Luke Langholz Pottery

2012-05-28T08:12:00.002-05:00

I haven't been so good at the blogging this fortnight, but I have been doing some steady potting. Not as much maybe as I'd like or prefer, but a fair enough amount. Focusing less on producing oodles of product and more on producing high quality pieces. I feel like I'm doing alright.

I also got a new phone, which is really neither here nor there save for the fact that I now want to take pictures of everything via Instagram. And given my proclivity for not taking a real camera into the studio with me, this upgrade is quite exciting and hopefully I'll maintain my curating with greater success once the novelty has abandoned.

So here's what I've been up to, presented via the artfully filtered Instagram:

Biggie vase. Nice lip, that. Decent balance. Some weight in the foot, but that will come out.

A trio of large-ish bowls. Six-to-eight pounders. Focusing on getting the rounder shape as opposed to my traditionally vertically-oriented bowls.

This one was either a 10 or 12 pounder. Probably a little more clay in the foot than there ought to be, but a bowl this big has to have a solid base when throwing or it will collapse on itself.

Some test bowls. I need to be experimenting with some glaze overlays. Looking for dynamic reactions akin to my favorite, as seen here. Only different.

This is a big'un. She'll get the IYFC Blue treatment.

A small forest of vases.

Whilst not in the studio, spent some time out at a Harry Potter birthday party. That's perfectly normal activity for a bunch of late-twenty-somethings, right?

Finding "high art" in the mundane. I'm pretty sure that's what Instagram was created for, right?

"Local History," I call it.

So that's that. And also doing some non-ceramic planning for the Clear Lake Art Sail that is now 2 months away. Quite excited and looking forward to bringing my work home, so to speak. Put it on your calendar: July 28th, 9 AM - 4 PM, City Park, Clear Lake, Iowa.

So there you go. Have a wonderful week, y'all!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

News and Pots

2012-05-13T20:39:00.001-05:00

A brief bit of news before I get to some pictures and updates on my studio work over the last week or so.

I'm very excited to announce that I've been selected to be a part of the 35th Annual Clear Lake Art Sail on July 28th in downtown Clear Lake, IA!

Clear Lake is my childhood hometown and I always looked forward to the weekend of "Art in the Park" as it was called in those days, wandering the rows and aisles of tents filled with who knows what you might find. As such, I'm thrilled and honored to be heading back that direction this summer as a participating artist. So now the work begins again.

It's been quite a while since I've done an outdoor show so I will be putting some elbow grease into updating my booth setup to accommodate, but I'm feeling good about the amount of pottery in my stock at the moment, and so I think the time between here and there will still allow for plenty of the summer experimentation I was looking forward to.

Which brings me back to my time in the studio this week. Did some throwing last week, but most time was committed to trimming and decorating of bowls. The throwing time was pretty minor however, and the only item of note was a set of vase/bottle neck studies - still an area of annoyance and importance in my work. I decided it was time to put some effort into experimenting with neck/lip shapes and styles on something other than a vase that reflected a full effort. Instead, I could play around with the neck at the top of a centered cylinder and cut it off when I found a finished result.

The top results of my neck studies.

Of course putting it all together is another story. It's not just the lip/neck that counts, but the way it relates to the shoulders of a pot and the relative sizes and all the interplay. So still getting there. Seems kind of silly to be doing this kind of work, or I feel like it's the kind of thing I should have been doing years ago, rather than having infrequent moments of success and generally mediocre vase tops. I've always known what I was going for but never committed any time to working out how to get there. Better late than never, I guess.

Spent some time this afternoon trying to put these experiments into practice.

Vases! Depending on how these trim down, the majority may be keepers!

So, threw some vases. Also some other stuff. Here's an illustrated guide to the rest of the work.

All of last week's bowls. Or at least some of them.

Some big bowls this afternoon; 6-8# each. Going for a rounder shape vs. tall.

Some mountains.

I think that's a 9-pounder on the left. Vase on the right has a lot of potential, if nothing else.

And so that's that. It's still my intent to spend some time this summer working on bigger pieces. I'm also going to throw a handful of test pots to throw in with the next firing to explore new glaze combinations and potential bleed effects. I'd rather do that sort of learning on little test pots than good 6 pound vases. So that's that.

Oh: and a very Happy Mother's day to my favorite mom, Anita Langholz (that would be my mother, if you couldn't figure it out). Always one of my biggest fans and favorite supporters, even if she is always nagging me for butter bells and sourdough bowls. I'm glad she's my mom and I love her very much. Not afraid to show it.

It's a few years old now, but it's probably one of the better pictures of me and Mom out there. Happy Mother's Day!

Weekend Pots

2012-05-01T18:25:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post with the photos off my phone over the weekend. Spent the better part of Saturday afternoon in the studio after running some household errands in the morning (+100 husband points). Mostly trimming, slipping, and decorating vs. throwing. I find that as much fun as it would be to sit down and have a throwathon all weekend, that usually ends in weeknight crams trying to get everything trimmed up before it's too late. I think it's a better policy for me to throw one or two nights a week for a couple hours - quick, clean work. Throw, get it off the wheel, wrap it up - and do the finishing on weekends so I can take my time with the trimming and decorating and other studio maintenance stuff. What throwing I did do was the result of fiddling with the lip of a tall vase that wasn't quite right. I made some progress but it lost the dynamic lines I was shooting for, so I scrapped it and started over. Much more pleased with the result of that one. So there you.

These photos were previously shared on my Twitter feed - you can always follow me @EarthAndClay in all my shenaniganny goodness.

Designs (left); Ducks in a row.

Trimming (left); Pedestal Foot.

Getting closer with the lip there.

Finally got "Album Shuffle" to work on my iPod again so I had continuous music for the afternoon without having to clean my hands and switch it up. Playlist for my Saturday studio time included: MuteMath's self-titled debut; Sleeping at Last, Ghosts; the Black Keys, El Camino; Green Day, International Superhits; and She & Him, Volume 2.

All in all a delightful mix and kept me focused. Except for that spell in the middle when the power went out in town. Found myself for the first time wishing I had a kickwheel as it was awfully hard to trim, throw, or do anything, really, in the basement without any lights or electricity. So I had to go outside and play with the dog for a bit. Power came back on after 30 or 40 minutes which was good because I had just about decided it was time to eat everything in the fridge before it went rotten and I was having a really hard time figuring out what to do with the eggs without a functioning stove and we've got a camp stove that could have scrambled them just fine but who knows if there's any propane left in the little Coleman tank so there was that. Like I said, the power came back on and everything was fine but it sure looked like it was going to get ugly.

So, Happy May Day, and have a wonderful week!

Bowls and Vases.

2012-04-28T09:47:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to stop in and drop off these shots of what I've been doing in the studio over the last week or so. Heading in for a long haul this afternoon - some morning errands to attend to and then clay for the rest of the day.

2-pounders.

4-pounders.

Lefty's a keeper, a little weight to trim out of the foot, but a keeper. Righty might turn out.

Latest throw. Not perfectly the shape I was going for. Might still be some room to work with it. Thrown Thursday night.

So that's where it's been. Lots of throwing, not always keeping everything. Especially in the vases. Wrote about it at greater length in the previous post. Still living in that space. Engaged some other thinkers and creatives on Twitter this week (artist and dear friend Alxndr Jones and his close friend Adam Lorenz) regarding the intersections of hard work and creativity, where does art occur. Throwing ideas around about the balance of organic creativity and need for practice and production. I'd like to give these thoughts some more time to create a coherent train of thought, but for now I'm trying to live in a place of hard work and production and discernment at sorting the wheat from the chaff, and identifying even in happy accidents places that present me with an option for creativity.

And so, I'm off. Happy Saturday to y'all.

2012-04-23T20:43:00.000-05:00

Thought #1: This weekend I didn't get to spend any time in the studio because I was too busy doing other (awesome) pottery-related things.

Thought #2: I'm very pleased to announced that I have been selected to have my work carried in the Dahl Art Center Gift Shop in Rapid City, SD!

Thought #3: So, segues obviously aren't my literary strength tonight. But I told you #1 to tell you #2 which leads to...

Thought #4 (and onward): Got up early Saturday morning to drive some work over to the Dahl and run some other related errands. They were kind enough to accommodate an out-of-town artist with a weekend intake for my work, and I was glad for an excuse to head to "the big city" as it's called (maybe?) by West River folks.

