After a long absence, we returned in May to fire the new Tye River Pottery anagama. Much of the crew was involved in the building process, both physically and spiritually. Overall, the firing went remarkably smoothly. Many beautiful pots came out of the kiln, and much was learned about how this new kiln fires. There were a few places that just didn't reach temperature, and the pots came out bland and unremarkable. I unfortunately, had about half of my pots in those regions, so overall, it wasn't as good of a firing for me as far as output as previous ones. That said, it was a phenomenal time of camaraderie and celebration with the crew and Kevin, and I wouldn't trade it for the world -- and I did get a few stunners out of the ashes. Here are a few pots and pictures from the inaugural firing. 

And apologies for the delay in this post. My photo equipment studio was down for the count (cats got into it and scratched up the back drop) and then a friend borrowed it for work purposes, and life, in general, just got away from me. All's well now, and the fall holds two firings to look forward to - Muddy Creek's second anagama firing, and the second firing of Kevin's new anagama!

This last woodfiring at Tye River Pottery (Kevin Crowe's kiln) was bittersweet. Others have written about it more eloquently, but as this was the first woodkiln I was ever involved with firing, the fact that the current three-chamber kiln is in the process of being torn down and rebuilt as a one-chamber kiln meant that the May firing was a bit more sentimental and special than those over the last few years since I joined the crew. So good to see so many good friends and reconnect. And the pots were an added bonus. I am going to miss the Salt chamber.

It's been a while - too long - since I've touched clay in any meaningful, transformative way. In October, I got a promotion in the midst of a reorganization of my department (Marketing) at work. It's a really great opportunity, and I've really been enjoying my work for the last few months, but we've been incredibly busy, so I haven't had much time for clay. 

Largely because of that, I stepped down from my duties as webmaster/social media manager for City Clay here in Charlottesville. I wasn't able to find time to make pots, let alone give the marketing of the studio the attention it needed and deserved. 

Because I also have not been firing at City Clay - they only have cone 6 electric kilns currently, and I was having a hard time getting excited about any of the surfaces I was able to get - I decided it would be far more practical to relinquish my studio space and put the monthly rent I would have paid into my own wheel. I've set up a small personal studio in my attic - right now the wheel plus shelves for drying/storing pots - soon a small table for handbuilding/assembling and a wedging/drying station. My wheel - a work horse in a Brent CXC - arrived today and I broke my dry spell with a few teabowls. 

I have to say, it's good to be back.

I've had the distinct honor of taking a Soda/Salt firing workshop at City Clay here in Charlottesville with local potter Judd Jarvis. Judd has graciously opened up his kiln to us and I've participated in one firing so far, with a second happening early in December. Judd has recently moved from cone 10 salt firing to cone 6 soda firing, and we've been helping him experiment with different bodies, slips, and glazes as part of the workshop. It's been fun to experiment with a different clay and firing temp, and I've managed to get a few results so far that I'm happy with and intrigued to play around with so more. Plus, it gave me and excuse to get rid of some old bisque pots that had been lingering around for much longer than I'd care to admit.

It's been a while since I updated the blog, but it had been a while since I made any pots. This summer, my employer CFA Institute sent me as part of their International Rotation program to our Hong Kong office for a few months. Though I had an excellent trip, living and working in Hong Kong, and even managed to see a lot of great pots, both in Hong Kong and during a 10 day adventure in Japan, I wasn't able to make pots for most of the time since the firing last May. Once I returned in August and got settled back in, I had to hustle to get pots ready for the early October deadline to get everything prepared for Tye River this November. 

My time in Asia has definitely changed the way I see pots. Pottery is so much a part of the culture there, so revered and respected; it's enough to make a guy envious. I see my own pots differently and have new forms I want to play with, or new takes on some of my standard forms. I've got a few experiments made up for the firing at Kevin's in November, and I'm excited to see how they turn out. It's a new adventure!

I'm much delayed in posting pots from the Spring 2014 firing at Tye River Pottery - heading across the globe to Hong Kong for two months just days after unloading the kiln put me behind schedule. Photos are below.

Speaking of Hong Kong, you can follow my travels there at my travel blog: asianrambles.weebly.com

To see posts specifically about the pots and potters I see during my travels in Hong Kong and Japan, click on the Pottery tag in the right hand navigation.

Without further ado...

By all accounts, the fall firing this year was a huge success. Here are a few images of the pots I got from the kiln. Thanks to Kevin and the rest of the crew for a phenomenal time - even though I was in the midst of recuperating from LASIK.

A selection of the below pots is currently available in my Etsy store.

This afternoon, I'll be heading down to Tye River Pottery to glaze and wad pots for the kiln. This will be my third full-firing experience, and the fourth time I'll have pots in the kiln. Again, I'm using clay I'm unfamiliar with, but this time, it's primarily a clay that has experienced great results in the kiln - a mixture of one-third Soldate 60 and two-thirds B-Mix Wood that Kevin himself uses for many of his pots. We're also doing a longer firing than past years, which will hopefully lay good ash down on the pots.

I have no doubts that all will be well, even if something is damaged in transit. It will be a nice reprieve to spend the afternoon at Kevin's, as it always is, and a tantalizing taste of the way of life that waits for me during the firing. Good conversations, thoughtful work, and a warm bowl or two of tea will carry me through this day.