Quick images from NCECA

For those of you who might never have heard of NCECA (National Council on Education in the Ceramic Arts), it is hard to imagine the overwhelming nature of a national clay gathering. It was a ZOO! 5000 potters, teachers, professors, engineers, geeks and mudslingers of every shape and size converged on Philly from Wednesday through Saturday of last week.




We traveled to Philadelphia with our apprentice Hannah and Mary Ellen Salmon. Thursday we were joined by Douglas who rounded our group out in the best way. Whether as a gang of five or as pairs or off on our own, NCECA was a blast!



We saw more pots than imaginable. We ate fantastic food. We saw and heard great presentations, workshops and demonstrations. For Nancy and I, the most important aspect of NCECA will always remain the reconnection with our friends. I wish I could say that I brought my dSLR on this trip, but it stayed home in the interest of saving weight. As it was, hauling our minimal gear from pillar to post was plenty hard enough. I think we walked 4-5 miles each day (at least, that's what our feet were yelling at us at the end of the day!).







What else can I say?

Last Firing Before the Holidays

Today Hannah and I unloaded the last glaze firing for this year. It was loaded with the last of the orders from summer and fall. There is something so wonderful about knowing that the orders that have been waiting are finally done. The best part is that tomorrow I can start boxing things up to ship after the holidays.

This firing was for the first time, filled more with Hannah's work than with mine. As we unloaded and cleaned pots, it was really fun to see all the new ideas that Hannah has been pursuing for the past few months while I have been incapacitated. She has put a ton of effort into keeping the shelves stocked with mugs, sorbet bowls and plates. Her teapots and her butter dishes stole the show. The decoration is finally starting to meld with the form and the overall effect is awesome.