Mug Revolution's blog

I'm blogging at the main website now!

2017-01-05T10:47:00.001-08:00

This blog is no longer active. I have started a new blog and hope to find time in the future to add more posts at the new location.

Cheers and happy potting!

Owen

Hollywood, baby!

2015-06-26T14:45:00.002-07:00

Yesterday morning I received an email from a friend up in Ontario, Canada. She had just seen the movie "I'll See You In My Dreams" which just came out to theaters in the last few weeks.

"Hi Owen
I think I saw your mugs in a movie the other night- I saw you in my Dreams !!! Best part of the movie for me!!!!"

So I did a little digging on the web search engines. I found out that indeed my mugs are in a major movie. Pretty cool! I have no idea how those mugs came into the hands of the movie studio and subsequently found themselves being used in a scene featuring Blythe Blanner and Mary Kay Place.

I wonder how those mugs got there! A couple of years ago I recall sending a box of small mugs (the same size mugs that are in the movie) to a commercial production studio in Los Angeles by express service, to be used as props in a AmEx commercial that was supposed to air nation wide. So I wonder if those mugs went into a prop storage facility in Hollywood, and someone saw them and thought they would be good in this scene. Who knows, though. I sell a lot of mugs. I never did see that commercial and don't know if it was ever made or aired.

At any rate, here is a screen capture and link to the clip where the mugs appear. I don't know if there are other scenes as I have not seen the movie yet.

Blythe Danner and Mary Kay Place using Mug Revolution mugs in a major movie? Crazy! http://t.co/rSiIROOXhf pic.twitter.com/ZECcd5SjMd
— Owen Dearing (@mugmkr) June 25, 2015

There's a 30 second commercial you have to suffer through to see the clip. (That's what the mute key was designed for!)

Thanks to Lakshmi for tipping me off, and if anyone knows someone who knows someone, and can let me know how these mugs ended up in a movie I would be thrilled to find out.

I do wonder if Sam Elliot, who also stars in the movie has anything to do with this. He is seen from time to time around Central Oregon and I know that a mutual friend gave him one of my mugs a year or so ago. Who knows? Anyone?

[UPDATE July 2, 2015]

I tried really hard to get hold of the production company to see if they would both a) verify that the mugs in the movie were indeed made by me and b) tell me how the mugs ended up in the movie. One of my e-mails got to someone who knew someone! And now, the mystery is solved.

I just received the following e-mail:

Owen-

I'm happy to hear that you saw our film! I purchased these mugs from you a couple of years ago for an AMEX commercial (remember we had to pester you for overnight delivery).

Anyway we ended up not using them in that spot, but they did end up being used at my house...;-)

When it came time for me to design this film I pulled a lot of personal belongings to use as props because of the nature (budget) of our little movie.

I think they add a lot and I'm happy that you noticed.
Thank YOU for making such amazing mugs.

Cheers

Eric

So, mystery solved, and my wife, who is a huge fan of Gwyneth Paltrow is thrilled that Gwyneth's mother Blythe Danner used one of my mugs.

Harrison Ford also has one of my mugs but that's a story for another day.

Chanoyu Workshop with John Baymore

2015-04-06T21:47:00.001-07:00

I had the good fortune to attend a pre-NCECA workshop led by New Hampshire potter John Baymore recently at The Potter’s Shop in Needham, MA – a great place to hold this workshop.

The focus of the workshop was “Making Handbuilt Aka Raku Chawan”, a subject that I knew very little about. Spending two days with John gave me a whole appreciation of the long history of the tea ceremony in Japan, and the esthetics that go into producing a tea bowl. And, I have a whole new appreciate of the art not only of making a good Chawan (tea bowl) but of how the tea bowl is used in the traditional Tea Ceremony which dates back to the ninth century.

The odd thing about Chawan, at least to a westerner, is that the tea bowl is not perfect in any way. It has irregularities from top to bottom. Nothing is symmetrical. And yet in Japan, each and every part of the chawan is done to perfection in the context of imperfection. Does that make sense? I didn’t think so. What I think it means to me is that the very fact that the tea bowl is imperfect can in fact be interpreted to be perfect…but, only if it meets the many criteria for perfection. For something that looks so organic, there are a tremendous number of considerations that must be taken into account. And, there are a fair number of contradictions that occupy the considerations.

For example, when one is forming the tea bowl, the maker decides which face of the bowl is the "good" face. This is the side of the bowl that faces the drinker when he or she is first presented with the tea cup filled with tea. However, there may be times when even though the maker has chosen which side of the bowl is the good side, during the firing the kiln may make a different and sometimes better decision.

Receiving the tea bowl with the good side towards the tea drinker

John Baymore paddles the bottom of the tea bowl

On day one of the workshop, after a slide show which introduced us to John and the topic of the Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu), we each spent the day making two tea bowls. We learned that the effect we were after in our fired pieces, carbon trapping in an iron slip, would be achieved by placing the bisques tea bowls in an intermediate charcoal firing, then raku fired in the traditional manner which involves no post firing reduction.

The Chawan is the tea bowl that is used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony (Chanoyu). Our class had the experience not only of making Chawan, but also we spent an entire day taking turns participating in the Tea Ceremony as both the server and the servee. The ceremony is a very tightly scripted, deliberate, graceful, delicate dance, of sorts. At first I wondered why we were not spending time in the studio actually making Chawan when I realized we would be spending the day practicing the tea ceremony. But as the day went on I realized that without experiencing the ceremony, it would be impossible to make Chawan. If you don’t know how the vessel is going to be used, you really can’t make the vessel.

The bowls are formed using a technique I have never come across. We weighed out 1 kilo of clay (2.2 pounds), and after wedging, we made a ball of clay and then flattened it into a thick pancake, about 1/2-3/4" thick. The clay was then placed upon a banding wheel and the clay rolled up towards the maker, while the banding wheel was rotated around. It was somewhat like forming a pie crust. We were using the Golden Mean as our guide to the measurement of the tea bowl. In our case we wanted a bowl that was 13 cm wide and 9 cm tall before firing.

Once we had the height and width worked out, the bowl was then shaped into more or less the final shape. At this point, in one's own studio, the bowl would be left out to dry to the leather hard state. For the purposes of the workshop and the limited amount of time we had, however, we used propane torches to speed up the drying process.

Carving the outside of the tea bowl.Once leather hard, the outside was worked on first, using a trimming tool to both thin out the surface, but also to create the final outside shape of the piece. Then, the bowl was turned over and the foot is cut while upside down on the banding wheel. Finally, the inside was trimmed using a trimming tool. Our goal was to have the final bowl weigh exactly one pound. Given that we started with over two pounds of clay, you realize that the trimming was no small job.

Trimming the bottom of the tea bowl.

Finally, the bottom of the bowl is paid special attention to. From John's handout: "When all the tea has been drunk out of the bowl, a small bit of the froth and liquid matcha (tea) will always remain in the bowl. The manner in which this left over tea pools in the bottom of the mikomi (interior of bowl) is considered aesthetic conundrum. A deliberate depression is often placed in the bottom that causes the tea to pool in an interesting way. This is called the chadamari or "tea pool".

While we were performing and learning the Tea Ceremony, the tea bowls we made the day before were bisquing away in the bisque kiln.

Tea Ceremony kit

Aisling prepares to obtain water to make tea

The following day, which unfortunately I was not able to attend, the pots were first fired in charcoal for the carbon trapping, then fired in the raku kilns.

I had a fantastic time with all the wonderful folks who took part. It was a real pleasure to get to know John Baymore a little. He is an absolutely wonderful guy, and his knowledge of all things clay and in particular Chanoyu is vast. If you get a chance to take one of his workshops, GO!

"Like traveling down a country road, a single piece may have many different landscape views revealed as you "travel" with the piece. The best Chawan encourage you to take this journey and show you new sights for years to come." –from class materials provided by John Baymore.

Thank you John for such a fantastic experience. I've only just scratched the surface of this most amazing form in pottery and hope to spend some time working on Chawan in my own studio.

Anybody seen my wire cutter?

Two sips, then a big slurp. Well done, Terry!

Wasatch Academy

2015-02-25T20:33:00.002-08:00

The Studio Arts Center at Wasatch Academy

With much anticipation and excitement, I traveled to Mt. Pleasant, Utah on February 20 for a two day workshop at Wasatch Academy. I had been invited by my dear friend, Joe Loftin, who has been the headmaster at one of the most successful private college prep schools in the world for almost 30 years.

While I admit to much excitement about putting on the workshop for the students at Wasatch Academy, I was also very much looking forward to seeing Joe, for the last time we had seen each other was in 1982. My, how time flies!

Joe met me at the Salt Lake City airport and we immediately picked up where we left off all those years ago. Naturally, we had much to discuss. I was very curious to learn more about his educational philosophy and shared many stories about my seventeen years serving in the public schools system in Oregon. Joe told me stories about his early years in public education in Austin, Texas, and his subsequent years spent revitalizing Wasatch Academy.

