Lots in the Works at Bulldog Pottery

Bruce Gholson working on trimming plates, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

We are happily making pottery in the studio and finishing up one more round of pots just in time for our annual Holiday Kiln Opening on Saturday, December 13, 2014.  We like to ring in the New Year with one more Hurrah! We are making covered jars, platters, mugs, bowls, tumblers, plates, and cups.  All glazed and decorated with our Moka patterns. We will also have a select grouping of vases with our flowing molybdenum and matte crystalline glazes.  

We discovered a new podcast we enjoyed listening too last night for the first time called, Snap Judgement. It is a NPR radio show showcasing a conglomerate of folks telling stories about contemporary society.  We are looking forward to listening to more today.

There are a handful of Seagrove Potters also having special kiln openings on December 13th... the ones we are aware of are, Ben Owen Pottery, Johnston and Gentithes Pottery, Latham's Pottery, Jeff Brown and Michele Hastings Pottery, Westmoore Pottery and us Bulldog Pottery -- and that's more than a handful.

 Samantha Henneke signing her large mugs, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

 Bruce Gholson's grouping of covered jars, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Below are my covered jars waiting for knobs to be applied to the top. I like having the freedom of adding differerent shaped knobs to the jars. It gives them their own personality.  

Tables full of pottery in process,  Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Happy Thanksgiving

Samantha Henneke, Bruce Gholson and Luna Bella, Bulldog Pottery

Happy Thanksgiving!  

We want to thank all of you for making our artful adventure fun and fulfilling.  We love making pottery---And we appreciate all your support.  Good wishes to everyone on this wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Gloria and Ed are fixing turkey today (thank you Fresh Market!) --- Bruce and I are working in the studio towards our Holiday Kiln Opening.  We will take a break in the afternoon for some yummies and then back to the wheel to make a few more pieces for Saturday, December 13. We are attaching labels and stamps to our Kiln Opening postcards and mailing them to you this week. 

Best to you and your families,

Samantha, Bruce, Ed, and Gloria  

Samantha Henneke, Bruce Gholson, Gloria Henneke, Edmund Henneke

7th annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters, November 21-23, 2014

Celebration of Seagrove Potters, Seagrove, North Carolina

We are excitedly looking forward to the Celebration of Seagrove Potters this year. It is coming up soon, and will be here before we can count to three. Well I hope not that fast, many pots to be glazed and fired yet.  We will have a new selection of our decorative crystalline vases for the Celebration event, and then on December 13, 2014 we will have a fresh kiln load of our functional pottery for our Holiday Kiln Opening here at Bulldog Pottery.  

Every year, we the Seagrove Potters, gather under one roof at the Historic Luck's Cannery just a short distance from downtown Seagrove. This weekend is a good opportunity to see the diversity of pottery that we all have available throughout the year. The Seagrove Potters are open to the public just about every day of the year (except most of us are closed on major holidays). We all have individual shop hours and each shop is unique in its own way.  The Seagrove Potters website is a good way to get in contact with individual shops.

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters

November 21, 2014 is the special Gala from 6:00pm - 9:00pm

November 22, 2014 9:00am - 5:00pm

November 23, 2014 10:00am - 4:00pm

At the Historic Luck's Cannery 

798 Pottery Highway 705 

Seagrove, North Carolina 27341

Gala tickets (includes Friday night dinner, $45 per person) can be purchased online by visiting the Seagrove Potters website, and this ticket is good for the entire weekend. The Friday evening Gala is a great time to shop the Seagrove Potter's booths. You get first selection of the potters work and participate in the special collaboration auction. 

Saturday morning the Celebration opens up at 9:00am and Sunday at 10:00am.  On Saturday and Sunday, tickets ($5 per person) can be purchased at the door of the Historic Luck's Cannery.  We are always amazed at just how many pots there are to choose from for this event, under one roof at the Historic Lucks Cannery on Pottery Hwy 705. There is pottery for everyone here, and we hope you make it out to our little town of Seagrove in central North Carolina.

You can follow the Seagrove Potters on facebook at Celebration of Seagrove Potters, and Seagrove Potters. This is a great way to keep up with all the pottery and activities that the Seagrove Potters are working on.

