bodner046

November where did you go? There is always so much to pack into what feels like a very short month. It began with making and firing pots for orders and trying to squeeze in some new work for the Celebration of Seagrove Potters show. Some how we managed to pull it off. We make this show as simple as possible to set up and tear down. Some years ago we settled on doing a 10x10 booth and we can set it up the same way each year. After the gala preview party on Friday night, we rushed home and unloaded the kiln so that we could fill in some empty spaces in the booth. The ever important cheese stones were in that firing. I always sell them all but one. It seems no one wants the last one. It was the same selling real estate in a new development. The last house was the hardest to sell. I guess there is a stigma attached to being the last. The show went well. We came home happy even though we were down some from last year. I think attendance was down overall but I haven't heard any official ...

We unloaded the gas kiln yesterday which means that we spent a day of sanding and then packing pots to be shipped to new homes. I like to update photos in my Etsy shop, as glazes can vary by firing, some slightly... and on occasion, dramatically. The photos in my listings represent the variations that can occur with each making and glazing cycle. Yesterday was overcast, perfect for our photography set up, so I took some time and snapped a few photos prior to packing up the piggy banks. Here is a sample of the latest pigs... The classic piggy bank glazed in nuka white is always a favorite This is one is the larger size piggy bank. Gloss green and nuka white glaze. I just started making this piggy bank with the blue/black dots. It's slowly gaining in popularity I am not sure why, but last month it felt like online sales were a little slower than October of 2017. I checked my stats on Etsy, and according to them I was ahead 3%. Not a whopping increase, but at least it wasn't lower...

Our old electric kiln is ready to go! Yesterday we fired the last bisque in the gas kiln. We actually have two electric kilns, the one to the right needs a little work. Jeff will do the repairs at some point and we can fire back to back if need be. While the electrician was here we had some more outlets put in the basement. We were using a couple of extension cords down there, one was to run the dehumidifier, and that made us nervous. Little by little this old house will be brought up to the 21st century! These little salt and pepper pigs came out of the last firing. They are rather tedious to put together. Smaller isn't always easier. Last week I was assembling a few more and I ended up with an odd number of bodies, so I decided to have some fun with the oddball... I turned him into a bull! He has larger holes on his back and he will make a great red pepper flake or Parmesan cheese shaker. Isn't he the cutest thing?

In between the two hurricanes, Duke Energy came out to our house and installed a transformer at the top of our driveway. The new transformer also meant replacing the utility pole. We have been working on getting this done since August. This house has had a lot weird electrical issues since we bought it in 2015. The lights would dim whenever the heat pump came on and the LED track lighting in the kitchen would barely glow if the toaster oven was running. Turn the microwave on at the same time and the microwave turntable slowed to a crawl and nothing heated up. If I was cooking dinner at night, toaster oven on, lights on, AC running, and Jeff was still working in the studio... his wheel would slow to a crawl!  Our electrician couldn't find anything wrong in the house so we finally called Duke. They sent an engineer out to assess the situation and he determined that the transformer at the end of our long driveway was too far from the house and undersized for the amount of electricity ...

Jeff will be participating in "Global Clay Day" at the North Carolina Pottery Center this Saturday, October, 20, 2018.  He will demonstrate throwing pots in his Korean style kick wheel as well the mishima inlay techniques. Jeff loves to give demos. It brings out the performer in him! There will be four other potters also giving demonstrations, ranging from raku firing, sculpture, and carving techniques. The event is from 10 am to 4 pm, and there is no admission fee. The pottery center is located just around the corner from our home and studio... North Carolina Pottery Center 233 East Avenue Seagrove, NC Details at:  http://ncpotterycenter.org/

There was a bright spot in our life last week! Jeff and I were invited to participate in an exhibition at Sandhills Community College in Southern Pines, NC. Sandhills is Jeff's alma mater and it was exciting for him to go back and see how the college has grown and changed since the late 70's. Our work is being show along with large scale paintings by Bucky Benson. The show is in the Hastings Gallery, located in the Boyd Library building. It's a really nice space, and Jeff was able to set up the pedestals and pottery. This show is the first collaborative effort between the college and the Arts Council of Moore County. The exhibition runs until November 1, 2018. Please stop in if you are in the area. Hastings Gallery of Art, Katharine L. Boyd Library at Sandhills Community College 3395 Airport Rd, Pinehurst, NC 28374 Free Admission