Chris Luther Pottery Seagrove, NC

You Want It To Match Your WHAT?!

2011-09-14T10:56:00.000-04:00

With a kiln opening rapidly approaching, the CLP Design Team have agreed on glaze colors and are beginning to load the kilns...

Come Join Us for the First Kiln Opening of the Year

2011-06-03T15:49:00.000-04:00

June 4th

9:00-5:00

Garden and Turquoise kiln loads are cooling and will be ready by 9:00 am Saturday. Teapots. different size planters, bird baths, birdhouses, signature tall bottles/vases, and our newest addition, large scalloped bowls for serving or decorating, will be available in the showroom. Glazes will include a large selection of Turquoise (pictured below,) Baxter's Yellow, Enole Green, Dark Denim Blue, and layered glaze combos.

Excuse me...The Answer's not on Here!

2011-05-30T15:23:00.000-04:00

Non pottery related news: Had the chance to proctor the EOG's (End of Grade tests for all of you who are fortunate not hear about them) at school last week. This year I had the cuter fourth graders compared to the hormonal sixth graders that tested all my negotiating abilities (and that is saying a lot for someone who use to work in a prison.) The best question though came from a little boy who had some trouble concentrating but delivered what every teacher probably hears at least once with these tests, " Hey, the answer's not on here." Now the answers are multiple choice and if my fourth grade Math skills are as sharp as I think they are- the answer was there. The teacher came over and told him to do his best but he continued to look at it with some suspicion. He finally guessed and sometimes even those of us who don't know all the answers do get lucky!

Pottery related news: Kiln opening coming up June 4th. Chris took a break and took a ride over to Bulldog Pottery (Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke) on Saturday to see what was on their guest artists tables. Jack Toy, Michael Kline, and Peter Lorenzo were in town visiting for the Cousins in Clay event. Chris purchased several pieces from Jack over 20 years ago and thought it was time to see what was new. He added this one to his Troy collection:

"The Best Laid Plans..." May 21st Kiln Opening Rescheduled

2011-05-17T11:54:00.000-04:00

Kiln opening scheduled for May 21st has had to be rescheduled due to an uncooperative burner, a questionable arch, and opening cards that had only one side printed. Heeding all signs, we are now aiming at June 4th with burners blazing, arches supported, and reprint on the cards underway. Planters, birdhouses, birdbaths and turquoise glazed forms will be available for that date. More info to come...

OOPS NOTICE!

2011-04-19T11:39:00.000-04:00

We received an “Oops Notice” the other day. It was a fill-in-the blank slip from our second grader to his teacher(which we had to co-sign below his name under “Love”.) and send it back to her. We thought it was an interesting way to say. “Hey, your kid forgot some of his school crap. Make sure he has it next time.” But likin' to recycle good ideas, or to quote Picasso –“If it’s worth stealing, steal it,” we thought –“Hey, we can use this in other areas of life (like when we are slow or forget to blog, facebook, tweet, pay bills, or whatever else is out there now )” So here we go- paraphrased of course.

DEAR _Readers of the blog (you know who YOU are), Facebook “~~Fans~~ Likers" , and our 15 followers on Twitter :

We have been sick, distracted, busy and we are sorry that we were not prepared for blogging, facebooking, tweeting, and updating our webpage We need to be prepared for blogging, facebooking, tweeting, and updating our webpage since that is the "responsible" thing to do in the year twenty eleven when you are an artist or just throwing around some clay.

We will try harder next time.

LOVE,

Chris and Lisa

_____________________

Parent Signature

(Our parent’s refused to sign this...but they said they would sign all of Cole's. )

Give Me a Ticket for an Aeroplane....

2010-12-09T20:57:00.018-05:00

to Hawaii, Brazil, Fiji! Anywhere warm - I'll take my chances!! Brrrrrr - it is cold here in the Carolinas! But it does get you in the mood for the holidays rapidly approaching. Trees, wreaths, and stockings have been trimmed and hung with semi-care at at the Luther household. We had a brief snow last weekend which put out three sons and even Louie, our oh so spoiled, lazy bulldog, into the festive winter spirit. It all happened so fast that we didn't get a chance to photograph the "snowball fight" that went down between the oldest and the middle where they had two snowballs each constructed from a bucket of wet snow. So I thought I would insert a Grandfather Mountain pic of them and the lovely undisturbed trees that were just out of their reach (on the side of a mountain.)

