It has been a while since I was last on here, so I will take a bit of time to update. The new L&L is running, and it is fantastic! Phone app tells me temps, and gives me warnings.  The kiln, a E28M-3 took a while to calibrate as the witness cones were about 11/2 cones off. I am now running a -45 offset on the cone offset setting. Each level is within the cone  6-6.5 region. mostly ^6. I have it with Quad elements and the Genesis Touch Screen Controller and the downdraft venting system. Worth it, as the few loads I have fired have been pretty much flawless except for the early ..read more

As I have said before, in past posts, teapots are the test of the potter. Many variables are involved in the creation of the pieces and in the assembly of the finished pot. Handles that are functional and yet comfortable, Spouts that pour readily, lids that fit and don't fall off during the pouring process, are all involved in the creation of a finished teapot. The graphic to the right gets a little deeper into the subtleties of the teapot form. Usually when I start doing a teapot, I throw several, bodies, spouts and lids at one time. This time I only threw four sets with a few extra spouts ..read more

Two days ago, my grand daughter took time from her Summer vacation time to plant the Succulent Garden for her grandma. We used some plants that we had in the house already, and a few from the local nursery. It makes a nice addition to the house, and uses the pot that is in one of the previous posts. Over the years it has had a little bit of damage, but very little is of notice. I think in the long run it is better than throwing it out ..read more

 Here it is 20212, and time has flown by even with the pandemic event. We have been pretty well isolated. trying to stay safe. I still am highly involved in the pottery, but met with a set back in November when my 36+ year old kiln finally reached the point of no return. I have kept it repaired over the years, but when it failed in the middle of a glaze firing I found that too many electrical components needed replacing. Considering the work and cost of parts it was determined by my wife that I should buy a new kiln. I have a new L&L with all of the bells and whistles on order since J ..read more

It was a busy Spring, as clay started to thaw out around mid April. I had already received an order from Savannah Bee in Georgia, and needed to finish orders for chalices and patens. Much of my time was spent in the shop trying to get orders out.  Decorating the chalice forms has been interesting, as I am now almost always stamping them with texture before shaping the bowls, thrown of the hump. This allows some variation in the textures as the form expands so do the textures. I am still throwing the stem and the bowls separately, and often will use a potato peeler to facet edges of the stems ..read more