Nine Toes Pottery

Cone 6...Wood!

2011-12-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone who made it to last weekend's sale. It went great and lots of nice pots found nice homes. Now time for some
R & R...after this weekend's cone 6 wood firing at the Energy Exchange in Mitchell (or is it Yancey?) County, near Penland, NC.
My friend Teresa Pietsch, who is a resident there, organized a cone 6 wood firing in the Pallet Eater Heater wood kiln and I will have quite a bit of work in this experimental firing, for us that is. Another new thing for me, is that we will be get directional effects, which I haven't really done a whole lot of. So, super excited and I'll try to post some pics soon, that is if things turn out!

Happy Holidays everyone! See you on the flip side.

Fresh cookies and funky fly fresh potteries

2011-12-08T23:12:00.000-08:00

6th Annual Holiday Open Studio Sale this weekend

December 9, Friday, 6 - 9 pm

December 10, Saturday, 10 - 4 pm

December 11, Sunday, 12 - 4 pm

Now that is a big stein!

Come on by for some cookies, drinks,

and a whole lotta pots fresh out of the kiln.

Hope to see you there and Happy Holidays!

Directions to the studio

(#4 The Glen, Chapel Hill, NC, 27514)

are along the right sidebar

(919) 225 - 6160

Cup Shows Runneth Over

2011-11-05T00:39:00.000-07:00

So this Fall season has a overwhelming offering of cups and cup shows. I think Michael Kline said that he is in 4 shows, all focusing on cups. I have been invited to 3 and I wanted to let y'all know about them.

The first is Cup: The Intimate Object VII, an invitational exhibition by Charlie Cummings Gallery in Florida. This is one incredible show, that opened earlier this week. With around 600 cups, not only is it a massive showing of work but a technical feat to pull it off, and with such panache. This show has the best ad that I have seen, I think ever, because I think it really draws out the hand of the user and the experience of an "intimate object". The photo of Lindsay Rogers connects the handmade cup to the hand of the maker/to the hand of the user, which I think maybe a lot of show announcements still rely on the "this is the work" model. I applaude Charlie's graphic designer and the concept of this ad, simply great! Here is the link if you would like to check the show out: Charlie Cummings Gallery.

Another great show of cups just opened online at Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC. This show is entitled "Interpreting the Cup: Process, Influence and Intent" and was curated by Jason Burnett. There are a lot of great cups that run the spectrum from sculptural to functional. Jason did a great job, and I am honored to be part of the show. Check out the link: Crimson Laurel Gallery. Below is an image of one of my cups in the show, part of my new blue series, which I am pretty excited about and peeps have been responding to very positively.

And finally, my third cup show (actually 4th this year, earlier in the summer Carbondale Clay Center had a great show called "Pairings", which had local wineries and breweries pairing up show vessels with complementary beverages) is at The Artisan Gallery in Northampton, MA. This show is titled "Consider the Cup: Cup and Mug Invitational" and I do believe this is the 4th year. My cups for this show are in the kiln as I type, heating up and hopefully doing wonderful things. I have been in this show before, and I am very grateful to have sold well and be invited back to join an incredible list of ceramic artists. Check out this link: The Artisan Gallery. The show opens next Friday, November 11, and I'll be rushing and packing my work to ship out early next week (Sorry, I'm late, Chuck and Patty!).

So, no shortage of opportunities to buy and admire vessels for your beverages, hope you find a favorite and support some lucky ceramic artist this Fall! Autumnal blessings to everyone!

3 Guys* Landing in Chatham County!

2011-09-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to remind folks about the 3 Guys* and Some Pottery Sale this weekend, Friday, September 23 6-9pm, Saturday, September 24, 10-4pm and Sunday, September 25, 12-4pm. You can go to www.dougdotsonpottery.com for more details and/or check out the 3 Guys* and Some Pottery Facebook page. I'm including some teasers of the pots that will be around this weekend. Come join me, Doug, Michael and Naomi for a fun time, refreshments and lots of nice potteries!

A Very Full September

2011-09-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

Long time posting, and not too much to say, except that I am under the gun to get work finished for the Mint Museum's 7th Annual Potter's Market Invitational next weekend, Saturday, September 10, 10-4 pm. I'm planning on having a good variety of pots, with a new "cooler" color combination, a blue terra sig with a rich, green translucent glaze. Pretty excited about this new palette. I'm also excited to be invited for the fourth year in a row to be among 40 of North Carolina's best ceramic artists. Come by and bring some friends. Check out www.mintmuseum.org for more details.

Another big event coming up very soon is the 9th Annual Three Guys* and Some Pottery Sale at Doug Dotson Pottery near Pittsboro, NC. The sale includes the work of myself, Doug Dotson and our special guests this year, Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish of Bandana Pottery. We are very excited that Michael and Naomi are joining for this year's sale, because they make such great work and they are great people to hang around with. They are talking about having a klezmer concert for our Friday night Opening Reception, which should be a nice addition to the Chatham County evening. The sale takes place Friday, September 23, 6-9p.m, Saturday, September 24, 10-4pm, and Sunday, September 25, 12-4pm. Check out wwwdougdotsonpottery.com for more details and directions. Come on down and bring a friend, we will have refreshments, great pots and possibly klezmer music the entire weekend!

Solo at Mudfire

2011-07-15T08:21:00.001-07:00

Just a quick note about my solo show at Mudfire Gallery in Decatur, GA. The preview is online now at http://www.mudfire.com/ronan-peterson.htm and the show officially opens July 23, for purchasing and such sundry activities. Check it out and please let me know what you think. These images are some new pots for me that are in the show, Square Serving Plate and Sugar Sphere. The Sugar Sphere came about from me hating the sugar jar we were using, and I have one that I really enjoy using and I like the looks of it, too.

I also have a workshop called "Altered States" the last weekend in July which will focus on alterings forms and building up interesting surfaces on functional vessels. More info at http://www.mudfire.com/ronan-peterson-workshop-20110729.htm
Kathy King also has a preview show online at Mudfire Gallery, so be sure to check her out, too. She does incredibly awesome scritchy-scratchy drawings and patterns in a wood cut or linoleum cut style on her ceramic vessels and sculptures, and also works in the vein of adult comics artists. One of my favorite ceramic artists working today! (and everyday)

Also, 3 things of note going on this weekend, Friday, 7/15, Saturday, 7/16 and Sunday 7/17 are:

1) "Exchange" show opening at Claymakers in Durham, NC, Friday 7/15, 6-9 pm. Exciting showing a work by Teresa Pietsch, Joy Tanner, Deb Harris, Marsha Kitkowski and Stephanie Martin. Check out www.claymakers.com for more details and images.

2) My friend and excellent porcelain potter Kelly O'Briant is having a studio clearing sale with her husband Matthew Thomason in Julian, NC. She is starting grad school at Arizona State University in a few months and is having a massive sale before she heads out. The sale is this weekend, Friday, 7/15, Saturday, 7/16 and Sunday, 7/17. Check out http://kellyobriant.com/home.html for more details.

3) and finally another not to be missed event/sale is the Bandana Pottery annual home sale, Saturday 7/16 and Sunday 7/17. This sale includes the woodfired pottery of Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish with special guest Shawn Ireland. This work is incredible, very contemporary but with inspiration and roots grown deep in folk pottery traditions the world 'round. Check out http://www.michaelhuntpottery.com/ for more details.

Happy July day, and hopefully you are having the same cool spell we are having here in Chapel Hill, NC.

