Pictures from Catawba Valley Pottery Festival, Hickory, NC

Ed and Bruce in their booth 

Attendance was plentiful despite the rainy rainy weather.  Potters and the public were happy to see each other again.  Mark Hewitt gave a presentation called "A Few of My Favorite Things About North Carolina Pottery" Saturday afternoon and brought his pottery to sell.   It is wonderful to have a pottery event that draws people from across the country.

Anna King of King's Pottery, Seagrove

Bruce talking with Brad Lail

Brad Lail of J.B. Lail, Cherryville

Jennie Keatts of JLK Jewelry, Seagrove

Charlie Tefft of Charlie Tefft Pottery, Greensboro

Mark Hewitt and Alex Matisse of W.M. Hewitt Pottery, Pittsboro

Bonnie Burns of Great White Oak Pottery, Seagrove

 Chad Brown of Chad Brown Pottery, Seagrove

Ken Sedberry of Sedberry Pottery, Bakersville

Michael Hunt and  Naomi Dalglish of Bandana Pottery, Bakersville

Terry Hunt of Cross Creek Pottery, Seagrove

11th Annual Triad Area Spring Pottery Festival: The list of Potters

Charlie Tefft just sent me a (rough) list, so I thought I would post the potters that will be showing this weekend in Greensboro.  Everyone is from North Carolina except for one potter that is from Danville, Virginia.

Gail Young Dula ,  High Point

Ray Welch, Mud Puddle Pottery, Winston-Salem

Ellen Simpson & Cindy Gaasbeek. Reidsville

Kris Scheppman, Oak Ridge

George Hayes, Earth Essence Pottery, Biltmore Lake

Molly Lithgo & Jim Rientjes, Earthworks, Greensboro

Kelly O'Briant, Julian

David Slater, Madison Mud Works, Madison

Betty Clark, Patty Jennings & Karen Barkley, Pleasant Garden

Susan Cutter & Karen Lewit, Brown Summit

Charles Teft, CT Pottery, Greensboro

Laura Wahl, Greensboro

Dawn Tagawa Morgan, Tagawa Collection Pottery, Asheboro

Courtney Tomchik, Clemmons

Susan Ridenour, Greensboro

Jim Thompson, Raincrow Pottery, Archdale

John Malpass, Clayflute Mudworks, Burlington

Nelda French, Seagrove

Lorrie Price, Greensboro

Reuben York, Cape Fear Pottery, Lillington

Cherie Lachoki, Greensboro

Ginger & Brian Pulliam, Pulliam Pottery, Stoneville

Imm Ong, Greensboro'

Lisa Chmielewski, Untamed Mudd, Reidsville

Patricia Schurr (Burned Earth Studio) & Kelly Willard, Oak Ridge

Susan O'Leary & Christina York, Jamestown

L.T. Hoisington, Greensboro

Debbie & Randy Sells, Homeplace Pottery, Kernersville

Ruth Martin, Brown Summit

Ann Lynch, Blue Dots Pots, Greensboro

Debbie Moore, Toddware, Reidsville

Pat Foeller, Art in Clay, Reidsville

Kim Shireman & Noah Carlton, North Star Pottery, Eden

Jan Holloman (Little Dog Pottery) & Karen Hall, Graham

Leanne Pizio, Oak Ridge

Anja Wray, Sweet Treat Ceramics, Oak Ridge

Suzon Martin, Eden

Herb Allred, Allred Pottery, Siler City

Debb McDaniel, Debb's Designs, Kernersville

Jim Petersen, Julian

Janine Dixon, Lifespan, Greensboro

Thomas & Tomoko Thornburg, Oak Ridge

Olivia Dowdy Brown, Wagram

Barbara Deal (Thrown Together Pottery) & Harold Ashworth, Greensboro

JG Priestley, Mudd Juggs, Greensboro

Judy Merrill & Kay Arnold, By Mother & Daughter Pottery, Climax

Jane Ralston, Wild Hare, Greensboro

Dot King, Dot's Pots, Asheboro

Carolyn Moore, Pris Pots Pottery, Greensboro

William Black, Old Julian Pottery, Julian

Diane Corbett, Providence

Hank Allred, Hank Allred Coil Pottery, Ramseur

Tim Moran Celtic Pottery, Danville, Va

Pat Newby, Pat Newby Pottery, Asheboro

Linda Warren, Rocky River Pottery, Apex

Jimmie Shillinglaw, Tyro Pottery & Creations, Lexington

Triad Area Spring Pottery Festival

Charlie Tefft's Wren pitcher

Just recently, Bruce and I were talking with our friend Charlie Tefft at the Potters Conference in Asheboro and thought that we could let our blog readers know about their upcoming Spring Potters Festival.   Charlie sent me a sampling of the potters' work that will be showing there.