Hard at work, getting ready for the grand opening!

Certainly enjoyed getting to pay a visit to the Dahl and check out the current exhibits (stunning) and meet some fine folks. Anna Marie Thatcher (not MaryAnne, as I had written in my notes) handled the intake of my work with great care and attention.

Intake. IYFC Bowls, now at the Dahl! Well, after May 1st, at least!

It was great to hear about the progress made by all involved in this project. The Dahl Art Center apparently moved into its new building several years ago, but the space designated to become a gift shop never quite came together as such. A committed group of individuals have recently taken the bull by the horns, so to speak, and so the Dahl Art Center Gift Shop will see itself opened on May 1, 2012. I'm greatly honored to have been selected and look forward to working closely with them in the future. Please make a point to stop by when you're in the Rapid City area. The Dahl is a lovely space and I'd say well worth the time to visit. And don't forget to do some shopping while you're there. (<- sales plug)

After taking care of business, Krystal and I ran some necessary errands before heading home via Badlands National Park. On account of it being "National Parks Week" there were no park entrance fees so we thought it would be worth our time to make the stop regardless of how much time we would have.

Got in on the daylight-side of dusk and enjoyed some moderate hiking to enjoy some vistas. And then the "moderate hiking" took a turn toward "scrambling on narrow ledges of sheer limestone and scree." At dusk. With the sun setting more or less in our eyes. We've made enough poor decisions in our hiking days (Krystal would say that I've made poor decisions in our hiking days, but as Obi Wan Kenobi once posed, "Who's the more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?") to know that there's no pride lost in cutting losses and heading for home. So we made our way back down the cliffs back through the canyon to our car. Made another quick stop at a fully accessible trail (more our pace at the end of the day. Oh, did I forget to mention the gale-force winds? Cause, yeah, there was that. It is South Dakota, after all.) with additional vistas quite extraordinary. Also: dead batteries in the camera. So, here's a parting, blurry shot from the phone to pay absolutely no justice to the view.

They just go on and on and on...

Anyhow, good times. Sort of a long day to be spent driving to and fro, but hopefully for reasons fruitful. Ought to remember to take the camera downstairs while I'm in the studio this week. Doing a lot of heavy throwing, and being quite picky about what I keep and what goes back to the wedging table. Especially in the form of vases.

Whether I've explained it or not I'm not sure, but I find that even when vases aren't selling, vases and vertical forms are a strong judge of throwing capacity. A measure of control and focus, of vision and technique. So I'm thankful for the practice, and keeping more than I'm throwing out, for now at least. But no matter how much I throw, I can only keep so many vases on hand. Because the fact is, vases don't sell like bowls or mugs. And they take up a lot of space in the studio and the kiln and the storage bins and traveling to and from shows. So I'm trying to be picky and only keep the "top-shelf" pieces. So there's that. I mean, also throwing bowls and such. After the trip to the Dahl and a couple boxes that have to go in the mail this week I'm almost out of all those pretty blue bowls! So I'll need to make more.

And that's that. Happy Monday to you all, wherever you are.

Zonta Spring Craft Show: Recap

2012-04-17T17:45:00.000-05:00

First of all, a great big "Thank You!" to everyone who came out to the Zonta Spring Craft Show at the Pierre Mall this weekend! An even bigger "THANK YOU!" if you stopped by my booth to say hi and chat with me about my work, and a ginormous "THANK YOU!" if you purchased some fine ceramic goods from yours truly. Sending my pots off to good homes is certainly a wonderful thing, and I so greatly enjoy making those personal connections.

Thanks also to the local Zonta membership who made the show possible, and everyone at the Pierre Mall. It was a great weekend to be indoors: cold and blustery (read: windy) on Saturday and near-squall conditions on Sunday with windblown rain coming down in sheets. Once we got out of the elements, the hardest part of the weekend for me was probably getting set up right next to "the Cake Lady" and her crew. Because, you know: cake. And cheesecake. And cupcakes. And pie. Did I mention cheesecake? Anyhow, I managed to exercise great restraint and only had one cupcake after lunch on Saturday and a slice of pie after lunch on Sunday. And I brought home a cheesecake at Krystal's request. And a Raspberry Champagne cake that went into the freezer for a special occasion. But that was it. Yikes. Self control. Whew!

The "booth." As usual, click on any of the pictures for a closer view.

I had a fantastic time this weekend. I got to send several significant pieces off to new homes, which is always a good feeling. It can be a little discouraging with some of the larger pieces – bigger vases and wide bowls and large chargers – unpacking them for a show, and packing them back up again after. And those are fun pieces to make, so as long as they’re in stock, I’m not making more of them. All that to say, it was great fun knowing those works are just as appreciated and valued.

I’m looking forward to going back over my inventory and seeing what sold, what didn’t, what am I short on and what do I really not need to make again for a while. Looking forward to getting back into the studio, pushing myself, pushing my style, playing around and mixing things up again.

It’s surprising also at the end of a sale to see what hasn’t sold as well. I had mugs (with handles!) in stock for the first event in several years, and I think I only sold one. Bizarre. The gorgeous cobalt bowls? Sold a couple, but not as many as I thought I would. It’s a funny thing.

I mentioned that I love that personal connection, sharing the stories behind the work in addition to what is seen on display. I had a number of folks who came up and chatted with me for ten, fifteen minutes about my pottery – about the process and my story with the art form. Talking about the design and decoration, where it comes from, where it might be going. Folks that wondered about how I fire them, and how do other potters fire theirs, about the variety that is found within the umbrella of “pottery.” People that were engaging with and learning about the art, in addition to learning about me and my work. And many of them took a pot home. But plenty did not. And you know what? That’s fine! Because my love of the work and my passion for sharing it with others goes beyond nickels and dimes and inventory and sales and business plans. And I would rather spend my time engaging with people in a real and personal way than just try to sell them more stuff. Because it’s worth it for me to be able to share the joy that I take from the process with others, that they might further enjoy the pottery, that our joy may be made complete in the shared experience.

A woman stopped by early in the day on Saturday, drawn to the small cobalt bowls with sgraffito on the broad, flared rims. She knew she wanted to take one home, but to decide which one; we had eight of them lined up and she was so attentive as she compared each to the other, weighing the design work to the varied depths of the glazes and bowl heights. It was a process to find just the right one. And it made my day. Someone who appreciated the work and recognized the distinct individuality carried by each of the bowls on the table. Not just a question of picking something at random because it was a pretty, but finding the right bowl, the right piece. The one that belonged to her, if she only took the time to find it. That’s what the show is all about. That’s what I don’t get out of putting my work in galleries or gift shops or selling online. That human connection, that unique experience.

Engaging in a shared joy.
________________________________________

That’s the story for now. Check back soon for (potentially) exciting announcements regarding my pottery and new work as I get back into the studio again.

2012-03-29T12:45:00.000-05:00

Sandstone || Albany Slip Brown

Sandstone w/blue slip || IYFC Blue

No surprises here, just a few slides from the last firing. Thanks to all who came out to the FUMC Spring Bazaar in Pierre on Saturday. Sold enough pots to make worth my while. Taking some quiet time off from the studio for a couple of weeks - I have enough stock to hold me for my April show. Unless I completely sell out of "normal" stock, I'm looking forward to putting some time into some larger pieces and exploratory projects this spring/summer. We'll just have to see how that goes.

2012-03-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

Unloaded the kiln just now. Overall, very pleased. Tried something new this time, experimenting with holding the firing at it's highest point for an hour to get uniform results throughout the kiln, and also hoping to push a little more depth out of some of the glazes. Generally speaking it went well, but I may have over-fired my Rust Red by just a scoche as a result - went a bit darker in some places than normal. Sandstone gave me nice results this time too, a little bit more depth out of it then normal - hints of red and blue (maybe some crystallization of sorts?) came through on some underbellies. Tonight the kiln gets loaded and fired again. Lots of bowls on the way. I may try a 30 minute soak vs. 60 to see about finding the balance between getting the rich colors without toasting the Rusts.

Top Shelf (that glaze mark on the shelf there is from my first firing with unknown glaze properties, not the result of soaking at ^6).

Next half-shelf.