Easing into Summer

2011-06-22T22:27:00.000-07:00

So, a few weeks back from Penland and I am still recovering. I had a great time, and it seemed like the students were having fun, too. Thanks to Mark and Teresa for working so hard and helping the workshop run smoothly, and also to all the hard work the students put in as well. Here is a pic of some cups my student Kelly Goodman Daniels made during the class. She and the other students did an excellent job of taking techniques I showed and applying them to their own style of working. Check out Dancing Clay Pottery to see more of Kelly's work and read about her ceramic journey.

It was my first trip back to the Penland campus (besides dropping off pots at Penland Gallery, which is slightly removed from the campus proper) since I left around 2003, and it was a great homecoming. I was honored to be teaching at the same time as the teacher of my first concentration as a Core student at Penland, Sandi Perantozzi, and also one of my clay heroes, Holly Walker. We weren't able to have a lot of interplay between the classes, but Kara and I were able to have quite a few meals with Sandi, her husband Neal, and Holly, which was so nice for catching up. After getting back, I had a few days of rest but also had to get back to work for some Summer shows and galleries that needed stocking up.

I was super excited to get invited by friend and master potter Ron Philbeck to the Carbondale Clay Center's "Pairings" show, where local breweries and wineries paired up their beverages with appropriate drinking vessels sent from potters from all over the U.S. CCC also chose my images for a good deal of the publicity of the show, which I am very thankful for, its always nice for the ego and hopefully sales to see your images out in the world! Check out this link to see some images of work from the show: http://www.carbondaleclay.org/

Also, I received a phone call months back with an invitation to be part of a show/sale on the west coast at Crow Valley Pottery, which I think is the farthest out that I have sent my work. I am super excited to be in the show, but let me tell you, shipping 30 pots across the U.S., double boxed and insured via UPS, is pretty pricey. So hopefully some (all!) of that work will sell or at least get a good response and help spread the good word about Nine Toes Pottery. Here are some pics of the postcard, which both Ron Philbeck and I have prime real estate on. You can click on the images to link up to the Crow Valley website.

...and finally, I am working towards a spotlight show at Mudfire Gallery in Decatur (Atlanta), GA which will be up and online I believe sometime in July...will keep you posted...and also, workshop at Mudfire Studio on altering pots and interesting surfaces which takes place while my show is up. Check out Mudfire Gallery/Studio for more details.

Wanted to note that I am typing this while on vacation, courtesy of a sleeping little boy and my lobster red back because I forgot sunscreen...oh well, more words coming soon!

Penlandia!

2011-05-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

So, long time not posting, but finally made it up to Penland area to stay with my folks for a few days, tie up some loose pottery ends, drop off pots at Penland Gallery and Crimson Laurel Gallery, and try and hang with my boys and bolster my faltering confidence. I know it should be good, but little plaguing doubts nip at my earlobes like Piedmont mosquitoes, and just as annoying. Pre-Penland Sale was a little down for me in comparison to my past Spring/Summer sales, but Teresa did well and was very proud of her best grand total solely from pottery sales.

My workshop at Penland starts tomorrow night, and I've already heard from a few of the students. Seems like a good bunch so far. Very excited that my wifey Kara gets to take a class; she signed up for a textiles class which involves crocheting and knitting with non-traditional materials, sounds pretty cool. Also, excited to have Teresa Pietsch as my assistant and Mark Errol, from Florida. I'm looking forward to meeting Mark, and I'm very interested in seeing him work. Check out MarkisMud to see some of Mark's ceramic (and other media) work.

Hope to get to visit with a few of the Penland folk, but time it tight and I have a lot of ground to cover, hopefully with student interest.

So, wish me luck, and here is my crew that will help instill confidence and valor...or at least some silliness and giggle time.

Pre-Penland and Happy Spring Open Studio Sale

2011-04-20T05:55:00.000-07:00

Back from Floyd, VA from the "Scratching the Surface" workshop on various approaches to surface for firing in electric kilns, specific to this workshop, at cone 6. It was a great workshop, with a great group of folks who tried everything I demonstrated and had a great sense of community and experimentation. The only low point was a glaze that applied way too thin, Pete's Weathered Bronze, which normally is a pretty easy glaze to use, but something was fishy in my bucket. And we did have a kiln that slightly underfired, but overall everyone went home with one or two nice pieces and a head full of techniques and a new found love of red terra sigallatta.

Now I'm gearing up for the Nine Toes Pottery Pre-Penland/Happy Spring Open Studio Sale coming up May 13-14, which will include my good friend Teresa Pietsch's methane fired cone 6 stoneware. I've included some pics of her stellar work, especially like the Rainy Day, Umbrella Mugs and also the postcard image, which I think works right nicely. More details to come, but for now, stop on by Nine Toes Pottery Friday, May 13, 6-9 pm and Saturday, May 14, 10-4 pm. Directions are along the right sidebar on this site. Come help us celebrate the much anticipated arrival of Spring and the upcoming Penland School of Crafts "Terra Cotta Throwdown" workshop, May 29-June 10, that Teresa will be assisting me with.

Here is a detail of one of Teresa's cups and an image of her Rainy Day, Umbrella Mugs

Belated Vases

2011-04-02T11:40:00.000-07:00

March definitely came and went, lion and lioness, lamb and ram, and now April blows in with some 80 degree weather in Chapel Hill. I just got back from a workshop in Fairhope, Alabama, on cone 6 soda firing, with a side focus on interesting surfaces in cone 6 electric. The workshop was great and I met some awesome folks, we had a great firing in Susie Bowman's soda kiln, but really the students mostly wanted cone 6 electric fun. So, I'm pretty sure, from now on, my workshops will focus on interesting surfaces from electric kilns, both at cone 03 and cone 6 (with some side ventures into soda firing!)

I wanted to get the word out about a couple of vase shows I have work in. "Sharing the Stage: Contemporary Vases" at the Artisan Gallery in Northampton, MA has an impressive line-up of potters/ceramic artists). Check out the poster below, and especially chech out Missy McCormick's awesome earthenware atmospheric vase in the lower right corner; she is one of my current favorites!

Also, I have some bud vases and a new "Caterpillar Vase" in "Vases of Spring" at the Worcester Center for Crafts in Worcester, MA (is that "Wooster"?) which I am very excited about. If you are up in the northeast, check it out!

Upcoming:

last week of April, "Scratching the Surface", ceramic surfaces workshop at the Jacksonville Center in Floyd, VA

May 13, 14, 15 Nine Toes Pottery early Sprummer/pre-Penland Open Studio and Sale, details forming, shaping up and forthcoming

May 6 Meet the artist, Greenhill Center Gallery Shop, Greensboro, NC

May 29-June 10 "Terra Cotta Throwdown" workshop at Penland School of Crafts

Long Time Coming

2011-03-03T03:14:00.000-08:00

Long time no read or write, I know, but finally getting together a new blog post (maybe should call it the bimlog post (bi-monthly)). So a lot has happened for Nine Toes Pottery in January and February and the next six months are pretty hairy, too.

The "quiet/LOUD" show at Claymakers in Durham, NC looks great and is up for another week, until March 11. The show includes my work and the work of Sasha Bakaric and Noah Riedel. The concept of the show is to pair up the loudness or complicated color and surface textures of my work with the paired down, designed and earthy vessels of Noah, with the simple forms but complicated and quirky surface drawings of Sasha to bridge the two poles. I think the show looks great and sales have been good...for Sasha and Noah, a little slow for me, but sometimes that can be a blessing, because I need pots for other upcoming shows. Sometimes things do work out for the overall good.

