Joy Tanner Pottery

Arts Writing- Katey Schultz

2012-05-22T08:40:00.000-04:00

My friend and writer Katey Schultz who I've mentioned on my blog before (remember the swinging bridges and Lost Crossings?) offers great writing services to artists. Katey has written articles for numerous magazines, is a press manager for our local Spruce Pine Potters Market, and writes artist content for several artists. Her "Writer at Large" services for artists are about working with an individual artist or group to represent them and their work in a professional, exciting, creatively honest way. This content doesn't need to be something for a magazine. If you need help writing about your work, she can help with web content, artist statements, resumes, biographies, press releases and more. She also is happy to revise existing drafts you may already have.

I plan to have Katey help me revise some of my content. Writing clearly about your work is so important for an artist and I think sometimes it helps to get a different perspective from someone else. I highly recommend Katey for this and always enjoy reading anything she writes.

Katey recently did all the written website content for glass artists Thor and Jennifer Bueno. She doesn't design the website, but certainly can help with the words on the page to make your site look and sound professional. Check out their beautiful site here: http://www.buenoglass.com/

Katey has been writing about art for six years and has published essays on over 50 artists in the United States and Europe. Her essays have appeared in: Ceramics Monthly, Ceramic Art & Perception, Surface Design Journal, Contemporary Impressions, Metalsmith, and more. She has an MFA in Nonfiction from Pacific University and more than 10 years experience as an editor for 4 different literary magazines. Artists she has written about include: Cristina Cordova, Lisa Clague, Kenneth Baskin, Terry Gess, Elizabeth Brim, Lisa Klakulak, Anne Lemanski, Jenny Mendes, Emily Reason, Matt Kelleher, Shoko Teruyama, and more.

You can contact Katey and read about her artist services here:
http://www.kateyschultz.com/p/services.html

Artisphere Festival, Greenville SC this weekend

2012-05-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

Getting ready for Artisphere, an outdoor craft show in Greenville, SC next weekend.
Come see me in Booth #80 and William Baker in Booth #56.

Festival is May 11-13, 2012

Visit here for more information:

www.artisphere.us/

Fueled Up- American Craft feature

2012-05-06T12:30:00.000-04:00

Don't miss the spring issue of American Craft magazine. They featured my work in an article on the EnergyXChange where my studio is. The whole issue is on sustainability. Here's a link to the article: www.craftcouncil.org/magazine/article/fueled

Baltimore Clayworks- Watershed Kiln Gods Exhibit

2012-04-20T10:19:00.000-04:00

This year marks the 25th anniversary for Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts and they are hosting a number of exciting events throughout the year to celebrate. Back in 2010 I was awarded a Kiln God Residency at Watershed and thoroughly enjoyed my time there. Baltimore Clayworks is exhibiting the work from a select group of the kiln god award recipients in an exhibition this month, called Watershed's Kiln Gods. I'm happy to be able to participate in this great show. You can also look for Watershed's auction to be held this summer during the Invite + Ignite symposium where I have donated a wood and soda fired ewer for the event.

Read more about the exhibition here.
View the show online.

Watershed's Invite + Ignite Symposium in July

New endeavors

2012-04-15T16:25:00.000-04:00

Will and I have been busy these last few months planning an exciting new avenue for us. We have joined forces with a group of local artists in the area to create a cooperative gallery in downtown Bakersville, NC, called Mica | Fine Contemporary Craft. Lots of meeting and planning has been going on at first, but now we're a strong force in action, painting the building, making our displays, and getting things in gear for our grand opening. Read our newsletter below for more information and stay tuned for more details!

Mica | Fine Contemporary Craft Gallery

Save the Date!

2012-04-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Madison County Potter's Market

Saturday April 28, 9am-5pm

Showcasing the work of the 10 full time members of the Potters of Madison County and their 10 invited guest potters. The group was created in 2011 to unite and acknowledge the growing, skilled and diverse group of men & women currently creating ceramic work in Madison County, NC.

For directions and information about exhibiting potters visit:

www.pottersofmadisoncounty.com

I'm excited to be invited into this great show, hope to see you there!

Joy

2012-04-07T12:03:00.003-04:00

It's my favorite time of year when the green of the earth and the beautiful light help the joy shine out of me! Living around here, it's easy to find a day hike, for this one the other day, I ventured over to Colberts Ridge Trail, a hike up to the Black Mountain Range out of Celo, NC. Little pieces of spring were showing up here and there, such as wild oats, false hellebore, dog violets, and bloodroot, but the hardwood trees are still holding back to give me views of the Blacks in the distance. At home I've got some seeds started in the greenhouse and even a few things planted outside, even though it can be early here. Oh, sometimes I think I could have been a full time gardener! It all goes hand in hand with my creative life.

Flower Basket

2012-03-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

My oval serving dish form turned into a spring flower basket for those of you who like to skip in meadows while picking flowers. I don't know about you, but I kinda like to do that!

Carved Dessert Dish

2012-03-30T09:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, I do believe I'll have a banana split with the works decked out in this new carved oval dish! My favorite form from the firing, I only made one of these prototypes. This one's a keeper for a while as I look at it and study it so I can make more again, and this time in large batches for huge dessert parties!

Paper Plate, Plastic Plate, White Plate, Artist Plate

2012-03-29T09:00:00.000-04:00

Above you'll see my new carved dessert plates, each one has a slightly different carving, or peaked rim additions, some have two panels, some have three, and some have a continuous carving pattern all around. And they are carved underneath as well.

Below is the next size up- meet the lunch plate or salad plate. It's featuring new raised white additions that feel nice to touch.

