CityArts ArtFest

If you are in the Dallas area this memorial day weekend I'll be showing at the CityArts ArtFest in Fair Park. 
Friday 6-10
Saturday 11-10
Sunday 11-6

Come on down and say hello!

Cheers!

Slab Pots

Back in December I made up some new molds for some slab dishes, I have a couple different oval shapes but I wanted some square-ish shapes.  I have this one which is the smaller one, like 8.5" wide and a larger one that is about 11" wide.  I'm pretty pleased with them.   I just posted this guy on my etsy page.

Cheers!

New work on etsy

I've posted some new work in my etsy shop.  I've posted 8 yunomi and 6 mugs, I have some plates and dishes that will go up over the next couple days.  Hop on over and check it out!

The build 2

I've just about finished the shell and exterior of the new studio.  I've been utilizing free time before and after my classes so it's been slow progress(at least to me anyways.)  The time away from the clay and into the build has been enjoyable, something different.  I've always been one to work with my hands, I call people like me "makers."  Making/building/constructing has always come easy to me, though I would hesitate to call myself a master of anything, I've always had a knack or intuition for that type of thing.  My time working as a carpenter is something that I wouldn't trade for anything.   That was the only job I've ever had that I truly enjoyed (potting & teaching not withstanding).  There's a blog post draft deep in the abyss that ponders the topic of being a maker...perhaps I'll get around to that someday. 

Here's a photo of the inside of the studio, I envision that corner back there as my throwing corner, wedging table in front of the window. 

In a freak accident I had a board with nails sticking out fly out of the scrap pile and go into the top of my foot.  Not entirely sure how it happened, voodoo perhaps.  My old boss would dock our pay if we left boards laying around with nails sticking out.  They either had to be removed or bent over.  That would've been $5 and a stern lecture, which I would have preferred.  Lesson learned.

Here's a shot once I got all the siding up.

Shingled.  I forgot what a pain(literally) it is to deck and shingle low pitch roofs.  I don't foresee another roofing job anytime soon but I will seriously consider hiring that out.

I don't think I've ever had a ladder that I didn't stand on the top of, if there's a wrong way to use a ladder I've probably done it.  I posted this photo with a quote on facebook:
"The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions." -Oliver Wendell Holmes
A former student of mine posted: ‎"Stupid is as stupid does" -Forrest Gump

Trim up, ready for caulk, putty, and paint.  I'm on the lookout for some more windows.  It will be awhile before I get the insulation and such in so I have plenty of time to get windows in with no trouble.  The top windows came from the Habitat Re-store, they're double pane beasts, probably about 70-80# each.  The lower window and the doors came from my local lumberyard, they were special order items that, for whatever reason, didn't make the cut and I got a heck of a deal on them.  The french doors were supposed to be interior doors though the door slabs were exterior thickness.  So I had to mill up new stops to thicken the jambs and accept weatherstripping as well as install a sill/threshold.  With that expense I still saved about $250 over buying new french doors.  I hate that the lower window doesn't line up with anything, everything else is so well spaced, but it's the perfect spot for where I want it on the inside.

In phase 3(phase 2 is finishing the interior) I will pour a slab patio that comes out about 12-14 ft, not sure if I'll go the whole width of the studio.  I'll pitch a shed roof off the studio from underneath the upper windows to cover it.  That will give me a nice area for outside work, mixing clay, processing materials, etc.  That is way down the line so we probably won't be seeing that any time soon.

Well, there you have it.  If I have time the next few days I will start getting it caulked and puttied,  I'm actually going to take bids to have someone come paint it, I HATE painting.  Hate it.  Painting, drywall taping/mudding and now roofing are all on my list of trades that I am capable of doing but the hatred to cost ratio makes it worth paying someone else to do.  My clay is going to start coming out of the racks tomorrow so probably about mid-week I'll be hitting the wheel hard with a firing scheduled for the end of April.

Cheers!

The build.

