Pitchers from the past

Finding empty shelves is always a good and bad problem.The bad problem is you have no pots to sell.  The good problem is that you must make more!  Lately instead of pushing forward, I seem to be regressing and making pots that I haven't made in years. Call it a second childhood, if you will. These jugs fit  into the comfortable old friend , good to see you, how have you been category.  A couple dozen got made, I really would like to keep making more of them, but other old friends are calling. 

Cheers,

Make good pots,

~Craig

realization

Snow and cross-country ski trails keep showing up on the camera. All of a sudden there was the realization that I must be spending a lot of time out in the woods, skiing, . Odd, it doesn't seem like that much. The pictures are always at the top of the hills, never at the bottom, I'm sure there is something very telling about that, maybe the light is better at the top.
Maybe some pottery pics will show up on the camera soon. We are supposed to get another 6-8 inches of snow today(it's snowing right now), so there is a chance of more snow photos.
The weather person mentioned that this will be the seventh major snow this winter. Already there is no place left to put the snow!!
When it warms up, we are thinking of making some large snow pots, or snow kilns.
Cheers,
~Craig

Kiln in Snow

The last snow fall or maybe it was the one before, they just keep coming so it becomes one big winter blur left all this snow on the kiln. The snow makes it hard to imagine that sometimes it is 2300F plus inside the kiln .

Next week I'll probably go out and brush all the snow off. I think I will leave it for awhile, as it will not get warm enough to melt. 

Ichi-go ichi-e

Ichi-go ichi-e

Some December throwing

Well the roads have been cleared of the excessive snow and I started putting some more time in at the workshop. Here are a few new jars (tsubo) that will probably go into the spring wood firing. The temp this morning was a -13F. so the spring firing seems like some dreamland far away.

Oh, here is a shot of one of the jars from the side. I really like making these jars, and I always end up with more than I need.  A really good problem to have, there is nothing more frustrating than having space in the kiln with nothing to put there. 

This is a tokkuri  (saki bottle) that I made.. it needs the cups to go with it. That will probably happen tomorrow. It's a bit of fun to alter and slice up some pots. 

Finally some beer mugs. This is a design that I haven't made in about twenty years or so. What a blast from the past.
Well,

Make good pots,

~Craig

Arctic Blast

I haven't blogged in a while. It's not like I haven't been making pots, it's either the camera needs recharging or something. I know that this blog is mainly about pottery, and that snow pictures abound. The pictures mainly are a Currier and Ives Card sort of thing that truly make you want to go and play in the snow.  This snow photo is not on that ilk. This is what yesterday looked like out the back door.   This is snow having a really bad hair day. The weather man was saying things that you never want to hear..... Arctic Blast .... Wind Chill Factor... Below Zero....no travel advised... roads impassable... blowing and drifting.
It was a great day to be inside in the studio.
Make good pots!

~Craig

  

Morning walk

The morning walk is now the morning ski. The walking shoes are put away and the ski boots are by the door. When you just see the snow it's white. When you look at the snow it changes color during the day, from blues to oranges and yes, sometimes it is actually white! Skiing around here can sometimes last into April. Very good exercise for the body and soul.

Dressed in Snow

Shoveling snow and I glanced up to see this pot all dressed in it's winter finest. A nice scarf around it's neck, and something to cover it's feet.

Some epaulets for this one. It helps it stand a little prouder.  

A wonderful frothy head.  A winter garden  in full bloom. 

snow and porcelain

The wood got cut and stacked in time. It's very peaceful and serene when the snow is gently falling, and lying there very still and quiet. Your boots crunch the snow, and the flakes wet your face. White,white, white.

It's snowing, started about 10A and is supposed to continue until tomorrow at the same time. Winter is here, no more yo-yoing between fall and winter!  There is now enough snow to cross-country ski !!! Snow is no fun if you can't play in it... and skiing is about as good as it gets.