I was the featured potter at Lark and Key Gallery in Charlotte, NC for February, and it seems that sales were good there. They still have a pretty good selection of work from the featured show. Then in later February, I journeyed to Columbia, NC to lead a workshop during the Pocosin Arts Cabin Fever Reliever XI retreat on surface enhancement for ceramic vessels called "Scratching the Surface". It was a great workshop! 10 students for me, my friend Teresa Pietsch helped me as my assistant, we covered a lot of techniques and aesthetic approaches and Lisa Clague was teaching at the retreat too! I love her work and it was good to have a few friendly words with her and her students. I'm hoping to get a blog post together about the workshop before December, but we will see how it goes.

Now, the big news for March is my solo show at the Kiln Gallery in Fairhope, Alabama, which also concludes with a cone 6 soda firing workshop at the Kiln Studio and Susie Bowman's studio. My solo show work is 75% earthenware, my normal studio fare, and 25% soda fired stoneware, which I have been exploring for over 5 years now, firing to cone 6 in a soda kiln and gathering info on clay bodies, glazes, slips, and terra sigs that work well in the atmospheric environment. Some new forms for me are the "Sugar Sphere and Creamy Chicken" sugar and creamer set (I may change the name to "Sugar Sphere and the Lil Creamer") which I wish I had images of, because I have been super excited about them...but sometimes the things I get most excited about are really viable for the marketplace...but I still get excited about them! Pics coming soon. So, if you are in the Gulf Coast area, go check out the show, or if you know some pottery lovers there, please spread the word. The show opened last night, Friday, March 4, but there is an opening reception next Friday, March 11 and the show runs through Saturday, March 26. Here are the postcard images for the show and the workshop flyer:

Also, for March, I'm getting new work to Crimson Laurel Gallery and Penland Gallery for their Spring reopenings. Also, 2 large lidded boxes (if they make it through the firing, fingers crossed) for CLG's "Containment II" show which opens later in the Spring. And some work to Cedar Creek Gallery for their Spring Kiln Opening Festival.

Looking ahead:
April 25-29, "Scratching the Surface" ceramic surface enhancement workshop at the Jacksonville Arts Center in Floyd, VA

May 29-June 10, "Terra Cotta Throwdown" workshop focusing on earthenware and juiced up surfaces, Penland School of Crafts, Penland, NC

July 29-31, "Altered States", altered forms and surface treatments, Mudfire Studio, Decatur, GA

Last Call for Pocosin...Well Not Really

2011-01-12T23:09:00.000-08:00

So, my workshop date at Pocosin Arts Center during the Cabin Fever Reliever XI is swiftly approaching, so sign up if you can and please spread the word to anyone you think might be interested.

The workshop takes place February 17-20 and we will be looking at different approaches to ceramic surfaces and mark making for firing in electric kilns, but information covered is not exclusive to firing in electric kilns. Sculptors, handbuilders, and functional potters alike would benefit from this 4 day workshop. Hope to see you there!

quiet/LOUD

2011-01-10T21:07:00.000-08:00

Very exciting show coming up at Claymakers in Durham, NC. "quiet/LOUD" showcases the ceramic vessels of Sasha Bakaric, Ronan Peterson (myself), and Noah Riedel.
The exhibition will include some pretty far out forms and surfaces and promises to serve as a feast for the eyes.

Come on out to the Opening Reception, Friday, January 21, 6-9pm. The show will remain up unitl March 12. Check out claymakers.com for more details.

Last Year's Last cone 6 Soda

2010-12-23T08:49:00.000-08:00

Wanted to get some pics up from a cone 6 soda firing I did with Teresa Pietsch, Nancy Garrett, and a few pots of two of my students, Savannah Scarborough and Andy "Shake and Bake" Maynard. Overall, it was a great firing! No grodu in pots (except one cup of mine), no glaze running, super warm surfaces, nice orange peel in places. Great, great firing with a great group of friends. Now, if I could get them to come help clean up...(thanks Teresa for all the scraping!)
My pots are destined for the Kiln Gallery and Studio in Fairhope, Alabama. I have a solo show for the month of March 2011 in the gallery part and I'm teaching a cone 6 soda firing workshop near the end of the show. So, we figured I'd better have some cone 6 soda pots to show what things could look like! My normal studio work is cone 03 earthenware fired in an electric kiln, but I have been firing cone 6 soda at least twice a year for over five years now, and I have a good handle on some good clay bodies, slips, terra sigs, and glazes that are very responsive to the soda atmosphere. Check out the show in Alabama if you can, and let any interested parties know about the workshop, it should be a good one! Oh, my solo show follows an exhibition by Ron Meyers and Geoff Pickett, two potters whose work I love, and I'm also intrigued by the work of Maria Dondero, but I'm not that familiar with her pots. Check out the Kiln Studio for more info and images of said potters work.

5th Annual Holiday Sale

2010-11-29T16:46:00.000-08:00

Really late getting this out, but this weekend, Dec. 3-5, I'll be having my 5th Annual Open Studio and Holiday Sale. I'm working on 2 new glaze loads to have ready for the weekend, with a few orders thrown in as well. I should have plenty of dinner plates, cups, bowls and pitchers on hand, as well as a new mug form and some new small cups. The sale starts Friday, Dec. 3, 6-9pm and continues Saturday, Dec. 4, 10-4pm and Sunday, Dec. 5, 12-4pm. There are directions to my studio along the right sidebar, or for you Tom-tom peeps, the address is #4 The Glen, CH, NC 27514 (not 27516 like on the postcard, yikes! who proofs these postcards?) and my phone number is (919) 225-6160 if you need info or directions.

I'm starting to get wind of ALL the events going on this weekend: Chatham County Studio Tour, Avery Pottery and Tile Works Sale, Bulldog Pottery Sale, and the TRAC Studio tour in the mountains of western NC (which if you go to, make sure to stop by the Energy Xchange and check out my friend Teresa Pietsch's new cone 6 reduction fired stoneware and porcelain, good stuff; and also Joy Tanner and Will Baker will have some great wood/soda fired functional stoneware). But, if you are staying in the Triangle, come by, bring a friend, and see my new gathering of earthenware vessels.

Also, I want to start spreading the word about some workshops I'll be leading in 2011. The first one coming up is part of the Pocosin Arts Center Cabin Fever Reliever (#11!) near the North Carolina coast. We will look at various surface enhancements and work on developing some unique and more personalized surface treatments for functional and sculptural ceramics. There is a link tied to the postcard image below, and if you know of anyone you think might be interested, please spread the word! It will be an awesome, intensive experience, or at least that is what I'm planning on. Check out the link, there are also a great offering of artists that I am very honored to be teaching with, including Lisa Clague and Bob Ebendorf. More on this later.

Piedmont Coming

2010-11-10T19:48:00.000-08:00

So, its a good idea to take a mini-vacation right in middle of crunch time, right? Quick trip to the beach to celebrate my wife's birthday and then back on the road to get back to my studio for some bisque firing...I'm headed to Winston-Salem, NC on Friday to show in the Piedmont Craftsmen Fall Fair and I'm planning on bisque firing the Sunday before. Sheesh, someone really needs to fire the Calendar guy at Nine Toes Pottery, wet work was supposed to end 2 weeks ago, with a leisurely, unstressed, nicely paced glazing, ahh, one can dream. Come on by Saturday 10-6 or Sunday 12-5pm and stop by my booth, H-6.

