I really enjoyed last weekend’s workshop!  People made some interesting pots!  This photo was taken at the end of three days together.

Some favorite pieces from our three days together

My webmaster (who also happens to be my son) and his crack team of experts have been trying to figure out why this site was out of commission for the past while.  Not quite sure who fixed it, but I am delighted to have it up and running again!

Just home from teaching a class at the John C Campbell Folk School in North Carolina.  My friend Ann Sollo and  I worked with a group of eleven enthusiastic and talented potters.  Six of them had no prior clay experience, yet everyone ended up making some nice work.  Here is a photo of the group on our last day.  

Things are finally moving along in the studio.  Classes are rolling, despite this week’s surprise snow storm. And although I am not yet putting in long hours as my ankle recuperates, I am getting to play with clay.  Great stuff, clay!

I’ll be teaching at John Campbell Folk School in April and at Touchstone Center for Craft in September.  The Folk School is in Brasstown, North Carolina; Touchstone is in Pennsylvania.  Looking forward to both workshops!

Just finished putting together my 2014 class and workshop calendar.  I’ll be offering two slightly longer class sessions (12 week instead of 10) instead of the three sessions of the past few years.  There will be four workshops here, one of them in conjunction with Kevin Crowe.  I’ve put dates and details here on the classes and workshops pages.

Holiday Open House

Thanksgiving Weekend

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

November 30 & December 1

Nancy Maxson and I are hosting our annual Holiday Open House.  Nancy will have her calendars, cards, and paintings, plus her delightful new book “Tasting the Wild Strawberry” published by St Brigid Press. I’ve got a lot of nice new pots on hand, plus some joint projects made with Carter’s woodworking and my pots.   Join us for  refreshments, music and good cheer.  

I just finished pulling apart the classroom and installing the expanded showroom here.  It’s always a lot of work, but it’s great to have the place looking so clean and fresh.  The showroom will be OPEN DAILY, throughout November and December.  I have posted photos of the showroom in the Pots In My Showroom page of this website.

Here are some shots of last week’s stoneware kiln firing — all my work.  Once we get through the Artisans Studio Tour this weekend, I will be loading and firing a kiln of student pots. Stay tuned for photos of their work.

I am especially pleased with the handbuilt domes (second shelf from the top on the left).  I used paperclay for them, which allowed some nice folding without cracks.  They will sit on top of wooden boards that my husband Carter is making.  They will function this way and can be flipped over to use as a serving bowl.  Here is one of them:

Starting today (Saturday, October 19) The Artisans Studio Tour is hosting a twenty-day promotional raffle.  There are details on the Studio Tour Facebook page.  Twenty different Tour participants have donated work and there is a drawing for one piece each day.  To see what is being raffled, go to the Facebook page.  There you will be directed to this link, where you can sign up for the Studio Tour newsletter.  There are directions on how to enter once you have subscribed to the newsletter.

Penny Sipple and I look forward to showing you our latest work during this year’s Tour on November 9 & 10.  Penny will have her leather bags, I’ll have a lot of new pottery, and our friend Dean Bibb will provide some wonderful baked goods for you to sample.  We’ll be here 10 am to 5 pm both days. Hope you can join us!

Kiln Opening at Nan Rothwell Pottery

September 14

10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Come see my latest salt firing (almost but not quite) hot out of the kiln.  Like all salt and wood-firings, the pots need to have the wads knocked off and be cleaned before they can go home with you.  So this is a slightly fake kiln opening, in that we’re doing all that to the pots and then sitting some of them back into the kiln so you can see exactly where they were during the firing.  The full firing will be on hand, and it was a good one!   These photos give you a sneak preview of the pots that I’ll be showing, as they were sitting right when we pulled the kiln open…