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.