American Craft Week Continues - Saturday, October 15, 2016

Wood Fired Teapot by Jeff Brown

The Seagrove Potters have been celebrating American Craft Week, which is actually the first two weeks in October. This is the last weekend of events and with good weather predicted, it should be a great time to get out and explore Seagrove. Lot's of studios are offering demonstrations and workshops. We will be serving Korean, Japanese, and Chinese teas throughout the day. Guests will experience the joy of serving and drinking tea from handmade wares. Jeff has a nice selection of Asian inspired teapots and tea bowls available for purchase.

There are also some new cheese stones in the gallery.

And of course there are some nice pots with the ginkgo leaves.

Seagrove Potters Celebration of Spring Studio Tour & Kiln Opening

April 18 & 19, 2015

1423 NC Hwy 705

Seagrove, NC

Open both days - 10am - 5pm

The Celebration of Spring Studio Tour is my favorite event of the year. The countryside has sprung back to life, the grass is green, the trees are leafing out, and lots of flowers are blooming. It seems that no matter what the weather, there is a good turnout for this event.

Along with our "standards" from the gas kiln, we will have lots of new wood fired pots in the gallery.

If you are a tea or sake lover, Jeff has some real beauties from the last two wood firings.

There are 40+ potters on the tour this year. Many will offer demonstrations, refreshments, and door prizes. I will be working on carving a large ginkgo leaf bowl, and I am thinking Jeff will throw something big on Saturday afternoon. We have tour maps available in our gallery. Round up your friends and family and make Seagrove your destination this weekend!

Tea Time

Photo Credit: Jeff Brown

Jeff Brown never ceases to amaze me! Since returning from his most recent trip to Mungyeong S. Korea last fall, he has been working on Korean tea sets. The tray is called a tea boat and is designed to catch any tea that spills while pouring. The tea is steeped in the small teapot, then poured, and served from the katakuchi (on the left). I really like the small coasters. They are also great for serving a little hot sauce. I am not a tea drinker but I do enjoy tea ware and learning about the tea ceremonies that Asian cultures practice. I am also impressed at how Jeff can take this traditional set and incorporate his own textures and style.

Clicking on the photo will take you to Jeff's Etsy shop.

Pretty Pots = Hard Work

Labor Day weekend is over.  We spent it laboring and the labor continues. Jeff and I are both dead tired. He even more than me, since he is helping with the wood firing down the road. Why is it that whenever you have intense work to do, the weather turns hot and sticky? It has taken us way longer than it should to accomplish anything.
This morning we unloaded the kiln. Overall we are very happy with the firing. A couple of pots will get the hammer (of course one was an order) and a couple ash glaze pots need some grinding. I am so happy that my teapot wasn't one of them! You just never know with this ash glaze. I quickly snapped a few photos of it before packing it up for our exhibition at Campbell House Galleries in Southern Pines. We delivered the bulk of our work today. A few more pots will go tomorrow. If you are in the area, the opening reception is this coming Friday, September 5th from 6-8pm. Info is in the sidebar of the blog. We would love to see you there.

Teapots and Dreams

 I don't make many teapots. I am not sure why. Maybe I feel intimidated by them. We really want to have teapots for our Southern Pines show in September so I figured I better get busy. Especially since Jeff is ahead of me in the teapot production.
The stress of getting ready to leave for two weeks is piling up on me. So many logistics; packing for a show, finishing work, arranging for our gallery to be open, cat sitters...

I have had weird nights of dreams, some really good ones and some frustrating ones. This morning I dreamed that I was washing dishes and heard the door open. A little voice said, "Hello, it's me". I knew the voice right away. It was my mother. She came into the kitchen and we hugged, she felt so small and real (she was a tiny woman in life). I told her I was feeling stressed, she held my hand and said she had to go. When I awoke it felt like she had really been there and that she wanted me to know that everything will work out fine in the end.

I just wish she had stayed with me a little longer.

Cedar Creek Gallery

It was a beautiful evening to head over to Cedar Creek Gallery in Creedmor, NC.

The gallery setting is just beautiful...

and the teapot show is amazing.

After the opening we enjoyed a very nice dinner at Watts Grocery in Durham. Don't be fooled by the name... it isn't a grocery store. Watts Grocery is probably best described as southern cuisine, kicked up a notch. It was the perfect ending to fine evening.

fall travels

This sweet little teapot came out of the kiln yesterday. Jeff made the pot and I did the carving. It is a commission for my sister who is giving it as a wedding gift. There are also two cups to go along with it. I like how the ash glaze works with the carving and the best part is that there is no slip involved, so no risk of the dastardly peeling thing that has been going on.
Today we are heading to New Hampshire for our annual October trek. On Friday we will teach a raku workshop at Hillsboro-Deering High School and then it's off to my sister Anita's in Wolfeboro, where Jeff will teach another raku workshop on Sunday. Danielle will drive up from Connecticut on Saturday, to join us all for a family dinner. Anita and I share a birthday, four years apart, so it's a tradition that we celebrate together. I am glad that my move to North Carolina hasn't changed that. The workshop gigs are what makes the traveling possible.
Catch up with y'all later... it's time to pack my suitcase.