We had a great workshop here last week! Eight people working full out for four full days. A lot of handsome pots got made. I love the sharing that happens during these workshops. And this one seemed particularly rich in exchange of ideas. I certainly learned a lot!
If you are interested in attending a workshop in my pottery, the upcoming events are listed here,
And some of the wonderful people who attended this workshop were good enough to sign my Guestbook here.
I am happy to report that leather artist Penny Sipple and jeweler Greg Sandage will join me again this year during the November Studio Tour.
Also, I’ve joined the Artisans’ Craft Trail put together by the Artisans Center of Virginia and the Nelson and Albemarle County Tourism offices. My new Craft Trail Studio Sign arrived this week, and paper maps and online versions of the Trail will follow soon. Joining the Trail is part of my transition away from spring and fall shows here toward encouraging regular studio visitors throughout the year. My studio showroom is now open Tuesday-Saturday every week, plus Sunday and Monday by appointment.
I just posted a revised schedule for classes that goes through the end of 2011. Doing it, I was amazed anew by how quickly 2011 is rushing by!
Alan and I are almost done filming the new glazing and decorating video. It’s been a lot of fun and has gone smoothly, with the exception of a nasty cold/flu bug that Alan and I have been sharing. We keep having to stop the camera so one of us can sneeze or cough and I am not sure my voice will hold out until the end. It will be published by Ceramic Arts Daily as part of their new video series. Details to follow…
Alan and I begin work next week on our new DVD on glazing and decorating. It’s been quite a process getting things lined up in advance, as I needed to make at least two of each form — one to glaze on camera and one to be glazed and fired in advance in order to show the final results of each technique. It would have been nice to show the actual pot fired, but there will not be time to get them through the full cycle while Alan is still here. The kiln is cooling right now with all the final products. All we can do now is hope for a good firing…
There’s an open spot in the Monday evening class that meets 5:00 to 8:00 pm. You can see details on the classes page. Give me a call or drop me a note if you are interested.
I’ve just posted schedules for classes and workshops through the end of the summer on the Classes and Workshops pages of this website. Last year’s four-day workshop was so much fun that I am offering another this year, plus expanding one of the weekend-long workshops to include Friday. Please help me spread the word about workshops!
The teaching DVD that Alan and I made last summer has just been released by my friends at Ceramic Arts Daily. Take a look! We had a great time filming it together. We covered basic throwing of cylinders and bowls and then included some special projects. I am excited it’s finally out!
If you are interested in buying a copy, you can get it from the Ceramic Arts Daily bookstore or buy it directly from me on this website, here. In either case, it won’t be ready to ship until later this month (December 2010).
photo by Kathy Plunket Versluys
I’ll be hosting two guest artists this weekend during the 16th Annual Studio Tour. Penny Sipple will be here with her leather and Greg Sandage with his jewelry. It should be a great weekend! We’ll be open 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, 11/13 – 11/14. You can check out details about all sixteen studios on the Tour at the Tour Website. Please do come by!
Things are falling into place nicely for next Saturday’s Kiln Opening. Here are some photos of the actual kiln opening. These pots have since been cleaned and priced. We’ve put enough of them back in the kiln where they sat during the firing for you to have a sense of what the kiln looked like. The rest are on tables and carts in the kiln shed. The event is from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. If you are anywhere in the vicinity, I hope you’ll stop by!
Here’s a new video that Alan and I made as an entry to a Ceramic Arts Daily contest. Alan was here for a week (a place he refers to as “the old country”) filming a teaching video that we hope to have available soon. Since we were set up to film when the contest announcement arrived, we were able to whip up this quick entry in response to their theme of homemade and re-purposed pottery tools. We didn’t make it to the final cut, but in case you are wondering what to do with your old plastic cards, here is our take on The Five Best Uses for Credit Cards.
Hope you enjoy it!