  

List of Seagrove Potteries Participating in the 7th annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters

Avery, Ben Owen, Blue Hen, Blue Stone, Bulldog, Caldwell-Hohl, Chad Brown, Chris Luther, Crystal King, Daniel Johnston, David Stuempfle, Dean & Martin, Dirt Works, Donna Craven, Dover, Eck McCanless, Frank Neef, From the Ground Up, Gingerbread House, Great White Oak Gallery, Hatfield, Hickory Hill, JLK Jewelry, Johnston & Gentithes, Keith Martindale, King’s, Koepnick, Kovack, Latham’s, Levi Mahan, Luck’s Ware, Lufkin, Matthew Kelly, McCanless, McKay, McNeill's, Michele Hastings & Jeff Brown, Nelda French, Nichols, Old Gap, Patrick Rowe, Pebbles, Potts, Ray, Riggs, Rockhouse, Seagrove Stoneware, Snowhill, Southern Spirits, Studio Touya, The Hutch, Tom Gray, Triple C, Turn & Burn, Whynot, and Windsong.

"Cousins in Clay" - Seagrove, North Carolina

Bruce Gholson, Samantha Henneke, Michael Kline, at Michael Kline's Pottery

"The Cousins Are Coming" - May 31 - June 1, 2014 to Seagrove, NC at Bulldog Pottery

Samantha Henneke, Bruce Gholson, Michael Kline

We are putting our finishing touches on making pottery.  Life is super busy here at Bulldog.  We are getting ready for our clay cousins to come to Seagrove. Dan is driving from Illinois, Blair is traveling from Michigan, and Michael will be rolling down from near North Carolina's Roan mountaintop.  

Samantha Henneke, Bruce Gholson, Michael Kline

Back in 2009 we had our first kiln opening here at Bulldog Pottery.  We invited Michael Kline to join us. We wanted to give it a name and Bruce remembered a blog post that Michael wrote on "Sawdust and Dirt" about visiting his clay cousins here in Seagrove. Little did Michael know (or did he?), that his post would lead to an invite to our pottery sale. Since that first sale, we have now partnered with Michael and hold two "Cousins in Clay" pottery events a year.  At the beginning of the summer "Cousins in Clay" is at Bulldog Pottery in Seagrove, NC, and at the end of the summer "Cousins in Clay" is held at Micheal Kline's Pottery close to the Penland Crafts School, in Bakersville NC.

This year we have invited Dan Anderson and Blair Clemo to be our honored "Clay Cousins".  Dan Anderson retired from teaching in 2002 and is very outgoing and involved in the clay community. He curates shows, does workshops, makes lots of pots, and is actively engaged on social networks sharing lots of images.

Blair Clemo is a young, up and coming potter with an amazing touch, and unique flair with clay. We first met Blair when he was a presenter at the Utilitarian Clay Conference at the Arrowmont School of Crafts. Congratulations to Blair, who has accepted a tenure-track ceramics teaching position at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond VA, the #1 rated University Arts program.

Saturday, May 31, 2014

We hold the "Cousins in Clay" event in our breezeway. We always hope for splendid weather, but if need be we will move inside.

"Cousins in Clay",  Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Last year Michael and Bruce gave a duo demo, this year will be different, and we are honored and happy to announce that Blair Clemo will present a demonstration on Saturday at 3:00pm and Dan Anderson will present a demo on Sunday from 1:30pm -2:30pm.

Michael Kline and Bruce Gholson at 2014 "Cousins in Clay"

The whole weekend is filled with good times. Beginning on Saturday Chornis Pou Vasilou will play his Greek bouzouki in the morning.

Chronis Pou Vasilou playing the bouzouki, and Jack Troy's pots 2013, Seagrove, NC 

Blair Clemo will be demonstrating on Saturday beginning at 3:00. The Saturday event winds up at 5:00pm. Blair posted a time-lapse video a few weeks ago on you tube of building one of his covered jars.

Blair Clemo, Seagrove, NC

Sunday - June 1

Sunday is a super fun day as well. Beginning at 10:00am we will be ready for you to join us for more pottery loving times.   At 12:00 the potters potluck begins. Bring a dish to share and sit for awhile with the potters from the region.  This has become a very special time for us.  We invite the local potters to take an afternoon off from their busy schedules to vista, eat, and welcome our out-of-state pottery guests to North Carolina.

Potters Potluck at "Cousins in Clay" on Sunday June 1, 2014, Seagrove, NC

Some of the potters will be bringing their instruments to play music for us as well. Al McCanless will be showing up with his fiddle, and Michael Mahan has said that he will show up with his flute. Eck McCanless mentioned that maybe he will be able to make it as well.

