Busy Summer

july has been full with anticipation for my first Southern Highlands Guild Show in Asheville, NC. Believe it or not I've been rejected from the jury process 4 times in the last five years before I was accepted. My work has changed so drasticallyy that I'm not real sure what to expect from this show. I am lookin forwward to seeing ol friends that i havent seen in close to ten years. My studio has been a war zone. Constantly makin more new work and never lettin stay the way it was has pushed my mental and physical capacity. I really think I pulled a pec muscle lifting and glazin one of my pieces. An assistant is needed not to far in the future. I think I've decide that my attitude towards the shows has been that of a sculptor rather than a potter. I went from being able to fit and fire 30-40 pieces in my kiln to 3-4. I cant turn back now. the addiction of making dramatic, large pieces has taken over.I had a really good reception for my Sculpture show at the Front Gallery in Chattanooga. Spent all last week at my friends wood shop building new pedestals for my booth. I have been doin alot of gallery shows and giving away all my old pedestals to that. I really like the new look now. As my work changes the whole process changes, Booth, trailer, bins that I put the work in for traveling. The summer is a good time to make changes or use to be because I never had anything going on till fall. Definetely more fast paced this summer. I've had my first makework grant session and I will recieve 2 of my six grant checks today. I ve spent a little of the first one on clay and glazes to get the work process movin. Each piece takes at least a month to completely dry before it can go through the kiln. I will be purchasing another kiln soon but the timting of work production has been first. My fall show schedule is packed and I'm workin on gettin my new workshop/instructor proposal out. I start my adjunct position at UTC in august and I'm really excited about that. My family is doin great. We celebrated Rockets 2nd birthday. Two years has gone by too damn fast and it aint stoppin. My work/family balance has improved. More walks with my son and wife have been good and we always cook and eat together. Lovin life.

refiners fire for the potter

I picked a 2 liter coke off the conveinient store shelf and one of them dropped on the floor and exploded. The whole day has gone like that. actually not just from 6pm till I made a cocktail to wind down for the day. What really set the evening off was my electric kiln was programmed to start a hold at 250 degrees and dry out my greenware before going into the bisque firing. Well it didnt and 2 hrs later I walk into the studio and i hear boom...pop and 600 degrees reading on the display screen. I opened the kiln to find the bottles and teacups that are pictured blown up. I have a trunk show at mudfire gallery in decatur georgia on the 23 of this month(jan 2010) and was hoping to add these pieces to my sale. I am pretty sure that I can throw the pieces again and green glaze them on time for the next weekend. It blew me up at the time but now that I've wound down I realize that I can make it happen and in the process learn a few things that might not have come up had this not happened. I have a couple months before show season and workshops start so I might as well Diagnosis the kiln and fix whatever might be wrong. I couldn't help put to preach a small line off my own artist statement to myself which says " I welcome mistakes and struggles, it brings triumph and character." Lookin at my little boy helped me realize also that Everythings fine and will be as long as I keep my head focused on what is important which is my family. So thats that...yesterdays gone and today is here. come check out the trunk show On Jan 23 2-6pm at mudfire gallery in Decatur Georgia. keep pottin and try not to sweat the small stuff.

firing the kiln the smorning, even though its a electric kiln, its so damn big it fires like a gas kiln, always having to adjust the zone controls to get even heat. Got some new work coming out for the wncpottersfest,www.wncpottersfest.com. I'm starting to see my transition from potter to sculptor happen which is pretty cool. I hope my customers still follow me. anyway my son rocket is waking up, write more later