Oh !

I almost forgot to wish everybody a Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!! My husband and our cat, Mew.

New Year's Resolution

To start an Etsy store.....................you can see I've already added a link to the currently empty store - I hope to have it filled shortly after January 1st......Check in and keep me honest ;)

Unexpected Beauty

Really Large frost crystals that formed all over the hood of my car last night. My husband Dave came in from the cold this morning to point them out to me..........mmmmm pretty :)

Something Old Something New

It's with mixed feelings that I welcomed my new Brent wheel into my studio. I've been using the same wonky old wheel that my parents bought used for me as a Christmas present my senior year of high school. I know that's weird to be attached to my wheel......but we've been together for a long time. The Brent is quiet....very quiet......Ol' Wonky is definitely not quiet, she kind of sounds and feels like riding on an old roller coaster at the fair. Brent goes slow fast and everything in between. Ol' Wonky only goes fast and faster. Oh well such is progress I suppose........I think I'll let them live side by side for awhile.

Distressed Leather

This is the finale results of the pots that I used the slip with sodium silicate and iron oxide. hmmm.......interesting.....I think I'll have to explore this further.

I Love this Poem

When the Clay Calls

By Nora Naranjo-Morse

From her book - Mud Woman: Poems from the Clay (University of Arizona Press, 1992.).

This clay starts calling to me only days after I've sworn it off
wishing to leave tired hands to rest,
wanting to release myself from the browns and reds
that bend easily into gentle curves,
instantly becoming a child's face
a woman's skirt, or her husband's smile.
Resting from lines I review,
have reviewed,
and will review again.
Dusting off the sanded earth
as coarse surfaces level into fluid forms
I had not yet discovered,
so smooth and yet richly textured with life of its own.
I am in awe of this clay that fills me with passion
and wonder.
This earth
I have become a part of,
that also I have grown out of.

Work, Work, Work, Work, Work

OK ........ I really love being a potter. My favorite thing is probably working on the wheel. I can loose myself in the motion of the wheel and the clay.....and I love the feel of the wet clay in my hands. I love hand building.....I love firing my kilns especially my large gas kiln and my raku kiln (yup....I like to play with fire) It takes about 5 bisque loads from my Skutt to fill the gas kiln. That's alot of pots! Confession.....I don't like glazing .....it's the only part of the whole process the feels like work to me. Since I spray alot of my glazes I have to wear my Darth Vader respirator which fogs my glasses and makes me feel totally claustrophobic! Oh well....I've got a show this weekend so I guess it's off to work I go.

New Horsehair Raku

After having so many of the pots I've pulled out of my kiln at 1500 degrees crack, I started experimenting to see what would be the lowest temp I could pull the pots out and get good results with horsehair raku. These pots are my latest. Fired to 950 degrees I started applying some of the horsehair while the pots were still in the kiln. This left very bold dark lines. I then pulled the pots and applied more horsehair to some of them which left a much softer line.

Southern Maine Artisans Showcase at Saco Train Station

Maine Craft Association recently installed a Museum Case at the new Saco Transportation Center. The venue is going to be used to showcase Southern Maine Artisans. I feel very flattered to be invited to participate in the inaugural showcase.
The station building opened in 2009 and is the first "Green" train station in the U.S. It features a wind turbine for electricity, geothermal heating and cooling systems, and a roof made from recycled soda bottles.

The Dragonflys of August

The last of the dragonflys are almost gone. Just a few stragglers remain a sign that there won't be many more warm days to come for a while. The dragonflys usually start appearing late in July and stay through the month of August. Every evening they show up in swarms numbering in the hundreds. It's quite an impressive site - like have a legion of small helicopters hovering over our backyard. Our dog, Imazadi, is usually so overwhelmed that she retreats into her dog house until they leave for the night.

Sanford Art Association Hosts Southern Maine Clay Guild

Just wanted to share some pics from the Clay Guild's August 09 show at the Sanford Art Association's Gallery. The women in the photo with the sheep is my friend Mia Auger and her sheep is named Gertie. Mia created Gertie  with over 5,000 individual pieces of clay "wool" (5,050 to be exact) which were assembled on a welded frame. Absolutely awesome!!!!

Fall

I can't believe the summer is over and we are already into October. I've been very neglectful with my posts and I am going to try and be more diligent.
I don't have any shows this month so I've been enjoying getting up every morning and going out to the studio to work. I've been playing around with a new technique where you apply a slip that contains sodium silicate to the surface of a wet pot, draw onto the surface (I've been using a wooden chop stick) and then use a heat gun to dry the outside of the pot. You then go back and expand the form from the inside. The result is a distortion of the drawings and a very cool crackling on the surface from the sodium silicate. I added iron oxide to my slip and the pots almost look like distressed leather. The pots are in the electric kiln being bisque fired and I am anxious to see what they will look like after they are glazed and fired again.

New Castle Arts & Craft Fair - York Art Association

The fair in New Castle yesterday, although small went very well. The day started out foggy with a threat of thunderstorms in the afternoon but the fog cleared and the thunderstorms never materialized. I had never been to New Castle before. It's a very quaint and pretty island off the coast of Portsmouth, NH. ..... All & all it was a wonderful crowd and a beautiful summer day!

Today is a different story......the rain is back. Oh well. I have stuff to unpack - hopefully I have some time to experiment with putting decals on some of my small bud vases - and then later this afternoon head down to York Art Association's gallery to drop off a couple of pieces for their annual summer show.

Kiln Opening

I'm very pleased with alot of the pots coming out of the kiln from that last firing! I'm going to have to set up my ezcube and photograph the work that we'll be taking to the show on Saturday. And then between now and then paperwork & packing up for the show.
After Saturday I'll have a couple of weeks before the next show in Alton Bay, NH. I'm going to be rethinking and reorganizing my studio space. Currently I have my wheel setup in a chicken coop my husband Dave converted into studio space. Although it's small it has been functional for the past several years and because Dave added alot of windows, it's never seemed claustrophobic. My Kilns and Show Room are in another out building. In order to save on heating costs this winter (it gets pretty cold in Maine) , we're going to switch the Show Room to the chicken coop and bring my wheel into the other out building. Hopefully the result will be alot more cost efficeint and funtion more effectively. I'll be posting photos as everything evolves.

Firing the Downdraft Kiln

I'm firing my downdraft kiln today and things seem to be going very well. This is my last chance to add new pieces to my inventory before my first show of the Summer this coming Saturday. So....hopefully when I open the kiln on Wednesday I'll be pleasantly surprised! This is going to be a very busy week. Photographing new pieces.....pricing and labeling my work and packing everything up by Friday.

New Castle Arts & Crafts Fair
Juried Fine Arts & Crafts
Sat., June 24, 9:00 - 3:00 PM
Route 1B, New Castle, NH

Maybe I'll see you there :)

About Homeport Pottery Studio

Hi....I'm Cathie - the owner of Homeport Pottery Studio.....a full time pottery studio located in Kennebunkport, Maine. This blog is going to be about the day to day life of a studio potter.