The 11th Annual Triad Spring Pottery Festival will be held this upcoming weekend on Sunday, April 5th, from 11:00 am - 5:00 pm at the Greensboro Farmer's Market.  There will be 70 potters exhibiting their work with a variety of styles to offer the public.  I was not able to get a full list of potters that will be showing, so you will just have to make a trip to meet and speak with them.  The admission is free.  

Kelly O'Briant's creamer and sugar

Leanne Pizio's zebra plate

On a side note: Greensboro potter Molly Lithgo of Earthworks will be showing her pottery during the month of July at our local Randolph County's Art Guild/Moring Arts Center in Asheboro.  Asheboro is a short drive from where Bruce, Ed, Gloria, and I call home--Seagrove.  Due to Asheboro's plentiful accommodations and proximity to Seagrove, this is where many of the out of town visitors stay, when traveling to the Seagrove Potteries.  Asheboro is also home to the North Carolina Zoo.  Just down the road from the Moring Art's Center where Molly will be showing her pottery, is the Randolph County's Tourism Development.  They work hard to promote our area, and to spread the word about the wonderful places that visitors can see in our comunity, which includes--the Seagrove Potters.  

Molly Lithgo's bowl

Pottery from the Kiln

This is a close-up of the handle on the tall bottle below.  Bruce threw the piece and I decorated it with raindrops.

Well Bruce and Ed are off to the Catawba Festival.  It is pouring down rain, but warm outside. Thank goodness the show is indoors.  I took a little bit of time last night and this morning taking images of some of Bruce's work he took to the festival.  There are more of his and mine that I have set aside to take images of.  This will have to wait since I sent the camera off with Bruce. Hopefully he will come back with some images of the show.

This bottle is around 18.5" x 4.25"

This is one of the jugs Bruce threw and I dotted.  The jug is around 18" x 9.5"

Here is a close up of the bottom of the piece above.

This is one of the pieces from the series Bruce threw of bottle forms. This piece is around 12.5" 4.25"

A flask with thickly applied red slip and combed. This is around 13.5" x 5.5" 3.5"

Great day and wonderful visit with our friends

Jeff Adelberg (left) is visiting from Boston with his parents Rachel Frew and Richard Liebhart

Here they are with their selections

The first time we met Richard and Rachel we talked for a long time about his adventures in Turkey as an archaeologist.  Jeff  joined in on the visits and they come to see us periodically throughout the year.  It is always a great visit and we enjoy our conversations about old pots, old tools, Greek pots and how did the Greek potters make the very fine exquisite rendered raised lines?  

They picked out some really nice pieces from the kiln we unloaded this afternoon.  

Below Rachel selected the two plates.

Here are three of the pieces that Jeff selected

I think they make a sweet pair.

Gloria, Ed, and Bruce are busily polishing,and grinding the pots as I write this post.

 Many of these pots are bound for the Catawba Valley Pottery Festival in Hickory, NC tomorrow.

Exciting Results

Here are three pieces that I like of Bruce's.  I am enjoying the way the slip has activated the surface.

One more layer to go!

So Far So Good!

We have been able to remove some rows of brick.  We like how the pieces have come out so far.

The Catawba Valley Pottery Festival Kiln is Firing Today

Samantha is putting glaze dots onto Bruce's jug

The past few days we have been busily glazing and loading the gas kiln.  I usually continue to glaze while Bruce loads the kiln.  We have decided to schedule two days for loading the kiln.  We find that it is easier on Bruce's back to spread the loading and lifting, instead of trying to do it all in one day.  

