Kyle Carpenter Studio Pottery

2011-11-22T09:36:00.000-05:00

I've posted some pots to my ETSY shop for the Holidays. After my early December firing, I'll be posting many more. These pots all have some nice salty surfaces. So check'em out! Click any thumbnail below to go to the shop. Happy Holidays!

Working...

2011-09-23T23:51:00.001-04:00

I've had quite the absence from the old bog. I would first like to apologize to those I encouraged to follow this blog. I have simply been overwhelmed with more pressing responsibilities and this blog was the first to go. I still follow some pottery related blogs, hoping to keep my toe in the water, but I have found that writing about my career as a potter has been put on the back burner. We as a country are struggling financially, and many of us, individually, are as well. This means that we need to work more, sell more, and care more for our immediate needs. Our families are what is most important. We need to keep things in perspective. I have been working lately like I have never worked before. There is no, or very little, recreation. I work every moment I can, knowing that I need to provide for my family. This is how it has to be right now. Its been said around the campfire, that those who are kicking ass in their profession aren't necessarily writing about it. Why? Well, because they are working their ass off. Well, I'm not sure I'm kicking ass these days, but I do know that I am working my ass off. That's what it takes. I wonder if this is the last blog post. Honestly, with other social media outlets, the blog seems a little unnecessary. Right? It seems like the blogs peaked a year ago, and now are dying. Of course there are a few great blogs to follow, but in general they all show up on facebook anyway. I will still follow my blog roll and those blog rolls on the blogs I follow. However, again, I usually see them on 'networked blogs' on Facebook before I get to the actual blog page. What do you think? I'll leave you with a photo of what motivates me to work like crazy....my children.

loading #3

2011-04-17T22:10:00.001-04:00

Well, here I am once again showing a picture of the kiln during loading. This is the back stack. It's a 12X24 single stack all of the way up. Next will be two 12X24 shelves that share center posts, making the stack 24X24. The kiln is made to fit three 12X24 shelves across. There's a lot of small pots in this load, which I need very badly. I have six mugs in my inventory. That's no good. Anyway, there will be a few large vases in the front stack. I'll be firing #3 on Tuesday and unloading Thursday. Here's to 13 hour days, and making pots for a living and.......whiskey.

A few from firing #2

2011-03-23T10:48:00.000-04:00

#2 Loaded

2011-03-12T00:06:00.001-05:00

Okay, okay. I know I haven't posted any photos on here from the previous (#1) firing. I had some kiln blues after the first firing. It wasn't all bad, just over reduced, plain and simple. The salt was good at 14 pounds. This next firing will be oxidized and I will probably put 16 pounds in. I will slowly decrease the salt amount as the kiln seasons over the next few firings.
So, this is a full kiln, packed slightly loose. I'm firing it on Sunday. Saturday I will be at the studio all day, making pots for a firing in Michael Kline's wood kiln next weekend. Its now midnight on a Friday night, and I'm beat. I hope to be at the studio at 8:30. Cheers, peeps.

Location:Asheville, NC

Little Late-night Loading

2011-02-24T21:42:00.001-05:00

I started loading this evening. This is about as far as I got. There will be some bigger pots at the top of the stack. Like all kilns, this one seems to eat pots. It looks small, but I seem to get a lot of work in. I'll finish loading tomorrow and fire it on Saturday. I have a couple shows at NCECA this year and have that deadline approaching. I also have a solo exhibition at the MudFire Gallery in April. I will continue to make work at night at my studio in the river arts district. I'd like to fire the kiln again in a week. For now, I will rest on the couch with my lovely wife, Carrie, and sip on a cocktail. So, on that note, good night kiln.

Damper support

2011-02-23T15:35:00.002-05:00

I installed this custom damper support today. The dampers are steel, and may warp if left half hanging. Now, they will be supported at all times. Ok, back to it.

Awesome Burner Stands

2011-02-22T21:41:00.000-05:00

Have you ever seen such kick-ass custom burner stands? Notice the rail road track bases, and the fireplace decorative uprights? Ah, man! These are getting installed tomorrow. My buddy, Matt West, constructed these out of scrap metal for me. Ha! I just love'em! I'm planning on loading the kiln on Thursday, and firing on Friday. I'll try and make a short video of something related.

Finished kiln

2011-02-19T21:42:00.001-05:00

Today, Will Baker finished constructing the chimney. He is now done with everything, and I have a brand spanking new kiln. After spending four hours in the studio throwing some tumblers, I returned home to kiln wash some posts, new shelves, and parts of the interior of the kiln. I ended up washing everything but the arch. That means I washed all of the vertical walls, the firebox, the interior of the peeps, burner ports, and exit flues. Tomorrow I'll wash the floor. Oh, and I also washed the flanged door that you see in the picture above. Tomorrow, I'll head back to the studio and slip those tumblers, then it's back to kiln prep with cone packs, wadding, and some glazing. I'd love to be able to load the kiln on Monday afternoon and fire on Tuesday. We'll see. Photos of that to come. Cheers!

