I’m on vacation this week, and have just returned from spending a few days with friends in New England. Souvenir from the trip was this woodcut made by Lynita Shimizu, a Connecticut printmaker.

I’m obviously a slacker blogger…. Just approved 2 messages from old friends (Hi Carolyn & Missy !) who stumbled onto this blog, and they were weeks old… Alas.

Here are some photos of things I’ve been working on in the studio–not finished though. Lots of glazing in my future…

First up: The giant pile o’ bisque:

I’ve been working on some new fluted forms (cups and serving dishes), and a few old standbys…xmas ornaments, baking dishes, etc.

Then there’s the result of this weekend’s marathon:

Candlesticks, more cups, small pitchers, handbuilt plates, tiles, pillow bud vases, and pieces/parts for 3 teapots. So…no more making until some glazing/firing gets done!

I’m finally getting around to posting a few more things about my trip to Arrowmont last month. Arrowmont has a beautiful library, the Marian G. Heard Resource Center.

The library holds over 10,000 volumes related to art and craft.  All are housed in this comfortable, welcoming and well  appointed reading room in the main building.

Today started out with the participants’ cup trade, and I was really happy to receive a cup by Jennifer Mecca, whose blog I have read regularly over the past few months.  It’s quite lovely with an amber to green glaze that has a lot of variation, and  is also decorated with several leaf-shaped sprigs:

Next up was the first round of presenter demonstrations.  I spent most of the morning with Kari Radasch, who demo’d her process for sort of a hybrid handbuilding/throwing with slabs & coils on the banding wheel.

I also dropped in on presentations by Linda Christianson and Ayumi Horie.   After a wonderful lunch, I spent all afternoon at the session led by Daphne Hatcher.   Here is a quick image of her platters in the presenter’s exhibition:

One of the demonstrations she did was how she forms these platters by placing a slab in a “sling” made from cardboard barrel sections and cloth.  When leatherhard, she attaches a partially thrown ring of clay and then finishes the foot on the wheel.

I have 4 square plates made by Daphne Hatcher that I bought out of a gallery exhibition at Agnes Scott College back in the early 80s when I was an art student there.  I still have those plates, and use them often!  I was great to hear her talk about her life as a potter and to see her making work.

I’m sitting at the Knoxville Airport, waiting for the 2pm shuttle to Gatlinburg and Arrowmont.  Since I missed the 11am one by a mere 15 minutes….that’s almost 3 hours of time to be logged here.  Sigh.  People-watching is interesting for only so long.    This happened to me the last time too.  Guess the timing from Gainesville just happens that way.

Why am I in Knoxville?  I’m attending the Utilitarian Clay V: Celebrating the Object National Symposium.  I attended the last one, 4 years ago, and it was fabulous.  Really looking forward to it…if I can ever get out of the airport!

OK…I got the camera situation resolved.  Here’s a photo of freshly thrown cups, and another after the handles were applied…   I just love seeing them all lined up.

We’ve been hunkered down for a few days now, waiting out tropical storm Fay.  She’s quite the erratic one, and has been content to hug the coast for a couple of days.  She’s on the move now, and we’re getting some pretty strong wind and rain here in Gainesville.  The powers that be decided to close the University tomorrow–so I’m home for the long weekend.  I’m hoping the weather won’t get too too bad, and I’ll just have a quiet, productive couple of days.

via Bridgeman Pottery

 Bottled water–check.  Peanut Butter sandwich makings–check.  Flashlights & Candles–check.