I Know it is Here Somewhere

Bruce Gholson searching for a specific tool

Bruce has a wonderful assortment of tools that he has made and acquired through his forty years of pottery making. He has made ribs for just the right curve and cut-off sticks for the bottom of pots.  The black metal ribs always seem to hide themselves so he made these cool wood block holders for them.  We can become attached to a particular tool and I know that when I am looking for my rib that I really like to use and it has moved itself, throwing just isn't right until that tool is found. Bruce makes me tools too. I am very happy when he hands me over a new something. I have lost my tiny rib that I love, and I miss it dearly. I use it to make the lid's flange for my covered jars and it has been quite awhile since I have had it (hint hint).  

We are trying to get through a couple of different cycles this month. We will be loading and firing our gas kiln with our Moka glaze pottery and I will be working on a series of porcelain glaze paintings and Bruce will be decorating with his fossil fish image on red clay.

Bruce Gholson working on his pitcher's handle

Bruce Gholson throwing cups

Bruce attaching the handle to his pitcher

I fought the claw

Samantha making mugs, Seagrove, NC

.....and the claw won.  I bought this t-shirt when we went to Maine 4 years ago.  We had an awesome time and ate lots of lobsters for dinner and oyster stew for lunch. 

We are busy in the studio making functional pottery for the Moka glaze kiln and more pieces for our flowing glaze kiln too. I have a few more days to go for the Moka glaze, probably take me the rest of the week to finish up and decorate the thrown pieces with dotted patterns.  Cousins in Clay is the weekend of June 1 and 2 this year. We are really excited to meet David MacDonald and see his wonderfully patterned pottery and catch up with Jack Troy who will be returning with his luscious wood-fired work.

This weekend, May 3-5 is FireFest, a first time annual event in Star, NC., hosted by Starworks, celebrating Art made with fire!  I hope we can get a few chances to go down and check out all the neat things that will be happening just 5 miles down the road.  You can buy tickets ahead of time for a bit cheaper cost, or wait and buy them on the day for a few dollars more. There are demos during the day and talks and music Fri. and Sat. evening.  All of the details are on the STARworks website.

Samantha making mugs, Seagrove, NC

I really love to throw/turn pots. There is something so comforting about knowing a form, the amount of clay I need to make that form, and to be able to do it mostly without too much struggle. The tumblers below were like that this time.  Sometimes this form can take a me few to get the rhythm down, but a couple of nights ago they were friendly to make.  It is satisfying and pleasurable to feel the clay pull up almost on its own. 

Samantha's tumblers before trimming

Samantha covering pottery for the night, Seagrove, NC

Maine is a beautiful place. When we went it rained everyday, which actually made for a very relaxing vacation. We didn't feel like we had to hustle out of the house to go hiking and do something, so in the mornings we relaxed and read books and enjoyed the beauty around the house, and in the afternoon we ventured out in our raincoats to eat and take short hikes. The mosses were lush and the shoreline blissful.  The following are some images from that trip.

Cousins in Clay - Seagrove June 1 & 2

"Cousins in Clay" - Postcard Front 

"Cousins in Clay" 2013

Contemporary Pottery Show and Sale
June 1-2, 2013

Meet the Potters 

 David MacDonald

Jack Troy

Michael Kline

Samantha Henneke

 Bruce Gholson

at Bulldog Pottery - Seagrove, NC 27341

3306 US Hwy 220 Alt.

5 miles south of Seagrove traffic light - Look for the Blue Watertower 

336-302-3469

June 1 - Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm

music by Chronis Pou Vasilou during the day

at 3:00pm demo by Michael Kline and Bruce Gholson

June 2 - Sunday 10:00am - 4:00pm

Potters Potluck at noon - All are welcome

music by Will McCanless 

at 1:30pm Jack Troy presents selections of his poetry

"Cousins in Clay" - Postcard Back 

Samantha Henneke Yunomis - AKAR Gallery Annual Yunomi Show

Samantha Henneke, Seagrove, NC, Leaf Yunomi

For this year's annual Yunomi show Samantha sent a set of Moka glaze leaf cups. 