I'm living in a very white world these days. Just finishing up on a batch of porcelain.... with a few bowls. Cheers.
~Craig

Lao Tzu

Great correctness may appear twisted,  great skill appear crude,  great eloquence appear awkward.
Great perfection may appear imperfect,  but its usefulness is inexhaustible.
Great abundance may appear empty,  but its usefulness cannot be exhausted.                   Lao Tzu   

A day in the studio.

Here are some small porcelain pieces. They are made from a porcelain that has a little bit of iron, so that they will flash in the wood fire. I like a few of them, some of them I'm not yet convinced of. I'll wait for tomorrow to see how I feel about them before I give any of them the elbow. It is raining right now, we are supposed to get 6 to 9" of snow tonight.

Make good pots
~Craig

A taste of Seoul

Here is a taste of Seoul, S Korea. This is a stainless steel sculpture of a man hammering. The arm and hammer go up and down. You walk around the corner and surprise!!

Firing with wood

Sometimes I have to remind myself, that the wood is actually doing the firing and not me.

Make good pots

~Craig

Snowing and Porcelain

It's snowing and I'm throwing porcelain. Somehow that seems fitting with the whiteness of Winter. Here are a couple of yunomi's and a small lidded jar the happened today. Very white!!

Make good pots,
Craig

On the Bench

Lately there hasn't been anything much to take a picture of. Winter is upon us and we have been doing allot of preparing for a Minnesota winter. We put up several more cords of wood for the firings of next year. This feels very good, there is enough wood for possibly three firings!
I put up this picture from last months trip to Korea. A small boy sitting next to a sculpture. I always like a good picture, you probably do too.

Make good pots

~Craig

Back to the wheel

After trading in the trowel and level, for the chainsaw and woodspliter, time to trade in the chainsaw and splitter for the wheel and water bucket. There is finally time to throw some pots. There was about 100lbs. of porcelain in the mixer so that's where the throwing will start. These are some tokouri, for the spring firing, next something to drink out of.
Winter has finally hit and it is non to soon to get back into the studio!
Make good pots,
~Craig

.Tsuruta Yoshihisa

A real highlight of the kilnbuildiing in Taku ( there were many) was meeting . Tsuruta Yoshihisa and having him so graciously demonstrate Karatsu throwing techniques. His mastery of the making is superb, and his insight into the history and why "this is like that " with Karatsu ware is unequaled. A very generous and thoughtful person.

woodpile

Thursday and part of Friday were used putting up wood. With the help of Leona, Lee, Jedd ; we were able to put up about four more cords of wood. I'm feeling a little smug about this at the moment. We worked hard to get the wood put aside because of a forecast snow on Saturday and Sunday. The wood work got done and it snowed on schedule, and we were not out in the snow, cutting and stacking.
The wood should be nice and seasoned for the spring firing. I may get another four cords next week if the weather improves. I always like to have a least, two firings worth of wood on hand when I fire. Three firings worth would be better, but I don't have the space right now. Having a surplus of wood takes away the stress of running out of wood, or having judgments on firing, not for the good of the pots, but because you might run out of wood.
Leona is a great wood stacker. She grew up with wood for heat, as one of the younger children of the family, her job was to stack the wood after it was split. The stokers can now thank her for wood that is very well organized, and neatly stacked. This doesn't seem like much, but on three to five day firings, organization makes a big difference.

Make good pots.
~Craig

New Kiln In Taku, Japan

Hello All: I haven't posted in a long time. A bit of time away from the computer was needed. Here is a link to what I have been up to,
http://karatsupots-workshop.blogspot.com/
This wood fired kiln was made in a workshop the Mike Martino hosted at his studio in Taku, Japan. I was the guest artist. Mike and I designed this kiln over a two year period. The workshop was glorious and the kiln that got built is top notch. I am very proud to have been a part of this project, and look forward to wood firing this new kiln in the spring.
The picture is of the first chamber of two chambers.
Sorry to have been away so long, it's good to be back.

~Cheers
Make good pots!!
~Craig