Turnpike Road Pottery

Today I started making pots at Malcolm Wright's Turnpike Road Pottery for a wood firing in September. Since I work four days a week for vegetable farm (Walker Farm) I only have three days a week for the August to make pots for the kiln. But Malcolm and I threw pots all day long so we're getting there. I made some 1.5 and 2 pound bowls to get used to the clay since I usually use a different body. By the end of the day I had a board of bottles that will get flattened a little tomorrow. Despite the beautiful weather outside, it was a great day to be in the studio slinging some mud.

Quechee Aftermath

So the show in Quechee was pretty much a bust. I didn't make booth despite the beautiful Saturday weather. I found that the slow sales pushed me to interact more with the browsers who did happen to stop by and look at my work. It felt as though if I just told them a little bit about myself and the work they'd be more likely to buy something. In one or two cases this worked, but mostly people were not there to buy things. It was pretty discouraging. I came really close to packing up and leaving at the end of the day on Saturday after selling one lonely bowl the entire day. Sunday picked up a little, but it was still dead. I certainly won't be back next year, but I did learn a lot in the process.
At any rate I got some photos after we had set up on Friday. Above is the whole booth complete with "shabby-chic" dirt flooring. Below are some detail shots.



Here is my beautiful wife helping me out. Quinn is the retail manager in a very hip store in Brattleboro called Altiplano. I credit her for making my booth look so good.
These are newer porcelain blue-and-white pieces you've seen in previous posts.
Now that this show is done, I'm working in Malcolm Wright's studio to help fill his wood kiln for a September firing. I'll get some photos up shortly.

Quechee Vermont this Weekend

I have a show this coming weekend, August 1 und 2 in Quechee Vermont. Here's a link to it:
www.castleberryfairs.com. They've got one of my plates as an image on their website. Unfortunately, it's not a plate I've made in a long time and won't have any of those at the show. Doh!
Let's see before I pack up the van I need to price and pack pots, unload a kiln and pack them up, finish my booth shelving, figure out lighting for my booth, get bags for customers, get a sign made, and eat, don't forget to eat. Ok, I'm on a mission.

all grown up

On July 11th, I married Quinn Maguire. I was the best day of my life. All of my favorite people (excepting those who couldn't make it) were there and even though I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with each of them it was just amazing to see them all there.

Now that all the craziness of getting ready for the wedding is over and we've had our couple days on Cape Cod to chillax, it's back to work but this time with a ring on my finger.

Recent stuffs

Lately I've been dipping my toe, well the whole foot really, in some porcelain work. It all started when Marco and Anna asked to register for the wedding with me, but just wanted simple white pieces. So here are some of the fruits.



Below are some teapots that need decoration. I'm thinking a little bit more than just the lines at the rim; we'll see what happens. This is the first time I've made quote-un-quote blue and white wares. I feel like I've always thought of it as selling out in a way or felt like I was supposed to think that, but it doesn't feel like selling out. I'm really enjoying adding the lines to the simple shapes. I just lay down some wax on the leather hard pieces, scratch through with a needle tool, paint on a slip/stain and wipe away the excess. I use a banding wheel which slows down and accentuates hesitations and slight movements while scratching through the wax. I really like the quality of that line, the way it wavers and seems a bit more alive.
I'd love to hear any feedback you might have be it about form, pointers on handle placement or on working with porcelain.

BoSox 6, Yankees 5

Wow, it's been long while since I've posted here last. A couple reasons are at work. Quinn and I've been focused on getting things ready for our approaching nuptials. Ever wonder what a wedding blog looked like? Well check it out here. I've also been doing some work for these fine folks and not too much pottery-related is happening. Yesterday was a good break from both the farm and wedding planning. A good high school friend of mine who happens to be getting married on Saturday scored Fenway bleacher tickets for a BoSox vs Yankees throw down.
I haven't been to Fenway in a long time, certainly not since they've become a very popular and successful franchise. I had totally forgotten how wicked ahsome that park is. We got there early enough for batting practice and found a wonderfully emasculating pink Red Sox visor for the lucky bachelor.
The game itself was fantastic. We took an early lead with some base hits in the first off of Yankee pitcher Wang, who's current ERA is somewhere in the 14.5 zone (oops). The Yankees however found a lot of Wakefield's knuckleballs to send into the outfield or beyond (three homers by Damon, Pasada, and Teixeira). But the Red Sox held onto the lead and brought in Papelbon to finish the game with a win.
There were some really great Bahston accents audible all around out in the bleachers. It was perfect.

What a curious thing

I found this shard yesterday. I was walking through a cornfield adjacent to our house and this little fellow was just laying on the ground right in my path between two rows of corn. It's an old piece of a stoneware crock or jug. I couldn't believe that the piece of this pot that I found was the piece with a partial maker's mark. It reads, "JULIU" then "BEN". I assumed assumed this meant it was an old Bennington Pottery piece and looked it up online. Lucky for me Lura Woodside Watkins' book "Early New England Potters and Their Wares" is online in its entirety (here). So I looked to see if a Julius was associated with Bennington. Low and behold, Julius Norton was the grandson of Capt. John Norton who founded Bennington Pottery in 1793. Julius' mark dates from two different periods 1841-1844 and 1847-1850.
As you can see there is some flashing from the firing as well as some salt glazing. The inside is rich with the potter's (Julius Norton probably didn't make this pot, a slew of hired craftsmen potters would have actually done the throwing) throwing lines under the ubiqutous brown slip glaze.
I tend not to believe in fate, but I'll be damned on this one. I almost never walk through the cornfield, but this one time I do and a relic from a past I've been thinking a lot about recently appears at my feet. I'll be damned.