then I woke up to reality.

We are firing the gas kiln tonight. We are experiencing chilly temps, but are fortunate that our pyrometer is on a long leash and we can check it from the comfort of our living room... then dash out the back door to adjust the burners or damper and come back in to be near the wood stove. It's sort of funny that we think this is cold, when compared to what we had to deal with in New Hampshire. Amazing how quickly we have acclimated!

While Jeff was tending the kiln, earlier today, I finished some little covered butter/cheese dishes. I hadn't made these in quite a few years and I think I may make some more this week.

There are a few more pots to the Etsy shop, so go ahead and take a look...

Workshop Day

Jeff presented his "Practice Makes Perfect" workshop here at our studio today... aka pottery calisthenics!

Most participants of this workshops say it's the most amount of clay they have every thrown in a day. It's not about having finished pieces, it's about exercising your throwing muscles and developing a fluidity of motion.  

Bill was eager to jump right in after taking a few months off from his weekly pottery class...

Amanda (below) had never thrown pots before and came with her Mom, Robin, who has been taking pottery lessons since last October...

 Look at those cylinders! Great job for her first lesson.

By the end of the day Robin was making taller, narrower cylinders...

We always invite participants to join us for lunch, often homemade soup with fresh baked bread... which was perfect for this raw and rainy day. The students often say that lunch in our cozy cabin is the highlight of the day! They love it's rustic charm and are usually in awe of all the pottery we have in every corner of the house (I wonder if I can convince them to come and dust them every so often?). Then of course there is enjoying a meal together served on handmade dishes. 

A day immersed in clay, learning to make pots, and discovering how using handmade pottery can enrich your everyday life.

Click here for a list of workshops that we are offering over the next few months.

My new obsession

Fresh Spring Rolls!

I love that they are so easy and inexpensive to make. The 12 oz. package of rice wrappers goes a long way and they keep forever in your cupboard. You can fill them with any raw vegetables that you have on hand. These were filled with shredded cabbage, carrots, zucchini, green onion, basil, and cilantro. I also added a little sauteed and chopped up shrimp that had been marinated in teriyaki sauce with garlic. I often squeeze a lime over the veggies before rolling them up. Jeff is in charge of mixing up a dipping sauce, usually some combination of tamari and Asian hot sauces we have in the fridge. I like to think of them as salad in a package!

Last night's dinner was leftover cashew chicken and fried rice that I had made on Sunday. We had eaten all of the spring rolls so the only work I had to do was to put those together. The dumplings in the (Jeff) bowl came from Super G, the Asian market that we like in Greensboro. Someday I will make those at home too. I am sure they would be much better for us!
Thankfully Jeff and I like to cook because we would have to drive to the next town to get anything other than diner/family style food. It also saves us money, we rarely eat out. Finding some ingredients in the nearby markets can be a challenge and we have learned that no matter what you go to Greensboro for, bring a cooler and ice packs and take the time to go to a good grocery store!

P.S. I am finally getting pretty good at using chop sticks... I didn't touch a fork once last night!

photo credits: Jeff Brown

Vasefinder International 2013

Jeff and I were once again invited to participate in the annual Vasefinder International Exhibition. The awards were announced yesterday and Jeff's vase won an honorable mention! Clicking on the photo will take you to the exhibition. The juror this year was Phil Rogers. I am really happy for Jeff. This is the second time in the last 12 months that a potter he really admires, has chosen his work in a jury process. The other was Jack Troy, who juried Strictly Functional in 2012.

Congratulations Jeff Brown! You are off to a great start for 2013.

Pottery Workshop Saturday February 23, 2013

"Practice Makes Perfect"

Working in a Series

Saturday February 23, 2013

10 am to 4 pm

Cost: $100

We had a request to repeat this workshop in February, so here it is! Once more this will be a small group workshop, held at our studio in Seagrove, NC. For more information, and to register online, click here: JEFF BROWN POTTERY

Whether you have been throwing pots for a number of years or just learning, this workshop will be sure to enhance your skills. It also provides me with a good arm workout, since there will LOTS of clay for me to pug when it's all over!

Here is the short version of Jeff's clay journey...

Jeff Brown learned to make pots in high school and started his professional career as a potter in 1981, making piggy banks in a Wilmington, NC pottery. After spending the next 7 years working for various studio and production potteries along the North Carolina coast and in Seagrove, he decided to take a job at a New Hampshire based, salt glazed, pottery factory. While in New Hampshire Jeff opened his own studio and also began teaching pottery classes at the NH Institute of Art. 

As many of you know... in 2010 Jeff and I left NH and have settled into our studio in Seagrove, NC.

Today it's Jeff's turn...

Aren't these beauties? I believe all the mugs like this are sold. The pitcher is listed on Etsy... clicking on the photo will take you to Jeff's online shop. Wouldn't this pitcher make a great Christmas gift?

Strictly Functional 2012

The 2012 Strictly Functional Pottery National is now online, click here if you haven't seen it yet. Jeff is in good company, a couple of New England potter friends are also in the show... Maureen Mills and David Orser.

Jeff based his entries on knowing that Jack Troy was the juror and he definitely made the right call. A large number of the pots in the show are wood fired.

wood fired tray by Jeff Brown

Today is day two of glazing and then on to loading the gas kiln. Our goal is to fire tomorrow. Next weekend we will be in Charlotte for Festival in the Park. This is a first for me, Jeff did it 12 years ago. I hope it's a good show, it's long... Friday evening, Saturday till 9:30 pm, and all day Sunday. If you are in the Charlotte area come out to the park!

Firing #2!

and now for the pots from Fred Johnston's kiln...

 Jeff's big pot... 2' tall. I love this one and have a feeling it won't be around long.

 One of my gingko vases. I really wish I had been able to fire more of these in this kiln. The light salting makes it sparkle. The surfaces feels really nice.

 What's a salt firing without a pig?

 This bowl was supposed has robins egg blue on the interior... the reduction was heavy and it went pink. There were a couple of other pink things, I can live with this one, not sure about the others.

  Small rattle with maple leaf... I don't know what my attraction is to little baubles like this. I always want to keep them.

Jeff's large platter with textured rim.

I will get some good photos once bottoms are ground and sanded. We'll be taking most of these pots to Art in the Park in Charlotte a week from tomorrow. If you missed the post of firing #1 go back to the previous post from earlier today.