Musical ? Interlude

I my continuing effort to prove that I have neither talent nor shame, I joined the a local folk music group The Queen City Balladeers a few weeks ago. They meet every Sunday evening for a jam session and a few short featured acts. I'm still trying to achieve that state of harmonic perfection where my voice and my playing cancel each other out but this is what I'll be doing Sunday night. I hope the pottery gig works out cause I'm not going to unseat Justin Beber anytime soon.

What If

Seems like every potter I know has the seasonal doubts. This is not  really a lucrative profession and when the cash flow gets dammed up in January and February folks start wondering if they should have gone to Truck Driver Training School. It afflicts humble little part time potters as well as artists with international reputations. That little voice that keeps asking -"Am I good enough?", "Will anyone come to the show?", or "What if I forget my pants?" does keep quality control at a high level. It pushes people to produce their best work but that doesn't make it any easier to live with. Believe it or not, I don't have a solution to this one other than to say we all feel this way sometimes. If anyone has suggestions chime in down in the comments section.

 Here's a poem from Shel Silverstein

The What Ifs

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some What ifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old What if song:
What if I'm dumb in school?
What if they've closed the swimming pool?
What if I get beat up?
What if there's poison in my cup?
What if I start to cry?
What if I get sick and die?
What if I flunk that test?
What if green hair grows on my chest?
What if nobody likes me?
What if a bolt of lightning strikes me?
What if I don't grow taller?
What if my head starts getting smaller?
What if the fish won't bite?
What if the wind tears up my kite?
What if they start a war?
What if my parents get divorced?
What if the bus is late?
What if my teeth don't grow in straight?
What if I tear my pants?
What if I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime What ifs strike again!

Black and Blue

I fired the cone 6 kiln yesterday with a new black glaze ( Ron Roy's),  ketchup red with a new Chinese iron oxide, and a re-fire of some blue that was a little weak the first time around. I also tried spritzing a dash of contrast here and there.I didn't know if some of the combinations would work well together or just eat each other up. I think they came out pretty nice. Other than that, I've been spending time in the recliner with both the dog and one of the cats pinning me down for long periods of time. It's winter.

Functional, Yes! Necessary????

In keeping with the dedication to functionalism that I displayed in the churn last time I have returned to making jugs this week. When I was just starting in clay.I got a call from daughter Kate who teaches art in Charlotte. She said,"Dad, make me a couple of face jugs". I replied, " What's a face jug ?" She said " Make a jug and put a face on it !" That started an adventure in jug making that lasted about a year. I never really got into making that many faces but I did get into making jugs.They are really good for skills training. It's not easy to get them nice and full at the shoulder but strong enough to support the spout.  A couple of the biggest ones have sectional bodies, all have the spouts thrown then attached. They are a fun challenge and I know they will be big sellers, every home needs several to store cider, whiskey, vinegar, etc. I may have finally found that easy money item.

Function First

Thanks to everyone who weighed in on the last post. It's hard to be a functionalist, make ware that hits a price point but leaves a profit, and compete for show admissions with people who spend hours and hours on each pot they make. Sticking with my dedication to function, I have been making some prototypes for this coming season.

 

Every Home Needs a Churn.