       The AKAR Yunomi invitational has developed quite a following over the years. One time a handful of years back Bruce sent one of his first skull cups.  After sending it I began to feel remorse and wanted that cup back.  Ed (my dad) and I decided that we were going to buy it back. We signed up for an account ahead of time, sat at the computer at the time of the opening and proceeded to go to Bruce's page. We had slow internet service and it took awhile for the images to load up at that time. Well when we went to Bruce's page the cup had sold. I wonder who bought the piece? Whoever did they have a winner.
I hope I have not discouraged you from trying to purchase these Yunomis or any other potters' Yunomis from the AKAR online, I only want to express that it would wise to get an account now, and be ready when the clock turns to.... well I am not sure when it starts, I  think I remember in the past that it was late morning. You can sign up for AKAR's email list and they will send you information about the time that the show will open.  They also have an AKAR Art facebook page where they have been sharing some of the Yunomis that will be for sale and everyday from here until the 18th they are having a you name the Yunomi contest. 

And yes I do have a picture of the skull cup that Ed and I wanted to buy back, would you like to see it? I get to gaze on it through my computer screen. I am glad I have a picture of it.

AKAR Yunomi Online Show opens on Friday, April 19, 2013. 

There are 200 potters invited to send 5 Yunomis each to AKAR Gallery's annual Yunomi exhibition.   If you are thinking you may want to purchase a Yunomi or two from one of the 200 potters featured, it is a good idea to sign up and get an account now.  This show is an online sale only, and when the exhibit opens Friday morning many of the Yunomis sell out in the first hour.

Yunomi is a casual drinking vessel that is taller than it is wide.

AKAR and the potters donate some of the proceeds of this Yunomi sale to the Studio Potter. The Studio Potter is a bi-yearly magazine that promotes discussion of technology, criticism, aesthetics, and history within the ceramics community. To find out more about the Studio Potter Magazine visit their website.

Samantha Henneke, Seagrove, NC, Leaf Yunomi

Samantha Henneke, Seagrove, NC, Leaf Yunomi

Samantha Henneke, Seagrove, NC,  Leaf Yunomi

Samantha Henneke, Seagrove, NC,  Leaf Yunomi

Samantha Henneke, Seagrove, NC, Leaf Yunomi

Bruce Gholson Yunomis - AKAR Gallery Annual Yunomi Show

Bruce Gholson, Seagrove, NC, Shino Fish Yunomi

  

 AKAR Yunomi Online Show opens on Friday, April 19, 2013. 

There are 200 potters invited to send 5 Yunomis each to AKAR Gallery's annual Yunomi exhibition.   If you are thinking you may want to purchase a Yunomi or two from one of the 200 potters featured, it is a good idea to sign up and get an account now.  This show is an online sale only, and when the exhibit opens Friday morning many of the Yunomis sell out in the first hour.

Yunomi is a casual drinking vessel that is taller than wide.

These are the 5 Yunomis that Bruce sent this year.

AKAR and the potters donate some of the proceeds of this Yunomi sale to the Studio Potter. The Studio Potter is a bi-yearly magazine that promotes discussion of technology, criticism, aesthetics, and history within the ceramics community. To find out more about the Studio Potter Magazine visit their website.

Bruce Gholson, Seagrove, NC, Shino Fish Yunomi

Bruce Gholson, Seagrove, NC, Shino Fish Yunomi

Bruce Gholson, Seagrove, NC, Shino Fish Yunomi

Bruce Gholson, Seagrove, NC, Shino Fish Yunomi

Bruce Gholson, Seagrove, NC, Shino Fish Yunomi, Set of five

Vases

 Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase Detail

Here are some of the vases that we have glazed fired during the past two weeks.

Hopefully we will have nice weather so we can show our vases outside tomorrow and Saturday. The glazed surfaces look good in the outside light. The forcast is calling for rain on Saturday, though it has been changing all week long.  I am going to spend the rest of the afternoon photographing the vases.  I will post more images this evening and over the next few days.

Did you know that you can sign up to receive our blog posts via your e-mail? On the right hand side of the screen there is a form called "Receive Bulldog Pottery's Blog Posts by Email" you can fill out.

