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.

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.