With the Holiday Kiln Opening (thanks to everyone who came out!) and the Celebration festival in the bag for the year, Chris is taking a well deserved break this week . In the showroom now, there is a nice variety of vases. a few dozen trumpet and small bowls. some wood fired pieces, and mugs for those hot chocolates. Below are our hours for the remainder of the year. Online ordering through Etsy will also be available beginning December 12

Showroom Hours:
Now Through December 23
Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 - 5:00

December 27 - December 31
10:00 - 5:00

January 4
Regular hours will begin again
Tuesday - Saturday
10:00 - 5:00

We hope all of you have wonderful and safe holidays! And just for entertainment (in my best Casey Kasem voice): Here are the Box Tops from the fabulous year of 1967 with "The Letter." (Check out the audience!)

ADAM CAM: Never Leave Your Penguins in the Rain

2010-09-29T15:01:00.000-04:00

Our middle son, Adam, learned a hard lesson today about clay. He took this picture of the clay penguins he had made for his friends ...after the rain.

What the Feldspar? - Seeing Red

2010-09-23T18:39:00.003-04:00

First kiln unloaded for the opening Saturday and we're seeing red! And in a good way. 80% of my work carries a shino of some sort and the remaining are straight matt, ashe, or copper red formulas. I have experienced trouble out my copper reds over the last year. I like some unruliness in my shinos, but not my reds. So I have tweaked recipes, changed firing schedules, adjusted formulas, revised pot placement, twice fired, crossed my fingers, and held my breath while saying a prayer as I lit the burners. But to no avail. I created some nice mauves if you're into retro colors, and have also had a piece or two come out leathery from a shino/ red combo in my attempts - which I hope to replicate again. But to my increasing frustration, no reds from my past made their re- appearance...until yesterday. The bottom of the kiln held a nice surprise for me..application and firing always have an effect on reds, but a complete overhaul of one chemical did the trick, I think. Just hope the streak continues...next kiln unloading tomorrow. Preview online tomorrow.

Sliced, Darted, Twisted, and Shaved! (plus Other Upcoming Events)

2010-09-12T17:54:00.007-04:00

Upcoming Fall Events:

September 25
Kiln Opening
Altered Series

I occasionally veer from my traditional, round clay roots and grab my knives, graters, and paddles to go at the clay. If it sounds like fun - it is. Angular vases, arched bowls, and shaved bottles are in the lineup for this opening at the studio.

Exhibits:

September 18 - November 20 - Seagrove Pottery Invitational - The Hambidge Center - Georgia

October 2 - October 29 - Clay n' Blogs - Moore Arts Council - Southern Pines, NC
October 25 - December 21 - Cabarrus Arts Council - Concord, NC

Shows:
November 19-21 - Celebration of Seagrove Potters - Luck's Factory
Joining 60 + of my fellow Seagrove Potters under one roof for this annual pottery festival

From the Salvage Yard: Refractory from the Factories

2010-08-30T19:48:00.002-04:00

This is my next project, or should I say, puzzle. The bricks/blocks are from two factories in NC, one a glass factory and the other a repurposed pipe company. I started collecting brick over 15 years ago for a noborigama (multi-chambered) wood kiln but never could gather enough refractory material to get a good running start at it. I fire a majority of my work in gas reduction kilns but what I like best about wood kilns, beyond the unique effects, is that they are very communal in nature. Some of my most memorable pottery training came from sitting in front of a groundhog wood kiln with people who love the ritual and the tradition of wood firing, And who would, I must add on a side note, also show no mercy in their humorous critiques and other so called "mentoring" duties at the time and will get their own blog posts eventually...but back to my bricks. So for years I have coaxed, pleaded, and negotiated for brick for my own wood kiln. Finally, the reused brick fairy heard my potter's plea... the last delivery and my running start were dropped off a couple of weeks ago. Once the temps drop below 90, I am ready to start stacking.