We sent out our e-newsletter yesterday. You can view the Bulldog Pottery newsletter here. There also is a place you can sign up for our newsletters, which we send out before our pottery events, on the right hand side of this blog post.

Daffie Days - Hello Spring - Celebrating the Vase

March 22 - 23, 2013

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

At Bulldog Pottery

3306 U.S. Hwy 220 Alt.

Seagrove, NC 27341

5 miles south of the town of Seagrove's stoplight

light refreshments will be served

336-302-3469 or 910-428-9728

 Samantha Henneke, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase

Bruce Gholson, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase

 Samantha Henneke, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase

 Bruce Gholson, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase

 Samantha Henneke, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase

Bruce Gholson, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase

Bruce Gholson, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase detail

Bruce Gholson, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase

Bruce Gholson, Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Vase detail

Weekend glazing at Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC

 Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, A sampling of vases that we took out of the kiln yesterday

We are glazing our third group of vases. The glazing is feeling good and we are enjoying the subtle color variations of our matte crystalline. We are dreaming about new glazes. We need to dream those glazes onto test tiles.

This Friday and Saturday, March 22-23,  we will have new vases in our Bulldog Pottery shop. Daffie Days is our way of saying "Hello" to spring and the ubiquitous daffodil.

Bruce will be working on polishing the bottom of these vases next week. When using fluid glazes extra steps are taken to keep them from glazing themselves to the kiln shelf.

Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC: Matte crystalline glazes on Bulldog Pottery Vases

Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Bruce glazing

Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, NC, Daffodil

Daffie Days - The Vase - "Hello Spring!"

Bulldog Pottery - Daffie Days - March 22-23, 2013

We are getting ready for our 3rd annual "Daffie Days" on March 22-23, 2013 (Friday and Saturday), from 10-5 on both days here at  Bulldog Pottery, Seagrove, North Carolina.

Visit The Writers Almanac by Garrison Keillor, to read or hear a little bit about this poem.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

by William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

"I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud" by William Wordsworth. Public domain.

"Endless Variations II: A Shino Extravaganza" - NCECA Houston, Texas

Bruce Gholson- Shino Dome Covered Jar

Bruce's shino dome jar will be on display at the upcoming NCECA in Houston, Texas. He will be part of an invitational exhibit curated by Malcolm Davis named "Endless Variations II: A Shino Extravaganza" at the Lone Star College - North Harris. This show opens on Feb. 26 and runs through March 26th, 2013.

The most recent news and it's good news, is this exhibition will be on the NCECA's "Earth/Energy exhibition bus schedule, downtown tour Wednesday March 20 2:15pm - 5:25pm. 

This exhibition became a tribute to the vision and inspiration of Malcolm Davis who organized the first, “Endless Variations” show for NCECA 2005 at Baltimore Clayworks, this new exhibition, presents a range of shino forms and surfaces, including one offering from each of the 60+ invited potters, masters and innovators. Organized by Malcolm Davis and Sharon Kelley Warrington. 

Malcolm Davis passed away unexpectedly soon after his exhibition plans were accepted.

You can read Malcolm's closing talk at a previous NCECA in Philadelphia a few years ago. 

Lone Star College-North Harris, Fine Arts Foyer, 2700 W W Thorne Dr, Houston, 281-618-5617. Feb 26-Mar 26. Mon 9AM-4PM, Tue 9AM-4PM, Wed 9AM-4PM, Thu 9AM-4PM, Fri 9AM-4PM Sat Closed, Sun Closed. Reception .

Here is a list of the potters that are in the exhibition.

