The working mugs

The dark color isn't so much grey as a deep bluish lavender, called Plum in the studio.  When it has white under it there's that lovely light blue.

I made these to go with one of my favorite mugs that I've used all winter, because simple as it is, this shape keeps my coffee warm long enough to drink the bottom half. I hate having to go warm it back up when I've only drunk half a mugfull.

Yes, these were posted here a few weeks ago.

The clay bends as it fires

When this was dry from being made, all the tendrils had  separated on the outer ends, and curled up away from the body where they were meeting it as I made it.  They had only been attached on the inner ends.  Some of them even broke off (thus the wider spacing between some.)

After bisque firing, they remained separated on the outer ends...about a quarter to a half inch away from the body.

So I dipped them into white glaze, and voila...they moved right back down and reattached to the body.

Clay also becomes very fluid in a hot temperature.

Handing something to you

I got a kick out of using my own hands a models...just cutting around them on a slab of clay. Of course there was 15% shrinkage as it was fired.  And I'm not at all happy with the way the brown glaze turned out all splotchy.

Studio Sun. afternoon.

Yes, I've gone back to the studio.  But my work from last week is just now loaded into a glaze kiln.  It should come out tonight or tomorrow.
Yesterday I did some simple glazing on some simple mugs.

I'm still having difficulty with my fine muscle skills of my fingers...so no painted designs.

Today's quote: (we haven't had any in a while, have we!)

If you are feeling anxious, sad, or drained, try hugging a tree and allow her vast amount of grounding energy to assist you.

Something old, something new...

No not about to be a bride.  Just wanted to share that old pots can hold new flowers!

And I finally finished the fruit bowl.

Centerpiece bouquet in a short bowl shaped vase.  I'm so glad I still have a few of these. Strangely they don't sell half as well as tall thin vases...something about just shoving flowers into a vase rather than making an arrangement!

What do you use now that will someday be in a museum?

 This treadle sewing machine was woman-powered.  It just sewed nice straight seams. ..no gimicks.

The pitcher and basin were usually made of ceramic.  An industry which provided bathing facilities for thousands of people before they got running water and a bathroom!

If I look around me to see what might be worthy of a museum in 100 or 200 years, I hope these fluorescent light bulbs will be there...and of course some laptop or iPad. An air conditioner/heater has made my life much better.  How about a microwave? I think a pop-up umbrella is pretty nifty too.

Swannanoa Valley Museum

This is the new sign at theSwannanoa Valley Museum...in Black Mountain NC.  It's really nice. The next entrance along the way is the Black Mountain Center for the Arts.

Just past the historic marker for French Botanist, Andre Michaux, people are lounging outside of the Dripolator coffee shop.  This is looking east along State Street.

These large wood doors are replicas of the original fire house doors, which now houses the SV Museum.  When it was the fire house, there was even the pole which fire fighters would slide down from the second level.  (A sign designates where the pole and the hole in the ceiling used to be.)

Living close together

 Our buildings have smoke detectors, which frequently go off with cooking (don't they all!) But we don't have sprinkler systems, and the buildings are all frame.  So when the firetruck sirens come and park in our driveway, lots of us came outside on a twilight evening, to see the firemen walk into one of the buidings,and hopefully come back out again soon.

They were walking up the hill and everyone's standing in front of the office.  The red lights change our environment!  I took my photos and went back inside...didn't smell any smoke!

Rain means no studio use

When the studio has to close due to flooding...the classes and open-studio times are canceled.

The building used to be the police department garage...then was rennovated, the wall of doors changed to a wall of windows, and decorative murals placed on outside walls.

Our manager, Charles Freeland, gets out the shop vac and works to get the water sucked up.  It seeps in under the walls from rain coming down the hill above, as well as the roof downspouts.  The city owns the building, and has made some improvements in the drainage, but it still is a problem.

We are very grateful to now have an air-conditioner-heating unit, and hot and cold running water.  In the 11 years I've been a member, there have definitely been improvements!  Just can't get past the rain intrusion yet!

More potters at the show

Here's another booth, in which I didn't capture the name of the artists (I think their business is "Clay, Weed, Paper.") I think I bought a hand made book from these folks last year.

There were some really great pottery/sculptural displays.  

A fellow member of the Swannanoa Fine Arts League had this booth.

Old friend Will Byers who used to live in Black Mountain (and still says so on his sign) but now resides in Tennessee. He still is doing pottery (after a stint of doing photography!) We found out we lived in Knoxville at the same time in the 80s-90s.

OK   I think I've shared all the Art by the Tracks photos now!

Fun at Art by the Tracks

...beautiful art at a good show.

Clay Day at the Folk Art Center

On the Blue Ridge Parkway, near Asheville and my home town of Black Mountain, there's a great Folk Art Center run by the Southern Highland Craft Guild.

This Saturday is Clay Day.  Go to this link to learn more.

Some more pottery at Art by the Tracks

I had a good chat with this potter... about how mugs can keep the heat of drinks until you finish drinking them. Unfortunately I didn't get his name. But we decided that the wedge shape mugs do tend to cool fastest.

Kathy was great at sharing her Fimo clay jewelry.  I'm not sure how long it really lasts however.

Some more sulptural work, moving toward functional...again, no knowledge of artist, sorry.  But he was busy selling things, a good sign!