It is difficult to do justice in describing Wasatch Academy, mostly because it is so difficult to describe in words the energy that emanates from this school. (I found this article which does a very good at describing the school and it's economic impact on the local community.) It is such a refreshing breath of fresh air to spend time on campus! There are currently 340 students from 40 countries who attend the school. Every decision that is made by teachers and the administration is based on what is best for the students - the student is front and center at Wasatch. The respect that the students hold for each other and for their teachers is evident immediately, and as I spent some time with Joe during my stay, I realized that he was on a first name basis with every single one of the students. Absolutely impressive.

Equally impressive is that a community as small as Mt. Pleasant, which is literally located in the middle of nowhere has such a global community of students and staff. The beauty of the surrounding area is breathtaking - a photographer's paradise to be sure.

Class sizes are wonderfully small. I think the largest class I worked with was ten students - a far cry from 30+ students back in my own high school teaching days in a technical program.

The ceramics program at Wasatch Academy is one of several art programs housed in a former car dealership building that dates back to the 1920’s. The building has been restored and renovated and invites creativity.

Ceramic Arts Program instructor Laura Prenot

Laura Prenot is the ceramics instructor. She is absolutely an amazing teacher, and she has a top notch facility to teach in. She has been at Wasatch for nine years and is doing truly incredible work with the students. The studio works predominately in the cone 10 reduction range (yay!) and the work produced here is stunning. There are enough wheels for everyone in the class to have one to use. They have Giffen Grips for trimming. If you know public education, you know that very few clay teachers will spend money on a Giffen Grip as they often have the frustrating experience of students stealing parts off of them. This is a shame, for in my opinion the Giffen Grip is one of the best tool that I have in my studio. Nice to see that the kids at Wasatch have access to them - and their beautiful 18 cu ft Bailey downdraft is something to drool over.

While I was in the class I showed a brief slide show and did demos on the wheel, as well as showing how I pull handles and put the handles on mugs. We had a session the following day where students got their aprons on and Laura and I helped them refine their technique. I very much appreciated Laura's hospitality and ability to put up with my Canadian sense of humor - thanks for everything, Laura! And to the students I met: YOU GUYS ROCK!!! Thanks for having me!

I'm probably telling a bad joke as I put a handle on a mug :)

Outside of the classroom I attended two basketball games and had numerous amazing meals at the Student Center. I was also lucky enough to attend the first event at the brand new Performing Arts Center - a stunning performance by the Utah Lyric Opera. This was an amazing treat, as three world class opera singers were accompanied by Maestro Nicolas Giusti on piano. The acoustics in this facility (a fabulously renovated church) are absolutely amazing. One of the singers, Miriam Costa-Jackson, is planning to record a CD here. All of the performers commented on the amazing acoustics in the Q & A session after the performance.

Q&A session by performers from the Utah Lyric Opera

I also visited the studio of renowned local potter Joe Bennion. Unfortunately Joe was not there, but I was able to see his wood fired kiln and admire his wonderful work in his showroom.

Joe Bennion's 3 chamber wood firing kiln

It was a whirlwind weekend and I am most definitely sleep deprived. But, I’ve got a nice warm afterglow which I suspect will be with me for some time to come. Laura has asked me to make this workshop an annual event and I am so delighted! Thanks to Joe for making this possible, and a big thank you to all the wonderful staff I met and an especially big thank you to the amazing students I had the privilege to work with.

Joseph Loftin with his Wasatch Academy mug!

What I did this summer

2014-08-27T21:37:00.002-07:00

Samos, Greece

So this summer has been a bit of a blur, really. I've got to stop doing these crazy summers and take some time out to relax. Next year!

Summer started out a tad early for me this year as we had a family gathering on the Greek island of Samos in late May and early June. Upon my return, I started on rebuilding the kiln.

I'd like to start out by giving some background on the kiln itself.

I built the first version of my kiln way back in 1995. Everything in it, except the steel braces (which I bought new), was used. Actually extremely used. I got a good deal - "any of those bricks in that pile there are 10 cents each" was what Mike said when I asked if he had any used bricks behind the studio and gallery at the old Blue Spruce Gallery here in Bend. I think at the time a new brick cost upwards of two bucks apiece so that was good incentive. The problem was that there were very few bricks that were full bricks. Most of them were parts of bricks, and the kiln had quite the jigsaw puzzle appearance once I had used them in the kiln. I also snagged a door for a hundred bucks or so from Mike and actually have been using that door up until a few months ago. I've never been so happy to take something to the metal recyclers, that door was huge, unwieldy, and not a very good insulator by the time I got it. But, funky as that kiln was, it worked, though not without adventure.

When we moved to our current location in 1998, I rebuilt the kiln with all new bricks. And, just last summer I did a quick rebuild in order to replace the arch which was at the end of its useable life.

This past February Hank Murrow was here with Inayoshi Osamu. Hank, being the builder of some 120 kilns over the years, was asked by me for a critique of my kiln. I knew the design of my kiln was not the best in terms of insulation (resulting in long firing times and using a lot of fuel to reach the final temperature) but I did not know what I could do to rectify the situation. Hank had several suggestions, the two biggies being that the chimney was not mortared and therefore letting a lot of outside air in between the seams where the bricks met each other, and that I should add extra insulation on to the outside of the kiln and place a membrane over the insulation.
So, armed with a plan, I started on the kiln project.

Here's what the old kiln looked like:

That's the door I sort of didn't like so much. Ok, I hated it. I admit it.

Closer view of the gaps between the bricks in the chimney.

You will note that the burners are not in place in any of the photos except for the very last one way down there at the bottom. I have gotten in the habit of removing the burners and storing them in my studio between each firing to avoid them rusting. Plus, I did not want to be tripping over them while I did the rebuild.

Here's a shot of the kiln which has been torn down to the floor:

The iron frame is left in place, everything else is pulled, inspected for replacement or re-use.

As the new kiln takes shape, I am re-using many of the soft k23 bricks that have been in the kiln but are still in great shape. Any bad ones are replaced with new bricks. I would like this kiln to last for the next ten years or more, and as I was unable to really work at my usual pace, I really took the time to do everything to the very best of my abilities. It was really a boon that I did not have a production deadline until the end of August, so I was not feeling pressured for time. Eventually, of course I would feel very pressured for time, as the final stages to finish the kiln hit some snags and the project was fully completed three days before I had to fire it to meet my commitment to orders. Talk about an uptight potter. Yikes!

The arch is just underway in this shot. Note the arch form - and the saw - great tool for this job.

In the photo below, the brick work is pretty much done. I've dealt with the leaky chimney by installing a metal sleeve over the bricks, you can see it behind the kiln. At this point the kiln, the three previous times that I have built it, would have been considered to finished. The problem with the design, however, is that there are only 4-1/2 inches of brick for insulation. Most high fire kilns have a 9 inch thick wall. While a kiln with thin brick walls still works, but it takes longer to fire and costs more money to reach the temperatures required for cone 10 wares.

Ze bricks and all the dust are in the rear view mirror now!

Now the new, fun phase begins...insulating the outside of the kiln! For the side walls and arch, I've elected to use 1" thick ceramic fiber, and to add two layers so I have 2" of insulation. Even though it is thinner than brick, the fiber will provide at least as much insulation as a 4-1/2" brick.

Ceramic fiber is draped over the side walls and arch, 2" thick.

Once the fiber is in place, I covered it with sheet metal panels. This is important as the dust that comes off of the ceramic fiber is very unhealthy to breathe.

The side and top panels are in place, and the interior door is bricked in prior to installation of the outer door.

At last, it is installation day for the front panels! Rick Vecqueray from ThreeSixNine Metal Fabricators shows up with the panels and his welder. Inside these panels is 2" thick ceramic board which is also installed on the back wall of the kiln. Sparks will fly this day! Rick designed an upper door that is mounted on hinges to the kiln frame and swings upwards to open, with a latch that holds it in place while I load and unload the kiln. The lower frame is manually lifted into place and everything is held by brackets and a great latch system.

Rick welds one of the hinges on the outer door panel.

Some hours later the man behind the welding mask emerges (Rick) and the job is done!

Rick is the man, I'm so lucky to have had him do this for me.

I felt like I was in a dream during the first firing as it went so well. The firing was completed in 12 hours, compared to the normal 16-20 hours it routinely took to fire the old, under-insulated kiln. And, I used approximately one third less gas during the firing. I'm quite sure my gas bill has been cut in half. And as an added bonus, I was able to get to bed at a super reasonable hour after the firing, instead of having to kiln sit through the night and in so doing, compromise the quality and quantity of sleep when I did get it.