There Is Only One Way To Go...

2010-06-06T09:27:00.003-04:00

TO THE TOP! Fun Day at Westmoore Elementary School, which is a K-8 school, was hot, sticky, loud, and whole lot of fun! There sadly were no Velcro suits this year - it was replaced by a giant inflatable caterpillar that ate children and would deflate occasionally. But it was their favorite activity since they could run through with their friends without close scrutiny of their wrestling antics. Cole, our youngest, is on the rock wall. He did a great job climbing that high and our oldest son, Nick, who is 5'9 and in seventh grade decided to tumble down the slide with most of his pre-teen-age friends who bounced and rolled. Adam, our middle son, was going later in the day and I had to get home but he said he made it to the top of the rock wall also and dove down the slide. Since he didn't get a picture, he compromised with an Adam Cam submission of him swinging on a vine. (Posting tomorrow)

Thanks to everyone also who came out to the kiln opening yesterday and for the calls/emails. We had a great day of sales and conversation. We are still trying to figure out the Etsy "store" thing so hoping it will be up today..sometime. Going over also to pick up a glazebook from Val Cushing who is visiting this weekend in Seagrove and I didn't get a chance to see last night. Then it is back to completing a studio this summer and beginning a wood kiln. Ready to do some "chicken-grit" shino on some "Yu-tumblers"!.

Punch List

2010-06-04T09:24:00.000-04:00

It's been full speed ahead around here as we are getting ready for the kiln opening tomorrow. We usually do our "punch list" or checklist around Friday at noon but we have Fun Day today at school where the kid's will be put in Velcro suits, bungee catapulted, and "jumping through hoops" (we'll take pictures) so our checklist is underway early

1. - Pots -One kiln unloaded two cooling - Check
2. - Food for refreshments - couldn't get the cake in time from a local restaurant so going to Plan B this afternoon in Asheboro - Semi-check

3. - .Pictures taken for Preview - Check -To be posted after Fun Day - Usually take around 6-10 of my favorites or new forms and glazes. I am making some new bowls- "noodle bowls" which our boys call them since that is what they eat from them mostly - and a lot of it! I also have a new glaze, well really an old one that is new to me, Baxter's glaze. Baxter was Archie Teague's friend who used material from his backyard to formulate a "glaze." It was meant to be placed on earthenware but I am applying it to a white clay body and getting an organic yellow color which I am liking. Mr. Baxter you have a winner in my (glaze)book!

4. - Etsy Store - New add on this time. Wasn't quite sure we wanted to place pots on website or try out a bigger virtual "storefront" like Etsy. Etsy won out with it's security and mass appeal for shopping. So our "store" will be open tomorrow online around noon with about 15 pots.

5. - Clean studio/showroom - This is one we have always procrastinated about even in the last studio. Buckets and buckets, and buckets need to be ~~pushed into a corner~~ moved and organized with ware carts running free that need to be corralled. So this "check" is usaully the last we get done (while dragging our feet) but I am glad we have Fun Day because our three "helpers" will be pushing a broom tonight! (with no option of quitting! HA!)

And finally I have time to take a look at my garden. It has rained like crazy this last week and I haven't had a real chance to survey what has been happen' so I took a peek - And CHECK - Squash!

Now it's time for Fun Day and a Velcro suit

With a Little Luck

2010-05-09T19:59:00.000-04:00

It's been a while... But I believe we are back to a good rhythm between dealing with children drama, making pots, web maintenance and finishing the never ending building project. It has been a hectic month and the need to become very organized was in demand - which came as somewhat of a challenge given a few of us are just a little ADD. But we gathered our troops, and our thoughts, and I am happy to report that the last month has been jammed packed with progress on the building end.