Wet slip

2011-02-14T21:19:00.001-05:00

Oh, how I love a freshly slipped pot. This pot was decorated with some bisqued porcelain stamps I made last week. Not too shabby. I think I'll leave it just like this and won't add any brushwork or glaze. The Tile 6 should break nicely on the stamped deco. This has potential.
Tomorrow, work on the kiln resumes. It looks like about two more days of work, and it should be finished. Hopefully I'll be firing it during the following week, probably two firings back to back. Alright, cheers.

Stampage

2011-02-14T19:13:00.001-05:00

#End

New kiln

2011-02-11T21:40:00.001-05:00

Wow, this new salt kiln is almost finished! This image shows Will Baker constructing the arch form. I have been photo documenting the construction process and will share that with you in the next post, which will be next week. I'd like to show a "start to finish" timeline sort of blog post. Please check back for that.
While this construction has been going on, I've been decorating bisqued pots at the dining room table while watching kids, throwing pots in the studio at night, and firing bisque kilns every four days. I did sneak in a full day in the studio earlier this week due to a snow day. That was much needed. So, anyway, it's Friday evening and I'll be decorating pots all night at the dining room table while watching Netflix on the laptop. What an exciting life! I'm cool with it. These days Fridays and Saturdays are the same as Tuesdays and Wednesdays. They all run together and I work each day, just the same. I'm ready for my summer beach vacation and it's only February. Sheesh.

Firebox Stain/Damage

2011-01-30T10:37:00.000-05:00

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Night shift

2011-01-26T22:47:00.001-05:00

Tonight I cleaned up my wheel and tools and got into some porcelain. I'm out of stoneware, and money, so I jumped on the 800 pounds of porcelain that I purchased before the holidays. I'm gearing up for my first firing of the new kiln, which isn't built yet. I have some upcoming deadlines/shows that are creepin' up on me. I've been making a lot of bowls lately. I'm not sure why. I kinda just got into it, I guess. Below are a few that are waitin' for bisque. They are covered in one or two slips. Some are "hand wiped" or combed, or brushed. That's the beauty of slipping pots...you can really have fun with it and make each one different.

I also started making some cups. These will get a trimmed or "cut" foot. I kept the cups on the bats, hoping to keep these babies round at the rim. I had some warpage last time around, so I thought I'd try this. I'm sure it'll be better. I've been decorating pots a bit at home, during the day. Soon I'll be knee deep in bisque ware and transitioning into the full time decorating stage. That's all for now. Good night and good luck.

What's left of the kiln

2011-01-25T15:06:00.000-05:00

Here's what's left of the salt kiln. Shane Mickey and I took the kiln down in a day. This Sunday, we'll bust up the firebox and I'll get the place cleaned up for the new sprung arch salt kiln. The cinder blocks that were closest to the firebox seemed to have gotten a little hot and the edges have turned to dust. Shane informed me that the block should have been turned the other way, with the holes pointing up. Apparently they are more structural that way. I hadn't thought of that when building eight and a half years ago. Also, some fiber would have been good between the firebox and the brick. Oh well. On to the next one. I'm still making pots here and there. I decorated a couple planters this morning at the dining room table. I'll be making some pots tonight at the studio. I think I need to make some cups. Okay, cheers.

Demo

2011-01-23T12:00:00.002-05:00

The salt kiln was demolished today. It served me well for a good eight years. Due to structural problems, it was time to take her down. A big thanks to Shane Mickey, from Bakersville, for his expertise with a mallet. Shane has designed a new kiln replacement kiln for me. I'm switching to a sprung arch cross draft for better stacking space. Will Baker, also from Bakersville, is constructing the kiln, using Shane's design, in early February. He recently rebuilt Odyssey School's salt kiln, in Asheville. I must say that I was very impressed.

So, I'm sure some are thinking, "Why not build it yourself?"

Well, I have no time. I watch my kids during the day, and make pots at night. I need to make pots. Also, I can expense the labor. Third, and this should possibly be first, Shane and Will are much better at kiln building than I am. That's just a fact.

So, I'll be posting some pics of the rebuild as it happens. Stay tuned!

Vlogging: Square for the iPad

2011-01-22T00:11:00.000-05:00

Karen Karnes Exhibition comes to Asheville, NC

2011-01-14T09:50:00.000-05:00

Opening Reception: A Chosen Path: The Ceramic Art of Karen Karnes
Asheville Art Museum

Friday, January 28, 2011

5:00 - 7:00 p.m.

Free with Museum Membership or Museum Admission

For more than 60 years, Karen Karnes (1925 - ) has been at the forefront of the studio pottery movement. Over her long career, she has created some of the most iconic pottery of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She has worked at some of the most significant cultural settings of her generation including North Carolina’s avant-garde Black Mountain College in the 1950s.

This exhibition is only traveling to four museums. I'm impressed to see that the Asheville Art Museum is one of the four. See you at the opening!