In the photo below, the burners are lit and the kiln is just starting to glow at the burner ports.

First firing is under way!

So. There it is. What I did this summer. I thought this project would take two weeks, and it took six. But I told myself as I was working on it, seemingly endlessly, that I would thank myself for doing all the work that I did. And after the first firing, I can say it was well worth the effort, and that I'm extremely proud of how it came out.

With thanks to Hank Murrow for his generosity in advising me with answers to many questions I tossed his way. And I'd like to suggest Fred Olson's Kiln Book (I have the first edition and there is an updated version now available) and also Mel Jacobson's fantastic book, 21st Century Kilns. (Mel's book is super!!)

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

UPDATE January 2015--There is a major flaw in my kiln project. The flaw is that I put insulation over the top of the steel frame. My understanding of what happens with extra insulation is that heat travels outwards through the insulating fire bricks and into the fiber and fiber boards. If there is steel in between the two layers, it will get exposed to excessive heat that can ultimately cause the steel to fail. Many, many thanks to Vince Pitelka for bringing this to my attention - and also scaring the shit out of me at the same time...god knows what could have happened if the frame failed during a firing. The minimum would be damaged furniture and wares in the kiln, the maximum would be a fire that could have burned down my house. I can be somewhat of a catastrophic thinker, but I don't think my imagination has gotten too far out of whack in thinking of what could happen with a frame collapse at cone 10 temperatures in the 2300F degree range. Holy shit!

What I have to do now is take off the sheet metal panels and remove any insulation that is over top of the steel frame. I have fired the kiln four times since the summer, and I have my fingers crossed that there is minimal damage to the frame.

By the way, the way I found out that I had a potential disaster on my hands was from a recent thread on Clayart. Someone posted a message wondering if they could add an extra layer of insulation on the outside of their electric kiln, and responses came in saying that the metal jacket that holds the bricks in place would disintegrate in time if it was sandwiched between layers of brick and insulation. So I started e-mailing respected kiln builders to find out if this would be an issue with my kiln, and started getting really frightened by the responses. Thankfully it is an easy fix, and very likely no harm has been done to the frame. I am so glad that part of my daily reading is the Clayart group, and I encourage you to get the e-mail digest sent to your inbox each day.

I blame myself entirely for this oversight. I didn't know enough to ask about it specifically, and Hank probably presumed that I was not a moron and would have known about this kiln building no-no. Anyways, as a result I have learned a very valuable lesson about thermal dynamics. I don't know about you but I seem to have a knack for learning things the hard way :)

Pottery is unforgiving. In order to get a successful pot out of the glaze kiln, you have to perform a multitude of tasks, each one performed with utmost attention and skill. One mis-step along the way, and your pot is compromised. So it is too, with kiln building. One tiny little oversight can be catastrophic. So, I continue to learn and to thank all those who have taken the time to help me. And, in turn, I take time to help those who ask me questions. I think most potters are generous this way, and more knowledge is to the benefit of all!

Telling it like it is: Mel Jacobson

2014-07-31T11:51:00.003-07:00

I read the ClayArt listserv most days and wanted to share Mel Jaocbson's post from July 29, 2014. Mel has been potting and painting canvases for close to 60 years, most of those in Minnesota, and is one of my clay heroes.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

it is a very noble profession to be a fine artist.
it is hard work, and money is hard to come by.

anyone that thinks they have talent and are willing to take
on the challenges of fine art are fine with me.

just like being a competent, professional potter...it is
amazingly hard work, and takes a great deal of discipline
to achieve.

the world at large has always been suspicious of artists.
and, since artists are free thinkers, sort of free spirits they
continue to be out of the main stream in any society.

where does the art faculty rank in any major university????
be real, they are not up with the big boys/girls...for sure.
in most cases, the lowest paid staff members. pay means something.

of course, artists often tweak the public and sort of act
without boundaries, so the society judges them by that sort
of action and standard. if you call your work `play` the society
will not take you very seriously. i have argued with nils for years
about `play`...i know what he means....being open and ready to
try anything...but, the society thinks you mean...`screwing around`.
and, if you are judged by that standard...well, no one wants your work.

i have always encouraged my students, and those young people that
come to me to be `professional and set a high standard of behaviour`
for self. your public is watching. the more you set a high standard, the
more the public will admire you and want what you make.

it is why i sell out of my home. it is a very high standard. even better
than a high end gallery. i pay myself that 50% commission.
(now passing 65% in many cases)

i want my customer base to admire me, and think of me as a
source of quality work and things that they are able give as gifts
and be proud to give them. it takes a great deal of work to
pull that off. you must be diligent. it does not `just happen`.

i have never lived in the land of `artsty fartsy`. i live in the world
of competent quality art. it is my profession.

i listen/watch artists talk on our local pbs tv station. (sunday night)
some are so damn
smart and good and quality that it makes me proud, then the next
one talks about `need for expression, and art conversation` that
makes me gag....dressed like freaks, covered with tattoos and ring
nose pieces, they are jokes unto themselves. who do they think they
impress?? not the buying public.

so, as always, it is up to the individual to make or break your art
and profession. the world is full of `flash in the pan` artists...here
one day, gone the next. fame for a minute. then it is `working at starbucks`.
the good ones are in for the long haul. it is daunting. but, the best part
is...`your life is your own.`
mel

from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com

Milwaukee, Wisconsin: NCECA 2014

2014-03-26T07:44:00.001-07:00

I loved seeing the reflections of downtown Milwaukee on this building which I passed each morning on my way to the Wisconsin Center where NCECA was held.

I didn't want to go to Milwaukee, honestly. I really thought that I didn't want to go. Too busy with mug orders. Didn't want to deal with the hassle of travel. Too expensive. Grump, grump, grump. About a week before I was to leave, Susan asked me if I was looking forward to going. "I can't wait!!!!!" I said, so enthusiastically that I surprised myself. Susan muttered "wrong answer" before leaving the room with me running after her telling her of course I would miss her while I was gone! But, the truth was, that the closer it got to NCECA, the more excited I became. For you see, I had arranged to take a semi private workshop with renowned clay and glaze expert Ron Roy, and this was the main attraction as far as I was concerned. All the rest of the conference would be fun, I thought, but having two days with Ron and a few other serious students sounded superb. And superb it was.

l-r Owen, Ron Roy, Kathi, Alex, Gabi.

Ron has been a full time potter for 52 years now, and has written many articles and co-authored the best selling glaze book "Mastering Cone 6 Glazes". He is also active in the ClayArt group which is where I first came into contact with him. I have had the pleasure of working with Ron for a few years ever since he helped me switch from a problematic Laguna Clay body to a more reliable clay made by my favorite clay supply company, Clay Art Center in Tacoma, Washington. While I had learned a lot from consulting with Ron, I had never had the opportunity to take his two day course.
So along with a young couple from Sao Paulo, Brazil and a potter from Ann Arbor we found ourselves together with Ron for two days - three if you count the day after the glaze class when we had a free day and spent most of it together exploring the wonderful Milwaukee Art Museum and downtown Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Art Museum is an amazing building.

A beer stein on display in the Milwaukee Art Museum. There was no sign for this piece, so I don't know how old it is. However I was really interested to see that it is apparently decorated in a similar technique to the one I use to put logos on mugs. Cool!

NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) is an annual conference that happens every year in a different city. I have only attended one NCECA previously, which took place in Seattle in 2012.

When I was at NCECA Seattle, for one reason or another, I did not go to the event on the first day as there was nothing big on the schedule other than the keynote speech. Bad choice! As I learned, the first day is the day that you want to go to the vendor's hall and spend hours talking with vendors, looking at clay tools, meeting old friends and picking potter's brains. Once the individual education sessions start, you find that there are so many that you want to take part in that you really don't have much time to get a relaxing visit in at the vendor's area.

Meeting Tom Coleman at the Geil booth was a real thrill. I was able to pick his brain a bit on glazes and got some good information to experiment with!

Kathi LeSueur, Mel Jacobson and Arnold Howard at the Paragon booth.

That evening the keynote speech was given by Theaster Gates who spent some of the keynote as well as his time in a round table discussion the following morning imploring the inclusion of more people of color in future NCECA conferences. It was interesting and thought provoking and I find myself even now thinking about the message he gave. I hope that NCECA puts his talk up on their youTube site as I would like to see it again and so that folks who missed it can take a look for themselves.

Theaster Gates gives the keynote speech at NCECA 2014.

There were tons of demos to watch. The hall that was dedicated to demos was always packed.

Michael Shael demos throwing in Ballroom A.

The big highlight for me is seeing the National K-12 Ceramic Exhibition. It is absolutely amazing what is coming out of some of the classrooms across the US. As a former teacher, (though not in an art related field) I know that there are some incredibly dedicated teachers out there sharing their passion for clay with our youth.

One of the tables with prize winning ceramics by K-12 students.