Down another tier. That smattering of orange-browns is "Albany Slip Brown," my new favorite glaze.

Mountains and IYFC Blues.

Mountains. Sandstone went a bit dark on the blues, but the browns are gorgeous.

Bitty vases.

Bowls and bowls and bowls.

And bowls and bowls and bowls.

And more bowls.

And a few mugs for good measure.

Excited to get out next weekend and see what other folks think of these pots.

2012-03-13T12:45:00.000-05:00

Opened the bisque firing Sunday night. One cracked plate, but otherwise all clear! I just love the vibrancy of those blues, even after just the bisque firing!

"Top Shelf" pottery. At least, the "top shelf" of the kiln.

Got just about everything into this firing - a couple larger pieces that just didn't fit. And then, Monday night I found another little vase hiding in my studio - totally would have fit in the middle of that shelf above. Oh well.

Jungle-pup wants to help me glaze. Or she's stalking me.

Krystal's away on business for a couple days so it's just me and the pup. She tolerates my extended glazing sessions slightly better than Krystal, but still gets a little bored of it after a while. At least I'm glad we're out of the stage where she was constantly trying to go swimming in my glaze buckets.

The work. Mind the box in upper right filled to the brim with 40+ small bowls. Also, the 30 mugs still in the kiln.

I made a fair amount of headway on the glazing front last night. All the mugs, mountain vases, smaller vases, and small bowls made it into the glaze firing, plus some other pieces. I think I still have a full firing worth of bowls left to glaze.

Also trying something new with this glaze firing, hopefully I'll have something exciting to share when I crack the kiln (Tonight? Tomorrow? Probably tomorrow.).

2012-03-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

Loaded this up yesterday (Saturday). That's a kiln stuffed to the gills with greenware, now bisqueware. Looks like I'll be doing some glazing this week to get these pots ready for a couple of my spring shows.

First on the calendar, I'll be showing at the Pierre First United Methodist Church Spring Bazaar on Saturday, March 24. That's just a one day deal that won't require my full setup but should be good for local name recognition.

Next up after that is the Pierre/Ft. Pierre Zonta International Craft Show on April 14-15 at the Pierre Mall. Supposed to be a good turnout for these Zonta shows, so I'm looking forward to it. I may still have time to make a few more pots between now and then.

So if you're a local reader, or you're interested in road-tripping to central South Dakota this spring, come visit me at those events! As usual, I'll keep you updated ad nauseum as to the preparations for the shows.

Things I've Been Doing

2012-03-08T12:48:00.000-06:00

So, what have I been up to, you ask? Here's a sampling of the things that have happened in the last week or so.

Shoveled my way out of a minor blizzard. Predawn shoveling is my favorite workout!

And then hanging out in the springy sunshine with the dog. It's just the Midwest, yo - that's how we roll!

Of course with weather like that, sometimes it's best to just stay in your basement and make pots. So I've tried to do some of that lately. Some days are better than others. But that's the way it is.

Itty-bitty bowls! I'm thinking these will be known as "adora-bowls." Say it out loud if you don't get it.

Some more regularly sized bowls.

And more bowls.

And back into the groove with some mountain bowls.

So that's what's going on. I actually have a couple of events coming up this spring, so one of these days I need to start thinking about doing some firings. More information about those shows can be found over at my recently updated About the Artist page.

So there you have it. Oh, music? This week in the studio I've been listening to NPR Music's (mostly) downloadable suggested listening mix from SXSW 2012. It's nothing if not eclectic (folk, metal, hip-hop, alternative, latin, rock - and that's just in the first track! j/k) and chock full of artists I've never heard before. While lists like this (70 songs deep, eclectic) come with plenty of songs that I listen to once and decide that's enough, there are certainly some gems in the mix as well. So check that out if you like, and let me know if you find anything good in there!

All About Music, 2011 Edition.

2012-03-06T12:50:00.000-06:00

Well, it only took me ~~a month~~ ~~two months~~ three months! to getting this post up. Would you believe me if I told you I started it before Christmas? But then there was more music, and life happened, and some pots, and here we are. I've not been as busy in the studio as I'd like to have been the last couple of weeks, but sometimes we just have to take what we can get. And what time I have had has not been well documented. I've got a handful of pictures from my phone that will probably make it up here, and often are shared (in real time!) on Twitter. In the meantime, I thought it best to post the following little ditty before any more time has lapsed it into irrelevance. Before you know it I'll have my own opinion about 2012 (assuming we're all still here next January).

See? Our calendar stops after 2012. I mean sure, it's Aztec, not Mayan, but it clearly doesn't cross a day into 2013!

I'm aware that this is completely self indulgent and primarily for my own enjoyment, but I hope you enjoy it, too. Please feel free to tell me what I got wrong, what I got right, and what I missed out on. What was your favorite music of 2011? Was it a new artist? An old favorite with a new release? Heck, I don't care if it was new music. If it was new to you, I'd love to hear about it. Always looking for new tunes, that's me.

If you're not at all interested in my taste in music, come back soon - I'm sure there's pottery on the horizon. If you care to indulge my fancy, stay right here.

There was a whole lot of good music going on this year. I scrolled through my media library pulled over 30 albums released in 2011 that Krystal and I added to our collection over the course of the year. Which really isn't all that much. But that's only counting full length albums. Not counting EP's (otherwise The Hawk in Paris's "His & Hers EP" would be on this list). Or live albums or or compilations or samplers or all the music that I'm intrigued by but haven't had the chance to pick up or fully give their due.

It's also worth distinguishing here that my aim is in no way to present an authoritative statement on the status of music in 2011. This list serves to represent the albums that I have most appreciated this year. Not a “best of” so much as a “my favorites.” Also, with after filling the top two slots the ordering is pretty much a wash. Because there was just that much good music this year.

Finally, in what is a first here (guest writer!), my lovely wife, Krystal, has kindly offered to share a rebuttal of sorts with her very own favorites from the year to follow below.

And so, without further ado, “Luke's Top 11 Albums of 2011”

Mutemath – Odd Soul: Groovy, soulful, ripe with vintagey organs and funky basslines. From the lyrical content to the rich instrumental arrangements, Odd Soul kept me coming back for more. I don't think I could argue that this was objectively the best record this year, but it came out on top as my favorite in a year with some phenomenal releases. Top Tracks: "Blood Pressure," groovy "Quarantine," album closer, "In No Time."
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light: A close 2nd-place. It's the same straight-up rock we expect from Grohl & Co., with the added bonus of some very serious lyrical soul-baring. Nearly a year later I still can only listen to this one start-to-finish, no skips. That's saying something. Top Tracks: "Bridge Burning," "Walk."
Foster the People – Torches: We heard their first single, “Pumped Up Kicks,” early last spring on an iTune's radio stream out of Cleveland while painting our kitchen and had a shared “What is this?” moment. The rest of America soon followed. I'm not going to say we were the first to jump on the wagon, but we might have been the first in the state. Torches is synth-and-bass driven rock from a veteran commercial jingle composer, so every song gets in your head and stays there. Seriously: so good. Top Tracks: "Kicks," "Houdini," "Warrant."
Switchfoot – Vice Verses: I thought this was a contender for the top spot on this list, and the fact that it isn't is more a testament to the competition than to detract from Switchfoot's merits. That and the fact that 2009's Hello, Hurricane set the bar high in expectation of a follow-up. Very strong mix of crunchy rock and heartfelt ballads (psalms?) from the San Diego band. Top Tracks: rocking "Dark Horses," pensive "Souvenirs," worshipful "Where I Belong."
The Black Keys – El Camino: I should've gotten on this train long before 2010's Brothers, cause this blues duo comprised of two pasty white guys from Akron is amazing. Got to see them live last summer and there are no words. I've seen 5-piece metal bands that don't have half the energy these two give on stage. Bluesy rock of the first order. Top Tracks: "Gold on the Ceiling," "Little Black Submarines," "Hell of a Season," the other 8 tracks.
Fleet Foxes – Helplessness Blues: Alt-folk is what some call it. I call it magic. Harmonies to make The Eagles jealous. If you're not a fan yet, put the title track on, close your eyes, and try not to be moved when the song hits its climax. You'll know. Oh, you'll know. Top Tracks: best served whole, but "Helplessness Blues" converted me when it was a free single on iTunes - 3 months before the rest of the album dropped.
The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow: More folk. This married-but-not-to-each-other coed duo has been making waves since they started singing together. Beautiful, expressive. Often just a guitar and two voices, occasionally piano - songs of love and life. Ugh. Top Tracks: "Barton Hollow," "Poison & Wine," "Birds of a Feather."
Radiohead – King of Limbs: I was non-plussed when this first released because of its short length (8 tracks?) and inaccessible vibe. A long, slow burn later, I've decided to read this as electronic jazz for the new decade. Blips and beeps and warbles and droning grooves - moody, atmospheric, even groovy at times. I guess I just wanted it to sound like other Radiohead. Which is the point, I suppose, for a band that's been trying to buck expectations ever since they made it big. Top Tracks: "Morning Mr Magpie," "Lotus Flower," "Codex."
Wilco – The Whole Love: I suppose I should start by saying I'm not a Wilco fan. But I like this album. Poppy at points, experimental at others, this record made for a great listen, enough so it made it onto my list. Top Tracks: "I Might," "Dawned On Me," "Born Alone."
Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto: I don't suppose there's a whole lot to say about Coldplay these days. They write catchy, anthemic "rock" songs that dominate the airwaves for months on end. This really is a good record, even if not as great as it could have been. Half the record is synth-happy dance music, the other is soft, acoustic driven tracks that could be B-sides from 2005's X&Y. Top Tracks: "Paradise," "Major Minus," "Up With the Birds."
The Kills - Blood Pressures: A late arrival on the list. Part of the reason I never post these year-end deals is that I spend the first couple months of every year catching up on music I missed during the year in question. These are normally relegated to the honorable mentions, but given the end of 2011 I thought I could fit eleven records on this list. It's bluesy and dark, like an electrified after-hours version of the Civil Wars. This music sounds dangerous. Top Tracks: "Future Starts Slow," "Pots and Pans," wrenching waltz "The Last Goodbye."