As we have said many times, and we will say it again, we live in a great community, that when there is a need, the majority raise their hands to help. Each phase of this re-building journey has been supported in one way or another by this community. For the last leg of this race, I had the opportunity to cut some boards with a NC Living Treasure and also swap a few good stories. I feel like I have known Sid Luck probably longer than I have. His family and mine go way back, close to a hundred years. He went to the same school as my mother, where my sons and his grandchildren go now. Sid graciously offered his saw mill and his help to get my board and batten finished on the building. Sid has been a potter for many years and he continues his family's legacy in this tradition at Luck's Wares where he holds an annual kiln opening in August celebrating that heritage. I find Sid easy to talk to and it is always interesting to hear his viewpoints on things like pottery, farming, and just Seagrove in general. His son, Matt, was one of the volunteer firemen who came to put out the fire at the studio and Sid's brother, Darius and his wife, Brenda stood with us while offering support as it burned. So having Sid see me to the finish is a fitting end to this journey and good start for the new one. A BIG THANK YOU to Mr. Luck, and to all of your family!

NC Travel Spots

2010-03-03T20:05:00.001-05:00

Our State editor, Elizabeth Hudson, shares some information on some nice travel spots to hit in NC. (Yep-Seagrove is one! And the Beckler is on my list to go see now when I visit the in-laws!)

Thank You Mr. Keith!

2010-02-21T08:10:00.000-05:00

My friends over at Wild Rose Glass in Ramseur, NC, Beth and Richard Keith, just told me that they have made me a very special piece of stained glass art. I was quite surprised and am also very grateful. I like the solitude the piece conveys and the sense of purpose representing both morning and night. This gift has come at a transitional point in my life and it will always be treasured as it hangs in my studio. "The Potter" is currently on display at Circa Gallery in Asheboro, NC with other pieces of their great work. If you are in town, stop by and take a look.

Pinestraw Magazine and A Cup of Coffee with the Daltons

2010-02-14T08:17:00.002-05:00

Early December I had the chance to sit down with Jim and Linda Dalton over a cup of coffee. Jim was writing an article about my recovery from the fire for Pinestraw Magazine and we had a wonderful few hours worth of conversation where I learned a lot about them. I like the camaraderie between people in the same profession where words and phrases are instantly understood. Jim and Linda have been potters for a number of years and it was great learning how they operate as I showed them around my studio. It has been a while since I have been able to kick up some dust in my own place and to talk "shop" again. Thanks to them for coming by and I look forward to touring their studio sometime soon. And also thank you to the folks at Pinestraw Magazine for featuring the arts in Moore County.

Snow Happens - Mahwah, NJ, Port Chester, NY and A Detour

2010-02-08T07:58:00.001-05:00

As soon as we heard the weather reports and saw all the milk, bread, and eggs disappear in DC, we sprinted out of Washington early before the accumulation of the 3 feet of snow and the big snowball fight. We were feeling pretty good about our narrow miss so we decided to take a detour through Philly for the heck of it. After a few hours riding in circles and ending up in Chinatown, we decided it was time to head to the Garden State: NJ. We had absolutely no snow on the way (pretty sure we will not be able to say that on the way back) but we arrived ready for shinos. Side note: The northern hub was very grateful for the raccoon.

After a fun day touring Mahwah and eating authentic NY style pizza, or pizza pie, we headed to Port Chester for the Shino Redux 2010 opening. It was quite a turnout for the reception and we had a nice surprise visit also with friends from Connecticut, Michael and Mary. Then Malcolm gave his always entertaining talk about the shinos in the show and the origin of American Shino. Met a lot of new friends and the Clay Art Center is a great educational facility with a long history. Thank you Reena, Leigh, and Doug for the tour and a great show! Thank you Malcolm for being Malcolm! Here are a few of the shino pieces we had a chance to take pictures of. It was a diverse show with carbon traps, crawls, wax resists and some experimental combos.

For a complete viewing of the exhibit online, visit the Clay Art Center -Shino Redux and for more candid images from the show there are some on my facebook page.

Now it is time to turn our attention back toward trying to get home. Looks like they have been working hard in PA and DC but if we can't make it through, then I am becoming an asphalt man in Jersey!

Smithsonian Museums - Freer/American History

2010-02-06T10:17:00.000-05:00

We had an absolutely wonderful day in DC on Thursday. Rode the Metro in from Maryland and actually got off at the right stop! Ate lunch on a bench in the sunshine on a snowy National Mall and then went over to the Freer/Sackler galleries. Great exhibitions going on there. One called "Black and White" (Chinese ceramics) which I gained a lot of inspiration from with the carvings and those hare's fur glazes. And the "Cornucopia" exhibit of Japanese ceramics was a teabowl delight. Interesting fresh water jars with delicate handles were on display also. The Peacock room is another must see with it's jewel colors and ceramics -floor to ceiling.