I went to a round table discussion about social media and potters with Ben Carter, Carole Epp, Adam Field and Michael Kline. Michael posted the photo below which got a huge laugh from the audience. I used to spend a lot of time on Twitter and Facebook but over the past couple of years I have found that I have to be in my studio for a minimum of eight hours a day in order to meet my deadlines. I bet I don't spend more than an hour a month total anymore on social media. When Adam said that he actually spends more time on social media than he does in his studio, I thought about getting up and leaving but it was right at the end of the session! Unfortunately they did not talk about privacy and how photos posted on the various sites no longer belong to them, and they seemed to think that making a connection to their customers helped them make sales. Which is nice to think, of course, but in my experience a lot of the followers of potters' social media sites are other potters who are a) broke and b) looking for tips on how to make pottery. My philosophy is to let my work speak for itself and let others do the talking about it if they want to - I don't have time or the interest to keep trying to figure out a new way to talk about coffee mugs. While it works for me, your mileage may vary :) As Tom Waits says, "Those who know aren't talking, and those that don't know are diving across the table for the microphone". Not that I know something and Adam doesn't...I just have little choice but to work if I am going to pay my bills.

One of the great things about NCECA is the chance to connect. Not virtually, but in real life. Shaking the hand of a real person, hugging a real person, exchanging ideas with real people. Making friends. Spending time with friends. Ahh. This to me is the joy of this conference, the life of this conference, the essence. And to spend a week with nothing but clay, clay, clay and people who are passionate about it - well, that's about as close to heaven for a potter as you can get! One night I had dinner with Steven Branfman, John Baymore, John Jessiman, and Lisa Floryshak-Windman among others. I don't know who brought up the subject of "What's the biggest kiln explosion you ever saw" but let me tell you, that was a fun discussion!

Sharing ideas and inspiration - that is NCECA's strength.

Mel Jacobsen gave a stirring eulogy to Nils Lou who passed away late in 2013.

Nils Lou, one of my pottery heroes

I watched an interesting round table entitled "Where have all the potters gone?" I found it ironic that in talk after talk that I attended, speakers said "I hope you have done a financial calculation so that you know how many mugs you will have to make every month to pay your bills". They always say this as though making a mug is the absolute worst thing that you have to do, but you have no choice if you are going to make a living working in clay. I guess I'm the luckiest potter on the planet as I absolutely love making mugs–and yes, I know exactly how many mugs I need to sell each month to pay my bills! And, just as a side note, I am curious as to why at these presentations, often references are made to Laguna Clay, but the speaker will never reference them by name. Tony Clennell said something to the effect of "You know the company that makes the clay body that starts with a letter and ends with Mix -that company. They make x million pounds of that clay every year." Why the secrecy? Is Laguna going to come after Tony and put him out of business if he says their name in public?

An interesting round table, Where Have All the Potters Gone?

I had a wonderful lunch with Mel and his young protege Colleen Baillie, who is a junior majoring in ceramics at the University of Minnesota and also refers to herself as Mel's apprentice. I was thrilled to get her mug in the mug exchange in the ClayArt room. I look forward to seeing her work unfold in the years ahead - she is one talented young potter!

Mug by Colleen Baillie.

I stayed at a wonderful house I found through airbnb and miss my new buddy Reggie who lives with a great group of people who were kind enough to let me stay with them for a week at their house on East Potter Avenue. (The address is somewhat fantastic for a potter, doncha think?) The people of Milwaukee are among the friendliest group of people I've ever met. I really enjoyed getting to know the city and I hope to go back some day. I have, however, made a note to go back when the weather is warmer!

Me and Reggie!

I saw this post on ClayArt this morning by Mel and I think he sums up the NCECA experience beautifully:

*************************

remember, if you dig a bit, you can find almost anything

at nceca.

it is a vast array of many things...big, small, good and bad.

it is never one thing.

it is always hard to judge the total.

i am impressed that it gets done so well.

we get around, get informed and get on buses.

the programs start and end.

you can find a few good, a few bad.

there are many ages, many talents and lots of

great folks that love clay.

what more do we want?

i always have a great time.

and, i love to piss about bs clay work. it is a part of my dna.

i am a functional potter, part of the `really old school`.

so.

my heros are mostly dead.

and, i hated not having malcolm davis and robin hopper and

the good old boys around.

those that did not know them on a personal level really

don't care. they are the past. robin will be with us again soon.

i have spanned all the ages of american clay from voulkus, to shaner

to mackenzie, to ferguson and many more.

soldners antics at nceca are legend.

i miss the characters. they laughed, got drunk and spewed on

all of us. mostly in good will and humor. it is a politically

correct world now,

serious..many

will not react to the hilarity of being a potter. we are a funny bunch.

we are sort of `low brow`. we like clay in our pants. and, we adore

wonderful pots. it matters not who makes them..just that they are made.

mel

*************************

As I made my way from the Wisconsin Center after Cynthia Bringle's wonderful closing lecture and slide show, I walked along Water Street to the bus stop where I would wait for the airport bus. Being in no particular hurry, I found a lovely little pub to have one last lunch in Milwaukee. As I made my way back to Water Street, I saw this and I thought to myself, with a big smile on my face, thanks Milwaukee!

Inayoshi Osamu Workshop

2014-02-26T19:11:00.002-08:00

Vase by Inayoshi Osamu, approx. 5"tall (12.5 cm) Feldspar granules were wedged into the clay and melted in the high fire to glassy phase. and gold lustre was applied all over the outside but only reveals itself on the melted feldspar granules. Otherwise, it is lavender over the clay.

On the weekend of February 15, 2014, a few very lucky potters were able to spend two days with Inayoshi Osamu, a potter visiting from Toyohashi, Japan.
Filled with a playful sense of humor and an amazing talent, Inayoshi spent two days showing us his very unique method of creating pottery, the results of which are stunning. Many of them look like rocks you would find while hiking. Yet, upon closer examination, you start wondering. How was this made? What is this? Who made this? I want to meet this guy!

Left, an incense jar (closed), with beads of gold formed on feldspar granules. Right, opened jar showing gold lustre interior. Approx. 2" (3 cm) in diameter.

Prior to his arrival in Bend, Oregon, I had spent some time looking at images of Inayoshi's work on his website and honestly I was stunned. However! I have to say that the only way to truly appreciate the genius in his work is to "see" each piece while holding them in your hands. The eyes give you one interpretation; the tactile feel give you another. Put together, you fully "see" the piece. But, don't let that stop you from looking at photos! Just try to get a chance to hold a piece - the rewards of the visual and tactile senses put together create an amazing experience.

Tea bowls by Inayoshi Osamu. Note the front bowl was fired on sea shells. Inayoshi is a genius of clays and glazes.

Most potters fire their wares twice before they create a finished piece. I had the pleasure of drinking out of one of Inayoshi's tea bowls that had been fired eight times, for fifteen hours each firing –"until it looked right" which was the answer I was given when I asked why so many firings. His firings start with a traditional bisque and then he will do between one and seven glaze firings, at ranges between cone 1 and cone 7. He gauges the readiness of the kiln being done by the look of the pot in the kiln. He does not use cones. I for one would be completely lost if I did not use cones for my firings. What is going on here?

The Process

Inayoshi's studio in Japan is unique: right behind the studio there is a clay deposit that contains seven different clays. He processes his clay the old fashioned way, with shovel, wheelbarrow, and buckets. He laboriously cleans and mixes his clay until he gets the desired body for the work he is creating. However, for his workshops in Oregon, he used commercially prepared clay. In order to get the texture he wanted, he wedged about 10% sand into the clay.

Wedging up to 10% sand into the clay

We went to the Badlands to the east of Bend looking for rocks. I was not certain what the rocks were for, and there was a language barrier, so many of the rocks I proffered to Inayoshi were tossed amidst much laughter. However, I soon saw what the rocks were used for!

Inayoshi adds texture with a rock to a lump of solid clay.

The larger items were prepared prior to the workshop and left overnight to dry.

To the left of the texturized clay, some of the objects used for texture.

Inayoshi prepared his trimming tools for use the next day.

Sharpening a wooden trim tool.

Inayoshi's trimming tools.

The next day, Inayoshi showed us his unique techniques of working with wet and leather hard clay. Unlike most potters who hand build using either the coil technique or pinch pots, Inayoshi developed a way to work with solid shapes of clay which allow him to use natural objects to impress patterns without deforming the shape of the piece. In the photo below, he is cutting a small football shaped piece of clay in half after having made the patterns, which will become sake cups.

Cutting sake cups.

While the sake cup forms set up to dry, he started making a tea bowl. This is done using a wooden mold, over which a piece of material is placed to keep the clay from sticking to the wood. He presses the clay onto the mold until it is about 1/2" thick (1.25 cm), and then uses rocks, pine cones, corn or anything that he has found to press texture into the clay.

