New studio plans. Looks like we are finally on our way to making a studio in Lowertown Paducah. We have two bids on the studio and they are very good. Louis has married the two plans we wanted with this nice rendering: old barn style and modern studio (a hard sale)-

We also have two good bids on renovating an old home next door to the studio lot. This old home was built in 1897 and only is 1187 sq foot. It has lots of charm and we intend to make is ours! It has been completely gutted 0n the inside and has lots of usable space, not to mention lots of the old wood work and architectural details.

Wedding Birds

Things are progressing at a snails pace with the studio here in Paducah, but things are exciting elsewhere. A few of by friends are getting married and I have been asked to create the wedding cake toppers for them. This is the first bit of clay that I have touched since school let out in June. It feels good to get back into making with clay. Pics to follow soon but for now keep cool.

Summer Studio Plans

Well it has been a year since my last post and I do have lots to tell, so let us focus only on the good stuff. Since moving my lovely wife, Shand, to Paducah with me, we both now have full time positions educating the impressionable youth about art in Kentucky. This has been the first time in our lives together that we feel "financially secure". So, now since that life goal is checked, move onto another life goal: build a studio! STUDIO O O! (like Phil Collins)

Paducah is a place like no other. Only in Paducah will the city sell you a lot for a dollar! After cruising around the neighborhood and exploring lots, cool old buildings with potential, nooks and crannies, we have selected the perfect lot for the pottery studio. This lot is nestled next to a foreclosed home (more to come about that situation later) with lots of trees for a country feel in an urban local.
Shand and I have been working with an architect to help with the designing of the studio and it has been great. Louis Lovera has great insight into building artist friendly studios/workshops and he is also considered a "green" designer. We have meet twice and Louis has drawn up two very cool layouts for us to choose from. Option A has a small loft and two smaller studios, while Option B has two larger studios and is all on one floor. Shand and I both think Option B is more ideal mainly for being on one level, but both layouts are possible. So we will see. There are just a few modifications to the plans and we will be off to the bank for a construction loan!

If anyone out there has some helpful tips about their pottery layout, please let me know. I have consulted the "Designing a Pottery Studio" book and have looked at several other potteries from sweet North Carolina to the sweaty Mississippi. Hopefully everything will fall into place. Well, until next week keep turnin and burnin!

Summer Moving

Summer is here!  Hot days are not made for moving... Lately I have been boxing up my house in North Carolina and getting ready to merge our two houses into one in Kentucky.  My wife has a job offer in Vail, Colorado and we have been playing the pros and cons game. However, we have decided to move ahead and spend time with each other and develop our artistic careers in Paducah, Ky.  To get ready for the move we had a garage sale, uploaded images to Craigslist, and advertised on Facebook.  Craigslist got the best views and we sold several things before the garage sale.  Yay!  

Well, not pots are being made right now, but I hope to have a soda fire during the 4th of July.  I will post some pics then.  My wife made the best peanut butter pie and thought you would like to see it.  It is much like a cheese cake but better!  Hope to be moved in two weeks.  Until then, keep it turning.

Rockin Raku

Last week for the Art and Music Festival I demonstrated firing a portable raku kiln and made several nice wave bowls. Here are a few from the demo. Now every time you perform a demo in public, be prepared for the unexpected. The wind was blowing strong enough that a back draft started near the burner and I believe my gas and oxygen ratio was compromised, thus causing a stall on the kiln. I quickly changed out the burners and the kiln reached temp in just a few minutes. While the kiln was stalled I decided to entertain the croud of 70 by blowing bubbles...everyone loves bubbles.

Then, it was time for the real show. I pulled my burbon bottles first and then the large wave bowls. I explained what the pinging sounds were as I blew on the crackle glaze. I burbed the can twice for excitability. The crown returned for the next firing as well. A film crew shot the whole experience and I hope to get some of the raw footage and stills for my portfolio.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1149011598715&ref=mf

This link is to a short made by my friend Dave Malone from a previous night rakuing in the shop.

Today, I plan to made some sinks in the shop. My a/c unit in North Carolina went out and my wife noticed a demo crew demolishing a house two doors down. She went over to talk to the forman and asked if she could have their a/c unit. He quickly abbliged and Shand had it installed. It totally works and now Shand is enjoying hanging out in the house. Shand is making the installer a stud earing with a black diamond and I will make him a table top sink for the install. Talk about bardering! I will post some pics of the sink when I get them finished.

Art and Music Fest in Paducah

The Lowertown Art ad Music Fest was a huge success today! Shand Stamper sent some fabulous jewelry and I had some nice pots for sale at Freda Fairchild's gallery, Studio Miska.

Early this morning I conducted a potter's wheel demo and made several pots. I made a large "dog" bowl for the city and hope it turns out sweet! I also made a teapot, several bowls, and some of my signature wave bowls. I had a few raku wave bowls for sale and sold half of the lot by noon.

Karson and I conducted a raku firing demo later that evening and had a crown of 70 or more folks . The kiln was a bit slow in reaching temp, so we began to blow bubbles for the spectators and everyone loves bubbles. The pots turned out great and the crackle glaze was a hit.

Also, a film crew took several stills of us working and shot some video for a movie about Paducah. Hope we make the cut, pun intended...

Overall, it was a good first day of the fest and I hope more folks come out tomorrow to enjoy the fest and purchase some more of our talented wares or attend the brush making workshop. Seems like 5 and 10 dollar items were the best for the fest, but whateva...my brushes are $10.

art and music fest 2009

Shand and I are getting ready for the Art and Music Fest next weekend in Paducah, Ky. Shand has been working up a storm in her studio casting silver knots and assembling jewelry while I have been glazing bowls and sake cups for the high fire.

Today, I plan to deliver some work to Bebe's Artisan Market in downtown Paducah. I unloaded the kiln after lunch and saw consistency that I thought I'd never get from my shino and ash glazes. Not a lot of drippy drips from the ash glaze but overall good looking pots.

Also, I have been raku fining all this week with a friend, Karson Kelley. He is a local beautician interested in clay and has been taking ceramic classes from the Paducah School of Art. We tested some old raku glazes and they are working out pretty well. We were able to get five firings out of a five gallon propane tank and we fired over fourty pieces. We fired my wash tub kiln and pedestrians were drawn in by the flames. I even invited our artisit in residence, Dave Malone, to come by and film the process. He said he got some really good shots and left with a huge smile on his face.

I will have my ceramic work dispayed in several places during the festival: Bebe's Artisan Market, Studio Miska, Etcetera Coffee Shop, The Canvas Room, and The Yeiser Art Center. I hope by spreading the work out that more people will see it and ultimately buy it.

The last thing that I pln to do this weekend is work on my displays. I will make some shadow boxes, "show boxes"- which hold smaller works in a 9x9 display shadow format box, and a folding screen for other works. Lots to do and not much time, so until next Saturday...keep turning and burning.