Michael Mahan and Al McCanless at "Cousins in Clay" 2013, Seagrove, NC

At 1:30pm we will break for a 1 hour long demo with pottery master Dan Anderson and I am for one looking forward to seeing Dan behind the wheel.  There is a good podcast interview by Brian Jones of Dan Anderson on the "Jonescast".

Dan Anderson, Seagrove, NC

As Dan winds down his demo maybe we can get an encore from the musicians for a few more tunes.

Chad Brown pottery project to build his first wood kiln, Seagrove, NC

We wanted to let you know about another pottery happening the weekend of the Cousins, which is Chad Brown's "1000 Mugs to Build a Kiln" project.  The mugs are $25 and these can be picked up at his newly purchased property on Chriscoe Road.  You can e-mail him at chadcameronbrown at gmail dot com .

Chad Brown pottery project to build his first wood kiln, Seagrove, NC

Celebration of Seagrove Potters Annual Spring Kiln Opening

Visit the Seagrove Potteries, Seagrove, North Carolina

  There are 37 Seagrove Potteries collaborating together on April 26 and 27, 2014 for the annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters Spring Kiln Openings. Bruce and I will have a large selection of our crystalline vases here at our Bulldog Pottery shop.

We want to thank all the volunteers that are working hard at organizing the Seagrove Potters' spring kiln opening event.  And thank you to our sponsors, Heart of North Carolina Visitors Bureau and Life 103.1. We do appreciate your support! There will be a map that you can pick up at any of the participating potteries.

 The Seagrove Potteries that are participating are

Avery Pottery & Tileworks, Ben Owen Pottery, Blue Hen Pottery, Bulldog Pottery, Caldwell-Hohl Artworks, Coop of Seagrove Potters, Chris Luther Pottery, Crystal King Pottery, Dean & Martin Pottery, Dirtworks, Donna Craven Pottery, Eck McCanless Pottey, Freeman Pottery, From the Ground Up, Great White Oak Gallery, Hickory Hill Pottery, JLK Jewelry @ Jugtown, Johnston & Gentithes Art Pottery, Jugtown Pottery, Keith Martindale Pottery, Kings Pottery with Crystal King, Latham's Pottery, Luck's Ware, McNeill's Pottery, Michele Hastings & Jeff Brown Pottery, O'Quinn Pottery, Pottery by Frank Neef, Pottery Road Studio & Gallery, Pott's Pottery, Ray Pottery, Seagrove Stoneware, Smith Pottery, Snowhill Pottery & Tileworks, Studio Touya, Thomas Pottery, Tom Gray Pottery, Triple C Pottery.

Follow, Like, and Share our Celebration of Seagrove Potters Facebook page, there are many posts of all the different potters that are participating in this years spring kiln opening event.  We also have a Seagrove Potters Facebook page that is filled with images of Seagrove Potters.

Visit the Seagrove Potteries, Seagrove, North Carolina

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

News Alert - Watertower cleaning for "Cousins in Clay"

Water tower landmark for Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

It was a chilly weekend, and neither winter ice, or snow would stop the Montgomery County water tower from being cleaned and spruced up for "Cousins in Clay" this year, at Bulldog Pottery in Seagrove on May 31 - June 1, 2014.

During the past couple of weeks, intermittently through the snowy and rainy weather, our water tower has been prepped, cleaned, and now is being painted.  This has become the landmark for our pottery ever since its construction in 2002.  Sometimes it's such an enormous landmark, that folks can miss it when turning onto our gravel driveway right beside it's massive metal legs.

One of our honored guests, "Clay Cousin" Daniel Anderson from Illinois, has been long inspired by water towers. Water towers are wonderful structures, and are awesome inspirational architectural forms.  Daniel Anderson has done this form so very well, it has become an icon that is identified with him when done in clay.  He will be here at Bulldog Pottery early this summer, along with Blair Clemo and Michael Kline.  We are looking forward to "Cousins in Clay"!

Water tower landmark for Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Water tower landmark for Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

Dan Anderson, Water tower Covered Jar, Illinois

Happy New Year from Bulldog Pottery

Happy New Year!

All is good here at Bulldog Pottery. We are revving up for the year 2014. It is amazing that we are already half way through January. Woah Nellie.

We compiled these images from our instagam photos of 2013.  Enjoy!

