Resolve

I’ve never been a resolution-maker….I suppose that I know myself  too well for that. But I do have some projects for the new year to keep it interesting. Of course, the biggest wrinkle is my return to full-time pottery making…some great opportunities lie ahead and I’m so happy to be ready and available for some new adventures. My plan is to buckle down now and make pots for 3 straight months and then do 2 firings back to back in late March and april. That keeps me covered for my one-man show at Chris Cooley’s Gallery in Leesburg, Virginia in April and my second trip to the St. Croix River Pottery tour Mother’s Day week-end in Minnesota. My second one-man show is in July at the Washington Street Gallery in Lewisburg, West Virginia. Labor Day week-end you will find me back in the mountains, joining “The Soda Chicks and Chet” for their annual sale. That’s Gay Smith, Suzi Lindsay and Kent McLaughlin, part of the Penland community for many years. And then it will be time to prepare for the 3rd “Pottery on the Hill” show! A year can get filled up pretty quickly and yet there are still a couple of possiblities hanging that could fill in some gaps. And, of course, there is always a trip to England to fit in. I truely feel fortunate and excited and I’m grateful for all of my friends and supporters and you, gentle reader! Happy New Year!

It always tempting to show off all the special things I make…but mugs pay a lot of bills in my world and I make hundreds of them every year!
12″ high I made a few of these for Christmas. They were a big hit!
Toff’s dragon on top
My dad would have been proud to know that I was a bookmaker…
I’ve made several variations on a garden bench  22″h
These guys now sit atop various stacks of books (to 7″h)
I will add a bung hole to this to make it a true cider jar. 24″h
My friend Paul is a bookseller/bookbinder/restorer. He gave me these for Christmas and said he was tired of me making books out of clay so he made pots out of books! Fantastic!

6 Responses to “Resolve”

  1. Dennis Allen

    I’ve been wanting to get down to Gay’s sale for several years.This will give me added incentive. Have a great today and a better tomorrow.

    Reply
  2. Michael Kline

    I’m with you on the resolution thing. I think for me it’s the fact that I am not actually working during the holidays and it is a time for me to dream a little. The dreams can be pretty exciting, because there’s not the usual reality in my mind:the little stuff that gets in the way. But as soon as I return to work, I am faced with the reality and those dreams sometimes getting “back burnered” and it can be disappointing. I guess that my interpretation of resolutions. Not very resolute, huh?

    It’s a blessing to have this renewal each year, though. A time to dream of the possibilities. Like travelling, this “break” can give one the same open space to dream, perspective from the day to day minutia that might stand in the way.

    I wish you ALL the best in 2014 and look forward to visiting your alphabet forest and your studio!

    Reply
  3. Kath from MoKa Pottery

    I think mugs are some of the most special pieces a potter can make. The person who buys them will use them every day, and, if they’re like me, they think of the process and the maker while they drink from it. They study the shape, the ‘feel’ in the hand and they admire the design and the glaze.

    I have one of your mugs, but it’s not ‘quite’ your mug. It was a demo piece from your Scottish Potters Association workshop a few years ago (I won it in the raffle last year) and was fired and glazed by a fellow Scottish Potter. So, your shape and design, but a standard glaze. I still love it, and it’s one of my favourites when I’m looking in my mug cupboard for ‘just’ the right mug for that morning’s coffee.

    I adore your books and bookshelves, and your friend’s response is perfect. I make ceramic book covers and then hand bind them into actual books using a Coptic Binding process. My two loves of pottery and books meet. 🙂

    So, hello from Scotland. Hope you make it back to the UK this year.

    Reply

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