Happy Fourth Of July

Originally I wanted to wax eloquent about how tonight was such a wonderful night. I think after looking at all these amazing images, I am content to call it a night and let the pictures do the talking. Happy Fourth of July everyone! And thank you Aurora, Dana, Justin and Nancy. This was the best!

Those Sleepless Days of July

Hannah's Wall-o-Mugs!

If you think you know the lyrical reference in the title of this posting, and you leave it here via a comment, (and you're correct)... I have a prize for you.

So, what have we been up to this week? Mostly making more pots. I had a good series of footed mugs come through the kiln, and they all sold before we had a chance to get some good images of them.

I finally had a few minutes this morning to catch a few quick glimpses around the showroom. Surprisingly, it has been pretty slow in our gallery this week. Compared to last week, it has been silent... a few folks each day, but nothing like the onslaught we had the last week of June!

Light at the end of the tunnel

As this week begins, I am still thinking about the time we spent lakeside over the past few days.

With light like this (no photoshop here!)... how can one NOT want to make colors like this on pots! All my life, I have loved super rich saturated colors. I think one of my frustrations is that there is simply so little time to come up with new ideas for glazes!

Rebecca's visit

What Makes You Tick

Justin, trimming a sorbet bowl.

Hannah, helping dust the pots before the busy weekend!

Dana, looking through our orders for the month.

For the past six months we have had apprentices here. In the past, we've tried having folks work with us, but have generally been less than thrilled. Time and time again, I would go back and read articles from potters like John Glick, Mark Hewitt or Mike Cohen, where they talked about the importance of the apprentice system. As a product of that system myself, I always figured someday, somehow we would incorporate apprentices into our shop. This was the year!

Since January, we have had Hannah working with us, making plates left and right. Now she has started becoming more involved in making mugs. In addition, she makes her own line of mugs which are bi-colored and often have additional decoration. These mugs we sell separately from our studio line, but since the glazes match our monochrome pots, they work very well together. The end result is that Hannah brings in a little extra cash each week as we sell her mugs, and in return she also makes a pile of mugs for the studio.

In March, Dana and Justin began working here. Neither had ever worked in clay before so this was a completely new experience. I cannot begin to express the fun we've had, the things we've learned, and just the sheer volume of pots that have been made here since January.

Now we're looking at a little over two weeks until Dana and Justin leave for Modesto, CA. Such a terribly short span of time and yet there is still SO much more they want to try before they leave the East Coast.

Things I never took into account:
1. Time. Apprentices NEED a lot of time and attention. It pays you back in spades, but they need that time with your help and supervision and care.

2. Space. I thought our studio was pretty small (comfy) to begin with.... but having up to four of us working in there at once... it was tight! If you aren't thrilled with bopping butts with your fellow potters, a bigger studio might be a better choice than adding apprentices to your cramped space. For us, this has made us work smarter, harder and faster. Now we fire ALL the time, keeping pots flowing out the door instead of log-jamming as greenware or bisqueware on shelves.

3. Patience. I think between having apprentices and having a pre-teen, I am learning about patience. Luckily Nancy is kind and helpful in pointing out when my patience is gone. She always seems to step in RIGHT at the moment when I need help.

4. Direction. I guess it isn't really fair to assume that everyone has direction. Some people aren't goal oriented. I have always had pretty clear cut goals and known how to get there.... till I met clay. Since then, I have wandered, wondered and just plain said hmmm. Apprentices though, expect you to help them find direction. They need to know that the work they're doing will help them down that path. While as the potter/instructor/whatever-you-might-call-yourself... you might not know what the path is for every student/apprentice, at the very least you can shine a path farther down the way.

All in all, this has been the most awesome experience for Nancy and I. We both feel so incredibly lucky to have had this time with our apprentices. As crucial as they have become to our workshop and our life, I am at a loss as to how to approach the next apprentice-applicants. We certainly can't replace Dana and Justin, but the work they've been doing has been so helpful. On top of that, the educational component has really motivated me to begin work on a book project that has been percolating for a few years now. The reciprocity relationship involved in this level of apprenticeship has really reshaped my perceptions of what our studio needs. It's both exciting and rewarding! Thank you Dana, Justin and Hannah.