Pressing clay onto a wooden mold to make a tea bowl.

Texturizing the tea bowl.

While the tea bowls set up, Ina scoops out the interior of the sake cups so that they are about 1/2" thick.

Sake cups with middle scooped out. Just like a cantaloupe!

A row of tea bowls, which were formed on a wooden mold, setting up prior to trimming.

Teabowls.

While the tea bowls set up, Ina scooped out the bigger pieces.

Scooping out the larger pieces.

Day Two

When we arrived for the second day of the workshop, the pieces that Ina had started the previous day were leather hard and ready to be finished. Inayoshi started by trimming the bottoms of the sake cups.

Trimming a sake cup - you can see the marvelous texture the sand adds to the clay.

And then he used his trimming tools to thin out the walls of the tea bowls, sake cups, and bigger pieces. When done, the tea bowls and sake cups are incredibly thin with an amazingly precise uniformity of thickness. They are an absolute pleasure to hold and use (and that ain't the sake talkin' neither!)

Trimming the inside of a tea bowl.

Using a loop tool to trim trim the inside of a sake cup.

Inayoshi brushes out the interior of the finished bowl with a stiff brush and water to give it a nice smooth surface.

The larger pieces were sliced in order to allow for Inayoshi to evenly thin the walls with his trimming tools. Here he has joined the two pieces back together. When he is finished you will not be able to see the seam. Even the interior seam is not visible - details like this are the mark of a true craftsman.

Inayoshi works on the seam.

And with a bow, Inayoshi finished a covered jar at the conclusion of the workshop.

One of the wonderful things about this workshop was the informal nature of it. And, we got to work on our own pieces. Much laughter was had and I am finding that as the days and weeks go by that I have been inspired on deep levels not only by the techniques that Inayoshi Osamu has originated and shared with us, but also by his joyous personality. I am now seemingly cursed in such a way that every time I go out for my walk that I find myself scanning the trail for rocks to take home. Susan and I were happy to have hosted Inayoshi for four nights which gave us more time to laugh, share stories, and enjoy each other's company. Inayoshi is planning on coming back to Oregon in 2016 to do more workshops which will include glazing and firing the pieces he created while here. I can't wait!

Glazing and Firing

The more I work with clay, the more I feel that it is all about the glazes and the firing. By that I mean that there comes a point in time when you become competent with wet clay and your interest turns to the composition of clay and glazes and learning different firing techniques. While this is not true for every potter, some of you out there will recognize a bit of this in your own development as a potter. So, as much as I enjoyed seeing and practicing Inayoshi's techniques of forming clay, I am very, very curious about his glazing and firing process. Ina told me that he is constantly testing glaze recipes and has many, many failures. But occasionally a glaze works, more often than not to fail in further developmental tests. But when one works!!! He and I understand each other perfectly on this level - it's all about that feeling of victory, satisfaction and blessing from the pottery gods that is so sweet, so compelling, and so addictive. So - for as much as I learned in the workshop with Inayoshi (which was a LOT) I feel that this is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the knowledge that Inayoshi has, and I hope in time to learn more from this great potter.

Inayoshi Osamu: You are to pottery as Neil Young is to music.

Thanks for coming to Bend!

The workshop gang, Feb. 15 2014 at Central Oregon Community College.

Have I taught you well enough?

Melissa works on a tea bowl.

Inayoshi, Yasuko (the amazing interpreter!) and Peter share a laugh.

Diana works on a sake cup.

Hank Murrow, who brought Inayoshi to Oregon and set up the workshop tour makes a tea bowl.

Inayoshi took photos of all the food he ate in Bend. Here, he is documenting a gummy worm from his frozen yogurt at Cuppa Yo. I can only imagine what his friends back in Japan think of Bend after seeing his photos!

This was way cool - Inayoshi brought a few 400 year old pottery shards that he found at an ancient kiln site in Japan. It was really something to hold these pieces and see how perfectly uniform they were and to feel a connection to another potter from another time.

Exploring Rutile and Iron combinations

2013-08-19T12:07:00.004-07:00

I came across a recipe a few months ago for a rutile blue glaze which called for 4% iron oxide and 4% rutile. For my own notes I decided to publish this short blog post showing my exploration of differing amounts of rutile and iron. I was not able to find any information in any of my pottery books exploring this, nor was I able to find any similar information on the web. Besides, this is better as I am a learn-by-doing kind of person, and seeing the results really helps me in my quest to further my knowledge about glaze chemistry.

Photo 1

In Photo 1, above, tile #13 shows the glaze with no colorants. Tile #1 has 0% iron, 1% rutile. Tile #5 has 1% iron, 0% rutile. Tile #9 has one percent of each.

Photo 2

In Photo 2, above, tile #2 has 1% iron oxide, 2% rutile. Tile #6 has 2% iron, 1% rutile. Tile #10 has 2% rutile, 2% iron.

Photo 3

In Photo 3, above, tile #5 (left) has 2% iron, 3% rutile. Tile #7 (center) has 3% iron, 2% rutile. Tile #11 (right) has 3% iron, 3% rutile. Tile #11 is not runny, the tile was dipped a little more than it should have been.

Photo 4

In Photo 4, above, tile #4 (left) has 3% iron, 4% rutile. Tile #8 (center) has 4% iron, 3% rutile. Tile #12 has 4% rutile, 4% iron.

Notes: You can clearly see crazing in the glass (not so good) with the smaller percentages of rutile and iron. However, at the 4% iron 4% rutile, I detect no crazing (good). I attribute this to the fluxing actions of the iron/rutile.

Test tiles are porcelain, fired to cone 10 in reduction.

I will update this test with higher amounts of iron/rutile at some point in the future.

How Bono helped me meet Kathleen Edwards

2012-04-05T10:20:00.013-07:00

Monday April 2, The Aladdin, Portland Oregon.

After spending four days in Seattle last week at NCECA, I had a couple of days to really relax. I also had one last thing to look forward to prior to coming home to Bend, Oregon - a Kathleen Edwards concert in Portland! I've been listening to Kathleen's music for a couple of years now and really enjoy her songwriting, singing, and musical ability. When I found out that she would be in Portland a couple of days after the clay conference, I was more that happy to adjust my schedule!

Kathleen Edwards' Twitter Mug

I didn't just plan to go to the concert, however. I had discovered that Kathleen is a regular Twitter user and I thought that it would be a nice way to thank her for her great music by giving her a Twitter mug. So, I made this mug and showed it to everyone who stopped by the studio. Given that not many around here know who Kathleen Edwards is, (she is pretty well known in Canada and has a loyal following in the US) my enthusiasm for this mug resulted in looks of concern for my mental well being from my family. (That all changed after we saw the show - as I knew it would.)

The show was held at the venerable Aladdin Theater in Portland. A few hours before the show was to start, I wandered around the back of the theater and gave the mug to Ryan, one of the stage technicians. We chatted a bit and had a laugh as we realized we had both been born just a few miles from each other in Southwestern Ontario. When I showed him the mug he said "Kathleen will really like this!"

Live at the Aladdin - Kathleen Edwards!

A few hours later Susan and I met up with our daughter and her beau and together we took in the show, which was jaw droppingly good - this one goes down as one of the top shows I've seen over the years.

After the show, I wandered around the back of the Aladdin, hoping to say hi to Kathleen. Gord Tough, the guitarist, and bass player John Dinsmore were there. I thanked them for a great show and mentioned that I was hoping to meet Kathleen, and that I was the guy who made her a mug. Gord said "She was drinking tea out of that mug before the show, it's really nice!" I asked if they would mind if I hung out, was told no problem, but that it might be a while before Kathleen came out.

While I was waiting, a thought occurred to me and I pulled out my phone and pulled up the photo of Bono holding a mug I had made for him. I showed the photo to Gord and John who both said "Holy shit - is that Bono?" And then, Gord said, "I'll go see if I can find Kathleen," and he disappeared inside the Aladdin. Thanks Bono!

Bono holding a Moonalice mug that I made in 2010.

A few minutes later Kathleen came out and I had the pleasure of chatting with her for a couple of minutes. The best thing I could come up with for her to sign was a Canadian five dollar bill which I had put in my wallet some time ago. I thought this was kind of cool in a Canadian sort of way.

My autographed five dollar bill - spend not, indeed!

So far, mugs for Bono and Kathleen Edwards. Who's next?

[Update 9/30/2012] I just saw this photo and had to post it here, Kathleen posted this photo of the mug recently on her twitter feed - I'm glad to see it is getting used! By a rock star!!

NCECA 2012!

2012-04-01T18:30:00.003-07:00

Now that's a pot!

I've just spent a few days in Seattle at the NCECA conference. NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) has a conference each year during the last week of March, in a different city. I figured that Mug Revolution needed to be present for this occasion, and since there was only one employee to choose from to go, I volunteered.