After PCI, and celebrating Thanksgiving, I'm opening up my studio for the 5th Annual Nine Toes Pottery Holiday Sale, December 3, 4, 5. The past few years, I've started the sale with a Friday night Opening Party, which has been quite a bit of fun (that's a lot coming from an introvert) and I have made a good chunk of my sales on the first night. We will see how this year goes, so far so good. I'll have some refreshements and plenty of pots on hand, including some new plates, small cups, and a new mug form I'm deeming my "Treesa" mug, after my friend Teresa, who I may or may not have borrowed the form from for a short while. One super good thing about the sale is that it gives me, or rather forces me, to get the studio cleaned and spiffed up, because I am one for piles and pathways through piles...has there been a potter's episode on "Hoarders"? So come on out, Friday, December 3, 6-9pm, Saturday, December 4, 10-4pm, and/or Sunday, December 5, 12-4pm and take care of those pottery lover's on your gift lists, or be nice to yourself, you deserve it. Here are some pics of some newer pots. I'm really digging the yellow jacket motif, and the lines on this platter excite me.

...and I wanted to include a shout-out to The Artisan Gallery in Northampton, MA, who always put on a good show and have a beautiful location in downtown Northampton. They were kind enough to invite me to this years "Consider the Cup" exhibit, and I was brazen enough to send them the cups late(r than the deadline, but they did get there a week before the opening, thank you). Looks like a great offering of cups by potters from all over.

Art of the Cup

2010-10-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

I was invited to participate in "Art of the Cup" an exhibition at the Ogden Museum in New Orleans, LA. I was flattered to be invited, and after looking at the list of other exhibitors, I would have to say that I am extremely honored to be included with such talented ceramic artists as Cynthia Bringle, Tom Spleth, Kyle Carpenter, just to name a few. Check out the blog for the Center for Southern Craft and Design at http://craftdesignsouth.blogspot.com/, which features a few pics of artists' work and some photos of the actual show are forthcoming. And, if you are in New Orleans this Fall/Winter, swing by and check out the show. Here is a pic of one of the cups that I sent, with the "new" Smokey Aubergine glaze.

Cone 6 Shino Firing

2010-10-22T08:32:00.001-07:00

We unloaded a cone 6 Shino kiln last night at Claymakers, and man, it was one of the best (if not the best for carbon-trapping) firings I have ever taken the helm of. The kiln was nearly dead even top to bottom in heat, reduction, and carbon trapping. All the students seemed to be pleased with the results, and I'm including a few pics of some of the awesome pots. Most everything had 1 of 7 shino glazes, either with slips and terra sigs underneath or some glaze layering, and few gems of just plain shino.

I'm also including 2 recipes for some "new" shinos we tested and had larger batches of for this past firing. The "CB4 Shino" is a revision of "Cherry Blossom Shino" that was included in a John Britt article including info garnered from Mudfire Studio in Decatur, GA. Our original "Cherry Blossom Shino" was shivering off when it was applied thick, so after some conversations with JB, my student Jenny and I mixed up some tests reducing the amount of Spodumene and adding amounts of F4 Soda Feldspar. We maintained the crazy carbon trapping quality of the original Cherry Blossom, but stabilized the shivering problem (so far) and got to name a glaze "CB4 Shino" (for all you Chris Rock fans out there!)

This pic to the right is the "CB4 Shino" on Highwater Clays Little Loafers clay...caaarrrraaazzzy carbon trap drama.

Plates to the right have (on left) "CB4 Shino" with wax resist pattern and Falls Creek Shino over glaze. (on right) Fruity Rondo Shino (orange) and CB4 Shino with overlap in middle.

So, overall great firing and a great celebration afterwards at Full Steam Brewery, if you are ever in Durham, NC, check out Full Steam, I recommend the Rocket Science I.P.A., but I am a hoppy hopperton.

CB4 Shino (Cherry Blossom Shino Variation #4)
Soda Ash 10
Nepheline Syenite 40
Spodumene 27
F4 Soda Feldspar 13
EPK 10

Fruity Rondo Shino cone 6-10 reduction/oxidation
Nepheline Syenite 42
Spodumene 7
OM4 Ball Clay 14
F4 Soda Feldspar 10
EPK 14
Soda Ash 10

Long Time Posting

2010-10-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a long time since I posted, so a few updates are in order. The Pullen Arts Center Cone 6 Reduction Workshop was great, and with just 4 participants, everyone got A LOT of work in the kiln, between 25-30 pieces each. We had a great firing, with even reduction and temperature, and some great pots! Thanks to Antoinette, Colleen, Marilyn, and Pat for making the workshop happen.

The 3 Guys* Sale came and went very quickly, with some very nice pots walking out with their new owners the last weekend of September. Doug and Kelly both had good sales, and mine were a little behind what they usually are. Guess it was just my time, but I'm happy and thankful for all the people who did get some of my pots at the sale. We will see what happens the rest of this year with the Piedmont Craftsmen Fall Fair and my Nine Toes Pottery Studio Holiday Sale.

One quickly approaching thing I wanted to let people know about is my friend Blaine Avery's Fall Open House, which is happening this weekend. Blaine is in Seagrove, NC and has some really nice salt fired stoneware, reduction fired stoneware, and a line of low-fire tiles. His showroom/studio is great and he will have lots of nice pots on hand this weekend, so go ahead and check it out. You can go to http://www.averypotteryandtileworks.com/ for more info. Here are some images of Blaine's work:

Three Guys* This Weekend

2010-09-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Late getting this out, and believe me, I've been trying to fit it in, but wanted to let y'all know about the 3 Guys* and Some Pottery Sale coming up this Friday-Sunday, September 24-26. Myself, Doug Dotson, and Kelly O'Briant will have a healthy assortment of handmade, functional potteries at the 8th Annual 3 Guys* and Some Pottery Sale, at Doug Dotson Pottery near Pittsboro, NC. The sale starts Friday, Sept. 24, with an Opening Party, 6-9pm. This is always a fun event, with refreshments and lots of conversation and visiting amidst pottery buying. The sale will continue Saturday, Sept 25, from 10-4pm and Sunday, Sept 26 from 12-4pm. I hope y'all can make it by and bring a friend if you are planning on coming. You can go to www.dougdotsonpottery.com for directions and more details or check out the 3 Guys* and Some Pottery page on Facebook if you are so inclined.

I am planning on having three new kiln loads of work with what little I had left over from the PMI Sale at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC. I have some new square and triangle bowls that I'm digging, as well as some of the Cut Bowls all today's kids are crazy about. I'm super excited to see what Mr. Dotson and Ms. O'Briant have come up with as well; they always have some stellar pots, in my extremely biased opinion.

I included both our proofs for the postcard announcement, both which turned out super thanks to Ann Parent and her graphic design skills. Hope to see y'all there...now back to glazing!

...And one more plug, I'm teaching a workshop on enlivening ceramic surfaces for firing in electric kilns at Central Carolina Community College Clay Studio in Siler City, NC, October 9-10, 9-5pm. You can go to http://ccccsculppottery.blogspot.com/ for more details.

Does a candle have three ends?

2010-09-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

September is proving be a crazy month: 2 sales, anniversary, my son's, mother's and sister-in-law's birthdays, and a workshop in between. Whew!

So, gearing up for the Potters' Market Invitational Show at the Mint Museum in Charlotte, NC this weekend. This is an incredible show, with 40+ of North Carolina's best ceramic artists, and I'm honored to be part of it again this year. It's a bit nutty, somewhat of a buying frenzy like I have never seen, or at least in the past, hope this year holds up to memory. I've got some help to aid me in sales and wrapping pots, Teresa Pietsch and Ron Philbeck have volunteered to free me up a little bit amidst all the cash and pottery flying through the air. I jest, but also I do not. The sale is Saturday, September 11, 10-4pm, short and sweet and definitely something for pottery lovers to catch. Check out this link for more info:
Potters' Market Invitational 2010

I've included a few process photos of work I'll have at the Mint Sale. The blue jar is not mine, but is the image for this year's sale postcard. Hope to see you there!