At 2:30 we had an appointment at the American History Museum to look over some pieces and documents that were my great grandfather's. In 1969, the then Museum of Cultural History at the Smithsonian brought Henry's shop and contents to DC for an example of rural life in the south during that time period. The shop and wheel were unfortunately off site in storage during our visit but we were taken behind the scenes to view some of their ceramics collection. As we went through the door, I had to admit my heart started to race. As I looked around, I was standing in the middle of a room full of salt glaze from Pennsylvania, NY, and the South. Hard to describe in words totally how this experience felt for me but it was AWESOME! Bonnie, the Deputy Chair, then showed us their most recent acquisition, a Dave the Slave poem pot from SC. And, yes, I got to touch it and hold a lot of other great pieces.

As Bonnie pulled from the southern collection, there was a Meaders chicken in front of Henry's pieces that I had to look at that was a nice example of Arie's work. She then began to pull Henry's milk crocks and jugs, and then a bag that contained sacks from the Illinois Lead Shot Company (chilled) that were used as counterbalance on the scales to weigh clay. Henry's shop was once used for a chicken house so I was glad to see the bags were nicely preserved. After we left the ceramics room, she then pulled the accession file with the letters, diagrams, and photos they had available. Very informative especially concerning the wheel.
We thank the Smithsonian staff, in particular Bonnie Lilienfeld, for their hospitality and their time.

Next Blog Stops: Mahwah, NJ and then Port Chester, NY

ROAD TRIP! SHINO REDUX 2010

2010-01-31T10:57:00.000-05:00

Summer of last year, I was invited to submit a few images of my shino work to be considered for inclusion in an exhibit curated by Malcolm Davis, Shino Redux 2010. Right before Christmas, I received an early present that I would be included in the show being hosted at the Clay Art Center in Port Chester NY. We have been looking for a good road trip, so if weather is permitting and life, then we will be on way with a full itinerary.

THE TENATIVE STOPS

Seagrove, NC to Washington, DC - Freer /Sackler Gallery and the Smithsonian Archives Cultural History
At the Freer it will be a visual treat with all those great Asian ceramics. At the Archives, hopefully a private behind the scenes viewing of an old potter's shop that belonged to my great grandfather. It is dismantled now but they have the logs, the diagrams, pictures, pots, wheel, and his tools. They acquired it in 1969 and I have yet to see it in person. Should be a full and inspirational day in DC!

Baltimore, Maryland to Philadelphia, Penn to Mahwah, NJ
Philly will be a lunch stop at the Reading Terminal Market then possibly the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Then to Mahwah, NJ. I call it my northern hub since my sister-n-law is putting down roots with her fiance there. She is in a pretty good location for NY and provides a cot and a couple of hot meals to a traveler. I'll make sure I pack my best pair of overalls for the introductions to her NJ family. Wonder if they like raccoon?

Port Chester, NY - Clay Art Center
Opening reception of Shino Redux 2010. Can't wait to see all the pots and sculptures! Malcolm is rumored to be coming and it should be a carbon trap/shino delight for an addict like myself. Most of the pots will be for sale, so it is going to be REALLY hard not to break the budget here!

Mahwah, NJ to Seagrove, NC
Straight shot back since Monday's a school day. A few McDonald's and a couple of gas breaks and we'll be heading home full of ideas and probably broke.

Will take lots of pictures and hopefully will have some great stories to tell. I may have to learn to "tweet."

