One more night's sleep and I'll be as good as new after a particularly busy and fruitful week. After a whirlwind visit (38 hours), Michael and Ron are now safely arrived in Cape Cod., no doubt eating disgusting things like clams and oysters etc.!
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| I urge you to write Ron and ask him what he's doing here!?! Some kind of Shelby gang sign is my guess... |
We had a grand visit, staying once again on the farm thanks to Steve and Nicky. We ate barbecued tofu and hotdogs with Paul, Emily, Ellie, Maple and Jason on Tuesday evening and enjoyed a leisurely morning with breakfast on the porch and a walk down to my studio and kiln. For some reason the bees went nuts on us and I got a couple of stings as we all ran around flapping like mad to brush them off.
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| Another gang sign from Ron which puts Michael into a dream state. |
We spent Wednesday afternoon unpacking pots at LibertyTown, having lunch and a very brief walk through town before it was show time.
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| Lunch at Sammy T's |
A couple of dozen folks showed up for pizza, beer and an excellent introduction into a variety of decorating techniques from the NC boys and our very own Trista Chapman.
Ron started us off with tales from his journey to sgrafitti decoration on red clay from the quieter salt glaze that he made for years. He talked about getting comfortable with imagery and the whimsey of his work in spite of the simultaneous desire to make 'serious' pots...what is a serious pot?
My pots are as serious as a heart attack...
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| MK and RP paying close attention |
Trista Chapman has a studio along the river here in the 'Burg. She started her pottery career in Richmond before moving to Fredericksburg to join Phil Chapman, another local pottery legend. Trista works with a white lo-fire clay and a multitude of colorful Duncan underglazes. She layers multiple colors and patterns, one on top of another, to create a wonderfully integrated and wildly colorful body of work.
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| I'm sure it must have been funny... |
Michael came equipped with his beautiful brushes and spoke of patterns and wax, wood, salt and alkaline glazes. A blog he wrote recently provoked a conversation about the way we make pots day after day. Making big batches is not unusual, but what happens if you make little batches?
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| Mk decorating a DF pot |
I think that everyone enjoyed themselves and left with plenty of food for thought. We went back to the farm and stayed up way too late, telling tales. The lads left in the morning, and I am so glad that they took the time to visit and share their ideas with us. It was way too short, but sweet just the same.
Just days before, I helped Jason and Misha and Trista as they begin to learn how to fire a gas reduction kiln. We didn't get great reduction, but It'll get better as we figure it out. This kiln was built for raku but should be perfect for their needs. It;s been years since I fired with gas. I know how to do it, did it for years, and I never really enjoyed the noise and moving parts, but it's fun to revisit it.
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| Trista, Jason, Dan and Misha |
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| Ah...the first view... |
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| And, as requested, the cruets I was working on. |
6 comments:
It was such fun Dan. Thank you so much for having us! I can't wait to come back. Love the pics. Heaven only knows what I was doing in half of them. Time to tuck myself in here at the Cape. Big day tomorrow. All the best~Ron
I suspect everyone here is eagerly anticipating tomorrow and Sunday with the NC boys at Barnstable High School. Potluck after the Saturday session at Gail's house.
Looks like a great time was had by all. Those are some cool cruets.....they feel very Russian. That is a super tin ceiling at the restaurant.
I'm Jealous!
you have been busy! Cruets look great.
And to quote Melvin Owens -
Ah, gas ain't nothing but hot air....
It WAS great fun Dan. Only wish WE had had these guys for two days. And I'm so glad you included Trista. All these years and now I know her "secrets".
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