Workshopping It!

2010-08-04T08:43:00.000-07:00

So, we are entering the very, very busy season for Nine Toes Pottery (and daddy ronan, how do single parents do it all? especially potter single parents?) and just to keep things interesting and me on my toes (pun intended), I'm slotted to teach some workshops in North Carolina and Alabama.

The middle of September, I'm leading a workshop on Cone 6 Reduction Firing at Pullen Arts Center in Raleigh, NC. I started my teaching at Pullen so it will be a nice homecoming, and I think, if they so choose, the studio could transition over to cone 6 reduction firing fairly easily. The studio I teach at regularly, Claymakers, in Durham, NC, has transitioned over, and the firings have so far been great. We have great shinos, celadons, and temokus and Ana Howard, the studio manager, has found some great teadusts, copper reds, and fake ash glazes that are stunning at cone 6 reduction and different but great also in cone 6 electric. Come on over to Pullen for my workshop if you want to explore the world of cone 6 reduction. Check out the this link for more info.

Later in October, I'll be teaching a workshop titled "Scratching the Surface" focusing on lively surfaces for firing specifically in electric kilns, but applicable to all temperatures and atmospheres for kiln firing. This workshop will be at Central Carolina Community College Clay Studio in Siler City, NC, and will be a two day hands-on experience. I will cover a myriad of texturing, slipping, and glazing techniques which will cover working with terra sigs and taking advantage of micro-atmospheric effects found in electric kiln firings at cone 6.

Looking forward to 2011, in late February I'll be leading a workshop focusing on ceramic surfaces and personal mark making during the Cabin Fever Reliever XII at Pocosin Arts Center
in Columbia, NC, on the coast of North Carolina. Then in March, I'll book it on down to the gulf coast of Alabama for a solo show and workshop on Cone 6 Soda Firing at the Kiln Gallery and Studio.

...and (drumroll, please), I'm slotted to teach a workshop at Penland School of Crafts, next Spring/Summer, during 1st session, which I'm super flattered, honored, and excited about! The workshop will most likely focus on surface treatments, specifically for electric kilns. Stay tuned for more details.

cone 6 soda pics

2010-07-30T19:19:00.001-07:00

So, the Claymaker's cone 6 soda firing was the best one that I have been involved in yet. We got great color, orange peel, glaze reaction, slip reaction, and the sigs looked great. We did fire hotter (cone 6 down, cone 7 at 1/4) and a little more reduced throughout the entire firing (always had 4-6" of flame back pressure out of our top spies/ports). We also sprayed more soda in this time, since Doug and I rebuilt the arch for this firing. So, our total soda ash was 3# to 3 gallons of hot water. Overall, I was super excited. Also tested some Standard clay bodies: the raku clay body (239?) was super receptive to the soda and was very orange, flashy and orange peely. Highwater Clays Bellas Blend was okay, definitely got glassy, but a little grey to white, not too much color.

Here are da pics, let me know what you think.

The one above is a mug by Mary Ann Peters, probably made from Highwater Clay's Helios porcelain. The mug has cone 6 Licorice glaze on it, which makes nice crystals in a nicely reduced and sodarific firing.

The pots above are: teapot- Highwater Clay's Little Loafers clay with Avery Bisque Slip; top bowl: Highwater Clay's P-5 porcelain with cone 6 New Tyler Amber glaze (nice teadust!) over slip trailing and an OM-4 terra sig; bottom bowl, Highwater Clay's Bellas Blend with cone 10 St. John's Black glaze.

Pot above: Teresa Pietsch's sweet little dotty vase, Highwater Clays Phoenix clay with Tile-6 slip (a revised version) and dots of Straw glaze. Good orange peel, sweet piece.

So, the shelves got the most soda. Above are some pots made from dark clays: Highwater Clay's Red Stone and Campbells Clay's Brick Red (bottom stacked bowls and tagine respectively)

...and the finale, a Nancy Garrett bottle made from Highwater Clay's Raku and put in the chimney flue area: heavy soda, super action.

Very excited about our results, and we continue to gather more information on clay bodies, slips, sigs, and glazes for cone 6 soda. If anyone is interested, I'm teaching a cone 6 soda firing workshop in Fairhope, AL, March 21-26, 2011 at the Kiln Gallery and Studio. More info later.

cone 6 soda firing

2010-07-14T08:22:00.001-07:00

Gearing up for a cone 6 soda firing this weekend with a crew from Claymakers. We have a good variety of work that I am very excited to see come out of the kiln. We have a large variety of clay bodies going into the firing and I'm planning on trying to get some different clay bodies tested, 4 or 5 different Standard bodies and Bella's Blend from Highwater Clays. Also, some new glaze tests going in, because really, are there ever enough choices? In our case, way too many choices, but I'm still testing those glazes. Really want to get some slip tests in, but may have to wait until next time. Wish us luck and I'll try and get some photos up in a couple of weeks.

Now, (past) time to get into my studio!

Back from Floyd

2010-07-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

Back in the Big Chap from the workshop at the Jacksonville Arts Center in Floyd, VA. Gotta say, Floyd is a very nice place and I miss it already. Floyd reminds me of Mitchell County, NC, where I grew up, only more crunchy and with a lot more hippies. All in all, a great place, and I highly recommend a visit. A great time to go is when the 16 Hands Studio Tour is going on. During Friday, our kiln cooling day, or as Ann put it as a "spoonerism": "coon-killin day", my class and I toured around Floyd and visited some of the 16 Hands artist studios. My class and I were very fortunate to meet and hang out with Ellen Shankin (pot at top), who has a beautiful house and showroom. We dropped by Silvie Granatelli's, who was away, but we were able to visit with her apprentices, Wendy and Sarah, who gave us a great tour and were patient with our questions while they tried to pack up for a show in town. We ended our tooling around at Rick Hensley (pot at bottom) and Donna Polsano's, who, once again, have beautiful showrooms, although Donna had zero/zilch/nada pots because she had sold out at the St. Croix Studio Tour Sale in Minnesota...congrats Donna! I'm looking forward to going back and delighted to know its only 2.5 hours away from Chapel Hill. Hoping to make the Fall 16 Hands sale and also dreaming about an invite to be part of the sale sometime in the future...just putting it out there for the universe to hear. Thanks to Ann, Antoinette, and Edith for a great workshop week and to Floyd and Floydians for providing such a great landscape to work in.

Vacation Before the Storm

2010-06-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Well, not really. But Kara, Nolan and Milo and I are chilling on Bald Head Island for a few days. Very nice, hopefully some good R&R before my workshop in Floyd, VA next week. I'll be at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts leading a workshop on enhancing ceramic surfaces. We will be looking at slipping, carving, sgraffito, inlay, mishima, sprigging, resists, terra sig, water carving, slip-trailing, glaze layering, wax resist patterning, etc. along with a myriad other techniques. There is still room, so if any of y'all are interested or know someone who is, you can go to http://jacksonvillecenter.org/education/2010-classes/classes-by-media/scratching-the-surface-cer062810/

Earthenware Soda Unloading

2010-06-15T08:15:00.000-07:00

So alot has happened in the last few weeks: 2 sales and lots of lack of sleep, so that will be my excuse for not getting images up and word out about the Claymakers low fire soda excursion. Overall, I was pleased with the firing. I think some of the students were a little disappointed because we did have quite a bit of dry whiteness, but there were also some real winners in the firing.