Mud Slinger

2011-01-12T21:26:00.001-05:00

After an evening of making pots, I like to crack open a Red Hook Mud Slinger. Actually, this is the first time I've had one. It's delicious.

This week I've been making more pots than usual due to the snow days. My wife teaches 2nd grade and when she's off, she watches the kids and I get to have some studio time. I've been working somewhat big this week. Fifteen pound planters and fourteen pound vases, mainly. I'll soon transition into medium size pots, then smaller functional work like cups and bowls.

I'm eagerly awaiting a new salt kiln to be built in February. The planters I've been making will be in the first firing, seeing how it won't be seasoned and the results may not be great. These planters probably wont be decorated, just slipped. More on the kiln later. ETSY is still going alright. A cup here, a cup there. I'm hoping to add some more to the shop next week.

This weekend I'm headed to Cameron Indoor Stadium, in Durham, NC, for a Duke basketball game. It should be fun. I love ACC basketball. So, later, peeps.

First SQUARE Sale!

2011-01-03T17:48:00.001-05:00

I love it!

2010-12-22T22:01:00.001-05:00

I just signed up for the "Square" app on my iPad.

If you have an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, you can sign up too. It allows you to swipe, yes, swipe, credit cards. No monthly fees, no minimum charges. They are mailing me the swiper that plugs into your headphone jack. A friend of mine showed me how it works today. I signed the screen with my finger and she emailed me a receipt. The fees are very similar to PayPal. We'll see. Is this the new knuckle buster?

Location:Square App

How's ETSY going?

2010-12-16T23:24:00.000-05:00

Well, 2010 has been a pretty good year, I suppose. I turned 34, found some grey hairs, made plenty of pots, and accomplished some good goals. The latest goal of mine was to enter the world of ETSY. I felt a little behind as I approached mid-December. I unloaded last friday, shot 200 images on saturday and sunday, and listed 51 pots on ETSY on sunday (well, monday until 2:30am). Listing that many items at one time is a little insane, and I do not recommend it. However, when I set out to do something, I always want to knock it out of the park. Well, I wouldn't say I've hit a homerun, but I can say that my initial response to ETSY has been good. As of today, I've had 10 ETSY sales and "deactivated" a few items that I sold locally through ETSY. Let me just tell you that "It is a ton of work to make this work well." From taking pictures, to photoshopping, to listing, and relisting......it's a lot of work. I've been asked, "is it worth it?" I say "yes." First of all, it's gonna be another bad winter, and I can't rely on walk-in traffic at my shop. Secondly, I'm reaching people from across the country that I may not have reached before. Thirdly, full retail. When you're good at marketing, like I think I am, why not try to reach your customers directly? Fourth-ly? A new social media community with a common goal of selling handmade work can teach us a new skill.
I know that the mix of quality on ETSY turns some potential sellers off. I say, direct people to your shop and use it as a tool. I still have a lot to learn, but I'm going to give it a shot and hope for the best. Good luck! Oh, and visit the shop ;)

ETSY Shop Open

2010-12-13T09:54:00.000-05:00

ETSY prep

2010-12-11T22:50:00.000-05:00

Well, tonight I've been photographing some cups for ETSY. I'm going to post about fifty cups, including kid's cups! I've been making cups for Coleman (shown here) for a couple of years now. He's been testing the quality and I've been taking notes. I love seeing him use a handmade cup. My 18 month old daughter, Carly, even carries around little hand made pots she picks up from bookshelves around the house. She'll hold one up and say "Da-da." She knows I made it.
Well, I hired Coleman to model some kid's cups for me this evening. 50 cents a cup. He made $5.50 in about 10 minutes. Not too shabby. I'll include these photos on ETSY with the shots of the actual cup.
I'll also have small mugs, tall mugs, tumblers, tea cups, juice cups, and whiskey cups. See a pattern? Cups, the perfect gift! I'm hoping to have it all up by Monday morning. I'll be posting another blog, sending a mass email, and Facebooking it to death. Cheers!

Cups firing

2010-12-07T16:28:00.001-05:00

Ready to load

2010-12-07T12:12:00.002-05:00

Ready to load the kiln in this frigid weather. It's in the 20's and windy. But hey, I gotta fire! Almost everything is already wadded, so it should go pretty quick. Many of these cups will end up on ETSY when all said and done. There's also some yunomi that will head to AKAR for the invitational show in the spring. After this load, I'll be focusing on some electric fired glaze ware. Cheers!

Late night

2010-12-04T00:06:00.001-05:00

Bird is the word

2010-12-02T20:37:00.002-05:00

Tired Turkey

2010-11-28T21:58:00.001-05:00

Well, it's time to get back to work! Man, vacation wears me out. My family and I traveled to Northern Virginia for the Thanksgiving Holiday. It was wonderful, but the driving was hard on my back and brain. The classic "Are we there yet?" was in full effect from the backseat, constantly. Anyway, I'm starting to decorate some pots for the upcoming firing. My plan is to list some pots from this firing on ETSY. I will be a first for me. I was reading posts and comments on both Ron Philbeck's blog and John Bauman's blog. I agree with a lot of. I'm hoping to have sales, but won't rely on it as a major part of my income. It's just too much for me to manage, seeing how I have a retail space and am totally consumed with my kids. Anyway, my ETSY shop will have mostly cups to start with. I'll let you know when they're posted.