The Salvage Yard: Metal Crates

2010-01-24T10:13:00.000-05:00

I believe most potters are scavengers at heart. They love to recycle and reuse anything they can either out of necessity or creativity. I fit both categories and am always looking for a find. My father-n-law offered me one recently with these metal wire baskets. I am thinking not just storage units but small gas kilns. I am about to move my large gas kiln and need a place to turn over some pots with a space for glaze reduction experimentation also. Add in a couple of Big Bertha weed burners and some kiln brick (salvaged from a glass factory) and we could have lift off. (maybe literally) I'll let you know

Adam Cam

2010-01-11T09:16:00.000-05:00

Chris Luther Pottery would like to introduce it's newest blog team member, Adam Luther. He is a ten year old who loves tech equipment and negotiated with impressive persuasion for a spot on the blog. With a parental editing clause included in his contract, he will cover what's going on in Seagrove such as pottery events, school stuff, etc through videos and pictures. Look for the "Adam Cam" in the sidebar for his updates!

Never, ever, ever,....again

2010-01-07T10:52:00.000-05:00

I don't usually make New Year's resolutions because like "they" say 90% are broken within the first week. But I am pretty resolute about the following:

I will never, ever, ever again.

...get a six year old an alarm clock with a foghorn alarm. He had his plan and we were trying to help him fit in with his older brothers which meant he was going to get himself up in the morning and get ready for school. Ok first off: We forgot to remember the golden parental rule of asking in detail what that exactly meant to him. To us it sounded great..to him that meant: Get a Spongebob alarm clock (check.) Get up at 5:00 am and be ready for school by 5:30 am even though school is only a minute away and starts at 8:00 (check.) And make sure to set the most annoying alarm sound there is on that aforementioned clock to wake up to (check.) If you have never been scared out of bed by a foghorn before, I don't suggest it. First thoughts are you are being invaded and then evacuation.

...plan to put up siding on a building during the coldest month of the year. Needless to say, this is going to be put off until the weather reaches above 32 degrees for three hours straight. So to the pine trees - you have a reprieve.

...turn pots on a back porch measuring 9x10 with a German Shepherd. Right after I get the go ahead: me, my wheel, and my coffee can of tools are leaving the washing machine, piles of clothes, and a large swishing tail ~~to it's behind~~ behind. My inventory should increase exponentially.

And to answer a friend's question: My word for the new year is progress.

Holiday Kiln Opening : Glazing, Firing, and First Results

2009-12-11T11:26:00.000-05:00

I usually fire between two - four glaze loads of wares before kiln openings. The weather has pushed me up to unloading the last gas kiln on Saturday morning, but my wife has "implied" that I secretly enjoy the adrenaline rush during the last seconds-which this one will be. The first unloads were the big pots that had some interesting results, and a big disappointing one. First though, the good. The gourd vase looked monochromatic at first but when it was turned there was a bold red streak with an interesting "rat tail" design in the glaze. It reminds me of the rat tail handles on some the older art pottery pieces. There is a nice large 3 foot vase with shinos, blues, and ambers. And me being the shino fanatic I am, I have to mention the smaller crane neck bottle that came out with some crazy carbon trapping which I may have to hide for myself. And then there is the bottle, oh the bottle.... She looked great before the unload but as she was being taken down to the showroom I saw the damage Although my new "studio model" is still standing at 4 feet 6 inches and weighing in at 70 pounds she was knocked out by some very fine cracks that unfortunately ganged up on her.

Gas kiln II is cooling and contains the big teapots, the one pound teapots, vases, and the small bowls. There is also a smaller kiln to be unloaded with jars, trumpet bowls, and mugs. Preview will be online this afternoon with the gourd vase, big shino vase, crane neck bottles, pod bottles, and swirl handle vases. Colors are rose reds, turquoises, the layered shinos, ambers, golds, and a new light green. (Enole Green)

Holiday Kiln Opening December 12

2009-12-07T13:20:00.000-05:00

Getting ready for the Holiday Kiln Opening that will be happening this Saturday at 10:00. Hopefully the wind will remain calm over the next couple days so the gas reduction kiln can be fired. The big pots have made it through the bisque firing (the first firing before glaze application) and are ready to get poured and sprayed with glaze colors. I turned a large gourd vase for the first time and am really interested to see how it is going to come out. My middle son has put in his recommendation for a simple glaze for it, like a deep red (ha! neither simple nor cooperative especially at high winds) but a good choice to compliment the curves on the piece. I am also working on teapots, trumpet bowls (shaped like the bell of the musical instrument,) vases, and the ever so humble but increasingly popular, small bowls. If you can't make it out to the studio, the smaller items will be online for ordering Saturday afternoon through first of the year. Our "tech department" (my wife) is working out the bugs on the shopping cart feature, but until the security measures are in place, "customer service"(that's me) can take emails and phone calls. There are a couple other kiln openings happening in the area this weekend with one being our friend Blaine Avery's December Tile Special located only about 5 miles from us. Great selection of tiles for your kitchen, bath, etc. Time for me now to go check Weather Underground and see if I can sneak in some reds on Mother Nature.

