Southern Highlands Craft Guild - three

 A final chapter of our visit. We then went downstairs to peruse the various craft wares in the shop. Here are some stunning pots. 

I have a bowl made by Joe Frank McKee, not pit fired or sager fired unfortunately, but beautiful still.

Martin Stankus did the lighter pink pots.

I didn't buy a thing this time!

I have made so many pieces with torn clay. But she got here first. And she applied gold leaf and gold composite to hers!

I loved this lamp, but it was already sold!

detail of the following...

detail for below...

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After we looked a bit at the shop downstairs of all the crafts that are currently being made by members, we sat at a picnic table outside in the sun, with a nice balmy temperature of 70 F.

The remaining stump from a nice old tree that used to shade the picnic table (out of the photo)

I was intrigued by the shades and shapes, as I think someone had had a fire in the stump.

In the mostly grey woods, a holly tree was bright green.

We had seen the cuts in the trees along the parkway (in distant background) but didn't realize the pipe nearby had been a light pole which had been snapped off at the base and was now lying on the hill going down to the parkway. There were high winds that also came through with Hurricane Helene.

Southern Highlands Craft Guild - two

 

Here ceramic ends up looking a lot like stone.

Here clay is wound around in coils within another shape, then given some nice glazing.

Looking at the back you can see all the colors of yarn that were cut for these beautiful patterns

I did not touch Edwina Bringle's lovely wool blanket...but I knew it would be soft. Her sister, Cynthia Bringle is a potter, and they both live at Penland School of Crafts. 

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The National Park Service also has a store in the Folk Art Center building.

You know how I like maps, and this topographic one was fun to look at.

A closer look including Black Mountain, and if you look directly up (north) going past Montreat, there's a mountain that is just a white spot. The ranger  said many people had touched it, so they rubbed off the ink, saying it is Mt. Mitchell, the highest peek east of the Rockies.

Ranger told me the parkway was mostly closed since the hurricane. Just open in the Asheville area and around Boone NC. None of the connections to any overlooks. I hope sometime in the spring they might have cleared debris, as well as repaired any washouts of the roads.

Southern Highlands Craft Guild - part one

 A recent visit to the Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway was centered around the permanent collection of arts and crafts of the parent group, The Southern Highlands Craft Guild.

I enjoyed seeing these pieces, and only took photos of my favorites.

I really wanted this beautiful chest of drawers - anyone want to buy it for me?

But not all was woodworking...I got a kick out of Miss Goodrich

A detail of the huge quilt...I'm a sucker for paisley.

More tomorrow.

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.

Clay day at Folk Art Center

 We zipped through the great displays inside the Folk art Center, in order to see the potters last Saturday!

 Well displayed glazes for painting your own raku pottery- a sample of each glaze after firing was beside each pot of glaze.  For $10 you could paint a pot that had already been thrown and bisque fired.

 There were 5 raku kilns going continuously, with either raku glazing or horsehair details available.

 Lifting the sides of the kiln meant an easy way to get at the very hot pots when they were ready to be given horsehair treatment.  The sides of kiln are seen raised here, and the woman stepping away has a long pair of tongs holding the pot she just picked out of the kiln.

 Here the potter shows a little boy how to drop the horsehair on the hot pot, where it will singe and made a permanent design on it.  The boy was smartly cautious about the hot pot.

 Another demo on a both up the hill - throwing little vase pots on a hump on the wheel.

 Some of the artist's pottery on display next to his demo.

 Looking down the hill where the raku firing was happening.

 Along the ridge of the hill were a dozen or more booths of potters' wares.  Beautiful day to be outside and looking at them!

 A last look down the hill to the working area.

The potters on one side had some natural shade to cool them off.