Vases on the Table

Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Daffie Days is this weekend on April 4-5, 2014.  Our Bulldog Pottery shop is located at 3306 US Hwy 220 Alt. Seagrove, NC 27341.  We are located 5 miles south from the town of Seagrove's traffic light. Look for the large blue water tower and our driveway is right beside it.  Take the gravel driveway to our pottery shop. See you soon!

The exploration of the vase form is fascinating to us, with so many possible nuances. Vases as well as the bottle forms provide us with such a diversity of great silhouettes for our glazes.  We enjoy the process of the search, and experimentation involved in looking and testing for new colors and glaze effects. Testing original glaze formulas takes a lot of time, and we have to figure out how to squeeze in a couple of more days to get the test glazing accomplished. Usually when the tests come out there is hopefully at least one that can work, and the others will have to go back to the drawing board. Below is an assortment of some of the glaze tests that we pulled out from the last two kiln firings.

Glaze tests, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Samantha and a table full of vases, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC 

The glazes that we apply to our vases are very fluid and it takes time prepping the rings so they fit just right onto the bottom of the vases. Below Bruce is carving the rings thinner so when cutting the ring off the vase after the glaze firing there is less chance for a mishap.

Bruce finishing clay rings for the vases, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC 

Koi insists on sleeping on Bruce's table while he works. Sometimes this is just fine and we let her but other times she messes with the wet pots and is banned from table sleeping.

Luna Bella has settled right in. She loves to be with us in the studio. She is very active and has been a wonderful puppy.  Luna Bella and Koi have a great relationship and we think they will be long time friends. Sometimes Koi will even push objects off of the table just for Luna Bella to chew.

Luna Bella, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

We currently have this lovely pink centered daffodil blooming, and the color is enchanting.

Vases, Daffodils, Ice, and Podcasts

Bulldog Pottery vases for "Daffie Days" April 4-5, 2014, Seagrove, NC

This morning we woke up to a veil of ice on our world.  Wonderful opportunity to go outside to take pictures.

We are glazing in the studio for our upcoming vase kiln opening "Daffie Days", April 4-5, 2014, from 10:00 - 5:00. We have over 100 vases ready for glazing.  We are in the process of preparing them for our glaze-a-thon.  The table full of vases shown are thrown by both of us.

Save the Date for the annual Celebration of Spring Seagrove Pottery Kiln Openings. Around 35 potteries will be participating this year on April 26-27, 2014.  You can pick up a map of participating potteries in our studio.

Check out this weeks podcast from Ben Carter "Tales of a Red Clay Rambler". This week Ben released the podcast that was recorded last week at the North Carolina Potters Conference.  The episode features Ben Carter and Brian Jones presenting on "Pottery, Podcasting and Posterity" to a wonderful audience at the Sunset Theater in Asheboro, NC. In the interview they talk about creative competition, social media as ceramic advocacy, and developing a podcasting style.  While you are at it check out the rest of his podcasts. Ben interviews a variety of nationally and internationally known potters. Also check out the podcasts by Brian Jones, which are called the "Jonescast",  he also has a wonderful variety of interviews with potters.

Daffodil at Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Daffodil at Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Daffodil at Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Bulldog Pottery vases for "Daffie Days" April 4-5, 2014, Seagrove, NC

The Ubiquitous Daffodil

Daffodil at Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

The beginning of spring. 

Our icon of flowers. 

The ubiquitous daffodil. 

We  look forward to this time of year.  When the daffodils begin to bloom and we know that warm weather will be here soon.  In the Bulldog Pottery studio we are throwing vases of various shapes with a focus on our crystalline flowing glazes.  

"Daffie Days"

April 4-5, 2014

Friday and Saturday 10:00am -5:00pm

at Bulldog Pottery 3306 US Hwy 220 Alt. Seagrove, NC 27341

5 miles south of the town of Seagrove look for the blue water tower

Vase by Samantha Henneke, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC