Bee Dance (Waggle Dance)

We are glazing for two more days and then we will begin to get our work all together for our exhibition that opens on October 7 (opening time is 6:30-8:30) in the Nature Art Gallery at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh, NC. We will post images soon.

Yesterday, when researching factoids for my porcelain glaze paintings I ran into this amazing new piece of knowledge about bees. As my nine year old nephews says "You learn something new everyday" Insects are truly fascinating.

Crystalline Potters of Seagrove at the North Carolina Pottery Center

From Left to Right : 

 Bulldog Pottery, McCanless Pottery (platter), Wyndham and Brookhaven Pottery, Uwharrie Crystalline, Dover Pottery, Pottery By Frank Neef, and Eck McCanless Pottery

Crystalline Potters of Seagrove

September 24, 2011, Saturday, 10am-4pm at the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove

The Crystalline Potters of Seagrove show is the first event of its kind.  Seven different crystalline pottery shops from the Seagrove area are coming together to show the amazing range and versatility of this special effects glaze.  The show will feature both zinc silicate and molybdenum crystalline.

Event will be held in the oak grove behind the North Carolina Pottery Center – 233 East Avenue, Seagrove, NC 27341.  There is no admission fee for the event, NCPC admission - $2/adults, $1/students 9th-12th grade, Free/8th grade and under.  Questions – Contact Rhonda (336) 873-7412

Rain date – October 1, 2011 

The Mint's Potters Market and the Delhom Service League

Is it already a whole week ago that we were in Charlotte at the Mint Museum's Potters Market? Well if everything works out we will be back at the Mint this Tuesday to hear a talk about the new ceramics exhibition that is on display at the Mint Museum on Randolph. During the year (fall and winter) the Delhom Service presents a monthly Ceramics program at the Mint Museum on Randolph Rd.  To find out what the future scheduled presentations are you can find them listed on the Delhom Service's page of the Mint Museum Randolph's website.
This is information that we extracted from the Mint's website about the upcoming presentation on Sept 20th..

"The Delhom Service League invites you to join them for their September Program presented by Barbara Veith on Tuesday, 20 September 2011, 10:30-11:30 a.m. in the Van Every Auditorium at the Mint Museum Randolph.

Barbara Veith is an independent scholar of American ceramics and glass, and the curator of Aesthetic Ambitions:  Edward Lycett and Brooklyn’s Faience Manufacturing Company, On view beginning 17 September 2011 at Mint Museum Randolph through 26 February 2012.  This special exhibition presents nearly 40 unique examples  of art pottery from the late 1800’s produced by the Brooklyn Faience Manufacturing Company illustrating Edward Lycett’s talent over his nearly 50 year career. 

Please join us as Barbara Veith, organizing curator of the exhibition, details Lycett’s tremendous influence as the company’s artistic director."

Below are more images from our booth display at the Mint's Potters Market, a great ceramics event put on by the Delhom Service League.

Bruce and Marylou a Delhom Service League member and volunteer at the Potters Market

7th Annual Potters Market at the Mint Museum Randolph

We are all packed up and ready to go. Well, just about all ready. We are more ready today than usual. There is always a big heave ho at the very end to get everything into the van and to make sure we remember all the gear that will be needed to set up for a pottery event.

The Potters Market presented by the Delhom Service at the Mint Museum Randolph is located on the front lawn under a large white tent. There are 40 potteries selected from all over North Carolina.  A variety of pottery will be there.  

This year Bruce and I will bring our Moka and Shino glazed pottery. I have been working on decorating with my insect images on these jars that you see below.  Bruce has been focused on working with his shino glaze again.  We also have been testing some new glazes to add to the pallet, and getting warmed up for the next kiln firings.

Hope to see you there! 

Our shop here in Seagrove is open, Ed, Gloria and Max will be holding down the fort.

First annual Mountain Cousins in Clay

The first annual Mountain Cousins was a very gratifying weekend for Bruce and I.  It was wonderful to escape the heat for an extremely pleasant weekend on top of a Mountain ridge with the Michael, Stacey, George, Evelyn, Lillian, Jack, and General Patton. I (Samantha) grew up in Blacksburg, Virginia on a plateau between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains and Bruce spent a number of years living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Floyd, Va.   Our weekend was sunny and cool, and we were comfortably set up under the oak trees at the top of hill from Michael Kline's Pottery shop.  We felt at home with the beautiful views and great companionship.

Michael's father-in-law, George cooked red beans and rice for the visitors that came on Friday and Saturday.   They were yummy and I made sure to have several second helping. George cooks for Civil War reenactments. He came with his dutch ovens and grills, and his dog General Patton.  Patton and Jack had fun playing together in the morning before they had to go up for the day.

Here is Michael outside of his studio. This is where you can find him on a daily basis working on his pots. He has a display room of his pottery in the front of the building. 

Cynthia and Edwina Bringle visited us Friday morning.  Cynthia is a potter living in Penland right next to the famous Penland School of Crafts and Edwina her sister is a weaver.

The building below is Cynthia's studio which is located at the entrance into Penland (the driveway right across from the Penland Gallery).  Visit Cynthia at her studio, and see her beautiful gardens and wonderful pottery.  She has a great selection of her work to look at.  I bought a slender wiggle vase from her last year during the Toe River Studio Art Tour.
This was my first time actually visiting Penland grounds, Bruce taught a workshop and a concentration there back in the late 80's. We had a nice lunch at the Penland coffee shop Sunday afternoon, and the Penland Gallery is spectacular.

I love looking at pottery in outdoor light. Sunlight has a warmth that really brings out the rich and colorful tones of glazes.

Michael Kline pulled out a new kiln load of his work for the weekend of Mountain Cousins.

There was a great selection of pottery to look at and choose from.

Happy pottery collectors went home with a piece from each of us.

Next year around this time we will have two more potters under the tents on the mountain top with us.  Mark Shapiro and Sam Taylor will be headed down from Massachusetts with their awesome pottery to join us for Michael's 2nd annual Mountain Cousins in Clay.

And here in Seagrove... Bulldog Pottery's annual "Cousins in Clay- 2012" will take place on Memorial Day weekend with our honored Clay "Cousins" Ron Meyers and Judith Duff.