Honorable Mentions (in Alphabetical order): Bon Iver, Bon Iver; Burlap to Cashmere, Burlap to Cashmere; Danger Mouse & Daniel Luppi, Rome; David Bazan, Strange Negotiations; Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys; Feist, Metals; Raphael Saadiq, Stone Rollin'; The Roots, Undun; The Strokes, Angles; Yuck, Yuck.

"Krystal's Picks: Her Favorite New Releases of 2011"
(and because she's even harder to pin down than I am, commentary limited to select choices only)

Adele – 21: I refuse to not put this at the top of my list just because everyone else in the nation likes it, too. I did that in middle school when I refused to wear my Doc Marten sandals because everyone else was, even though I really liked them. This is me being mature enough to put it at the top of my list, too. AND I feel if only because it's comforting knowing there's good music out that the general public appears to like as well. Ed. Note: Hard-boiled editing was required to get her rambling comments down into this concise opinion.
The Civil Wars – Barton Hollow:
Britney Spears – Femme Fatale: Mostly I'm torn between my intense love of this album and the knowledge it is really very bad music. Ed. Note: almost made my honorable mentions list. It's pretty awful, and pretty awesome.
Foster the People – Torches:
Cake – Showroom of Compassion: Is it Cake? Then it's awesome.
The Black Keys – El Camino: Given the choice, I'd just as soon listen to (2010's) Brothers. But this is still really, really good.
Coldplay – Mylo Xyloto:
Foo Fighters – Wasting Light:
Mat Kearney – Young Love:
Paul Simon – So Beautiful or So What:

Krystal's Honorable Mentions (in Alphabetical order):Bon Iver, Bon Iver; Death Cab for Cutie, Codes and Keys; Feist, Metals; Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues; Mutemath, Odd Soul; Radiohead, King of Limbs; The Roots, Undun; Switchfoot, Vice Verses.

And that's it. Stop back soon for something more pottery related, hopefully.

Q & A :: Courtesy of Isalyn from Guam!

2012-02-22T20:34:00.000-06:00

One of the really fun things about blogging, or social media in general, or - even more generally - the internet, is the ability to connect with people (and ideas, and goods, etc.) from around the world that you would (sans internet) most likely never have the opportunity to encounter. Entering the world of pottery blogging has certainly allowed me to connect with great folks from all over (i.e, not here).

Robert Young is one of those folks. Mr. Young lives and works in Guam where, when he isn't sneaking some time into his own work, he is an art educator (you can see some work of his and his students' over at his own blog, Tropiclay Studio). It is in his role as an educator that Mr. Young has been able to bless me with what is quickly becoming one of my semi-annual highlights.

Every semester, Mr. Young assigns a research project for his clay students to interview (and thus research) a potter. Potters that he has, primarily, connected with online, through blogs and such. Presumably, artists at all stages of their careers and all different focuses in ceramics. Amazing.

And so, every semester for the last couple of years, I've gotten e-mails from inquisitive international artists-in-training - and it's just a delightful experience. I thought I'd share with you my response to a recent exchange with Isalyn, who chose to contact me for her ceramic research project. The following is my response to her questions, exactly as I responded, for a different sort of reflection on my work:

Isalyn -

Great questions! Here I go, I hope it's helpful!

Who or what influenced or inspired you to create your art of pottery?
One of my biggest influences was probably my college pottery professor, Jack Raddatz (his website and work here). Because he taught me how to throw and spent several years critiquing and guiding my work, he's probably the biggest influence. I haven't yet started to break any of the pottery rules he taught, so his teaching and the tradition of pottery at the school have significant influence over the way I approach my pottery. My other biggest influence is my Uncle Tim, who was also a full time potter. He passed away in 2008, but he is (was) in my opinion one of the most talented potters and artists I ever got to experience personally. You can still see his pottery on his website here. Because I grew up with a potter uncle, his is the work against which I judge all other potters - his use of shape, color, line, and texture are an inspiration in my work in some very direct and indirect ways.

Outside of potters, I like to think that I'm somewhat influenced by (painter) Jackson Pollock and (architect/designer) Frank Lloyd Wright. I believe they represent different sides of the same coin, being nature, and different approaches to allowing nature to move and breathe into and influence the way we live life and "do" art.

How was the art of pottery introduced to you?
I did lots of clay in elementary and high school (primary/secondary) but all hand building - coils, slabs, pinch, etc. My real introduction to the thrown pottery was by my Uncle Tim who was a professional potter. I got to spend *some* time in his studio with him when I was young and was always amazed by his work. So even though I worked with clay in school, I'd say my earliest knowledge of and association with pottery came from my Uncle Tim, the potter.

Has art been your dream since you were a child?
Sort of! I was always drawing as a kid - always had a notebook and pencil with me, always doodling. I enjoyed art classes in school, too - painting, sculpture, collage, clay - but drawing was always my favorite. When I was younger I certainly did dream about being an artist - somewhere between dreaming about being: a zoologist, a rock star, and a superhero. Probably in that order. When I went to college I knew I was still interested in art, but I was not sure that that would be the major focus of my studies.

Did your interest in art come as a natural talent?
I think so, in general. Drawing always came naturally - something I loved to do, and I was pretty good at it.

Did you ever consider any other career to pursue?
Yes, and no. Right now I am not a full time potter - I have another "real" job that pays the bills - and I'm very thankful for that! I'm still pretty young and trying to figure out what I want to do - if I want someday to try and do pottery full time, or get certified to teach, or go into some other area. Art, music, writing - these are all things I am very passionate about and would someday love to "make a living" doing something related. So, outside of pottery other things I have thought about doing are: teaching (either art or English/literature/writing), graphic design, or of course becoming a rock star. :)

Do you have any siblings or family members that are also involved in the art industry?
I've mentioned my Uncle Tim; I have other uncles who are/have been photographers, painters, architects, and chefs - I do consider cooking an art form, especially the way my Uncle Joel does it (when he's not painting). My parents are both musicians. And I have two cousins who are deeply involved in the arts. I guess when I think about it - yes, the answer is yes.

Did you experience getting any education in ceramics? If so, where?
I learned to throw in college - Luther College (link: Luther College Art Department). I registered for pottery because all art students were required to take a 3D class. And it was so hard I nearly quit the class, but I'm glad I stuck with it. Learning to center the clay was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to learn before.

What type of art do you prefer to create?
I spend the most time focused on functional pottery (bowls, mugs, plates, and platters) that are meant to be used in and around the kitchen but also are decorative. That is balanced with vases and less functional "jars" or "pots" that have a more ambiguous function and a focus more on aesthetics - the pleasing shape, the decoration, the lines and curves and surface.

How much time do you usually put into creating your art?
These days I'm lucky if I get to work on my pottery 10 hours every week. If I'm prepping for a show I'll put in considerably more time - closer to 20 hours a week. After a show or sale I tend to take a break from the studio. I really enjoy the time I get to spend throwing (and decorating) pots, but that's probably only half of the time required. The rest of time includes trimming, cleaning, glazing, cleaning, firing, cleaning, recycling clay, cleaning... :)

I hope these answers have helped - please do not hesitate to write again if you have any further questions or comments or if there's something you'd like me to explain a little better. Good luck with your report, and happy potting!

-luke

I think one of the fun things about this sort of project comes from the superficial level of how much fun it can be to simply talk about yourself. And while blogging basically exists to meet that need, it's a nice change of pace to talk about one's self in a more formal, guided setting - knowing that the rambling, as long as it's on topic, is desired. Cause really, most days I don't have a clue if what I'm writing about is interesting to anyone other than my mother (HI MOM!). Also, I think these questions focus my attention to things that maybe I don't talk about regularly here - or maybe have mentioned in passing, but don't come back to regularly. Or things that I'm happy to talk about and find interesting but don't normally come to mind when I sit down to share my studio fun times with y'all.

On the other hand: after responding to Isalyn's questions I went back and looked at my response to previous students' inquiries and found that while most of the questions posed from one student to the next are variations on the same theme, and my answers are predictably similar, there are changes - small changes, little details, but changes. Growth. Development. The first student to contact me for this project did so when I was not active in my studio - hadn't set up at home yet, was no longer at the Guild - and so my vision of myself as an artist was different from after I'd set up my studio and finding my feet, compared to last fall in the midst of prepping for some shows, compared to this spring.

Anyhow, not to read too much into a slight difference in perception of who has influenced my art or what my creative process looks like in 2012 vs. 2010, but it was interesting. It might be interesting to post some of the other questions I've taken from Mr. Young's students here. Or not. Who knows? Have to try and find out, I suppose.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed Isalyn's conversation prompts - maybe learned something about me in the process. As always, if there's anything you've got a question about just drop me a comment, shoot me an e-mail, or tweet at me. I'm always more than happy to engage in conversation and dialogue over whatever it is that I usually do around here.

Thanks again to Robert and his students (and again, check out what he's up to at Tropiclay Studio) - for making the world a little smaller. Who knows, maybe someday I'll get to come visit the island and meet my new pen pals for real. Wouldn't that be fun!

Mobile Update: Happy President's Day!

2012-02-20T19:59:00.000-06:00

Greetings after a nice long weekend! Normally these three day breaks in the normal work schedule mean more time for me to get into the clay, but this time around it meant getting out of town for a couple days. Krystal and I headed for the Hills for a couple nights for, among other things, spelunking.


This is a picture in a cave! What!

We didn't have anything set in stone, but mostly wanted to head to the "big" city for some fun and games, and hoped to find some adventure outside of Rapid City. We found it in the form of Jewel Cave National Monument - which is actually the 2nd longest cave in the world! Current surveyed length is somewhere around 190 miles, and geologists estimate (based on air flow exchanges and lots of math) that this accounts for less than 5% of the total cave volume. In fact, since early December surveyors have added an additional 4 miles of previously uncharted cave. Wild, huh?

Then we braved a blizzard to drive back home and I got to work on some bowls. And here are some pictures, courtesy of my Boysenberry smartphone.

Trying some new things, decoratively.

A few of these.


A couple more.

So there you have it. Big city adventure times, exploring caves, braving blizzards, and blue-slipped bowls. That's it for now, folks. See ya later!

#200 - for my Valentine.

2012-02-15T12:48:00.000-06:00

I may be a day late, but I'd like to dedicate this, my 200th post - to my Valentine. It seems fitting. Krystal's a special gal. I made sure these were waiting for her when she got home from work last night.

Arranged them myself!

Nice vase!

I've been a bit sporadic, distracted from the pottery - I'd like to blame Krystal for some of it, if I could get away with it. In addition to the lovely Valentine's Day flowers, Saturday was also her birthday, so not much potting this weekend. See? Blame!

But blame is foolhardy. She's also the only reason I've come so far in my work, the reason I keep at it. My cheerleader, my critic, my curator. She encourages my work when I feel discouraged, and grounds me when I'm spending too much time on utter rubbish.

Lately I've been needing the extra encouragement to get down to business. No, not really talking about making pots, but taking care of "business" - pursuing avenues of turning MY pots into YOUR pots. And it hasn't been happening.

A few years ago I read Seven Days in the Art World, a book that takes a day-in-the-life sort of snapshot of seven different people/places/events of significance - the Venice Biennale, the studio of Takashi Murakami, a Christie's art auction, and so on. It was fascinating. A few years out of school, the chapter where author Sarah Thornton witnessed a marathon critique session at the California Institute of the Arts made me miss sorely the ever-so-mild and oh-so-rare critiques we had in our senior seminar - the camaraderie, the criticism, the praise, the constructive dismantling of the work. A vain comparison, my experiences vs. that described, but so deeply affecting.

There was a point, and I'm getting to it. I saved a quote from the book in a drafted blog post and never touched on it. From Paul Schimmel, chief curator of MOCA Los Angeles:

"Talent is a double-edged sword. What you are given is not really yours. What you work at, what you struggle for, what you have to take command of - that often makes for very good art."

-Seven Days in the Art World, Sarah Thornton, 2008

That's the kind of thought that sticks with you. Especially, I think, if you find yourself, like me, the kind of person who tends to avoid the things that don't come naturally. Not that art can't come naturally, but the stuff that comes out of struggle is often "very good good art." Getting into this work, this art form, has involved more work, more time, more energy, effort than I've had to put forth in anything else in life. Save, perhaps, married life. And likewise, both give back so much more abundantly in joy and reward.

There's so much more in that idea to be unpacked than I have the time or clarity of mind to do so now. Maybe later. Maybe when it's time to delve deeply into the clay, to reach into something that struggles, to come out the other side with art. Maybe when I've tackled some "business" - the hard work, for me - I'll discover the art in that struggle. Maybe when I get tired of my blue slips and sgraffito and decide it's time to go back to the beginning and dream it all up again.

But back to the point, that it was sort of a strange revelation, a moment of some epiphany, when I realized that part of my love of the pottery came from the struggle. That it was never completely mastered, never completely fulfilled. There was always more to learn, room to grow, room for more struggle and more success and more frustration and inevitably fantastic joys. That I had discovered something worth working at and fighting for.

I find the two are somehow intertwined, this art and our relationship. And so I dedicate this momentous occasion, this 200th entry into the blog, to my Krystal.

(back to the regularly scheduled pottery in the near future.)

This would be post #199.

2012-01-31T17:33:00.000-06:00

Hidy-ho, neighbors! Just briefly (previously spelled: breifly, breifely, and brefily. It's not a spelling issue; it's a "my right hand types at a different speed than my left hand, and my brain can only keep up with one or the other" problem. Happens all the time. Other than that, I tend to type effectively at upwards of 70 wpm. Thought I'd share.) a post for y'all. More pictures, less talk-tures. Probably. Got something planned for what proves to be post #200. Sometime. Later. I hope. Here's hoping.

Before I get rolling too much further, I wanted to share (shoutout!) that I got my own mention (shoutout!) at my good friend Jon's blog, Farmboy to Foodie. I was commissioned to make a tea set for his 1st wedding anniversary last summer and my work was featured in his recent post on tea. The glazing on that set was unique - misbehaving glazes and all that. But funky and unexpected is not always a bad thing. Always nice to get some positive feedback. You can read about it here.

And here's what happened in the studio last week/this weekend. For your enjoyment.

Asphyxiated bowls. Two more under the white wrap behind.

Mugs and mugs and mugs. With handles and everything. I'm not sure I've been feeling alright, making mugs and all.

Part of my workspace - trimmings and leftover bits and pieces from the mug handle-ing process. And my not-so-shiny, not-so-new scale. But I'm very pleased with this table. It's a good solid working surface for wedging and kneading and such.