The front of the kiln was much cooler and less reduced than the middle or back. The pic above is the front stack after the firing. The middle of the kiln was way hotter (cone 1 flat, whereas cone 04 throughout the front and back of the kiln) and much more reduced, so we got really good glaze melt, slip flashing, and soda coverage in the middle stack. The back stack was a nice mix of the front and middle: not too hot, not too reduced, just right. Although, I will say the middle looked more like a typical (i.e. cone 6 or 10) soda firing whereas the front was one step away from firing in an electric kiln.

Here are all the pots laid out on the ground, we were able to get quite a few pots in this kiln load. We had a nice variety of sizes and shapes to help motivate the flame and soda distribution.

A couple of super sweet pitchers by one of the students, Lisa Brown. Her pitcher forms were in the middle and picked up some good color and soda glazing.

This final pic is of my "mimbres" inspired cross-eyed tadpole bowl. I really like it, and the interior is finished with terra sigs, however I remembered after firing it that I had made it out of a cone 6 red stoneware, so this pot is punky and still very absorbent. (I made a purple cabbage coleslaw in it and now its stained blue).

Like I said, overall I was very happy with the firing, but I would reduce more next time and also try and wait until some cone 1's are tipping, because in my eyes the middle of the kiln worked out the best. And the students who had work there were the lucky ones (Sorry Corinne!). Also, the clay body that got the most color and took soda was Highwater Clays Earthen Red, a fairly smooth clay body with a range of cone 06-5, so no worries with overfiring. I'm happy to send out sig, slip, and glaze recipes to anyone interested. Just let me know!

Sale. This. Weekend!

2010-06-09T06:18:00.000-07:00

In the final stretch here: glazing, cleaning, displaying, sprucing up Nine Toes Pottery for this weekend's 2nd Annual Happy Sprummer Sale. The sale starts with a Friday night party, June 11, 6-9pm and then continues on Saturday, June 12, 10-4pm. Directions are on the right sidebar.

Last year was my best sale to date, so despite my best efforts to keep expectations down, they are hovering way up in the stratosphere. One reason for my visions of grandeur is because of the pots that will be on hand. I'm super excited to have Noah Riedel as my guest artist, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he pulls out of his hat. He should have a great offering given that he took 2nd Place at last year's Strictly Functional National Ceramics Exhibition with one of his cool pitchers and that his show and obligation card are quickly filling up as people start to notice this guy knows what he is doing and what he is doing is good. Long story short: good guy, good pots, 'nuff said. And, I'm liking what's coming out of my kilns lately, too. I have some new "cut bowls" that I'm jazzed about, and some big ole' manly man tankards that would quench any gender's thirst in a big way. So, I hope to see some of you followers, and invite others to hang out, snack a little, and buy some pots on what will hopefully be a sunny, unseasonably cool day. See you there!

Surface Enhancement in Floyd, VA

2010-05-15T05:08:00.001-07:00

I'm teaching a workshop on surface enhancement for ceramic vessels at the Jacksonville Center for the Arts the last week of June. The Jacksonville Center is located in beautiful Floyd, Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains of the western part of the state. Idyllic and rural, Floyd also hosts the 16 Hands group, a circle of friends made up mostly of world renowned ceramicists including Sylvie Granatelli and Ellen Shankin. These guys do a sale every fall that has a large following and is very put together. I'm very excited to be teaching the workshop and spending some time in Floyd. So, come on up and join us if you are interested in learning (more) about sgraffito, inlay, terra sig, and many more ways to liven up vessels, especially those fired in electric kilns. Please pass along the word to anyone you think might be interested as well. Here is the link to the catalog/registration for the workshop: http://jacksonvillecenter.org/education/2010-classes/classes-by-media/scratching-the-surface-cer062810/ . Hope to see some of you there, it promises to be a great time in a great place!

Postcards Are In

2010-05-12T05:48:00.000-07:00

Postcards are in for my 2nd Annual Happy Sprummer Sale, and they look great! That is a relief after the bumpy ride of an order from www.overnightprints.com, cancelled order, multiple phone calls, petty retribution...but still they have good prices and a good product 90% of the time. I'm posting the postcard now and will have it up again later. My guest artist is Noah Riedel, whose work I'm very excited about, especially for the show since it is such a counterpoint to my work. My theme for the sale is Quiet/Loud, which I think sums up the two bodies of work. More info and images on the way, but sure to save the date: Friday, June 11, 6-9pm and Saturday, June 12, 10-4pm.

Last weekend, Kara, da boys, Neaka and I travelled up to the western NC mountains for a Mother's Day visit with my mom and also to attend the opening reception for my show with Gillian Parke, "Contextures", at Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, NC. The show looks great, and those guys really know how to put on a shin-dig! If you are in that area, definitely stop by and check out the gallery, the show, and Bakersville in general. You can also check out the show online at www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com. I took a lot of new work with me to the opening, so if you see something you like that is on the website but is sold, ask those guys if they have something like it waiting in the wings. Oh, and Gillian has some awesome new tenmoku/decal work that blew me away! Just like that old P.S.A. for libraries: "(Books) Check 'em out!"

Low Fire Soda

2010-05-02T07:01:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited about the Earthenware Soda Firing class that started yesterday at Claymakers in Durham, NC. We have an intrepid crew of experimenters, rabble rousers, and all around open minds for the next month or so who will be making red clay pots for our soda firing may 30. Slipping and sigging will be the norm, with some brief forays into glazing. I'll keep y'all posted with our results and hopefully demonstrate that 1989 is not only a great year, but a great temperature for some atmospheric action.

"Contextures" Show Weekend

2010-04-25T20:56:00.000-07:00

Delivered the pots for this show last weekend in a quick visit to the NC mountains and a quick visit with family and a few friends. If we didn't see you, sorry, hard to get around to everybody on those curvy, mountain roads. Apparently, Crimson Laurel Gallery folks have already photographed the entire show and are planning on unleashing the ceramica on the populace come May 1, Saturday morning at 10 am.

I'm very excited about the work I have for the show, especially some "Cut Bowls", lots of promise there for pots to come. Also, I'm very excited to see Gillian's work. Apparently, she has some new surfaces and "windows" for her feldspar inclusions and decal work. Should be a great show, check it out online at www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com and if you are in western NC on May 8th, come by the gallery for the Opening Reception starting at 6pm. Gillian and I both are planning on being there and we are helping usher in a new gallery space for the Gallery at large.

Also, going on that weekend is Michael Kline's Spring Kiln Opening Sale, which I am psyched to be able to attend (I hope! that's if the boys allow it!). Check out www.klinepottery.com for more details.

Mother's Day weekend 2010 should prove to be a pottery lover's paradise, because there is nothing like Springtime and pottery in the mountains of North Carolina. So, bring your momma, bring your friends and come check out earthenware, porcelain and wood-fired stoneware in the sunshine and mountain air.

Containment and Contextures Sneak-Peek

2010-03-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

I was able to shoot some images this weekend of some new work with my friends and fellow potters Doug Dotson and Teresa Pietsch. Doug has a great set-up in the living space above his studio and I think we got some great images this last go around. It's great having this space dedicated for image taking and Doug has played around a lot with his camera and the backdrop, lighting, etc., all of which I so greedily take advantage of. Check out Mr. Dotson's website at www.dougdotsonpottery.com for some examples of his images/pots. I'm not sure if Teresa has put her new images up yet, but check out her website at www.teresapietsch.com/index.html.

These images of some of my boxes are very similar to boxes I have in the "Containment" show at Crimson Laurel Gallery, which opens in 3 days I believe. I'm very excited to see all the pots and really applaude the CLG guys for getting the word out and building some buzz about the show. These images are of pots I'm almost completely positive that I will have in my show "Contextures" with Gillian Parke which opens May 1 at Crimson Laurel Gallery.