And if you really want to see lots of great plates, come to the Penland Gallery for the opening reception this Friday night to see an amazing arrangement of over 200 plates from artists all over the country. Will and I both were invited to show our plates, hope we see you there! It's truly a beautiful show. I could spend hours in there looking at all the different plates.

~~Paper Plate, Plastic Plate, White Plate,~~ Artist Plate

A collection of artist-made dinner plates and related insights about food
March 20 - May 6
Reception: Friday, March 30, 7:00 – 8:30 pm

New pots!

2012-03-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

I've been photographing a lot of the new work from the kiln. There are lots of great new pots to absorb! The teapot above is one of my favorites from the firing, all the details worked out and I'm happy with the feel and width of the clay handle, feeling the carving and ridges under your fingers as I hold it. I'll slowly reveal more this week...

A peek

2012-03-25T22:59:00.001-04:00

Unloaded the wood kiln today! It was a great firing, we're still taking it all in-- both Will and I had some interesting surfaces and new forms come out of this one. More pictures soon!

Fresh

2012-03-24T18:59:00.000-04:00

While awaiting the wood kiln to cool, I was able to get out with my camera and take stock of what's been exploding all around me. A sweet saturated spring has come to our western North Carolina mountains and even though the winter didn't seem much of a winter, I'm loving all of the new lush green and bursting flowers.

Spring Firing!

2012-03-21T11:45:00.003-04:00

The wood kiln was loaded up on the spring equinox and we're burning pallets as I write. It's a beautiful mountain day for firing. Happy Spring!

AKAR Yunomi Invitational

2012-03-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

I'm excited to be invited for the first time to show in everyone's favorite Yunomi Invitational at AKAR Design. I sent along 5 of my favorite new cups from the wood and soda kiln, each with a different carving or texture.

Save the date- the show opens online only,

this Friday-- at 10 am CST, March 23:

Here's where you'll find the show online:

http://www.akardesign.com/

Follow the show at AKAR's Facebook Page

Glazin'

2012-03-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Dessert plates and ice cream boats. Fun to have some new items! (And I'm wondering why I have such a sweet tooth!)

Favorites

2012-03-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

I'm working on my favorite type of pot as I finish up this making cycle before we fire up the wood kiln next week. Enjoying the process the whole way, these two teapots have a few more details built into them. I feel so fulfilled working on a teapot, adding each integral part until the teapot is finished, not worrying about how long it takes to make the handle or any part of it for that matter. It's those moments that highlight the reason I'm a potter. These teapots are proudly handmade in small and carefully considered batches.

Stay tuned....wood firing next week!

Nourish; Art for Food

2012-03-07T09:00:00.000-05:00

This weekend an exciting exhibit opens down in Marshall, NC at a beautiful gallery called Flow, handmade adornment for Body + Home. The exhibit features handcrafted tableware and food inspired art by 15 regional artists and craftspeople celebrating the sensual allure of food and the art of table settings. I've included a place setting of my dinnerware and my large reed basket as a centerpiece in the exhibit.

Food

in its most irresistible forms
are considered in
glass - clay - fiber - metal - wood

Light refreshments
warm people
beautiful furnishings

Opening Saturday, March 10, 6-9 pm.

For more information:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/FlowMarshall/106350829414020

Throwing larger

2012-03-06T09:13:00.000-05:00

Well, large for this small pot potter. This week I'm trying to refine some forms that need to get better. I'm making parts to pitchers and vases that I will combine together to create a larger, more balanced and better thrown form. This is an answer to a struggle I've always had with throwing larger and somehow I feel like a huge breakthrough came when I was working on these. I'm excited to carry through with them and see how the proportions are resolved once they are connected, handles are added and they are decorated.

Slippin'

2012-02-24T09:30:00.000-05:00

Having fun with some thick white slip to comb or swipe textures through. The oval vase is a collaboration - Will threw the piece and I finished it off with impressed textures and some layering of different slips. I'll be excited to see this one when it's fired!

Kiln Building

2012-02-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Need a new pottery kiln and want a recommendation for a kiln builder? I have to include a plug here for my husband, Will Baker, an excellent potter himself. He also is quite the thorough kiln builder. For more information, visit his website or contact him at will@williambakerpottery.com

www.williambakerpottery.com/kilnbuilding/

Plate Week!

2012-02-16T17:09:00.000-05:00

Small lunch plates, dessert plates, and platters. Oh the soft clay is begging to be thrown, if only there was enough room in the studio to make that many all at once! The carving is just as fun and here's my favorite printmaking carving tool. These plates are carved on the back because it's fun to leave surprises for people to enjoy on the back as well!

By hand

2012-02-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

These hand carved bowls are only in the middle of their journey right now; they are wedged, thrown, squared, trimmed, carved, notched, and about to be slipped, bisque fired, glazed, and then wood fired!

Then they're off from my hands to yours, to the wonderful pottery lovers in the world.

Textures of the week

2012-02-12T19:33:00.001-05:00

The repetition in patterns everywhere intrigue me. Most of my carving patterns are hand carved with a linoleum block carving tool that I once used in a college printmaking course. This week I'm enjoying the ripple carved pot in the middle. Sometimes I find other interesting tools like shells, bark, and metal to create texture, as well as the simplest of tools, the wooden rib, for the fluted appearance on the far right cup.

Banana Split Anyone?

2012-02-07T19:44:00.003-05:00

I ended up making this fun dessert dish because I was making some prototypes for a new larger oval form. As I was adding all of the details, I couldn't help but dream of eating a banana split out of it! I'm definitely going to make more this size, as well as try out some larger versions too. A fun discovery!