Christa Assad showing some of her clay techniques.

I have not attended an NCECA conference before, and was unsure of what to expect when 4,000 potters from all over the world get together in one place for a few days. Happily, I was super thrilled with my experience. I made several new friends, connected with several of my pottery friends whom I haven't seen for a while, and met the good Clay Art Center folks from whom I buy clay and supplies. Nice to put faces to names! I saw many exhibitions and attended a good many excellent educational presentations.

The crowd watches a throwing demo at one of the vendor's booths in the resource hall.

I met many folks whose names I was familiar with, but whom I had never met in person in the Clay Art room. Getting a chance to show glaze tests to glaze guru Ron Roy (while Mel Jacobson cheerfully added his two cents worth until we shooed him away), and meeting Hank Murrow were highlights.

Hank Murrow (l) talks with Richard Brandt about glazes in the Clay Art room.

It was pretty overwhelming, really. I barely took any photos at all - I kept busy absorbing good vibes, good friendship, and took in a lot of sights of the incredible pottery on display. One wonderful exhibit showed off the best of student pottery from the K-12 level, and emerging clay artists from the college level were also showcased. There were some incredible pieces on display. Lots of good stuff!

Steven Branfman and Eduardo Lazo in the resource hall.

There were many, many exhibitions related to the NCECA main conference, held in venues in and around Seattle. Clay was alive in Seattle! I'm looking forward to getting back in to my studio - enough talk, I want to get some mugs going!

Faith Mugs

2012-03-24T09:16:00.001-07:00

I've had this idea for some time now, and have finally cleared off enough of my list of things to do and have posted a new mug - The Faith Mug. It's basically a Personalized Thumb Rest mug except that instead of a letter for the thumb rest, there are thumb rests of the major religions to choose from. I really like the look!

Faith Mug with Hindu thumb rest.

Faith Mug with Christian thumb rest.

Faith Mug with Judaic thumb rest.

Faith Mug with Muslim thumb rest.

A selection of thumb rests for the Faith Mugs.

For pricing and ordering information click this link. To see the entire selection of mugs and mug products, go to Mug Revolution's home page.

The Nurturing Mug!

2012-03-22T08:36:00.001-07:00

I'm so very pleased to introduce the newest mug to the Mug Revolution lineup - please say hello to The Nurturing Mug! By no small coincidence, this mug is available in time for Mother's Day. Pre-orders will ship on April 21, 2012. (Here's the link to the order page.) Give a gift that Mom will enjoy and use daily!

The Nurturing Mug from Mug Revolution
(click to enlarge)

Unloading the kiln

2012-03-18T07:13:00.007-07:00

I unloaded the kiln yesterday and as always felt about as alive as I imagine a rock climber ascending Monkey Face at Smith Rock does - terrified, exhilarated, on the edge - but fully, totally, absolutely ALIVE! It's not that I might slip and fall to my death. It's the thought that the previous month's labor and love may have been tossed over the cliff to the jagged rocks below by a mischievous kiln god.

I don't fully exhale until the last mug is out of the kiln, and I have had no major disasters.

Today is Sunday and I'm looking forward to a full day of packing up mugs that will make their way across Canada and the USA (and one to France) to their new homes.

Shown in the photo are two prize mugs for next month's Capitol Peak ultra marathon races in Olympia, Washington.

What Does "Microwave Safe" mean, exactly?

2011-10-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

In the twenty years that I've been making pottery, the three questions that I am most commonly asked. "Are your glazes lead free?" "Are your mugs microwave safe?" and "Can I wash the mugs in the dishwasher?" To these questions I answer "Yes, absolutely."

I don't use lead in my glazes, and I've taken the extra step to have my mugs certified lead-free by the Brandywine Laboratory in Pennsylvania (here's the link to the report). I figure it's nice to say the glazes are lead-free, but it's critical to have evidence in the form of a lab test to back up the statement. (The report is easily accessible on the home page of Mug Revolution's website.)

I ran across an interesting article this morning while reading the Clay Art digest. The folks over at Good Housekeeping ran some lab tests on commercially produced mugs to see if in fact the mugs were leaching heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and others. They also ran tests to determine if the mugs were microwave safe. (Here's a link to the article.) They took the tests one step further, and ran them on mugs that were "aged" for one month of average use to see if there was a difference in the heavy metals leaching out of the glazes after regular usage. And, in one case, they found that a new mug was safe, but after being "aged" for one month and re-tested, it did in fact leach lead. They then ask "What does Microwave Safe" mean?

This is how I define "Microwave Safe": One, a mug from Mug Revolution is Microwave Safe if it can withstand repeated heatings in a microwave oven with no damage to the mug over long periods of time. Two, the mug handle does not get excessively warm and burn the user after putting the mug into a microwave for the minimum amount of time required to heat liquid contained in the mug.

In both cases, Mug Revolution mugs pass these tests with ease. I've been reheating coffee and tea in my Mug Revolution mug daily for over five years with no adverse effects. And many people have told me over the years how glad they are that they can take one of my mugs out of the microwave without burning their hand on an overly hot handle.

While there are no actual standards that provide a clear definition of what "Microwave Safe" means, Good Housekeeping calls for refining the meaning of ATSM Standard C1607 to include mugs that have been tested after they have been used for a period of time to ensure that consumers have reliable data reflecting actual day to day use of a mug. They encourage a standard definition of "Microwave Safe" and subsequent requirement of manufacturers to meet the standard on both new and "aged" mugs, and that the product be labeled "Microwave Safe - meets ATSM Standard C1607."

I'm all for this standard. The culture of "buyer beware" that is so prevalent in society today should not extend into having to worry about the mug you are drinking your coffee or tea from causing potential health issues.

I see my coffee has gone cold while I've been writing. I think it's time to publish this blog entry and reheat my coffee in the microwave!

Three new mugs added to the Mug Store!

2011-09-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

In 2005, Mug Revolution went into business with just one mug - the 16 oz. Classic Mug, and available in one color: Green-Blue. Shortly thereafter, my wife convinced me to add a blue glaze to the color choices. And not long after that, my mother-in-law asked me to make some 12 oz. mugs, and this size was soon added to the Mug Store.

Of course since the first days of Mug Revolution a lot has changed. There are now six color choices and 25 different mugs to choose from. I find this to be amazing!

And now I'm very pleased and excited to announce the addition of three new mug products to the Mug Store.

First of all, when I add a new logo mug to the line-up, it is not usually an instant thing. There are months and months of work with graphic designers, variations are made with different effects in the stamps, sample mugs are made and shown to people for feedback, adjustments are made, and if all goes well, a new mug emerges and is added to the Mug Store at Mug Revolution.

The first new mug to introduce, was designed by Bend, Oregon artist Robert Killen. This one is a lovely Celtic Hummingbird Mug design and is available with the design only as well as with personalization.

The Celtic Hummingbird Mug as seen in Galway, Ireland! (click to enlarge)

The second new mug was designed by Bend, Oregon artists Paul Jones and Mark Blackwell. The Mountain Biker's Mug is available as a logo-only mug or with personalization.

The Mountain Biker's Mug (click to enlarge)
And finally I'd like to introduce the Personalized Thumb Rest Mug. Folks who want a personalized mug with a bit more pizazz can get the initial of the name on the mug put on the thumb rest. It's also possible to put up to two numerals on the thumb rest - this would be a perfect gift for a birthday present.

The Personalized Thumb Rest Mug (click to enlarge)
I hope you enjoy the new mugs! As always I wish to extend my gratitude to you for supporting handmade coffee mugs made in the studio pottery tradition - without you, there would be no mug store, and I would not be doing what I absolutely love to do for a living!

Summer and Mugs!

2011-07-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

Summer has arrived on the west coast. Susan and I (along with Kelty) just got back from a lovely week of camping in southeastern British Columbia. The weather was fantastic for the most part, and we were treated to lovely scenery in every direction.

On the way north, we saw a coffee shack and had to take a mug shot.

Every morning at the lake, we would make a cup of coffee and head down to look at the water and mountains. It soothes the soul to look at nature, doesn't it? Much better than starting the day with the stress of the current news and negativity the machine of media perpetuates.

While in Nelson, I had to get Susan to take a photo of me on Silica Street. I really should set up my studio on Silica Street in Nelson. Such a street name for a potter! (For those of you who don't know, silica is one of the main ingredients in clay and glazes, hence my adoration of this lovely town's street.)

A month before our camping trip we drove down to the Bay Area to see U2 in concert. I hadn't seen the band live before and I was absolutely blown away by the show.

The band that opened the show, Moonalice, had previously given one of my mugs to Bono.

I hope you are all having a wonderful summer!