More words later, hope everyone is enjoying the inevitable Spring.

2010-03-15T18:55:00.000-07:00

I'm honored to have been invited to be part of this star-studded ensemble cast of Box makers. This show will be online at www.crimsonlaurelgallery.com but stop by and see the show in person if you are around Bakersville, NC in April and May.

Crimson Laurel Gallery will also host a two-person show featuring my work and Gillian Parke's very unique porcelain vessels May-June 2010. The opening reception for our show is set for Mother's Day weekend, Saturday, May 8. More info later, but put it on your calendar and come join us for the opening celebration!

Last Second Reminder

2010-03-03T11:20:00.000-08:00

So, the days got away from me. Just wanted to send out a last second reminder about my solo showing opening tonight at the Nature Art Gallery in Raleigh, NC. The reception lasts from 5-9pm and is part of Raleigh's First Fridays celebration. Hope to see some peeps there!

Also, very excited to be heading to the NC Potter's Conference this weekend. Bruce Cochrane and Sarah Jaeger are my 2 highlights for the weekend, and I'm interested in hearing Ayumie Horie's presentation on ceramics and the interweb. Now, if only the Heels could roll over Dook on Saturday...that would be nice.

Local Fund Raiser

2010-01-31T12:39:00.000-08:00

Hope all you North Carolinians, or at least the mountain and piedmont folk, are enjoying all this snow. Studio time has been limited of late, due to sicknesses and the plain fact of having a 3 year old and almost 3 month old in the household.

Just wanted to send out a quick link to a fundraiser at the Chapel Hill Museum: http://www.chapelhillmuseum.org/Events/2009_ArtfromtheHeart/gallery_all/peterson_r.jpg_gallery_page/
The event date is coming up soon, if you are interested check out the link, which goes directly to my donated piece.

Also, trying really hard to get a momentum going for making work for my solo show in Raleigh at the Nature Art Museum. Getting pieces done in fits and starts at this point, but excited about what is coming out. The show title is "Stumps and Stones" and I will post more info soon.

Stay dry and warm!

Happy 2010!

2010-01-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

Well, a lot of time has passed since my last post. Holidays have come and gone and my little boy Milo is 2 months old and getting nice and fat and starting to smile and engage those around him. I have been M.I.A. from the studio since my holiday sale, and I'm in dire need of getting back. I have a solo show come March at the Nature Art Gallery in Raleigh, NC at the Museum of Natural History, and lots of ideas for some new, larger work. So, like I said, dire need. More on this later.

Before then, however, I wanted to let y'all know about a show I helped put together for the Claymakers Invites series at Claymakers Gallery/Studio in Durham, NC. The show is called "Asheville in the Bull City" and includes Asheville, NC area potters William Baker, Patty Bilbro, Kyle Carpenter, Karen Newgard, and Lindsay Rogers. The show opens January 15, 6-9pm and runs through March 2010. This will be a great gathering of some of the best ceramic work western North Carolina has to offer. Come on by the opening if you have the chance, and meet the artists, or stop in Claymakers if you are in the Durham area during the show. You can go to www.claymakers.com for directions and more info on the show.

New Additions

2009-11-21T11:45:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all! After a full day of food, family and chasing my little boy Nolan around, I figured it would be a good time for my mlog (monthly blog entry).

A lot has happened in the last little bit: I'm a daddy for the second time; Nov. 6 Milo Z. entered the world and has upset the delicate dance of my family's already full household. And, just today, I am an uncle for the first time, my brother and his wife welcomed Iris Jane to their family in Hendersonville, NC. So lots to be thankful for and the need for solid sleep has cast a wider net.

On the pottery front, I am part of a whole bunch of invitational shows and sales this holiday retail season. You can check the sidebar to the right for the show dates and links to the respective galleries and shops. These two pots I've included in this post were included in the Piedmont Craftsmen Crafts Fair last weekend. I was part of the Group Booth for the second tier of jurying to join PCI as an exhibiting member. Haven't heard back from the jury yet, but 3 pieces sold which is good on the cash flow front and also a good sign for the show (?). Hopefully, I will know something soon. I was a little disappointed to not be able to actually have a full booth at the show, but my little boy Milo was coming the weekend before and I thought it best to focus on the homefront.

My next big event is the Nine Toes Pottery Fourth Annual Holiday Pottery Sale on Saturday, December 12th, 10-4pm. I have a lot of pots in process right now, which I'm planning to have ready for the holiday sale. I have the second round of some new basket forms that I'm excited about, and also some new smaller mug forms. I've focused on mugs, cups, vases, and bowls to have available for those looking for gifts, but I also have a few larger pieces in my showroom to round out my presentation. Hope to see y'all at the sale, please spread the word and I'll try to put in another post before the sale. Directions to the studio are in the sidebar to the right, just scroll down until you find them. Happy holidays!

ps. Check out www.welcomemiloz.blogspot.com if you want to see some pics of my new baby boy.

slide right into october

2009-10-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

So, with the Mint Sale behind me and 3 Guys* a warm fuzzy feeling, I'm gearing up for a trip to Charlotte, NC, this weekend for a sale with the Circle of Eight. The Circle is a group of potters in the Charlotte area who teach and have studios in the vicinity of the Queen City and they do a sale twice a year with an invited artist. I'm excited to be this year's Fall Invited Artist, and I join the alumni of Suze Lindsay, Kent McLaughlin, Kelly O'Briant, Blaine Avery, Laura Avery, and Brad Tucker...did i leave anybody out?

I had 2 good sales with the Mint and 3 Guys* which wiped me out of my bread and butters: cups, mugs, bowls, and bud vases. So, amidst glazing for 3 Guys*, I managed to throw, trim, slip and sig some cups, mugs, bowls, and plates, but alas the bud vases did make it into the mix, too much process. But, I am very excited about some new square plates with buggy decorations, which I will offer at the Circle Sale this Saturday, 10-4pm. That is if I get them glazed and fired tonight...

Wish me luck and hope to see you in Charlotte for this great sale with some great potters.

September Sales (on by!)

2009-09-20T23:59:00.001-07:00

This coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 25, 26, 27, with Friday, Sept. 25, 6-9pm opening reception, and Sat, Sept 26, 10-4pm and Sun, Sept 27, 12-4pm, the 7th Annual 3 Guys* and Some Pottery Sale will descend upon Doug Dotson Pottery near Pittsboro and Chapel Hill, NC. I will have my highly decorated functional earthenware for sale alongside the earthy and comfortable soda fired stoneware of Doug Dotson and the elegant, yet familiar and colorful porcelain of Kelly O'Briant. We will be joined by Matthew Thomason who will have handmade journals, cards and some paintings on hand. Last year's sale was great and we are looking forward to another weekend of hanging out, snacking and selling some pots (and prints!). Come on out into the woods and join us, bring your friends and spread the word about this special studio sale. You can visit www.dougdotsonpottery.com for more details, or for you facebookers check out the 3 Guys* and Some Pottery facebook page , become a fan and invite others.

The next weekend, October 3, I will join the Circle of Eight for their Fall Sale as an invited guest artist. The Circle is a group of Charlotte area ceramic artists which include Amy Sanders, Ron Philbeck, Julie Wiggins, Jennifer Mecca, Greg Scott and Adrienne Dellinger. I'm excited to be part of this sale and I am looking forward to hanging out and selling some pots with these talented potters in the Queen City. The sale will be 10-4 pm at 1225 Dade Street, Charlotte, NC 28205. You can call (704) 650-5662 or check out this link at the Circle Sale for more info.

