Like I’ve said before, it’s kind of tough for me to get back into the studio
and start up the full-production routine again after the holidays. It seems
like I’ve been so busy for so long. And everything at the studio is clean…
empty… not wet… nothing drying… nothing urgent. So why hurry into it?

Well, today was the big kick-off. I finally sat down to do some throwing.
Back in the saddle so to speak. And what to start with?… mugs, of course!!!
We started the holiday season with over 100 mugs at the Holiday Home Show.
And now the inventory needs to be seriously replenished. So I wedged up some clay…
and boy did it feel great to get dirty again.

And then I threw the basic cylinders that will get stamped, trimmed, handled, slipped, dried,
fired, glazed and fired again in the weeks to come! It felt great to be back in the saddle again!

Getting ready for the holidays… and trying to make enough to get me through the season!
Patterns… textures… colors… and a lot of gold cord to hang them on!

So tonight I unloaded another bisque kiln – in preparation of my upcoming Home Show…
just trying to squeeze in one last firing before next weekend! I unloaded the last batch
of pots (while they were still a little warmer than they should have been) and waxed
the bottoms in preparation for some big glazing this weekend. The bottoms are waxed
to help keep the glaze from adhering to the bottom  – making it easier to clean off the bottoms
before loading them into the kiln. I’ll need to get them all glazed over the weekend
so they can be loaded into a cone 10 reduction kiln that I’m sharing with my
studio pals Karen Patinkin & Marian Castro-Palanyk.

Another night in the studio… a night of bowls… a night of stamping.

Another night of stamping in the studio. More pots… more stamps… more fun!
Still working to get some new work ready for the holidays. I have three glaze kilns lined up
in the coming weeks… gotta get the pieces thrown, stamped & trimmed…
and dried in time to get them bisqued & glazed for the kiln firings! Busy, busy…

Stampin’ round & round… quite literally!

One month.
That’s it… shocking, I know. It kind of caught me a bit off guard too.

One month.
That’s how long we have until the annual
“My Home For The Holidays Home Show.”
Mark your calendars… I know I have… and production will soon be in full swing!

Saturday, November 21st – 10:00am-6:00pm
Sunday, November 22nd – 10:00am-6:00pm

A mug is just a cylinder without a handle.
So to make a mug… you’ve got to get a handle on it.

Once my cylinders are stamped & trimmed, I make my handles while keeping
the cylinders wrapped in plastic to keep them from drying out too much.
I prefer to pull my handles separately, let them set up a bit and then attach them.
I start with a small wedge of clay, hold it firmly at the top and “pull” it down with
a firm hand and a lot of water. It’s basically just the friction that does it…
kind of the same motion like milking a cow! As the clay begins to stretch and become
more strap-like, I try to shape it and then bend it over to let it set up. Once they
have become a little stiff, the segment that will become the handle is cut out of the
bent strap. That segment is then attached to the side of the cylinder with a little
scoring & slipping. Once attached, I let them dry slowly to avoid cracking.

A  lot of people avoid making mugs because they are afraid of the making handles.
I actually love making mugs. In fact, if I could only make one form for the rest of
my pottery career, I’m pretty sure I would choose mugs. I love making mugs!!!

Back in the studio… replenishing he inventory… making more mugs!!!
After the pieces are thrown on the wheel, I allow them to dry partially so that they are
malleable, but not squishy. Once they are at the proper stiffness, I stamp the patterns
into the sides with my handmade stamps. After stamping, the bottoms of the pots
need to be finished to give them a more professional look.

I place the pieces back onto the wheel upside down and re-center them.
They are affixed to the wheel surface and then spun really fast. With a sharp trimming
tool, the clay is cut off the sides and bottom into thin ribbons of clay.

As the cylinder spins, and the ribbons of clay removed, you can finish off the bottom,
the sides and create a nice footring. The footring is the circle of clay that is left on
the bottom for your pot to stand on. This is your last chance to “finish off” the pot
before you let it begin to dry. Once dried… it’s off to the bisque kiln firing.

Dark this morning. Cool this morning.
With dark clouds on the horizon this morning.
Still a wonderful morning to be on my bike!