Plates happened. There's a fourth floating around somewhere. Just not in the picture.

The Two Towers! Some recycled clay, airing out and firming up just a bit before being kneaded and bagged. In anticipation of Part 1 of The Hobbit coming out this summer I thought I'd recycle my clay in a Tolkein fashion.

More mugs! Wet mugs! Hope you're not distressed by my non-linear treatment of time in the displaying of these photos!

So that's been it. Lots of music in the studio, of course. This week I gave another good listen to David Crowder Band's epic finale - truly a phenomenal effort and I think it might be hard to displace it over the course of the year as my favorite album of 2012. Also getting into some new artists, including the debut(ish) release from Pioneer - sort of a pop-punk/alt-rock sound reminiscent of MAE or Relient K, with their own spin. I've embedded the "trailer" for their album release party below to give you a taste:

Pioneer recently signed to Davy Baysinger's (of the band Bleach) Slospeak Records. Now, it's not a hard and fast rule - plenty of exceptions out there - but I think it's fair to say that the musicians you love ~~often~~ ~~sometimes~~ ~~occasionally~~ can point you in the direction of more music you'll like. It's not foolproof, you know, and sometimes people love listening to music that is not of their style or whatnot. Like hip-hop artists who cite Bob Dylan as an influence. (Really?) In any event, Bleach is one of my favorite bands, their self-titled 2000 release is my anytime-anyplace go-to album, and the last time I saw them live (2004 - before they hiatused for 7 years) ranks at-or-near the top of my list of best live music experiences. So I'm not surprised that my interest has been piqued now by multiple artists on this small, indie label.

Here's the sneak-peak at the upcoming release from the band SONS:

If you like the sound of that, you can listen to a full track of the new album here. I'm excited about these prospects for new music this year, especially from new artists, because it honestly doesn't look like there's going to be a whole lot else coming out this year, at least suiting my tastes. Exceptions and disclaimers, et cetera, ad nauseum. Music and stuff.

So that's all for now. Gotta keep throwing, gotta keep trimming, gotta keep sgraffito-ing. Kiln won't fill itself, you know. Later.

Bowls and bowl and bowls.

2012-01-20T17:37:00.000-06:00

Because today I don't feel much like dealing in words, here are lots of pictures. Because I used my camera this weekend. Lots of trimming, lots of decorating. Some plates. Some mugs. Some things didn't get photographed. But you should really take what you can get. Especially at this time of year when my basement (studio) is so cold that... it's pretty cold. So I took lots of pictures of the bowls I've been making and the decoration therein. Of course, once they're turned right-side-up they'll have a completely different balance and flow. Part of the magic and mystery, I think.

Bowls! Trimmed, footed, sgraffito-ed.

Two...

...by two...

by two, by two, dear Lord...

these things we clay!

A few of these - soon to be pretty blues. A friend of mine recommended I refer to the blue effect as "in your face cobalt." So there you go.

Minis - These will get the In Your Face Cobalt treatment, and a vase!

Mugs!

And one that's not a pot at all!!

That there above is a powered speaker dock for my iPod/wedding-ring-holder. It was a Christmas gift from my fabulous wife and it makes my studio quite cheerier. I had been playing my tunes through an old pair of computer speakers but it was constantly draining my iPod's battery to do so, and this little black box has fabulous sound, plus it (re)charges my iPod and keeps track of my ring while I'm potting so I don't have to remember where I put it. Potter problems, I guess. In any event, the little blue Nano has been keeping me grooving to my favorite tunes from 2011 (Fleet Foxes! Civil Wars! Foo Fighters! Who was my favorite for the year?) and even 2012 (A Requiem Mass from the David Crowder*Band - amazing! Off to a great start for the last year on the calendar and all that!). So that's been great and I wanted to give Krystal a shout-out for her great gifting. Also under the tree from Krystal: this amazing tome on Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus. Wildenhain's work and the Bauhaus tradition are of significant influence on my ceramic ancestry, if not my work and philosophy directly, so I'm very much looking forward to digging into the anthology.

Will I get to work in my studio some more this weekend? I sure hope so. Will I wait until next Friday before blogging again? Most likely.

Stay warm, folks. It's cold out there.

briefly briefl brief

2012-01-13T12:55:00.000-06:00

Since I did grab some snapshots while I was in the studio last weekend, I thought I'd better post a brief update before I hunker down for a wintery long weekend in my studio and fall behind on sharing what's happening.

After finding a few hours to throw - Saturday? Sunday? - over the weekend, bowls and mugs sat on my shelves for too many days. Finally picked up on decorating the bowls whilst catching up on Krystal's new favorite entertainment phenom, Terra Nova, or as we call it in our house: Dinos! Trimmed bowls Thursday night. Will be back to throwing this weekend, and hoping my mugs won't reject handles. We'll see.

Anyhow, a few pictures:

The weekend's work pre-trimming, decorating.

Some mugs. Feeling better about these still. Should have been more, but I ran into some chamois remnants that had been recycled with the clay, then shredded, then recirculated. Pulled little bits out of three potential (non)mugs. Bummer, but it happens.

Decorated, trimmed, and drying. Hoping to get a full kiln of these + mugs + a few other odds'n'ends projects.

That's all there is to it, I suppose. Should have plenty of time this weekend to throw, trim, blog, sleep - so there you go. Stay warm, folks!

Does it come in blue?

2012-01-10T12:50:00.000-06:00

Hey all!

I haven't done as much potting this week as I'd like to - back there's some progress, some photos to share, eventually. Bowls and mugs and such. I could have made further progress, but I had to spend a fair amount of time Saturday correcting some warped lips/flanges that my plastic coverings left on some bowls. Not my favorite way to spend studio time, but it sure beats not discovering the flaws until the bowls are too dry to do anything about it. So, there's the lemonade: home studio = staying on top of time/moisture sensitive pottery issues.

In the meantime I wanted to stop by and share this video I came across recently (out there on the interwebs). If you're a potter, or an artist, your you like art, or you frequent art fairs for some reason not listed above, this is worth the watch.

Video is supported by Clay Times Magazine and written & produced by Ivy Creek Stoneware.

I don't even do that many shows each year and it still nearly gave me an anxiety attack. If you watched the video and didn't understand what was so hilarious (stress-inducing), please don't ever ask to purchase pottery from me, or any other artist.

I guess that's it for me. Lots of decorating and trimming ahead this week, as well as more throwing, dreaded handles, probably followed by more trimming and decorating. And a three-day weekend, as well - so even more pots down the chute, hopefully.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year! + New Pots + This is Post #195

2012-01-04T12:54:00.000-06:00

A Happy New Year to all and to all a new year! If you're still living in 2011, I guess that's your prerogative but I'd think twice before getting too upset with anyone you think "stood you up" on Monday, January 3rd, because, you know, for most of us January 3rd was Tuesday, and Monday was January 2nd. So, you've been warned - but it is a free country and all that.

I'm looking forward to getting back into the groove around here. Took 10 days or so away from "home" and visiting family and friends in Iowa. Mostly family. Mostly friendly family. That's the way it goes sometimes.

But I'm excited! For pottery! And related suchness! I had a glaze firing unloaded the week before Christmas that was a real joy. Some Christmas orders that had to be boxed and shipped away (with minimal shipping casualties) and then some just for funs. I think I've finally figured some things out and I'm looking forward to kicking back into production mode and increasing my supply of what I hope will become "staples" of my work. Because they're gorgeous. And I don't have any of them left. Because they're sold. Mostly. I guess I have one or two. But seriously. Good times.

Also a good time (dork moment): upgrading our main home computer's RAM from 2x512MB to 2x2GB. For those not in the know, that's amazing. It had become standard practice to go grab a bite between instigating computer processes because you could. And now I can't even keep up with things. I open a window and BAM! Firefox is going shopping and playing videos and sending e-mails and downloading music and writing webpages and I'm still trying to find the cursor on the screen. I'm afraid I may have just unleashed the Singularity.

So I may also be inclined to blogging more, with pictures, since it will hypothetically take less than a leap year to crop, edit, and upload new pots. So yay for that.

I also procured some large stone brick things to boost my wheel six inches higher off the ground. I'm thinking this will ease some back pain I've been having (too young!!) and make throwing more enjoyable. All around: excited.