How to: backfill a handle

2010-11-22T07:31:00.000-05:00

VIDEO: 61 pots

2010-11-05T15:25:00.000-04:00

2010-11-01T20:46:00.000-04:00

Nice foot

Carolina Arts

2010-11-01T09:40:00.003-04:00

There's a wonderful write up about me and my upcoming show in the Carolina Arts newspaper/magazine. Make sure you pick up your copy, if you're in the Carolinas. John and David, from Crimson Laurel, called me months ago, and told me that they were trying to get my show on the cover of the Carolina Arts. Well, they sure did work it. For a larger image, click here.

I really hope you can make it to the opening on November 6th. Thanks for reading the blog and following me on Facebook. For a larger version of the second image, click here.

Glazeware?

2010-10-29T10:19:00.000-04:00

This, here, is kinda new for me. This is a grolleg porcelain, with a cobalt-free commercial underglaze, and covered in "Pinnell Shino." It's salt-glazed to cone 10, but doesn't really show much evidence of it as far as flashing, or salt build-up. I hoping to be able to do more glaze work, like this, with my new electric kiln. This bowl is in the upcoming show at Crimson Laurel Gallery.

Pinnell Shino - Cone 10

Nephsy 270..........70

F-4......................30

Soda Ash.............3

2010-10-28T21:13:00.001-04:00

Organized fashion

2010-10-25T19:11:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm down in my basement stickering the 61 pots for the show I'm delivering tomorrow. I'm feeling pretty organized and thought I'd share a photo of my inventory. I've printed a contact sheet of all of the pots in the show. Each image has black bars to make the image square, 1000 x 1000 pixels, and 72 dpi. Each pot has a inventory number that you can also see on the excel spreadsheet. Alright, back to it!

Pitcher

2010-10-25T09:03:00.000-04:00

Check out this sweet pitcher that's in the upcoming Crimson Laurel show. I really got into making pitchers this year, which in turn, has made me better at them. I make these out of 3.5 lbs of clay, which I think, makes for the perfect size. Add to that a nice handle, some flowing brushwork, and some spotty reduction, and you have yourself one nice pitcher. This one was held back a few months ago for this upcoming show. it's been hard to hold back work. There were a couple events I've had where I wished I could bring some of these held back pots. But, now that this deadline is coming closer, I'm glad I didn't. So, throughout the next two weeks, I'll be posting more pots from the show. Please, feel free to comment and let me know what you think. Thanks, Kyle.

Cup

2010-10-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

Stoneware, Tile 6 slip, Black Underglaze, Salt-fired, Cone 10

I got this

2010-10-20T22:37:00.001-04:00

Well, I think I have this photo thing figured out. These homemade reflectors and some adjustments on the camera have made a wonderful difference. I've spent the last hour shooting cups. Digital is such a wonderful thing. I remember the days of shooting slides, not knowing what the heck you were going to get in the end. I had Tim Barnwell, in Asheville, shoot all of the large pots and the pots I wanted in my portfolio. I've been hiring Tim for the past three years. It's wonderful to have high quality, consistent images. I think i may have around 75 high resolution professional images that all "match." My set up is good for small things and for etsy sales, but when you're submitting images for books or gallery representation, you need the good stuff. Thanks for all of the tips via blogger comments and facebook comments. It seems that everyone has their own tricks. If you'd like to see some of the pots that I shot, you can come to the opening, November 6th, at Crimson Laurel Gallery, or see it on their website around the same time at www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com. There will be around 50 pieces in the show, including the cup shown in the picture above. Thanks for reading!

Did you notice the spine?

2010-10-15T14:44:00.001-04:00

Photographing pots

2010-10-15T08:47:00.000-04:00

Here's what I came up with for shooting my cups for the upcoming Crimson Laurel Gallery exhibit AND my upcoming ETSY CUP SALE. I switched from a 60 watt CFL bulb to a 250 watt tungsten bulb. The color is much better. I'm still getting some bounced reflection on the underneath of some cups, but it's okay.

"Bird jar," Helios porcelain, Helmer Slip, Salt-glazed, Cone 10

Photography help

2010-10-08T08:53:00.001-04:00

I'm photographing pots on a gradient background in a windowless basement. Any suggestions on what bulbs and wattage to use? Also, the bounced reflection of the white part of the paper is soooo strong. It generally makes the bottom half of the pot's color look washed out. Anyone else have this problem?

OGDEN: Art of the Cup

2010-10-07T11:06:00.001-04:00

These cups are headed down to New Orleans. I've been invited to show at "Art of the Cup: Functional Comfort at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, Center for Southern Craft and Design.

The exhibition opens Thursday, October 28th and closes Sunday, January 2nd. The show will include two functional cups from over 40 artists. Each invited artist has a Southern connection, based on where they choose to live, work or teach. The work in this exhibition will also be offered for sale.

Top image: Grolleg porcelain, Bauer slip, salt glazed
Bottom image: Grolleg porcelain, Helmer slip, salt glazed

Let's GEEK out

2010-10-06T22:07:00.001-04:00

Need to know more about my pottery business? Since my business is listed with Google Places, it gives you the opportunity to print this "barcode thing" and have it available for your potential customers to scan with their smart phones. I think after scanning, or taking a photo of it, it takes you directly to my website. My phone is not smart, so I'm not sure exactly how it works. I guess I'll be printing this on my postcards in the future? What do you think? Silly or useful?
I was at PetSmart tonight, buying a couple dog toys, and noticed these barcodes next to each price. I'm guessing, if you scan it, it will take you to a website, or maybe reviews of the product. This has the the potential to be very useful, I think.

MudFire Asheville in Atlanta 2010 Exhibit

2010-10-06T09:13:00.000-04:00

Opening reception October 9th! See you there!

2010-10-01T13:54:00.001-04:00

Hot

2010-10-01T13:43:00.001-04:00

Salty Porcelain

2010-10-01T08:55:00.001-04:00

Here's a sneak peak of the kiln load I fired on Wednesday. Looks good so far. I'm not sure how I feel about the red art shino (right), bit the Pinnel shino looks to be a winner (not shown in photo). All of these are grolleg porcelain pots.The cups shown have helmer based flashing slips on them. I'm really liking these. The firing was very even with cone 10 flat everywhere. My liner glaze looks pretty sweet on this porcelain.

These pots are going a few places. Some will be set aside for my solo show coming up at Crimson Laurel Gallery in November/December. Others will be for sale at tomorrow's "Thrown Together" Fall Sale, October 2nd, 2010 from 10 am till 4pm. Location is 1225 Dade Street, Charlotte, NC 28205. This years guests are me and Allison McGowan. "Thrown Together" is made up of four potters, Julie Wiggins, Ron Philbeck, Jennifer Mecca, and Amy Sanders. Looks like it's going to be absolutely fabulous weather. All other pots will return to the gallery at CURVE studios, where I share a studio with Maria Andrade, Akira Satake, and Linda McFarling.

I know I'm usually awful at posting finished pots, fresh from the kiln, but I'll try. I'll be busy sanding and pricing right away, as I'm headed to Michael Kline's opening tonight at American Folk Gallery, and then off to Ron Philbeck's for a beer and a snooze on his couch.

Hot off the press

2010-09-29T17:43:00.001-04:00

Thrown Together + ME

2010-09-28T23:24:00.002-04:00

I'll be a guest potter at this Saturday's "Thrown Together" pottery sale. I'll have some purdy pots for sale. Google map it... 1225 Dade Street, Charlotte, NC. It's supposed to be beautiful weather and a wonderful time to jumpstart your holiday shopping. See ya there!

Location:Thrown Together + ME

Soda migration

2010-09-28T15:08:00.001-04:00

Rained on shino

2010-09-27T21:10:00.001-04:00

Studio open house

2010-09-22T15:31:00.001-04:00

CURVE studio & garden will have it's open house this weekend. There's a twilight party Friday from 5-8. Come visit! And just down the street, Cotton Mill studios will be celebrating their open house as well. Come drink and snack with some River District Artists. See ya there.
www.CURVEstudiosNC.com

It's electric, boogie woogie

2010-09-18T21:06:00.001-04:00

Don't touch!

2010-09-17T13:29:00.001-04:00

MudFire's posted sign on their ware racks.

NC historical & contemporary pots at the Mint

2010-09-16T08:15:00.001-04:00

You're on notice

2010-09-14T23:37:00.001-04:00

2010-09-13T20:19:00.001-04:00

Vote now!

2010-09-13T08:28:00.001-04:00

Here's my submission to Ayumi Horie's photo contest. This is a photo of my boy, Coleman, drinking out of Ayumi's mug. The mug has a Jack Russell Terrior drawn on it. I got this mug while Ayumi was teaching at Penland last summer. It was a trade! Score! Anyway, take a second to head over to Ayumi's website and vote for Coleman! Contest ends tomorrow at noon EST. Thanks!
http://www.ayumihorie.com/photo-contest.html

Sneak peak

2010-09-09T10:37:00.001-04:00

Looks like this was a really nice firing. It is still very hot and the door is only unbricked a quarter of the way. This bowl shows the salt glaze build up on the raw, unslipped/unglazed clay. Stay tuned for more pics of the kiln load.

I'm tracking YOU!