Bulldog Pottery Holiday Kiln Opening

Bulldog Pottery Holiday Kiln Opening- December 14, 2013, Seagrove, NC

Bulldog Pottery Holiday Kiln Opening

On December 14, 2013

10:00am - 5:00pm

3306 US Hwy 220 Alt

Seagrove, NC 27341

336-302-4452 or 910-428-9728

Join Bulldog Pottery on Facebook

More Seagrove Potters with December 14th Holiday Kiln Openings are

Ben Owen Pottery

Dean and Martin Pottery

Donna Craven Pottery

From the Ground Up Pottery

Johnston and Gentithes Pottery

Michele Hastings and Jeff Brown Pottery

Bulldog Pottery Holiday Kiln Opening- December 14, 2013, Seagrove, NC

A Note-
We have new Exit Numbers into Seagrove. Seagrove is Exit 61 and the Black Ankle is Exit 58.

New Moka Glaze Pottery just in time for Celebration of Seagrove Potters Weekend

Bulldog Pottery Seagrove, North Carolina

 We have unloaded our second Moka glaze kiln this year for this weekend's Celebration of Seagrove Potters - Nov 22-24, 2013.  We will have one more kiln firing in time for our Holiday Kiln Opening on December 14, 2013.  There will be a few more Seagrove Potteries having kiln openings on that day.. Ben Owen Pottery, Michele Hastings and Jeff Brown Pottery, Dean and Martin Pottery, Donna Craven Pottery, From the Ground Up Pottery, and Johnston and Gentithes Pottery.  If I find out about anymore potteries we will let you know.

We enjoy making pots.

Lots of ideas whirling around in our minds.

We have mugs, bowls, cups, covered jars, and plates.

Bulldog Pottery Seagrove, North Carolina

Samantha made some of her insect plates.

Bulldog Pottery Seagrove, North Carolina 

 Ed and Gloria help us polish the bottoms of our pieces making the bottoms smooth to the touch.

Bulldog Pottery Seagrove, North Carolina

Bulldog Pottery Seagrove, North Carolina

We have a new puppy. 

Her name is Luna Bella. She is 4 months old today.

Both Bruce and Samantha made collaborations this for the Celebration of Seagrove Potters. Samantha decorated a large vase thrown by Ben Owen III and Bruce glazed a covered jar thrown by  Fred Johnston. These pieces will be auctioned off tonight at the evening Gala. Tickets can be purchased using eventbrite. Visit the Seagrove Potters website for more information about the Celebration and the Seagrove Potters.

The pots travel back in forth between both potteries... from making to decoratiing to signing to glazing to firing. 

Collaboration Vase going back to Ben's to be signed 

After Ben turned the large vase, he drove the vase over to us when it was still to wet to pick-up and sign.  The decorating that Samantha planned to do needs to be done at a specific time and Ben wanted to make sure that it was at Bulldog Pottery wet enough to put the dot pattern onto.  We drove the vase back to his pottery so he could sign the vase.  A lot of effort and time goes into the collaborations. These pieces are made by many Seagrove Potters for tonight's evening Gala. The Gala is the kick-off for the Celebration of Seagrove Potters weekend.

Ben Owen III holding the vase after he signed it

Samantha is holding the vase after it came out of the firing yesterday.  We could hold a contest to guess the number of dots on the piece, but then we would have to count them.  This is by far, the largest piece that Samantha has ever dotted.

Samantha Henneke with collaboration piece 

Bruce is holding Fred Johnston's thrown covered jar. Bruce glazed this piece with one of our celedon glazes and fired it in the gas kiln.

Bruce Gholson with collaboration piece

Collaboration by Fred Johnston and Bruce Gholson

We set up most of our booth for the Celebration of Seagrove Potters last night. We are still working on polishing, pricing, and packing our Moka glaze pottery for this weekend's Seagrove Potters show. 

Samantha Henneke at the Celebration of Seagrove Potters 2014

Bruce is wheeling out empty boxes to take back home to fill up with more pottery! There will be lots of pottery this weekend at the Luck's Cannery on 798 Pottery Highway 705 in Seagrove, North Carolina. Follow the Celebration of Seagrove Potters Facebook page and the Seagrove Potters Facebook page to find out more about us working potters here in Seagrove, NC.

Bruce Gholson at the Celebration of Seagrove Potters 2013

Bulldog Pottery booth last night. We will put the finishing touches to our booth later this afternoon, just before the Celebration Gala tonight.

Bulldog Pottery booth almost finished Thursday evening for the Celebration of Seagrove Potters 2013