On Sunday afternoon, I enjoyed listening to the Grateful Dead channel.  I am getting psyched about the upcoming shows.  My brother got Bruce and I tickets to the Greensboro and Charlottesville Dead Shows.  This will be my 11th or so show and Bruce's FIRST!!!  I can't believe Bruce has never seen a Dead show.   When Gloria and Ed were helping Saturday morning, they got to the studio first and were listening to the Elvis Presley channel, our first time but not the last.  The next morning they had on a channel called Escape.  After about a couple of songs we figured out why they called the channel Escape. I think the name can have two different meanings depending on your point of view, and I believe Bruce and I have a different view of Escape then Ed.  We decided that since they are so generous in helping us in the studio, they can have a little control over the music selection as well.

Samantha is waxing the inside of Bruce's pitchers.  This way the pitcher can be glazed upside down and not have the outside glaze get on the inside glaze.

Here is Bruce carrying one of his jugs to the kiln.

Bruce is setting the second jug into the kiln.

Here is Bruce loading the front of the kiln.

Now we are ready to brick up the door and turn the kiln on!  We are happy about this kiln load, and were able to fill it full of functional pottery!  Wooh Hooooo!  We love pots.

A Trip to Starworks in Star

We drove today to Star to pick up clay from Takuro at Starworks Ceramics.  Starworks has donated their new local clay body to the upcoming Seagrove potters' community wood firing in Seagrove, at the North Carolina Pottery Center on April 4.   This wood firing is open to the public to come and ask questions about the uniqueness of this labor intensive firing process.   There will also be a closing reception for the Owen/Owens 175 Years of Family Business exhibition with music all afternoon and a catalog signing.  Both are open to the public with free admission.   

We drove into the parking area and saw our friends Eddie and Angela from Wet Dog Glass, having a lunch break in the StarGardens and being protected by Starwork's notorious, head of security, "Wheezy".

The building pictured here is where you go to find Starworks ceramic clay supply.

Takuro Shibata toured Bruce and I around the clay making facilities.  He has been working on this local clay project for several years now.   Much time was spent researching local clays and consulting with geologists, potters, and others, to locate regional sources of raw materials suitable for making distinctive clay bodies found only here in our area.  His first clay body, available now, is a blend of a raw local kaolin with a raw local ball clay, and other ingredients.  It is primarily designed for wood firing at cone 10 and higher, and should be suitable for cone 10 salt and glaze firings as well. 

Here is the hammer mill where he puts in the local clays that he has gathered from various locations.  One clay is from Cameron and another from the town of Candor.  The clay body is blunged together with collected rain water in the tank below the mill, and pumped to the magnetic separator and   

 screened through  a 30 mesh sieve to extract any metal and larger particles from the clay.  The clay is pumped through the green hoses that you can see going to and from this contraption.
Takuro is explaining the water pumping system that he and Santiago have devised to move needed rain water into the system, as well as reclaiming excess water squeezed out of the filter press.    

The tall green tank is pressurized to send the slip into the filter press bags and the excess water is squeezed out into the trough underneath the press on the right.  This system can process approximately 2500 lbs. of clay in three hours press time.  When the cakes of clay (round discs) are ready they are

 run through this deairing pug mill, extruding out as a rectangular pug, cut of into 25 lb blocks, and bagged ready for the wheel or hand building techniques.

Bruce and Takaru are looking at the 2000 gallon storage tank that supplies the water for the clay.  This water tank is located on the other side of the wall where Takaru and Santiago was showing Eddie, Angela, and Bruce the system they figured out.  This water was collected from the roof of the building from the recent rains.

We bought ourselves a few new tools from Takuro and Hitomi before we left with our clay.  We also gathered information to pass out to the potters at next weeks Catawba Valley Pottery Festival. 

Another Work Day at Bulldog Pottery

Early yesterday morning we set some of Bruce's bottles out to dry. We were hoping to be able to get some of them in the bisque kiln to be ready for loading the gas kiln on Sunday and Monday. By the end of the day we were able to get a few in and the rest will be fired in kiln load #2 coming up soon in April. We were also able to fit into the kiln three of the four handled jugs Bruce threw a couple of weeks ago.

I found Bruce wondering the narrow isles in the studio wondering what to do next.   

Gloria and Ed helped us out as well. Ed is working on sieving glazes Bruce mixed up, and Gloria is washing the dust off of the pottery.
Bruce is cleaning the bottoms of the green ware.  And me? Well, I waxed the bottoms of all the pieces.