2010-09-08T13:25:00.001-04:00

I sent out an email this morning announcing the NC Mint Museum's Potters Market that I'll be at this saturday. I use a company called iContact, and yes, there's an app for that. Paying for a email service like iContact, or Constant Contact, or Emma, allows you to track your sent messages. I downloaded a free app that iContact has made for iPhones, iTouches, and yes iPads. It's not a super detailed app, but it's free and I can track my sent message with a push of a button.

In the above photo, the app shows my recent/past messages. This is the 3rd email I've sent out this year. I probably should have sent out around five, but oh well.

As you can see, it gives you important information about what you just sent out. If you go to the actual iContact website, you get a lot more information. This is just a way to do a quick track. If you'd like to receive emails about upcoming events, just fill out the form below. It's easy!

Firing for the MINT Museum show

2010-09-06T18:13:00.002-04:00

Waiting for a new brush

2010-09-05T15:51:00.001-04:00

Chillin'

2010-09-04T16:59:00.001-04:00

Carly Mae, chillin' with the happiest Dad ever, me.

New nose

2010-09-04T10:59:00.001-04:00

Bagwall out

2010-09-04T10:40:00.001-04:00

VLOGGING

2010-09-01T08:29:00.001-04:00

Oh no!

2010-08-30T13:28:00.001-04:00

So, I fired the kiln on Saturday and as some found out via facebook, my bag wall fell into the firebox while I was salting. When cone seven started to bend, I threw in a pound of salt and went in side to escape the white cloud. I came back 20 minutes later. I pulled the top peep to check the cones and a 12 inch flame shot out. I had been firing in a steady oxidized atmosphere for most of the firing. To see a big reduction flame shooting out panicked me immediately. I looked into the firebox and could see my entire bagwall taking a hot dip in the molten salt build up. A couple of the bricks were close to blocking the burner ports. I used my 5 foot angle iron to try and move them, but it was not possible. So, I threw the remainder of the salt in and let it ride for about 20 minutes before turning the kiln of prematurely. So, currently the kiln door is halfway unbricked. The slips look good on some and white on others. The platter shown has some nice spotting on it. This comes from that heavy reduction at the end after oxidizing the whole way. The liner glazes that I can see look underfired and will need to be refired. Today I ordered a new skutt 1027KM. I'm hoping to have this kiln to bisque in and also refire some under fired work to cone 9. I post some more images later. I'll be chiseling the bricks out of the firebox later this week and hoping to fire again soon.

Firing pots

2010-08-28T14:28:00.000-04:00

So, I'm firing the kiln now. This top image shows the back stack. I forgot to shoot the front stack. The sculptural boat form are Heather Allen's work. She's a talented fiber, clay, and calligraphy artist. She was in a pinch and needed a place to fire. I normally don't share kiln loads because I can usually fill them myself. Since I'm firing again next weekend, I thought I may need the filler work anyway.

So, these firings are for a few things I've got coming up. The Mint Museum Potters Market, "Asheville in Atlanta," at MudFire, and a solo exhibition at Crimson Laurel Gallery. I do have a bit of inventory at my shop to pick from too. After these firings, I'll be focusing on more porcelain work. Next weeks firing will have some porcelain pots in it, but not many.

So, in a previous post, I mentioned that the kiln was repaired. Well, not entirely true. My keystone is failing over the door. I do brick up the door under those brick, so it should move anymore, right? I hoping that this kiln will provide at least five more firings before I need to rebuild it. I'm thinking January will be the best time to do that. Burrr, but not a whole lot goes on then.

As you can see, the keystone (white) is still good throughout the rest of the arch. I can remember where I got these bricks. They are virtually unaffected by the salt.

This images shows brick movement over the firebox. There's no heat loss, really. I have 3" soft brick, 2" of fiber, and adobe behind this layer of hard brick. One more reason to rebuild. Okay, off to turn up the kiln.

Teapots

2010-08-24T21:32:00.000-04:00

I made a couple of teapots that were in the last firing. I have three more going in this next firing. I really don't make teapots. I used to make them, but a couple of years ago a customer returned one they had bought. She mailed it back to me from Ohio due to some cracking issues. She poured boiling water into it and it cracked all to h@ll. She got a full refund and a sincere apology letter. Turns out, there was some black coring in the clay, due to too much reduction. I was sooo disappointed I had let this slip by. I should have tested the teapot before I put it for sale. So, I just stopped making them. It kinda sucked. Well, now I test them with boiling water prior to putting a price tag on it. I'm also suggesting people temper the teapot with warm/hot tap water prior to pouring boiling water into it. So, there ya go. I'm planning on loading Friday and firing Saturday. I'll be posting so typical kiln shots then. Cheers!

Kiln repaired

2010-08-18T22:57:00.000-04:00

Today I climbed inside my kiln with a 2 X 4 and a rubber mallet and got ta tappin'. Tappin' bricks, that is. My kiln is eight years old and has been fired roughly 75 times or so. This kiln was built without mortar and has metal bracing around the base of the kiln. I recently have seen a bunch of movement. The worse place was on the arch, closest to the chimney, shown in this photo. Of course, this is the after photo. I was anxious to jump on the task and forgot to snap a before photo. The wall was "bellying in." tapping them in with the 2 X 4 and a rubber mallet sure did do the trick. I may have to repeat this every few firings. We'll see.

