Week of August 20 – September 3

         I’ve been on vacation for about two weeks.  Lots of time for pottery!  It’s great to be back throwing!  I really missed it.  Lately I’ve been addicted to making BIG things.  Now that I have my own kiln, I feel liberated!
          I just finished up the last to do with my workshop pieces. I had to clean pots, seal the insides, and wax the outsides.
         When a friend of a friend didn’t come through in designing a website to showcase my ceramics, I hired Diana Bourgeois of Magic Touch Marketing to do the job. She’s been great! I’d definitely recommend her (www.marketingsc.com).
         It’s been a month since Xander’s rat poison fiasco and he’s in perfect health.  It’s true what they say lab owners; “They will eat anything”.

Week of August 13

         After the workshop I had a lot of pottery left unfired.  I started up three electric kilns!  Great results!  Would never know most of them were cone 6 glazes.  I’m always amazed how long and tedious glazing is.  I hate it but I think it’s what I’m best at. 

         Brought a load of vases to the manager of Rockwell Art Gallery in Norwalk.  She’s going to distribute them to their other locations in Wilton and Westport.  Among the 13 vases were several crystalline pieces!  If you get a chance, go and check them out (http://www.rockwellartandframing.com/)!    

Week of August 6, 2006

         Week of my “Five Days of Fire” workshop at Canton Clay Works!  Getting there was no small task though!  About 20 min away from my destination the temperature gage on my father’s Blazer shot up.  Lesson to everyone – check and change your coolant often!  After inching to a mechanic, I was told I had a cracked radiator.  I got to the workshop late, but just in time to start glazing for the wood and salt chambers. 

         During the workshop we fired up the gas, wood, salt, raku, pit, saagar, and sawdust kilns.  I didn’t get in all my pots, but did get in a lot of them.  Got some excellent results.  I’m not a big fan of raku, pit, and saagar firings though.  Learned oodles.  It was A LOT of physical work.  Boy was I exhausted.

        When I got back home, Nate and I played “Where does this pot go?”  There’s no more room in the apartment for more pots!  Though I always say that and after the next kiln I always find more room.

Week of July 30, 2006

This could have possibly been the most jam-packed week ever!  It’s crunch time!  Have about 90 pots ready for my “Five Days of Fire” workshop.  Would like to get 30 more pieces done.  Always better to have extra pots at a group workshop in hope some extra room will manifest. 

Very busy with pottery camp too!  I teach at Lakeside Pottery in Stamford (http://www.lakesidepottery.com/) Clay all day long!

Xander (my red Labrador Retriever puppy) decided a box of rat poison would be a very tasty snack.   We rushed him to the vet and got him on vitamin K right away.  I’m sure he’ll be A-ok; we got it out really fast. 

And, to boot, my partner Nate quit the Big City to come live in the Nutmeg State with my pots and me!  We’ve been together for over two years now.  Can you believe he still hasn’t broken a piece of pottery yet?  I think that’s amazing.

For any potters out there who are car shopping, DON’T BUY A BEETLE!  There’s NO WAY I’m going to pack my hundred-and-something pots in my little car!  I am going to borrow my father’s Blazer to get me to my workshop.

Beginning of July, 2006

FINALLY got my Skut 10-273 Kiln wired!  Free electrical work takes a long time, but he couldn’t have been a nicer and more understanding guy.  Been a long haul getting the kiln to the house and hooked up -- seven months to be exact!  The good news is though; it’s firing very well.  Have done several bisques and one glaze and ended up with nice results.  Heats evenly and no blisters so far (knock on wood).

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