"Endless Variations II: A Shino Extravaganza"- Robert Archambeau, Ted Adler, Dan Anderson, Ben Bates, Lynn Smiser Bowers, John Britt, William Brouillard, Connie Christensen, D. Michael Coffee, Tom Coleman, Carolanne Currier, Malcolm Davis, Bruce Dehnert, Paul Dresang, Judith Duff, Rosti Eismont, Angela Fina, John Glick, Bruce Gohlson, Steve Grimmer, Chris Gustin, Lisa Hammond, Catharine Hiersoux, Dale Huffman, Matt Hyleck, Mike Jabbur, Nick Joerling, Jake Johnson, Jan McKeachie Johnston, Randy Johnston, Mary Law, Dick Lehman, Brenda Lichman, Lee Love, Chris Luther, Warren MacKenzie, Janet Mansfield, Marta Matray, Paul McCoy, Kent McLaughlin, Brad McLemore, Joyce Michaud, Tony Moore, Hank Murrow, Donovan Palmquist, Gillian Parke, Roberta Polfus, Michael Prokos, Colleen Riley, Nathan Ring, Beth Rohman, Deborah Rosenbloom, Toni Ross, Rob Sieminski, Joe Singewald, Al Tennant, Jack Troy, Mila Visser t’Hooft, Sharon Kelley Warrington, Deb Williamson, Charity Davis-Woodard, Malcolm Wright, Peter Yamaoka, Sandy Lockwood, Madeleine Hayes, Reena Kashyap.

Poster for "Endless Variations II: A Shino Extravaganza"

365 Day Project - Morning Picture

"Backyard" January 13, 2013

I began a 365 Day Project on January 13, 2013. I have been wanting to do something like this for awhile now.

My chosen project this year is a single morning picture.

I am using my phone to take the morning picture image. Overall I have been happy using the camera on my phone, though sometimes I try to focus on something and the camera just won't do what I want it to do.  I may have to start carrying my other camera with me. That way I can have more control over the focus for additional photographs while I am out.  Each morning I walk in a different direction than the day before, and take an image of something that grabs my attention. I try to make my observation free flowing, not too thought out before I head out. Though other times I may look for something that describes the morning, like if it has rained - or sometimes I just walk and kneel down to take a photo of the ground.  There are many wonderful places on our property all with myriad micro worlds to explore.

"Lemon Droplets" February 13, 2013

I have taken a few images of trees this winter, wanting to record for myself the branches that will soon bud out and become thick with greenery.

"Branching" February 7, 2013

Another part of the project is naming the image. I title the image after I crop and edit the picture. Sometimes this can be a challenge, and sometimes a title pops into my head immediately, and other times Bruce helps. It is interesting when asking Bruce for his advise because what he titles it or what he  thinks about when looking at the image can be so different than where my head goes with it.  Sometimes the titles just fit. Like this one that I took on January 27th, Bruce came up with the title "Rime".

"Rime" January 27, 2013

When photographing the morning picture, I have been using the Instagram App to upload the image onto the web. Instagram is the first place that my Morning Picture will show up and be recorded. This iphone app makes it very convenient for me to share the morning picture with our various social networks that we belong too.  For example our twitter stream, tumblr blog, flickr photo page, and my personal facebook page. I also have set up a page here on our blog called A Morning Picture A Day - 365 Day project, and I also pin it to our Pinterest board called Morning Picture.
If you are on any of these social networks sites follow us and the project for the next 331 days. I am looking forward to seeing the changes in the images through the seasons here at Bulldog Pottery in Seagrove, NC.

"Layers" February 3, 2013

I first heard of doing a project like this from Bruce after he found the blog, Skull A Day, a 365 day project that Noah Scalin embarked on back in 2007, his starting day was June 4th.  So hey you can start a daily project today, any day is a good day to start something.  I am looking forward to hearing Noah Scalin talk at this years North Carolina Potters Conference hosted by the Randolph Arts Guild in Asheboro March 1-3, on Sunday morning.

Another member of the family that is very keen on this new project is Maxwell. This means one more opportunity to toodle about the yard in a day. Though there are some days that he finds a bit too rainy for the walk about. He is a sensitive soul.

"Red Ball Ritual" February 1, 2013

Here are the links to our various sites that I will be sharing my Morning Picture to.  The blog and Pinterest may get backed up a couple of days due to me needing to sit at my computer to upload those images. I have not figured out how to upload an image to a page using my iphone Blogger app. Oh my, all of the new technology these days is truly awesome, but it sure does add a lot of learning to our plate.

Bulldog Pottery Twitter  

Bulldog Pottery Flickr 

Bulldog Pottery Tumblr

Bulldog Pottery Pinterest

Please join us on our 365 day project adventure! Lets see where this may lead us.

"Tiger in the Grass" February 12, 2013