I'm watching these two kiddos during the day while my wife is at work. I thought I would be able to get something done during the day, like decorating cups or something. Nada. No way. This kids are consuming me. I am getting to do a bit more computer work (iPad!) now that I'm in my living room so much. It is wonderful, though. Today, my daughter took three steps and is getting close to walking on her own. Children are just amazing, and I do feel lucky to be able to care for them at this age. My wife and I are both working our tails off. We are both up with the sun and work until 11pm or so. It's tiring, but very much worth it. So, now we sleep.

Video time!

2010-08-17T08:40:00.000-04:00

My wife came home from work yesterday with a brand new Flip camera! The librarian at her school wrote a grant and got every teacher in the school a free Flip. I was told that I could try it out, so watch out, the paparazzi is on the prowl.

2nd Shift

2010-08-13T08:37:00.000-04:00

Last evening, after watching the kids all day, I made, trimmed, and slipped a little of that Helios porcelain I referred to in the last post. This vase has a second thrown part for the neck. Let's hope is sticks. This vase will get two small lug handles at the joint. It's amazing how different this beast is from my stoneware, which I really love and appreciate now more than ever. I've been slipping these porcelain pots, but really want to cover them with glaze. I just know how juicy these pots could really be. We'll see.

Busy day

2010-08-11T19:36:00.000-04:00

Today was was a busy day. When I arrived at the studio this morning I got a bisque loaded and fired up. These next couple of firings I'm going to bisque most of the work.

Then I sieved some slip (50 XX Sagger, 50 Helmer) in my new Talisman. This thing is so worth the money! You fill up the Talisman tub, turn the crank maybe six times, and it's empty. You should own one if you don't already.

So the slip is going on some porcelain pots I started making last night. I'll be showing some of these pots at a solo exhibition later this year.

So, I mentioned the porcelain. This stuff is kickin' my ass. I made some cups and a few trimmed saucers with ease. I threw a 3.5 lb pitcher and struggled. I went back to cups for a bit. Later in the day I attempted a larger vase and frustrated myself to no end. I just need some practice! So, tomorrow night I'll jump right back on that horse and hope to not get bucked.

Blogged it on an iPad!

Pitcher

2010-08-10T08:49:00.000-04:00

Here's a nice large pitcher for your sweet tea! It's still available at AKAR Design Gallery. I've really been into pouring vessels lately. I made six pitchers and a few teapots this past weekend and just want to make more. I went through a time when no one bought pitchers, so I stopped making them. I never was happy with my forms either. I'm now happy with the form and really enjoy making them. I've also sold four in the past six weeks, so I'm making more. This pitcher was covered in a Tile 6 slip, then wiped off with my hand to reveal the clay. It's hand painted with commercial underglaze and then details are scratched in. It's lined with "the" glaze. The firing is gas/salt, cone 10. Find it here: http://www.akardesign.com/shows/new_work.asp

Blogged it on an iPad!

Blogpress App for iPad/iPhone/iTouch

2010-08-09T13:32:00.000-04:00

I just bought and installed the Blogpress app for my iPad. See, I was having a problem "composing" a post on blogger with my iPad. You could only post in HTML and, well, I'm not great with that. This app has an WYSIWYG editor. That stands for "What you see is what you get." This app connects you to all of your blogs, ie blogger, word press, etc. It also is connected to online web photo albums such as Picasa. It also is hooked up with Twitter and Facebook, although I haven't explored that yet. So this post is really just a test. The photo came from my Picasa album. This is my dog, Zella.

I also recently purchased and memory card reader for the iPad. Now, I can just put my 16GB memory card in and presto, time to upload. Oh, isn't technology wonderful.

Blogged it on an iPad!

Stay-at-home-dad

2010-08-09T09:53:00.000-04:00

Today I'm back home as a stay-at-home-dad. My wife took a year off work (teaching 2nd grade) to take care of the newborn and the boy wonder. My little girl, Carly, is 14 months old and Coleman is 4.5 years old. He will be starting part-time preschool soon and I'll be home watching little miss. I'll still be making pots, mostly at night and on saturdays. This time at home will not only give me some quality time with the kids, but will also give me a chance to catch up on some blogging, website updates, and marketing. So, hopefully you'll see more "posts" from me in the near future.

FLORA

2010-08-01T09:06:00.000-04:00

I sent some wonderful pots to Red Lodge, Montana a couple of weeks ago for the "Flora" exhibition at the Schaller Gallery.

Please take a moment to visit the online exhibition be clicking here.

These are all once-fired and salt-glazed. I'm very impressed with the show and the presentation that Anthony Schaller provides. Believe it or not, the Schaller Gallery currently has no physical gallery space and is, for now, an online marktplace only. Pretty cool idea. So, check out the show and feel free to leave some comments for me.