So here are some of the pots that came out pre-Christmas. I think they're beautiful.

These eight were shipped. Seven survived. Looks like I'll be making some more. Thanks, USPS Shipping Insurance!

Glaze Detail.

I've been working on my love-hate relationship with mugs. Heading into a "love" phase. I think that's a good thing. I was excited about these. Also had some blue mugs that were cute, but a bit small, and not as dynamic a glazing effect. Back to the drawing board on those.

Finally figuring out this blue with some consistency. There are two left, if you're interested.

Batch of these little darlings. Love the blue-red bleed. I have one left.

Glaze bleed detail.

I tried a couple of other glaze things as well, to some stellar results. I believe I still have one (singular) in a new glaze that I will need to be incorporating regularly, because beautiful. The end.

Back into the studio for me this week, or at least this weekend. Maybe both?

ALSO: I've made my selection of my favorite (musical) albums of 2011. I need to post it soon before the late arrivals sneak their way in.

Back to the grind, friends. Happy potting!

Merry Christmas! (2011 Edition)

2011-12-23T21:23:00.000-06:00

Because I failed to fulfill any of the promised "Coming Soon!" posts, I wanted to throw up this quick message to wish you and yours a blessed and joyous holiday season, and a very Merry Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, it is still a holiday season and I hope you find your days full of the aforementioned blessing and joy, even if it's just another weekend to ya.

I still fully intend to unleash upon you my narcissism in the forms of a "My Favorite Musical Albums of 2011" list, ideally even this year. Because of course the world will be ending in 2012, as John Cusack so eloquently educated us. But it's unlikely to happen between now and Christmas. So no promises, except to its eventual arrival. Preferably before the world ends.

In the meantime, we've been marveling over our relatively mild weather. This horribly grainy photo shows one of our permanent collection pieces basking in afternoon sunlight not often seen this side of Easter in our part of the world.

Sunshine! Also, amazing glazing!

For a time of year that often asks for traveling, this freedom from weather is quite the novelty and I'm very much looking forward to not driving through any blizzards or ice storms int he near future. Please.

Sweet Baby Jesus says, "Relax!"

I was reminded again this year when visiting Christmas at the (State) Capitol that I do appreciate living in a state that can fill its halls with Tannenbaum and not become embroiled in controversy. The above creche is part of the display also held in the State Capitol. There's something to be said for living in a place that allows Sweet Baby Jesus to just do His thing. So, thank you, South Dakota, for being so sensible about these things.

My lovely wife, our lovely Tannenbaum.

So with that, please accept my seasonal salutations, my wishes of good cheer and peace and hope and joy and love come down to earth in a manger, the sweet babe who changed the world. May the promise of all love and grace fill you with hope and peace and joy as never before.

And get along with your family.

And to the Grinches: please accept this Happy New Year's greeting, that 2012 be better than 2011, and the promise that in 11 months the election season will be over. At least for a few weeks. Until the prophesied Mayan apocalypse and all that.

things that should have been posted months ago

2011-12-15T18:58:00.005-06:00

Just a few pots that I selected for slide-shooting from this fall's body of work. Some of these are still available. Some of them are not. The ones that aren't, I probably have similar. It's a bit late for Christmas gifts, though, probably. Sorry. Anyhow, these were "some" of my "favorites" from this summer/fall. Mostly that bottom one there. Beautiful. I'm glad it's going to a good home. Cause I sold it. And now I'm rich. Muah-ha-ha!!!

(p.s. - most of these can also be seen by clicking on the "gallery" tab at the top of the page. In the future I'd like to keep the gallery page sort of rotating favorite current and past works, a sort of Ceramic C.V., if you will. But not really. Because you won't.)

Coming soon: 2011 in Review, My Top 11 of '11, and Post #200!!! Maybe not in that order!

Here Hast I Beenst

2011-12-06T18:48:00.001-06:00

Sometimes I like to imagine that there's a whole throng of folks out there that read this blog with regularity becoming a Swiss watch.

That aren't my mother. (Hi, mom!)

And in this imaginary world, all of you have been desperately wondering just where I went for all of November, as I seem to have missed an entire month of posting opportunities.

But really: "Hi, mom!"

The way it hangs there (above, see: "where I went for all of November) it almost looks as if I went on some great expedition. But mostly I didn't do a whole lot, and I'm so sorry for being absent. I've been in and out of my studio, and a little travel here and there, and back into the studio...

But generally, I feel as if I used up about 2 years' worth of discipline, motivation, and drive in the preceding three months. And while it was wonderful, and all things went great, that was just an awful lot of exertion in a short amount of time and so, intentionally or not, I took a little break. And since I don't depend on the selling of pots for the buying of food, I can afford to do so. For this I am thankful.

But I've kept myself sort of busy. Some pots, some travel, some pictures? Here:

Mugs! Yes, real mugs! And bowls. These have been drying since the first week of November. Waiting for some friends to justify a bisque firing. I'm getting there.

Spent some time in Phoenix to eat some turkey. My mother-in-law's bobcat has a thing for fine footwear of the smelly, leather variety. Seriously, look at that sublime state of bliss.

Drove up into the mountains and met a week-old zebra. Cutie-for-surie. (we call that a "Slant Rhyme.")

Got up close and personal with a giraffe. Krystal got to feed him. He was wrinkly, but friendly.

May I also say, the pinnacle of this experience was the "Predator Feed" which was essentially a parade led by a beat-up pick-up pulling a trailer full of seven hundred pounds of raw meat which was shotgunned over the fences by park staff (shotgunned in the football sense, for anyone following along at home). First of all, if you've never watched another human being chuck a 12 pound turkey in the air (and I mean, intentionally chuck - because I'm aware that Thanksgiving brings about all sorts of mishaps) - if you have never observed as someone shot-putted a 14-pound roast in the air, you are missing out. Because it's amazing. All on its own. Standalone entertainment in a heartbeat. Worth it.

Now, on the receiving end of that roast is a 6 year old, male lion - and he catches the roast in his mouth and runs off with it, shaking it dead while roasty-juice flies everywhere; on the receiving end of that flying turkey is a regular old Hobbes who up and poaches that turkey out of mid-air with a disconcerting crunch of fowl - THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT.

That said, aside from the carnivore's buffet, it was one of the strangest places I've ever been. And I've been sucked into some odd little tourist joints. But it seemed that most of the critters in the park were rescued private pets who would have otherwise been put down. Resident White Rhino Boom-Boom, for example, was originally booked as the main event at a canned hunt in Texas before being redeemed by Mark Ecko, "founder of the world famous rhino-branded apparel line, *ecko unltd., and a staunch supporter of rhino relief." Boom-Boom is now on permanent loan to Out of Africa. So, apparently good for the animals. Right.

Got Christmasy up in here.

Home-made ornaments, even. Maybe I should be marketing these things?

My lovely ladies. Tempy was helping to set up the tree.

Finally getting around to more pots this week. So there's always that.

So that's what I've been doing. Pots. A little. Running. Catching up on my reading. Shoveling snow. Scraping windshields. Running the furnace. Making soups and chilis and such things. Also, plenty of music-listening. Today I've been getting into the brand new release from the Black Keys. It's pretty dope. <--Hip=Me. Thinking that maybe this is the year that I'll actually post a "Luke's Favorite Music/Top Albums of the Year According to Luke with some input from Tempy" post.

So there it is. Nothing too exciting, but it's what I've been up to. Finishing some Christmas orders. Still lots of pots in stock around here if you're looking for any specific gift needs.

Stay warm, and keep potting (if applicable).

Bye, Mom!

I have finished the race!

2011-10-25T22:32:00.001-05:00

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." -2 Timothy 4:7

Boy, that sure feels like fitting words to share tonight. I thought it about time to pop in here and let y'all know that I have survived the last two weeks and come out relatively unscathed. Having successfully completed the IMT Des Moines Marathon last Sunday (10/16), I came home and tackled the back end of my "Marathon(ing) Week" with a show this last Friday and Saturday. Good times all around.

