Tonight, I took photos of all the new work. As usual, all the images are on flickr. Just for fun, here are a few of my favorites from this load…
10" cassarole
Green teapot
Refridgerator magnets
Blue cereal bowl
4 Apr
Glaze load results note
The first of a few glaze firings cooled down today. It was especially fun since Dad’s first hand-built project was in this load. Also, lots of sponge holders, mugs, bowls, and a flurry of fridge magnets rounded out the load. I’ll have photos soon. And hopefully, the next load including the giant bowl, and some tall bottles will get their turn this weekend.
31 Mar
Bisque load firing
I just started a bisque load with lots of fun smaller bits and my first teapot made in this studio. There are a dozen sponge holders in there. There are a bunch of fridge magnets. And there’s a test bit of Neuse river clay for testing. And my Dad’s first hand-built project, a kleenex box cover, is firing. Lots of interest in that piece.
I should be able to open the kiln Monday. Then, I’ve got about 3 loads-worth of glazing to do.
(Later on Sunday – The firing went well and should be open tomorrow. Let the glazing begin!)
20 Mar
First Day of Spring
Today is the vernal equinox, the official first day of spring. It’s nearly perfect by all accounts. And the office is getting a new roof.
In the studio, I just completed a bisque firing, so it will be soon be time for a huge glaze session. I’d like to do one more bisque firing before that, as there are still several pieces, including the first teapot in a long time, to be bisque fired. So, I’ll throw a few more pieces and get another load fired.
Also, I commissioned a super hero illustration from Len Peralta, of Monsters-by-Mail fame. This time around, he’s doing “50 vs 50″, wherein one can request a hero or a villain. My superhero is “Dr. Mugstein” whose super power is making stoneware pottery mugs to fight evil. Len’s illustrations are a lot of fun, and nice way to get some original art into the collection.
7 Mar
Work Tables and Wedging Tables
Building the second table on the first table - already working!
I built my own work table and wedging table based on plans from EAA- 1000. That’s a chapter of the Experiment Aviation Association. They use lots of tables to build planes. I just use them to make pots. The tables are solid as you could ask, especially with a couple hundred pounds of clay or buckets of glaze on the lower shelf. Perfect for the studio.
Over the past couple years I’ve recommended the EAA-1000 plans, and I did again recently for a friend setting up her studio at home. I realized the plans weren’t easily found on my site, so this post should fix that. With great appreciation to Bob Waldmiller and EAA-1000, here’s everything you need to get started…
I took my time and had my friend Skip helping with the construction. We had a mitre saw, which made cutting the 2x4s effortless. We also used a circular saw to cut the plywood, and a cordless drill to put in the woods crews. Lots of carpenters glue, and a few finish nails finished it off. It took us a couple weekends to build two tables. Skip kept one and I have the other. There was nearly enough plywood left to build the wedging table which I constructed using the sample approach as the work table, but with some modifications to make it slightly lower for better wedging, and not so wide. I also beefed up the bottom shelf for clay storage. I have had 400lbs on the shelf with no problem (and no movement during wedging either.)
After two years of use, the tables are still solid and working great. I sanded and resurfaced the table top with the same acrylic I used on the whole table originally last fall. I noticed some woodgrain rising in the surface, probably due to the near constant moisture on it. A bit of sanding and a small can of polyacrylic later, it looks like new.
6 Feb
Kiln Opened & New Stamp
This past weekend, I ran my first glaze firing of 2012. The results included a large group of mugs destined to be prizes for the Kinston Ice Bowl disc golf tournament later this month. There were a few other fun pieces, including a couple vases, a casserole and some bowls and plates. The pictures are on Flickr.
The new Barley Hollow Pottery stamp
Also in this firing were the first of my pieces to bear the new Barley Hollow Pottery stamp. I designed the logo based on the symbol I’ve been using since the Double Diamond days, my take on the Egyptian hieroglyphic for “barley”. I had it laser cut by www.4clay.com and had it in hand at the beginning of the year. The results were what I’d hoped. While I’ll probably still scrawl on everything, the stamp will hopefully lend a nice bit of consistent branding. (I can’t help but snicker as I type that.)
I also had a first in this cycle. I threw a nice big bowl, possibly my biggest to date, from reclaimed and reworked clay. The reworked clay was a set of 14 mugs that dried to much to take handles. I rehydrated it, worked it, wedged it, and then threw 9 pounds of it into the closest thing to a punchbowl I’ve gotten so far. It seemed to dry nicely, but in the bisque firing, it exploded. That’s the first piece I’ve ever had explode. It didn’t damage any of the other pieces, and the kiln seemed ok. The bottom of the bowl, however, shattered in hundreds of fragments spread across the top shelf and all through the kiln below. So, I guess that’s one more milestone I can mark off. The bisque cone will do garden duty this spring in the bed outside the studio, making a fun, if not tiny, raised bed for some flowers.
And now I’m already looking forward to getting the next cycle going.
Also of note, starting March 10, 2012, the Kinston Arts Council, and their resident artist, potter Yu-san Ishimaru, will be offering a 4-week raku workshop. For more information call the Arts Council or visit their web site, www.kinstoncca.com. I hope you’ll consider signing up. It should be a great workshop.
6 Feb
February 4 Firing Results
Barley Hollow 2012, a set on Flickr.
Here’s the contents of the February 4th glaze firing, my first for 2012.
23 Dec
Merry Christmas from Barley Hollow Pottery
Christian and I would like to wish you a very merry Christmas, the happiest of holidays, a special soltice, and a very healthy, prosperous and productive new year. Thank you for your support and encouragement this year. We hope you enjoy a bit of pottery every day.
13 Dec
December Farmers Market
Mustache Mug
This Saturday, December 17th, we will be at the Kinston Farmers Market. I have a few new pieces to offer including a new item that may be of interest to iPhone owners. This will be my last sale at the market until next spring.
Merry Christmas, and thanks for your support. I hope you’ll enjoy something home-made for the holidays. Cheers!
9 Dec
End of the Year at Barley Hollow
We’re closing in on Christmas and the days are flying by. Just this morning, I opened the kiln after a glaze firing. Everything worked well. (I think that means I’m not trying enough new stuff!) Several of the new pieces were already spoken for. The rest will be available at the Farmer’s Market on Dec. 17th, if all goes well. Check back here as we get closer to the 17th to be sure.
This load included several pieces dipped in Lustrous Vert, a rich, glossy deep green. I’ve had several pieces with this before, but this is the first big batch, and it worked pretty well. The kiln fired just short of cone 5. The last firing with Lustrous Vert was slightly over cone 5 and the Lustrous Vert dripped from several pieces. This time, the application of the glaze was lighter, which probably made the difference.
There was one larger jar which was dipped in Indigo Float. It finished great. And as usual, the Indigo Float dusted the shelf about an inch around the pot. It would be interesting to know why this happens.
All things considered, it was a good firing. I’ll take photos and post them this weekend. And speaking of photos, I’m starting to use ZangZing more for photos. I’m planning to put all the Barley Hollow pottery pictures there from now on. I’ll post a link here when it’s set up. If you haven’t tried ZangZing, you should. It’s a nice photo sharing site, and at the moment, it’s free.
My plan for the rest of the year is to try to get one more throwing and firing cycle in before Christmas. Free time is nearly non-existent, though, so, effectively, I may not have anything more before 2012. If so, we’ll have it at the Farmer’s Market, or possibly an informal open studio. Check back here to see if there’s any news.