This last week was spring break so I've spent the time working on a new studio.  I've been planning this for...well...years.  I think every potter has ideas for a dream studio, I know I certainly have mine.  This studio is my semi-dream studio.  It's pretty darn close to what I've always wanted but a more fiscally responsible version.  The new studio will be within spitting distance of my kiln which means no more commutes for the pots via my truck bed.  So here's a little photo essay of the weeks progress:

I formed and poured the piers before I left for the Atlanta show.  I really wanted to do a slab but I chose not to for a couple reasons:

1) The cost: The best price I got from reputable contractors was about $5 per square foot.  I had a bid for $2.50 but the guy was pretty sketchy(the studio is about 500 sq ft.) Pier and beam cost about $2 per square foot for concrete, beams, joists and decking/subfloor.
2) A framed floor is something that I can do myself.  I have pretty much no experience with concrete work, and while I could probably figure it out concrete is not the most forgiving material.  If you screw it up you can't just rip it out and redo it. 

The local lumber yard delivering my floor joists.

The studio is 16 x 32'.  I used 2x10's for the floor joists which can span the 16' but I ran a beam down the middle to cut the span in half so that I ended up with a really solid/rigid floor. 

Finished floor joists, beams and blocking.

I glued and screwed down the subflooring, I'm not a big fan of squeaks.  Kaylee hanging out in the place where she is destined to be spending much more time in the future. 

I did everything up to this point by myself but once things start getting vertical it requires another set of hands.  This is my buddy Allen, he rents a room from me and has a lot of free time on his hands so I enlisted his service.

Walls going up, siding up. 

The studio has a shed roof, 12' on the tall side down to 8'.  I have 3 84x22" windows that are gonna go up at the top of the 12' wall to let in lots of light. 

Here is where it stands as of this afternoon.  I finished the decking on the roof and was taking a little break while Allen put on a proper pair of shoes for walking on the roof.  We got the underlayment on right before it went completely dark.  While Texas is not #1 on my list of places to live, and I don't intend to stay here forever, I'm pretty happy with my location.

Well, there it is.  The studio will get shingles and some exterior work this next weekend but tomorrow I have to head back to the grind, and by grind I mean my dream job of potting and teaching.  It will be several months if not longer before the studio gets completely finished but since it will be dried in this next weekend I can work on it as time and money provide.

As far as show news goes...the ACC Baltimore show was 2 thumbs up, the Atlanta show was 1.5 thumbs down.  I'll leave it at that.

Cheers!

ACC Atlanta

Are you in or near Atlanta this weekend? Come on down to the Cobb Galleria Center for the American Craft Council show. Saturday 10-6 and Sunday 10-5. I'm here with loads of pots so ce check it out! Cheers!

The road east.

I left Friday evening for the 1500 mile journey east to Baltimore for the ACC show.  The packing, loading, and journey were uneventful and stress-free except for a 5 hour window in Virginia.  There was a nasty snow storm that had me white knuckled.  There were a couple of near disasters but I made it through.  I can count on one hand the number of times I've had to drive in heavy snow in the last 12 years.  I had to dust off the cobwebs and remember my early days of driving in Minnesota.  Anyways, no big deal.  I made it safe and sound.

I made some poor man pedestals, the base is a cardboard box and the top is made from scrap plywood laying around.  They cost about $2.50 each.  And they're gray, not mint, bad lighting.

I took my trailer up to Baltimore but I wasn't too keen on having to pay the labor union to unload it.  The weather was gorgeous so I unloaded it all in the hotel parking lot and reloaded it into my truck.  1 hour of work saved me $280.

Getting set-up, I have a larger space this year, 8x15.  I much prefer the larger space as it gives me room for some pedestals to help show off the larger pieces.  This booth is somewhat modular and I have extra panels to do anything from 10x10 to 10x15.  The display area is only 7 feet deep so I have space in the back for extra pots, packing and other show crap.  Because this spot was only 8 feet deep I brought a panel to the front on the right hand side so I have a little area on the side for storage/packing.

,

With the shelves installed.

All set up for the wholesale portion.  I don't offer everything I make for wholesale, so this setup shows all the shapes and patterns available.  I will change it up for the retail days, I'll get a photo of that up hopefully this weekend.

The wholesale days were good this year, I almost doubled the volume of orders over last year.  A few new shops/galleries from the west coast to the east coast. 

If you're in the region come see the show.  I have a couple of free passes left so if you'd like to come shoot me an email.
Friday 10-8
Saturday 10-6
Sunday 10-5

Well, I'm off to get some rest.  Tomorrow is the first day of retail and it's a long 10 hour day.

Cheers!