bodner046

This week Jeff and I are giving STARworks new Catawba clay a try. It's hard to tell from the photos, but it's sort of a greenish in color. I haven't thrown with it yet, but Jeff has. He created this 15" platter for me to carve.  While carving large plates and platters, I like to brush the carving "crumbs" to one side as I work. On smaller pieces that I hold in my hands, I dump them into my slop bucket as I go. I try to not handle the larger pieces as much, preferring to keep them on a foam bat while I work. The goal is to keep them as flat as possible and without cracks. The Catawba clay carves nicely. It's smooth without any groggy chunks to catch my trim tool as I carve away. 

Jeff and I took a big leap last week... and bought an iPad! We have been wanting one since we switched to using square for our credit card processing. Using the square and our smart phones has saved us a lot of money on processing fees but there have been a few downsides: 1. We have small smart phones. 2. Customers are in the gallery and we left our phones in the house. 3. If the bluetooth chip reader is connected to one phone it doesn't seamlessly switch to the other... so customers have to wait for us to connect the reader. 4. People are handling your phone, signing with their finger on your screen... your phone rings and you place it on your face. What a great way to spread germs, especially during flu season! I can't even tell you how much research we did before deciding on this tablet. We looked at android tablets. It seemed the affordable ones weren't compatible with the square chip reader. New iPads are super expensive and definitely not in our price range. Refurbish...

It's been great month for pigs. I have lots of orders to fill. These are a couple of cuties from the last firing. As you all know, I am partial to the shino glazed piggy banks. I just love the variations that occur and the dusting of wood ash gives them the "freckles" for added character. You will find these happy pigs in the Etsy shop. I am finally building up some "in stock" inventory after the mad holiday rush. Clicking on the photos brings you directly to my Etsy shop.

 We are getting some beautiful light in the studio in the late afternoon. I probably could have turned off the spot lamps and carved in the natural light. Jeff and I are working on some collaborative pieces in preparation for the annual Celebration of Spring Studio Tour, here in Seagrove, NC. It's a great weekend to visit pottery country. Lots of demos, studio tours, and snacks to keep you fed throughout the day. Save the date: April 22 - 23, 2017 Most shops will be open 10-5, with a few open earlier. We will have tour maps at our gallery to start you on your way. Michèle Hastings & Jeff Brown Pottery 505 E Main St. Seagrove, NC 27341

Radical Moose-Lamb Thank you SNL for the inspiration.

 A few weeks ago I posted a plate that Jeff threw with the STARworks Eastfork clay. The clay carves nicely and the color of the raw clay is gorgeous. We bought just one bag to try and I finally got around to putting it on the wheel and giving it a spin. I think I am going to like this clay! I divided this little bottle into sections and experimented with some new designs. My inspiration comes from all of the beautiful pots that Jeff has brought back from South Korea. I look forward to expanding my ideas in this direction.

Jeff has been finishing up an order for a set of canisters. They needed to be ready to go in the bisque firing this week, and therefore needed to be dried rather quickly. When we were living in the log cabin we brought pots inside our living space all the time. In winter, the wood stove helped move things along. In our new home we were trying to keep drying pots (and dust) out of the house. Then this happened... The humidity in the studio was quite high so the canisters came into the den. After 24 hours in the house they had dried enough to get the overnight ceiling fan treatment! Today we will move them out to the kiln shed to join the other pots to be fired. It's a nice warm day for working outside, hopefully the wind will die down a little. 

Have you read "Big Magic"? It's written by Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of "Eat, Pray, Love." A friend suggested I read "Big Magic", and loaned me her copy. The book was a little slow in some parts, but the overall message most certainly hit me. It came at a time when I really needed it. I have been struggling with the piggy banks. I enjoy making them, but often feel they take away from my time making other work. My biggest hang up is that I have this notion that because of them my other work has been stagnant... and deep down inside I think I don't want to be known as the potter that makes piggy banks. Big Magic has made me look at them in a new way. A few years back, Jeff and I knew that we would have to find a new place to live and work. Our pottery business was not making enough of a profit to qualify for a mortgage. I started looking for a job so that we could have at least one steady paycheck. During my short, and fruitless, search... Jeff c...