Let There Be Light

After three visits from the electricalician, I finally have two pendant lights hanging in my studio. I'll post pictures if you promise to ignore the unorganized mess. I've had all of the contents of this room packed into another two rooms for 9 months, waiting for the shelves, flooring, painting, baseboards, plumbing and electrical work. I'm slowly transferring it all back. You can see the utility sink and the tv above. The project table with shelves, and shelves on the back wall. My wheel (piled with other junk) is on the left.

Weekend Update

I had a fun weekend, with lots of goodies to share on the blog. I hadn't been antiquing in quite a while, and I was able to sneak off on Sunday to visit three shops in the area. Iron Horse Antiques in Manassas was first on my list. They always have a great selection, and a few of the booths upstairs are so well curated that I almost always find something I need. And they have a giant iron horse on the first floor, plus a running choo choo train that runs a track around the ceiling. Next up was the Bull Run Antiques Mall. As with all antique shops, it's hit or miss for me, since you never know what they'll have. Sometimes I walk out with a car-ful, other times (like yesterday) I walk out thinking how glad my husband will be that I didn't buy the giant carved piano legs at $75 each. Then I stopped by Old Town Manassas Antiques, which for some reason, I am not as familiar with. This is soon to change, though, because I discovered most of my finds there. So without further blathering, here are my treasures:

Galvanized tray with handy drain spout, which will be perfect for storage in the studio. Three Audobon Society postcards.

Black and white enameled bowls with measurements printed on the side. These will also be helpful for storage in the studio.

Milk crate from Birmingham Dairy in Manassas, Virginia, and long galvanized garden tote. Again, very useful for storage and display. My not-so-secret weakness is "things to put things in."

Large wooden chopping bowl. Apples on the kitchen table, anyone? I made one other large purchase - the wooden bench that these are all photographed on. I will make a separate blog post about it - it's cool enough to deserve its own. Next I want to share with you the stunningly gorgeous raku vase that I bought at Manassas Clay. It was made by my friend, Karen Lachow, a studio potter there. She has an area at the shop where you can buy her work, and every time I go in I gaze at her shelves. Finally it was too much for me and I had to buy her large raku vase. If you live in the area, I strongly encourage you to stop in at Manassas Clay - it's not just studio and classroom space, it's a shop with the most amazing pieces for sale by the most wonderful people you've ever met. Thanks again, Karen, your vase will live in a place of honor in my home, as an inspiration to me!

It seems silly to post pictures of my work now, but since I took pictures of some green- and bisque-ware, here they are. These are two bisque fired pieces I made using silicate with iron oxide painted on during the throwing process. You let the silicate dry on the pot, and then you belly out the sides, creating the crackle finish. I took these pictures prior to glazing them, which I did with soda ash. On the darker pot, I added some black lapis glaze to the rim.

You can see that I squeezed the sides of the white pot to create more of an oval shape.

Crackle detail.

These are some greenware pieces that I put handles on last week.

Mug and pitcher.

Another pitcher.

Stamped handle.

Another stamp.

Pointy spout. Thanks for wading through! Today, for the third and hopefully last time, I am waiting for the electrician to put my pendant lights in the studio. So be sure to check back for (*crossing my fingers*) pictures of the studio lights.

Pottering

I recently brought home these soy bottles that I made in class. I'm not thrilled with how the glaze turned out, but the forms are okay. I intend to try again, and hopefully the glaze will turn out better. I threw these using JB Speck, which fires to a biscuit-y brown with speckles, which I really enjoy. Pottery gives you so many opportunities to mess up a good thing - throwing the form (it can go off center, get dented, collapse...), trimming (the number of "flower pots" I have generated due to accidentally trimming the bottom until there is a hole is sad), and glazing (I may have to change the theme of this blog to be one of those Fail Blogs...).

And now for something completely different: some hens and chicks that I had in a pot last summer have come back with a vengeance this year, and look at these crazy blooms they're sprouting!

Hop On The Bus, Gus

I love finding new shops to immerse myself in. Today I found a new one - everyeskimo. They're located in Michigan, a state that always tugs at my nostalgic heartstrings. The items are perfect, the photography is great, and a theme called out to me. Maybe it's the recent ennui that has settled like a soft mist over my future. Or maybe it's the two cups of coffee and handful of M&M's. Either way, you can't tell me the theme isn't compelling.

Words Paul Simon did and could have used in his 50 ways, a neat way to package it all up, and a basket to carry it in.

[Edited to add: I stumbled into the blog associated with the shop, and while I don't generally do this, I think I am in love. Yes, I'm happily married, but there is just something so familiar and comfortable about everyeskimo. Humor me and go see what I am talking about, and if you know me, you'll understand.]

Front Page

I am a little late in discovering this, but one of the items in my Etsy shop was featured on the front page of Etsy at the end of June. Neato frito! Thanks to craftcult, whose awesome application let me in on the secret.

Election Department

I wanted to share my latest acquisition. I just ordered this set of vintage wooden folding chairs from Three Potato Four. I got such a kick out of the stenciled words on the back of each chair - ELECTION DEPT, which is similar to the box I bought from them before (that said PROPERTY OF PROCESS PLANNING). What can I say - I love local government. Between the vintage charm, the wood finish and their former life in public service, how could I not add them to my home? I will find good use for them as extra chairs around the dining table, or additional seating when we have visitors.

Empty Bowls

On Friday I went to Manassas Clay and participated in the kickoff throw-a-thon for Empty Bowls, an event they host for a local charity, SERVE. Empty Bowls is a national event where potters sell bowls at a dinner with soup, pasta, or food donated from area restaurants. Manassas Clay has been hosting this annual event for at least 10 years. Last year, I had only been taking classes for a month or so, but they welcomed me to the throw-a-thons, and I think that early practice and encouragement really helped my skills tremendously. I tried to go to as many as possible, and I will try to do the same this year. It's great practice, and it's for a great cause. The money they raise through selling handcrafted bowls and raffle tickets (for donated items) goes towards a well established organization that helps feed the hungry in our community (among other services they provide). I am thrilled to be a part of this event, and I'm looking forward to seeing the hundreds and hundreds of bowls we collectively throw, trim, and glaze. Last year at the dinner, I bought two bowls and a tshirt. I wear the shirt almost every time I throw as inspiration.