It has been nearly three weeks since my knee surgery, and I am finally back in the studio. Today was spent glazing pots and loading the kiln which as I write this has just begun firing. It will be two days until I can open the kiln and see the results of my work. Opening the kiln always feels like being a kid on Christmas morning, hoping I will get at least some of what I wanted!

I have begun taking hand-building lessons with Mary Mikkelsen. Mary and her husband Henry Pope collaborate in making beautiful work at Mikpo Pottery, and learning from her is a wonderful opportunity. Now that I have gotten glazing out of the way, I have enough room in the studio to practice the techniques Mary showed me. Working in a small studio means space is always an issue, but having the windows open makes the space feel larger. One of the birdhouses on the studio porch is again inhabited by a little Carolina wren who sings from sunup to sundown. This spring he seems to especially enjoy singing along with Robin Bullock's guitar recordings www.robinbullock.com .

I have also resumed hammered dulcimer lessons with Donna Germano classictouchmusic.net and am trying to spend some time each day practicing that. Playing the hammered dulcimer is like trying to pat your head while rubbing your belly and standing on your head at the same time. If it doesn't drive me batty, perhaps the brain exercise will help prevent dementia. There is a little song sparrow who sometimes sings along. His taste in music is obviously not nearly as good as the house wren's.

Dry Ridge

People keep asking me why I chose the name Dry Ridge Pottery. We live just south of Weaverville, North Carolina in an area known as Dry Ridge. We are surrounded by mountains which do interesting things to our weather. Often in summer, huge rain storms will come toward Dry Ridge, and they pass right by us without leaving a drop of rain. Others in the area get frequent downpours while we get almost nothing. Last summer we had two days of rain, the preceding summer, one. Better to be Dry Ridge Pottery than Dry Ridge Farm.


Today I picked up some gorgeous new glazes and am anxious to try them on those lidded jars. Buddy accompanied me to Highwater Clay for the first time and made lots of new friends. Unfortunately, he cannot hang out in my studio, as the stuff on the floor of a pottery studio is not something he needs to ingest, and Buddy eats just about everything he can get hold of. One of his current favorites is maple tree seeds.

Kapow!

I opened the kiln today to discover that two pots had exploded in the kiln. These were two of the four pieces for the fountain. I imagine they were not quite dry before firing. The challenge will be making replacements that will fit with the pieces that survived. Thankfully, it was a bisque firing, so I did not have pieces glazed to the kiln, and there was no damage to the kiln. It did motivate me to vacuum the inside of the kiln, something I needed to do.

Clay shrinks as it dries and again with each firing. Making replacement pieces of a certain size and shape is always a challenge. Pieces also tend to change shape a bit, which is why lids are usually fired on their pots rather than separately. Even teapot spouts thrown on the wheel tend to uncoil a bit in firing, so, if a spout has a definite bottom, many potters will attach them turned a bit so they will rotate to the correct angle. Just one more reason I don't like to make teapots!

I was finally able to get back out to the studio today. I am waiting for knee surgery to be done in a few weeks. In the meantime I have learned that being in pain greatly diminishes my creativity. I can force myself to make pots, but creativity cannot be forced. Two artist friends have recently shared that they have been experiencing the same thing. One of the ironies of getting older is that we tend to have more time, but aging bodies are not always able to keep up. I am looking forward to being able to resume physical exercise like walking and yoga, things that allow me to enjoy long hours in the studio.

Yesterday I attended the annual Catawba Valley Pottery and Antiques Festival. Daniel Johnston http://danieljohnstonpottery.com showed a video about his Large Jar Project and demonstrated skills he learned in Thailand. I was not planning to buy anything at the show, but I fell in love with Charlie Tefft's work and brought home one of his pieces, a lovely platter with two Carolina Wrens, my favorite bird. http://ctpottery.com/. One reason I went to Catawba was to pick up some inspiration for my own work. Having a studio at home can be isolating, so I have to make time to stay in touch with other potters and their work. I am grateful to live in a community with so many extraordinary artists.

Today I started a fountain inspired by one I recently saw. Making a fountain which works correctly is a feat of engineering. I want this one to make enough noise that I can hear it in several rooms, but not splash enough to make a mess. The design I am working on requires at least five pots which are then assembled into the finished product. Halfway through today's work, I wondered why I did not just buy a ready-made fountain and spend my studio time making something else. Stubbornness, I suppose.

The only drawback in having a tiny studio with lots of windows is lack of storage space. I have pottery tools hanging from the window frames and sitting on the sills. I am considering ways to hang things from the rafters, especially since reaching up high to grab something is a good way to stretch out a body which has spent hours hunched over the wheel.

This week's unseasonably warm weather allowed me to open all the windows, transforming the studio from a closed, cozy space to merely a holder of clay and tools as I seemingly potted in the woods. The birdhouses have been cleaned and are ready for the many possible residents who have been checking out available homes. The gardens think spring is here, and everything is sprouting new leaves and even some flowers. There is something about potting in the midst of nature that feels very right, as if the beauty and enthusiasm of nature feed my creative energy in a way nothing else can. 


This area is full of artists of all kinds, many of whom say nature is their inspiration. We have a beautiful sculpture, "Welcome to the Mountains" created Ed Byers http://www.edbyers.com/. Sitting in our kitchen is a ceramic rooster salt shaker made by Cindy Trisler http://www.mudlusciouspottery.com/ . Cindy and her husband also raise food and are a source of terrific chicken-friendly eggs. We enjoy sharing our home with art which reflects the beauty of this area. Those creations are even more special when we know the artists.

Help the economy. Buy something created by a local artist. You really will be glad you did!

I had meant to post at least twice a week. A severely sprained knee kept me out of the studio until yesterday when I was able to play in clay for a couple hours.

Some lidded jars are drying and almost ready for the kiln.

I added terra sig to another piece to see how it would work on something so highly-textured.

As for today, it is pouring rain, but the Downton Abbey marathon is on PBS, and a big pot of soup is simmering on the stove.

Terra Sigillata

I love the way terra sigillata looks, rich and buttery, almost like leather. I recently made my first batch of terra sig. This platter just came out of the kiln. It is 14" in diameter, Newman's Red terra sig over Brownstone clay, cone 6 oxidation, NFS.