Steven Hill Pottery Workshop

2011-02-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Steven Hill throwing one of his signature pitchers on the wheel. (Click any of the photos to enlarge)

I tend to stumble across wonderful things quite by accident. In late January I e-mailed my friend Phil Fishwick in Southern Oregon with a glaze question, and in his reply he mentioned that Clayfolk would be bringing Steven Hill to Ashland for a workshop in February. Having seen Steven's work in many prestigious clay magazine articles over the years, I jumped at the chance to go and I am quietly thrilled at how deeply satisfying an experience it was.

Perhaps in every way, Steven Hill's pottery and clay working technique is as opposite as it could be from my own. Yet, there are striking similarities in our respective philosophy and personal relationship to clay that resonated both with me and with many of the students in the workshop.

Mugs by Steven Hill.

Steven began working with clay 41 years ago. For years he has been known as one of very few potters around who single fires - that is, he completes making a piece, dries it bone dry, glazes (by spraying) and then fires it. Most potters, including me, fire the pot twice: Once when the piece is made (a low temperature bisque firing) and then a second time after the piece is glazed. I never really understood how a piece could be single fired without exploding in the kiln before the workshop, but with Steven showing us how to do it, it seemed simple. Which, of course, is usually the case when I see a master potter at work!
In 2008, Steven switched from firing his work in high fire gas kilns in a reduction atmosphere to a lower temperature using electric kilns, firing in oxidation. What is amazing about this is that you cannot tell the difference between the glaze effects on his new works compared with his old works. This is a huge myth buster, and because of this, Steven is in demand as a workshop teacher around North America.
Our workshop started off with Steven talking about his early influence from American ceramic pioneer Don Reitz and the type of glaze effects Don acheived, which he desired for his own pottery. Because of difficulties with zoning laws and permits, he was not able to build a soda kiln when he started out in his first studio, which lead him on a quest to find a way to replicate the effects of atmospheric kilns (such as a salt or wood fired kiln) in a gas kiln. Sounds simple, but believe me, this was a monumental task that evolved over many years.

(l-r) The same mellon pitcher, final drying, glazed, and after the firing.

Steven makes wonderful forms. He calls his signature pitchers "Mellon Pitchers", and explained that his lovely bowls were inspired by a story someone told him about swimming with stingrays in the Carribean. Without ever having seen one, he came up with a lovely bowl that does, in fact, give a sense of graceful motion.

The bowl shape inspired by stingrays.

And motion is what he wants to achieve with his pots. His cylindrical forms suggest elevation from several spirals incorporated in them, from a subtle touch at the base and rim, to overt, where the walls are given bold spirals at the end of the throwing stage on the pottery wheel. To add a last touch of texture that enhances the movement of the piece, he slathers great gobs of slip onto the pot and moves the surface of the slip into harmony with the shape of the form. He said it again and again during the workshop, the form of the pot is as critical as the glaze that goes on it. Without a pleasing form, no amount of glaze technique can make the pot any better.

Steven applying glaze to a pitcher.

Steven sprays his glazes, which allows him to apply many layers of glaze on top of each other. The final result of his glazing technique is a very deep, rich, satisfying finish. He explained that what we were seeing on his finished pots were separate layers of glass melt, one on top of the other, the result of which could not be duplicated by any other glazing technique. You don't need to know any of this, however, when you hold one of his pots in your hands. Educated about the technique or not, you can't help but drool over his unique work.
In response to the all-to-common issue of beginning and intermediate potters trying to replicate a master potter's work, Steven had this to say: "You have to find your own voice, your own unique expression in clay. We all get inspiration from other pots and potters. The thing is to find your own interpretation of these influences and make them yours." He also went on to say that one of the best sources of inspiration for pottery is from historical pottery. "For one thing, it's been proven to work as a form or a body of work if it has been around and admired for hundreds or thousands of years. For another, if you get inspired by it, you're not going to be seen as copying a contemporary ceramic artist's style, while you are exploring and incorporating this influence into your own expression in clay."
During the workshop we all had a chance to glaze some of our own pots using spray techniques Steven taught, and then our pieces were fired. On the final day of the workshop we unloaded our pots, still super hot, from the kiln, and had a lovely wood-fired pizza fest and critiqued our work. (The clay studio at Southern Oregon University has a wood burning pizza oven in the kiln yard - a brilliant idea!)
I left this workshop with a renewed spirit and gratitude towards the forces in my life that have led me to working full time with clay. Spending time with a master potter as generous and talented as Steven Hill will do that to you! When you watch the video, you'll also hear Steven's musical talents - he's a great guitarist!

Love, hockey, and mugs - a love story

2011-01-24T07:57:00.000-08:00

Susan and I first met in a bar.

It was spring 1993. My beleaguered and beloved Toronto Maple Leafs had somehow caught on fire, made the NHL playoffs, and knocked off two top teams and improbably had made it to the third round. Since I did not have cable, I realized that I was going to have to find a sports bar to watch what could have been history in the making, and so I found myself at the Irish Pub in Ashland, Oregon in the midst of a huge crowd of rabid basketball fans.

The Portland Trailblazers were doing extremely well that spring, and much to my chagrin, the three television sets in the bar were all showing the Blazers game. As I sipped my beer, I noticed that nobody was watching the tv in the middle of the bar. Everyone was watching the game on the sets at either end of the bar.

Summoning up my courage, I asked the bartender to switch the middle tv set to the hockey game. She was incredulous. "I'll get killed if I turn the Blazer game off!" she said. "Look around," I said. "Nobody is watching that tv behind you!" She looked at the crowd, leaned towards me and said "OK. I'll put it on hockey, with no sound. If I get one complaint it goes back to the Blazers game. Got it?"

Fortunately not a soul there noticed the game had been switched. By the end of the evening I had made several new friends who had also come in to see hockey. We started meeting at the bar to watch subsequent games, and one night a lovely gal came along with them. We have pretty much been together every day since we met all those years ago. Alas, the Leafs did not get the Cup that year, and it turns out that they have never come closer to winning it since then.

One Christmas Susan gave me a Leafs mug. Perhaps one of these springs I will fill it with champagne and raise a toast to a Leaf's Stanley Cup victory, though it's now looking more and more likely that my days will be over long before the Leafs win the Cup again. Clearly, though, I owe the Leafs my loyalty for life - I never would have met the love of my life without their surprising performance in the spring of '93.

A year ago, I made Susan this personalized love mug and it's become one of her favorites. Last night, we watched a hockey game, and just before we went to bed Susan told me that she had been looking at my blog and thought that I should do a post on her love mug. So here it is Suz, a lovely mug for a lovely, lovely soul.

A Potter's List

2010-11-24T18:52:00.000-08:00

I took some time this morning to come up with a list of all the steps I take to make a mug, plus a few other extra things I have to do more or less on a daily basis in running Mug Revolution.

The next list I make is going to be my Christmas list!

But I think I'll rest up before doing that, for some reason I feel somewhat tired after reading through the list...

Cycling Stories

2010-10-20T21:40:00.000-07:00

It was my great pleasure recently to add a new mug to the "Mainstay Mugs" section at mugrevolution.com - The Cycling Mug. This was a particularly rewarding project to take on, as cycling has been and continues to be a very important and enjoyable part of my life.

In the early 90's, I was going through a pretty tough divorce. My kids were very young and I had long periods of time without seeing them, even though my ex and I lived in the same town. The whole concept of visitation rights, lawyers, and the court system were pretty overwhelming and I found myself being pretty bummed out.

The biggest part of the problem for me was that I had moved to Oregon from Toronto, and virtually all of my friends in Oregon had been friends with my wife first...loyalties entered in to the picture, and you can guess the rest. Needless to say, I was suddenly very alone.

As time went by, I started thinking about bicycle racing, but dismissed the notion as I thought I was too old to start racing. (ahh, what I would give now to be back in my early thirties again!) However, the thought persisted, and in time I decided to join a racing club in Southern Oregon.

At first I was terrible, but I found that I had found a fantastic group of new friends, a lot of whom I am still very close with. With the support and encouragement of the cycling community in the Siskiyou Wheelmen, I had a two wonderful years of road racing in the lower categories. My goal was to upgrade to a higher category, which I did after winning the silver medal for the State of Oregon road race in 1994. (Trust me, it sounds a lot more prestigious than it really was.) From that point on, racing was sheer agony for me as I could never make the adjustments and new demands that higher competition demanded. A painful non-cycling related injury cut my second season short, and not long after I moved to Bend, Oregon, and never raced competitively again.

I still love cycling, and often ride my bike around town while doing errands. I even take mug orders to the post office via the bike whenever I can. I've done several week long cycle tours over the years which can only be described as amazing. And I love how much I can eat without penalty when I'm putting in the miles!

Now that you know some of my cycling background, you may be able to understand my excitement with The Cycling Mug. It's pretty cool that I had help from a graphic designer friend on the design, and she just rode her bike across the U.S. this past summer! Check her blog out!

