New Shelving in the Studio (Pictures coming soon!) & Happy New Year

Hi,

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. I have new shelving put up in the studio, so now plenty of extra surface area for even more work! I'm planning to post some new pictures soon after the fallout.

Went to the Mall of America (M.O.A. as it is often referred) today, and it was a lot of fun to walk around, do a little shopping, and eat one of those fantastic crepes!

I'm planning another production run of some dinnerware, vases, and other items, which I'll start after the New Year. I just reclaimed ~600lbs of clay, so I should be set for that project which should take about a month.

If anyone is reading this that is part of a gallery, please contact me as I'm looking for places to sell my work.

Happy New Year to anyone reading this, I hope it'll be a good one. Bye for now!

Benazir Bhutto Dead by Assassination

Sad day for peace.

Studio is Clean . . . Finally! Last Show Pictures and Modern Times on Sunday Morning

Hi,

Thanks for checking in! Here are some new pictures to feast on. Some of them from my in-house show and some of the studio - yes, it's clean! I spent 2 hours cleaning the studio the past weekend. I used this fantastic product used to keep the dust down while I swept, but I also used a respirator too just to be safe.

"The World At Large"

Hi, and thanks for checking my blog. If this is you're first time visiting, welcome. I hope you will visit when you feel like it, write an email to me regarding the content of this blog, and enjoy what I believe is a dying craft here in America. Granted, I do believe there is a few hotbeds in the States, namely the Twin Cities, Stillwater/Taylors Falls, and Seagrove NC, however I don't think there's enough potters - well, relative to how many Walmart's, Targets, and Pottery Barn's. Let me stop this rant for now and share some pictures.

A faceted pilgrim bottle. Small version.

A new yellow glaze that I'm trying out. What do you think of it?

A nice variegated glaze containg yellow, blues, and browns. I couldn't get a really good picture of it, but I do like it!
Lots more vase tests . . .
Tile tests. Most are within my specs, but the one in the third row second tile may need a little tweaking. It's Val's Rivulet glaze.
Nacho dipper. I have made two of these. This one is in Tenmoku brown and Glacial Blue, one of my favorite combinations.

Olive oil decanter in a festive green and red glaze. This could be used for dressings, hand soap, or to hold your favorite olive oil.

Red and black-speckled vase.
Tenmoku vase.
Gravy boat.
Waxed footrings ready to receive a coat of glaze.

Event Change and Rescheduled to December 8th and December 9th

Hi,

Thanks for looking at my blog today. I've decided it's too damn cold to be outside this weekend selling coffee mugs. I've rescheduled the sale for the following.

Saturday, December 8th: 10am-4pm

Sunday, December 9th: 12noon-4pm

Email me at Apt51Pottery@yahoo.com for directions to the sale. There will be coffee and cookies available to snack on, in addition to Charlie Parr or some festive music playing in the background. Coffee mugs will still be selling for $10. I hope to see you there. Bring a friend or family member if you want. There will be over 200 pieces (I haven't counted them all) but about 35 cubic feet = 5 kiln loads.

Here's a picture of the last bisque firing I just loaded before the sale next weekend. The top shelf has small vases 3-4" high, and also test tiles. The middle tier contains spoon holders for the kitchen, a basket, cookie jar, and a few coffee mugs. Two tiers below that are chock full of coffee mugs.

Dog bowls - water and food. One of my relatives requested a few of these. They were easy to make, and I just eyeballed them to be around the same size. I'm planning to coat each with a different color.
Plates. Almost 9" wide. Wall is less than 1" high.
I found this rat at the Macy's nutcracker this weekend, swords and all! He looks happy . . . or scary, you choose.

Evoke Gallery has about 20 of my pots in ther Holiday Bazaar. Go check 'em out, they have lots of cool stuff there! Here's an image from their website, with one of my pots in blue and black.

http://www.evokegallery.com/artists.html

Coffee Mug Sale, December 1st - 10am to 4pm

Hi, and thanks for checking my blog today. I'm planning a sale for next weekend, on the corner of Grand Avenue and Milton Street - one block West of Victoria. Coffee mugs will be $10 a piece, and small vases will be $5 - - one heck of a deal for you Holiday door-busters.

These pots will be glazed by next weekend:
Here's a picture of a Downy woodpecker I had taken at Roberts Bird Sanctuary.
Have a nice rest of the weekend. I might post again later tonight.

Conservatory Pictures

Hi,

Thanks for checking in. I went to the local Conservatory yesterday here in Saint Paul, called the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory. Here are a few pictures I had taken:

And a nice variegated orchid, not sure on the species...
I loaded another Bisque load last night, which will fire for 12 hours. I have found that a slower bisque is best for me and my clay. I used to fire to cone 05 in about 8 hours, and sometimes a few pieces would crack because the water didn't have a chance to escape. It's a common misconception that pottery breaks due to air bubbles not being liberated.

I'm planning a pottery sale again soon, likely either next weekend or the following - I haven't decided. Lots of work in progress, most of which are pictured in earlier posts. There will be about 150 pieces at the next sale, plus it will be indoors with a few candies, finger foods, and beverages. I hope you will be able to join me. Have a nice rest of the weekend; I'm planning to update again tomorrow night.