Today's review

2010-07-15T21:37:00.001-04:00

Well, today was the first day of the Craft Fair of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. I set up the show yesterday. It took roughly five hours to unload and set up the booth. This time I requested a corner booth. The regular 10' X 10' booth always felt too cramped. Man, I'm glad I did. This new set up with to entrances is awesome and so much more inviting.

I also requested black drapes, provided by the guild/convention center. There's no extra charge for this, just planning. The hanging panels are IKEA curtains that I've altered. The cabinets are also IKEA that I've altered. I added under cabinet lighting and casters to them. I get comments from other potters about having those platters too low to the ground. I have fit 16 platters in those cabinets. They are either on display there or not at all. I chose to display them. I sold two out of there today. The pedestals are collapsible pedestals from easypedestal.com. Lighting is very important, and boy do I have it. Spots, floods.....I'm talking some wattage, baby. I did realize that I need a bigger rug for the next show I do here. My rug is made for a booth with a single entrance.

My first sale of the day was that huge pot in the corner of the booth. It was a great way to start the show. I'm shipping it to Houston, Texas on Monday. So three more days of being "on." If you're in the area, come by and visit. Alrighty, back to the Sweetwater 420.

Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands

2010-07-15T09:54:00.000-04:00

Corner booth this time! Now let's sell some fine pottery.

Finished pot

2010-07-14T17:06:00.001-04:00

Unloaded

2010-05-22T14:59:00.001-04:00

Unloading in the morning

2010-05-21T23:08:00.001-04:00

Finally loaded (continued)

2010-05-18T15:27:00.001-04:00

Finally loading

2010-05-18T14:14:00.001-04:00

A Few New

2010-05-15T09:27:00.001-04:00

Custom pottery

2010-05-04T18:48:00.001-04:00

I made this custom sippy cup for my boy Coleman last year. He loves it. There's a cat that peeks at you as you finish your milk. Today I made one for my baby girl Carly. I love havin' kids!

Coleman and his cup

2010-05-04T18:41:00.001-04:00

Busy.

2010-05-04T15:17:00.001-04:00

OBAMA @ 12 BONES

2010-04-24T08:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, President Obama and the First Lady, Michelle Obama, stormed Asheville's River Arts District for a little taste of heaven, aka 12 Bones. 12 Bones BBQ is across the street from my pottery shop. There were city cops, county sheriffs, state troopers, and secret service surrounding/securing the joint. It was like a scene out of a movie. Guys with machine guns, helicoptors flyin' around, guys on the roof with binoculars, and of course the mob of Obama supporters across the street tryin' to snap a pic.

So, I'm hoping to see him walk into my shop today so that I can sell him a nice piece of NC pottery.

Hands full

2010-03-31T18:06:00.002-04:00

No rest for me

2010-03-30T08:13:00.002-04:00

I've decided to make a kiln load of 1-2 lb pots. I'm slippin' these today. I have some upcoming events scheduled that you may be interested in, including an online sale. Are you on my email list? Sign up is on the bottom right of the blog. Cheers!

APB: Stolen NC Pottery!

2010-03-26T23:54:00.000-04:00

I saw this flyer tonight at the Catawba Valley Pottery show in Hickory, NC. It's a first for me to see something like this. Usually it's a dog, cat, or hubcap. I sure hope they get those pots back. Anyway, the show was interesting. It was mostly folk pottery. There were a lot of alkaline glazed pots and face jugs. I mean a lot. It's a strong tradition here in North Carolina. There were a few contemporary potters there too. Crimson Laurel Gallery had a booth there. They represented a few people, including me. I'll be interested to see how my work is received there. Okay, time for bed. I'm unloading the kiln in the morning. ZZZZZZZZ....

Transporting Greenware

2010-03-25T09:39:00.001-04:00

Ever since I moved my studio to Asheville's River Arts District, in 2007, I've been carting all of my pots back to the salt kiln at my house. This photo shows how I do that. Years ago, I built a wooden platform, so that my dogs could ride in the the back of the car and see out the windows (pet barrier is also part of that system, not shown). I use that flat platform as a sturdy base for transport. I line the pots up, as shown, and very carefully cover them with 2-3 layers of packing blankets. This weighs the pots down, minimizing any movement. I am very aware of the route to my kiln. I avoid train tracks, pot holes, sharp turns, and rush hour. Knock on wood, but over the past 3 years, all I've lost is a small 1# teacup during transport. Remember, I once-fire, so no bisque-for-me.

Let's brick it up!

2010-03-24T17:19:00.001-04:00

Loading again!

2010-03-24T16:05:00.001-04:00

2010-03-22T12:46:00.001-04:00

2010-03-22T12:39:00.001-04:00

Hot!

2010-03-22T09:24:00.001-04:00

Patterned pot

2010-03-21T13:57:00.001-04:00

Tryin someting new today. Film at 11.