Friday and Saturday I had the great joy and honor to be selected to participate in the First Lady's Prairie Arts Showcase, a local event held in conjunction with the Governor's Invitational Pheasant Hunt. I certainly consider it to be a great honor to be among the 32 South Dakota artists selected to participate and would certainly like to take this line of text to thank First Lady Linda Daugaard, the South Dakota Arts Council, and the South Dakota Department of Tourism for their work in preparing a fine event.

My booth space. Click on the picture for a better view.

According to other artists that have done this show before, this was a bit of an off year - sales-wise, mood-wise, etc. Somewhat to be expected - with an election last fall, this is a new administration which translates to a new guest list and so no telling just what people were expecting. As a result, Friday evening saw very little action for the artists, at least in our section of the show. A handful of folks did stop by the artist booths to check out the work and do some pre-shopping, but there were very few sales to be seen.

Saturday was a horse of a different color. There was a bit more interest from hunt guests (and their accompaniments) as they congregated for the day's events. Mid-morning the show was opened to the public and things really started to pick up. I had pretty regular sales throughout the better part of the day and got to meet a whole lot of great folks from town and made some connections that could lead to further opportunities to display/sell my work locally. I had a great afternoon. Things slowed down again in the early evening as we transitioned back to a private event for the Hunt Guests and I made one or two more sales to guests in the evening - mostly local folks who were also contributors to the success of the Hunt, whether organizationally or hosting hunts on their land.

All that to say, despite the fact that the show was open for over 20 hours and I'd say 15 full hours were spent NOT doing anything remotely resembling business, it was a good event. I got to share a hall with some great South Dakota artists and managed to have some fun along the way. I do know that if I were not a local artist I might not be so optimistic about the turnout - I had no travel expenses to do this show, no lodging, no gas costs, no on-the-road meals. If that were not the case, what I sold would barely have covered my expenses for the weekend. That would be, generally, a problem. But I got through.

I had a lot of concerns as this was my first show in nearly two years and certainly a different setting than I've showed in the past. At the end of the day, I think I did a fair job at things. I could elaborate if any of my loyal readers have questions, but for now I'll leave it at that and say that I'm certainly glad to have that one under my belt and thinking that I'll be much more prepared for the next one to come my way.

BUT!

Before I could prep for this show, I had a marathon to run. So yikes. As this is not a running/fitness blog I'll spare any nitty-gritty details. Like, I'm not going to post a picture of my toenail that went from deep red to ink-stain-purple and is still hanging on quite tenaciously. But, as it's quite a significant accomplishment, I'd be amiss not to share a bit. Including pictures. Great big thank you to my parents for being our "pit crew" and cheering all morning! So, the short story: we finished! All three! In reasonable times!

Read on for the longer version...

At the start - me, Krystal, and Krystal's dear friend Sandy.

It was a great day for running. Specifically, a great day for running for multiple hours. It was a bit chilly at the start, but reasonably temped as the sun came up - starting around 45 degrees and warming up not much higher than the upper 50's with reasonable sun and mixed breeziness. Krystal and her dear friend Sandy ran most of their race together - significant as they ran their last marathon together in 2004. Well done, kiddos.

I'm not sure what we were talking about, but I couldn't pass on this photo. I call it "Anticipation" and I think I need to blow it up to 16x20, frame it, and hang it prominently in our home. Waiting at the starting line, listening to the Star Spangled Banner.

I settled into the starting corral somewhere around the 4:30 pacer (that's four hours and thirty minutes total, not a per-mile pace) and quickly found myself keeping pace with a nice runner who would stay with me for 24 miles. Martijn was a very nice fellow originally from the Netherlands who has been living stateside for the last 15 years or so and works for an Iowa Ag company as a corn breeder. I told him that sounded like a pretty kinky job and he thought that was pretty funny.

Me and Martijn somewhere around mile 13, I think. Still feeling pretty good at this point.

Somewhere around Mile 8 I said to Martijn, just that two more times and a little bit. It doesn't sound so bad when you say it like that. Again, around Mile 13, the halfway point, you have this moment of "I feel great. Everything we've already run, run it again? No problem!" Three miles later, 16 miles in, with 10 miles to go, you realize you're rather bored of the run. Over the next six miles boredom turns to irritation turns to discomfort turns to something resembling pain. Martijn and I parted ways just before Mile 24 - I was fighting my first bad cramps of the run, my quads were seizing up (<--nitty-gritty?) - and I was falling behind. No words to share, I was just slowing down and he was still feeling good. Turns out he felt good only for the next two miles and got hit with a nasty cramp within sight of the finish line. I had to take my time through the last two water stations at miles 24 and 25, but finished strong to the finish, banishing the cramps to far away places.

At the finish - I'm a marathoner!

It felt good crossing the finish line, mostly to be done running. But I felt great otherwise. My ever-supportive father's response to my good feelings? "Then you must not have run hard enough." My final chip time was 4:12:14 - a very respectable time, and a good pace throughout. My goal was to land somewhere around 4:30, I thought 4:15 was an optimistic goal #2. Finishing under four hours would have been incredible as goal #3, but we certainly didn't train to run at that sort of pace and given that I felt really good about my run I'm not sure that there was anywhere I could have realistically shaved 12 minutes from. Besides, now I have a goal to strive for on Marathon #2 :)

Me, Krystal, and Sandy - we all made it!

Krystal came in a bit after me (she hasn't disclosed me to share her time, but I'll say it was much better than her last marathon) and Sandy was about 10 minutes after that. Good looking trio, huh?

So that was that. Went back to my brother's place, showered, took a nap, grabbed some barbecue with a dear old friend in Ames and on to my childhood home in Clear Lake, IA. Monday we spent six hours in the car which is exactly the sort of thing you want to do after running a marathon (<--sarcasm). Upon arriving home I got to finish sanding, pricing, and packing up pots for the following four days which leads us back to the top of the post.

Looking forward to a break from things long-runnish and super-pottish for a bit. I do have some throwing to do to get some Christmas orders in, and I'll be back to running as soon as my joints tell me it's okay. In the meantime, trying to enjoy the last bits of temperate weather that we might be having for a while up in these parts. The last week (running Sunday through Saturday) represent the culmination of a lot of hard work and discipline set in action nearly 5 months ago, and it mostly feels good to have come out the other side stronger for it, rather than buckling or falling short in any significant way.

With that, stay classy and thanks for stopping by. I'll let you know when potting of significance resumes.

Lots of Firing Around Here

2011-10-12T12:50:00.000-05:00

Busy busy busy. I seem to be starting a lot of note that way these days. The final firing before my show is cooling to be unloaded tonight. I've been firing nonstop since last Friday night: a final bisque load and now into my third (I think?) glaze firing. There's no way I'll be able to log all of my pots as "slide" quality images, but the bottom line is that a lot of them aren't portfolio worth pots. I'll hopefully find time in the next 9 days with enough good natural lighting to get some good photos of my favorite pots to come out of the last couple months work. In the meantime, here's a taste of what's been coming out of the kiln.

I did a baker's half-dozen cups like this. I may be taking a break from my sgraffito this winter to do more pieces that emphasize carving, relief, and glaze work. Mostly I love these two glazes together. Wishing I had a whole set of work like this.

Another mountain vase. They're coming out pretty regularly lately. The brown still isn't as strong as I'd like, but what can you do?

Bowls and bowls and bowls. These are itty-bitty ice cream dishes. Or whatever. Beautiful reds.

Still not avoiding disappointment. Here are two stacked bowls with the glaze doing this. In addition to the 6 from the earlier firing that didn't turn out in this combo. And the six small ones that I tried with an alternative glazing that didn't pan out either. Argh. Went back to my glaze/firing log and discovered what I've been doing wrong here, but too late to help these bowls. Blurgh.

This is a big one - blue and sandstone. Should have stayed with the red-sandstone combo, but it's a pretty blue, nonetheless.

More cups. A whole palette. And remember: Choose Natural Energy!!!

And last, but not least, I think my favorite from this round of work. The glaze, the shape. It's a winner. Now, to make sure I don't arbitrarily price this one head and shoulders above the rest just so I can keep it...

That's it. Don't know how much more news I'll be able to get up in the next week. On the road this weekend to run a marathon - hopefully I don't die. Then home to finish sanding and washing and prepping and pricing for the show. And then the show. And then I may sleep for a week or two straight.

In addition, if you're not already, listen to the new records from Switchfoot and MuteMath. They are amazing.

Peace!