Plus One!

2009-12-01T17:39:00.000-05:00

As we cleared the hurdle a couple of weeks ago for the one year anniversary of the fire, it felt really good to soar over it. It is still very surreal for us the roller coaster ride we have been on during the last year. There are many things about it we have trouble talking about but it is good to have friends like Meredith Heywood of Whynot Pottery who understand the ride.  She eloquently summed up the dips and curves for us on her blog and knows the feeling of just trying to hold on. She and her husband, Mark, went through a studio fire only 6 months prior to ours where they lost their work space to a lightning strike and were uprooted as they rebuilt a studio they had known close to 30 years. We have been the recipients of the experience from that rebuild along with many other things during the last 15 years of their friendship.  Through our own rebuild, they have watched us crawl through the first phase, walked with us through the subsequent ones, and have been some of our biggest cheerleaders as we prepare for the final hill. (Which is proving to be the most time intensive.) We are grateful to them for reminding us of all that we have accomplished and being there for us as the finish line is coming into sight..

This has been a team effort since the start.  Beginning with Danny Marley (Hickory Hill Pottery), Jeffrey Dean (Dean and Martin Pottery), and Ben Owen III (Ben Owen Pottery) trying to stop the fire from hitting our house to Potter's Relief stepping in for us during that long period of waiting on insurance. Each step has been assisted by either potters, family or friends. As we move on, the tag team approach is still in force as we go to see Debbie's husband, Sid Luck, who has graciously offered his time and saw mill for the board and batten to finish the building. Add one bucket rental and January should see full time hours of operation!  We know the detail devil is sitting in his corner, waiting for us, but he can wait.  We think we will just enjoy hitting this milestone for a while! . Thanks guys!

As the Scales Tip

2009-10-19T10:56:00.000-04:00

...back to construction this week, we are busily trying to get insulated before it gets any colder. The cooler weather last weekend provided incentive for phone calls to the insulation guys so hopefully we will see them in the next few days. On the list with insulation, is completing interior doors and getting ready for the siding.(And of course, making pots!)

We would like to say thank you to all who came out to the kiln opening the previous weekend. It was great seeing everyone and a fun "run through" with the new studio. Our three sons were there to help with this one so it was memorable in many ways from the "zoo" they produced with their pets to them working hard to unload kilns and cleaning pots the days before. (We believe they may have unknowingly worked themselves into a few new jobs!) Chris is back at the wheel getting ready for the upcoming Celebration festival in November. He will also be working on a new glaze palette in oil spots, bright reds, blues, and a new shino being available on the weekends throughout the fall. As the Celebration moves closer, we'll have more details posted for that annual Seagrove event in November. But now it's time to go enjoy this gorgeous fall weather!

Ready...Set...

2009-10-09T10:21:00.000-04:00

It has been almost a year since the fire with giant leaps taken over the last several months. We still have plenty to do like pine board and batten siding outside and many details on the inside, but it is beginning to look like a pottery studio again with clay being stacked up and muddy aprons lying around. The studio will be open to the public this Saturday in conjunction with the Fall Kiln Opening scheduled for October 10. During October, we will continue to be open on Saturdays as we push toward completion. Hopefully, November will usher in full time hours as we move closer to the holiday season. Again, we could not have accomplished what we have over the last year without the help of family, friends, and this community. A big THANK YOU to everyone! Blogging is also new for us so please bare with us as we "learn the ropes" We will post what's going on around the studio here and what's upcoming with the main details listed on the website. Thanks for visiting the new blog and let's go get ready for a kiln opening.