I should market the mug with this tag line: "This mug is designed and made by cyclists, for cyclists!"

Now all I need to do is come up with a logo mug for potters. "Made by a potter, for potters." Or would it be better to come up with a "Passion Mug"? "Made by a passionate craftsman for passionate people!" Hey, not a bad idea...

If you're a passionate cyclist or want to get a mug for someone who is, you can take a look at the product page over at the website. Check over on the Facebook Fan Page for a discount coupon code, available until Oct. 31st, 2010.

"T-shirts are out - mugs are in!"

2010-10-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

It's the time of year when I get a lot of requests for custom logo mugs. From comments passed on to me, companies that give key clients and employees logo mugs have been very pleased with the responses. I thought I'd post a few photos of logo mugs that have been done in the studio this year. (Click on the photos to see larger image size.) As my buddy Russ has been known to say, "t-shirts are out, mugs are in!" I think he's got a point!

When the long days in the studio were over during summer and it was time to relax a bit, you could often find me on the deck, gratefully spending some time with a good book, glass of wine, and Kelty!

Keep On Rocking!

2010-07-18T07:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the oddest things capture my imagination, and my brain goes into some kind of alternate creative reality. I stumbled upon an article recently that was titled "The Worst Named Rock Band In New York City" which for some unknown reason inspired me to come up with pottery related names for a rock band.

So far I've come up with the following:

Brent and The Kickwheels
Bad Firing featuring Uneven Heat
Slipcast
Porcelain Heartbreak
Clay and the Grogtones
Thrown in Haste
Cone Ten and the Reduction
Off Center
Muddy Fingers
Big Slab and the Coilpots
The Slabrollers

If you have any that you'd like to add to the list I'd love to hear from you!

Dennis Meiners Workshop

2010-06-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Crashing Horse Teapot by Dennis Meiners,

2007 best in show winner at the Portland, Oregon Ceramic Showcase.

I spent a week with Dennis Meiners and his wife Leslie Lee in the summer of 2008, at a glaze intensive workshop they hosted at Hummingbird Studios in the Applegate Valley in Southern Oregon. Earlier this month, Dennis came here to Bend, Oregon for a one day workshop at Central Oregon Community College. I love going to clay workshops as I get inspired by seeing how others work with clay. While my style of pottery couldn't be further from Dennis' style, I learned a lot and have some great new ideas of things I can do with my work. Most of all I came away really rejuvenated and inspired, which is what all good workshops do to the participants.

Dennis does 99% of his work with slabs. Amazingly, he does not use a slab roller. While at the glaze workshop in 2008 I discovered by accident that saying "slab roller" within earshot of Dennis was not a good thing to say. Ever. At first I thought it was funny, but soon realized that I'd better cut out saying "slab roller" around him for the sake of my own long term health. However, I was curious to know how he could get along without a (shhh, just in case he's listening...) slab roller, since most of his work starts off as a slab.

What he does to make slabs is to wedge clay and then systematically and with great control throws the clay onto a canvas surface which stretches out the clay. From time to time he uses a large diameter dowel to roll out the clay, then continues to throw the slab down to thin it out more. It's really amazing to watch the slab grow in size, and you start to think that it looks a heck of a lot easier to make a slab this way compared to using a slab roller.

When he has the slab a little thicker than he wants in the final slab, Dennis applies surface decoration to the slab to give it texture, and then he continues to make the slab thinner by the throwing technique outlined above. In this way he is able to have control over how he wants the surface of the slab to look. He can have a completely smooth slab of clay, or a slab that looks amazingly like bark on a tree. One cool thing about Dennis is that he lets the clay lead the way and will explore new directions when they present themselves to him. He says "I have found that the objects that result from the act of making are secondary to being in the process of bringing those objects into existence...I have compared this experience to riding a horse at night. The objective is to trust the horse, not fall off, and be awake to see where I have arrived when the light returns."

Once he has a slab he is satisfied with, he uses it to make many different things. He makes fantastic mugs, teapots, and platters (as well as other beautiful objects). He's a very accomplished brush artist and is a master of glazing, and has a wicked sense of humor. (My kind of guy for sure!)

Adding a handle to a slab mug

Adding a spout to a teapot

Assembling a texturized slab into a box.

Thanks Dennis, for the great workshop and the inspiration! You can check out Dennis' beautiful work at his website, and if you know anyone who is looking for a fantastic property with an amazing art studio, let them know that Hummingbird Studios is looking for a new owner!

Finished slab built mugs - fantastic!

The Coolest Mom Ever!

2010-05-09T07:37:00.000-07:00

I've written a bit about my memories of my mom's pottery previously in the blog. As today is Mother's Day, I wanted to share a bit more about my mom's life with clay.

I asked my mom how she got interested in pottery, and she said "I went to an art sale with a friend just before Christmas in the mid 1960's. We walked around, and for some reason, I picked up almost every piece of pottery and hugged them to me, asking my friend if she didn't just love it like I did. Before the evening ended, she gave me a rather strange look and said "why don't you take up pottery?" I'd never thought of it as an option before then, but it was a great idea, given my sudden love affair with things ceramic, and I immediately signed up for classes. My interest in working in clay soon transformed from a love affair to an obsession."

Mom spent eighteen years making pottery, first as a part time hobby, and later on, full time. I recall many street fairs, open houses, and gallery shows where she sold her work.

Mom did all her throwing on a kick wheel, and not only made a full line of functional pottery but also made pinch pots and did some very cool slab pieces. In a lot of ways, her artistry was ahead of her time. Her favorite functional pieces to make were teapots and bowls.

Of her non-functional work, she says "After I spent a summer at the Banff School of Fine Arts, I developed a love for throwing slabs of clay across a table to thin them and at the same develop a rough texture created by the act of throwing the clay across the table. The texture was very similar to tree bark, and I fired the pieces without glazing them, only using an iron wash to stain them. I then created wall hangings using these pieces interwoven by jute macrame (that I also executed). Unfortunately, I was a little ahead of my time–most people didn't understand the beauty I was creating, and a common question about many of my free-form pieces was 'What is this for?' Today I don't believe this chasm would exist."

I asked her if she had any noteworthy things that she recalled, and she said "I once built a clay chair which I thought was pretty spectacular. It was burnished and coated in a black slip. Unfortunately, it fell apart the day we tried to place it in the kiln. It was going to have some cords strung back and forth, upon which to place a cushion made from some handwoven fabric. I was very sad that day, after spending a great deal of time constructing and burnishing it."

When we lived in Windsor, Ontario, her studio was in our basement. In 1972 we moved to Sebringville, Ontario (near Stratford), where her studio was in a converted chicken shed, under had a huge black walnut tree, and there was a showroom in our house in what had once been the summer kitchen. We lived in a fantastic house that was built in 1834, and our three acre property had a beautiful creek running through it.

We met all kinds of interesting people over the years due to mom's involvement with clay. I recall a couple from France who were hitch-hiking through Canada. They saw the pottery sign in our front yard, came in to see the showroom, and ultimately became good friends. We also got to know a wonderful couple from Austin, Texas, who helped fire Mom's wood kiln on one or two occasions. As a kid growing up in rural Canada, meeting people from Texas was off-the-charts exotic and hugely entertaining, with comments like "Y'all ain't lived yet if you ain't eaten jalapeno peppers" being particularly fascinating. There was a full blown music centered hippie-commune known as The Perth County Conspiracy nearby and we got to know many of the colorful characters who lived there.

Over the years mom went to many workshops with well known potters such as Robin Hopper (with whom she also apprenticed briefly), John Glick, Finn Lynngaard (from Denmark), Michael Cardew, Roman Bartkiw, and an unforgettable week with Tatsuzo Shimaoka, a living national treasure from Japan. She also attended the Banff School of Fine Arts for six weeks in the summer of 1970 and won a tuition scholarship there to return the following year.

Though mom is now retired and doesn't work with clay any longer, I do get her into my studio when she visits, and it's always a thrill for me. She knows a lot about glaze formulation, and one of my prized possessions is a box filled with her glaze tests and recipes. In fact, one of the glazes I use on the mugs is from one of her recipes. She's an excellent photographer and we love to go out and shoot together. She's probably noticed that I wait to see what she's shooting out of the corner of my eye, and then I take the same shot a few minutes later when she's not looking. Her shots always come out better of course!

I've been really fortunate to be able to make a living as a potter, and I know my mom is both thrilled, proud and happy for me. I know that I would never have been able to do it had she not shown me how important it is to follow one's passion, work hard, and do good work. I'll never forget her telling me not to be afraid to make my pots really well, and to price them accordingly, because there are people who value really well made pots.

Thanks mom, I love you! Happy Mother's Day!

All the photos are scans from a 1970's local newspaper interview, published in Stratford, Ontario.