Watching the light fade

Three at a time - plus me

Our three apprentices: Hannah, Dana, and Justin.

Today all three of our apprentices were working in the studio. At the same time. We have a tiny studio. Folks who haven't visited our humble workspace are always under the illusion that we work in a spacious open studio with ample sunlight and great views and breezes.... and it just aint so. We (all six of us!) share a space 14x30... for throwing, handbuilding, trimming, glazing, and drying.

Other parts of the studio house our kilns, slab roller, and gallery... but the making space, is not large. For one potter, it is a great space. For two potters, it works just fine. Having four of us in there today was a hoot. Somewhere between herding cats and juggling jello. Every board that was moved needed backup warning beeps and permission from air traffic control. By the time the afternoon was here and it was time to call it a day, I was sure everyone would be at eachother's throats. The opposite was true. It was all smiles. Everyone found their place, work got made, and fun was had.

Weekly Update

This week has seen a lot of pots fly through the studio... and yet I feel like I haven't had time to do much of anything. Here's a quick look through the studio and the gallery. More when I feel "more caught up"

One of the projects I started this week was adding feet to our oval vase forms. I wish the feet were visible in this image... suffice to say they look like the feet on our footed mugs. I think though, that they need something more. Not sure yet how to integrate it, but we'll see what the next batch offers.


I always enjoy waxing. I love the rhythm of re-centering. I love seeing them lined up, covered in bubblegum colored wax. Some potters ask why I bother adding dye to our wax... I guess I like knowing exactly where I have goofed with the wax, rather than being surprised after the firing. We also add alumina hydrate to our wax to help avoid plucking of our claybody on our kiln shelves.


Hannah finally has her own display of her multi-colored mugs. And they are FLYING off the shelves. Of our last four customers, three of them went home with at least one of Hannah's mugs.

Reason 2: Why I love having a sister -Going Places

Aurora and Maggie at the Ithaca Farmer's Market on Saturday

Are we having fun yet?

Maggie, Aurora, Justin and Dana.
Maggie had made coconut macaroons, so we had to share some with Dana and Justin.
That meant a meet-up at Farmer's Market.

Big Andrew and Aurora
Last time he saw her (last summer) she was eight inches shorter.

Today is my sister's last full day in NY state. We did so many things this weekend that I had zero time to add stuff to the blog. For that matter, I lacked the time/energy to glaze and fire the next load of pots too. So, today is a work day. Tons to do, pots to pack up and ship, more pots to glaze and get ready for another firing. Yesterday's glaze firing finally finished off this morning before we went for our walk around the gorge at Taughannock Falls today. Pics from that maybe tomorrow.

Where did we go? We started off at the Treman Marina in Ithaca for a photoshoot, then off to Farmers Market for some perusing and shopping. Found some old friends, some new friends and ran into our apprentices Dana and Justin. Mag had promised to bring them some of her killer macaroons! Then we went to Borders for a bit, so Aurora could begin her weekly intake of comic books. After that we headed out to Lansing so Maggie could attend a spinning workshop/gathering. One thunderstorm and 4 hours later we picked her up and headed home to make more fun foods!

Sunday was a little less eventful with us taking a trip to the Cayuga Creamery after lunch, then heading over to Lodi Point for a photoshoot and beach walk. Then we travelled north to Geneva, had a quick dinner and then home along the lake through Amish country. Stopped along the way at Schaeffer Irises again. I had to see what new flowers were in bloom. Definitely wasn't let down. Cheryl always has tons of things in bloom. Yesterday was no exception. Everyone else's gardens were looking beat and hammered from the thunderstorm... not her's. It looked fresh, perky and ready to go. Pics from that tomorrow or Wed.

All in all, it has been a fantastic weekend. I'll post some stuff from the studio-side of things mid week.

Reason 1: why having a sister is cool

My sister is SO cool!

My sister is here from London. We haven't seen one another for over 7 years. This is what I woke up to today: chocolate chip macaroons and key lime pie!

Gotta love it!!!