I'm in a few invitational sales later in December and I'll send out some info about those later, and I'm hoping to have my annual holiday studio sale also come December, but Kara and I are expecting another little baby boy the first week of November so Im not sure what this Fall/Winter will bring. Come on out to the aforementioned sales and check out the pots I have available now, because I may not be working so much in the studio as holding things together at home for all the Peterberrys and pets.

Hope to see y'all and Happy Autumn!

Light at the End of the Tunnel

2009-09-09T08:04:00.001-07:00

So, wrapping up a week long glaze-and-fire-like-mad marathon in preparation for this weekend's Mint Museum Potters Market Invitational. Almost staying up all a night a few days (?), I have together a good body of new work to have for the sale. Here are some pics of pots in process and then some finished gorignac jars and cups fresh out of the first glaze kiln for this cycle.

One reason for my mad dash glaze-o-rama is that I have another big sale the end of this month.

So, I was attempting to get far enough along that the next few weeks might have a more leisurely (ha!) pace at glazing and finishing work. Check out www.dougdotsonpottery.com for more details on this sale. It's called 3 Guys* and Some Pottery and is a lot of fun and we usually sell a lot of work. Hope to see some of you there!

Gearing up for September

2009-08-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

So, a day late and a dollar short, I'm slowly turning up the shred level to 11 (as Marty Fielding so eloquently put it on Facebook) to get enough pots together for 3 huge events (for me) in September-October. September 12, I'll be in Charlotte, NC for the 5th Annual Potters Market Invitational at the Mint Museum. This is an awesome event, and I nearly sold out in the first couple of hours last year, so I am bound and determined to take more pots this year. Later in September, the weekend of 25, 26, and 27th, I am back in the Triangle for the 7th Annual Three Guys* and Some Pottery Sale at Doug Dotson Pottery with the honorable Doug Dotson, and the comely, yet not a guy, Kelly O'Briant. Every year this sale has gotten better and better with lots of interest and attendance with reflective sales. The first weekend in October, I'm back to Charlotte, NC for the Circle Sale at Amy Sanders home and pottery. I'm honored to be invited by this great group of Charlotte area ceramic artists, and I'm excited about hanging out with them and hopefully selling a few pots. So, why am I typing and not potting?!?!? back to the studio...

August is Upon Us

2009-07-30T06:03:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all, Hope you are having a wonderful summer and that the rain is reaching you somehow. Pretty dry here in the Big Chap. Here are 2 events that are coming up in the next couple of weeks that you might want to check out:

I am the featured potter at Lark and Key Boutique in Charlotte, NC for the month of August 2009. I will be showing with a printmaker, Dan Allegrucci, who does incredibly cool woodcut prints. The show opens July 29, and the Opening Reception is the following Friday, August 7, 6-9pm. You can go to larkandkey.com or call (704) 379-1826 for more information on the show and on how to get to the gallery. I have 30+ new pieces in the show: some bug mugs, bug bottles, cups, bowls, bud vases and a salsa basket. Hope to see you at the opening! For those of you on facebook you can check out this page www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=136185680434&ref=mf

On Friday, August 21, 6-9pm, Claymakers in Durham, NC will host an opening reception for "Drawn to Clay: Vessels Emblazoned". This exhibition gathers together 20 of NC's best ceramic artists and potters who employ imagery to embellish their ceramic vessels. Included artists: Jennifer Stas, Naomi Dalglish, Michael Hunt, Blaine Avery, Bruce Gholson, Samantha Heneke, Ronan Peterson, Jennifer Mecca, Ron Philbeck, Amy Sanders, Matt Kelleher, Shoko Teruyama, Susan Feagin, Corinne Fox, Kelly O'Briant, Carol Gentithes, Fred Johnston, Laura Korch, Michael Kline, and Gillian Parke. Each potter and ceramic artist in this show is known for their unique approach for enlivening the surfaces of their ceramic vessels with imagery. From the quick energetic finger wipes evoking grasses blowing in the wind of Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish to the carefully considered and constructed kitsch decal images of Gillian Parke, this show promises to be a feast for the eyes and an event not to be missed. Techniques and content vary from artist to artist, but quality, creativity, and invigoration tie these 20 ceramicists together in this special exhibition at Claymakers in downtown Durham. You can go to claymakers.com or call (919) 530-8355 for more information regarding the show and the studio. For those of you on facebook you can check out the following link:

www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=109449312697&ref=mf

Save the Date(s)!

Saturday, September 12, 10-4pm, Mint Museum 5th Annual Potter's Market Invitational, Charlotte, NC

Fri, Sat, & Sun, Sept. 25, 26, 27, 7th Annual Three Guys* and Some Pottery Sale, Doug Dotson Pottery , Pittsboro, NC

Saturday, October 3, The Circle Sale , Charlotte, NC. I am the invited artist for this Fall's sale.

New Pictures (and some serious need of layout)

2009-06-29T22:17:00.000-07:00

I just uploaded some new images of some of my newer work to my Flickr account. You can click on the link in the sidebar "Various and Sundry Images of My Pots" to see the new images. I have some images from my last cone 6 soda firing, which was a very nice firing and one I would like to duplicate to the tee, as far as color, surface, and coverage of pots. I've also got some pics of newer electric fired earthenware and stoneware pots.

The sugar and creamer set is pretty exciting to

me and I'm pretty fond of the mug with the mushroom on it.

The mug's glaze is called "Slopadon" and consists of all the glazes I wipe off when cleaning up glazes off unwanted areas. So, with nothing added to it, I get this beautiful Korean (sort of)-esque celadon from my cone 5 electric firing.

I remember Shawn Ireland telling me about his Scrap Blue glaze and someone else telling me about Warren MacKenzie's Shop Floor Blue, which was made up of all the glaze gathered from scraping up dried bits off the studio floor, mixing it together and throwing in some cobalt. Now that is utilizing down to the last drip.

Some of the photos have 2 orientations included, so if you have a chance to check out the pics let me know what you think works and what doesn't. I feel like my friend Doug Dotson and I are getting closer and closer to some pretty nice images. By 2020, Fancy Rondo Productions will be set up and open for business shooting digital (what's that in 2020?) for the discerning craftspersons.

A Patch of Quiet

2009-06-23T20:01:00.001-07:00

So, done with shows, exhibitions, and sales for a little while. My next show is coming up in August, when I will be the featured potter at Lark and Key Boutique in Charlotte, NC. I'll be working on some new pieces for this show and for a slew of sales, etc coming up in September. I have some new images of work both earthenware and cone 6 soda fired stoneware that I will post soon. Thanks to everyone who came out to my studio sale and DAG solo exhibition. Now back to "Rescue Me".

Gearing Up for Another Opening

2009-06-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

So, after spending the day glued to the computer, sorting email addresses and trying to streamline my emailing announcement method and then jumping into planning for tonight's Basic Glaze Chemistry Class at the Artscenter in Carrboro, NC, I am more than ready for an opening on Friday night. My show, "Hollerin': My Appalachia in Ceramica", has an opening Friday, June 19, 5-7pm, with refreshments and 3 other artists with solo shows all under the Durham Art Guild roof. I seldom say this, but I am looking forward to the reception. I must be a little tired at the moment and I could also go for some catharsis before a hard week of family medical processes and trying to get back in the studio to keep on keeping on. Hope to see some of you at the opening, and thanks to all the pottery lover's who came to my sale last weekend. The Nine Toes Pottery 1st Annual Happy Sprummer Sale was a resounding success, ending up being the best sale I have had to date. Now, that's what you want, isn't it. High five to all and peace and carrots.

Firing da kiln (and not a moment too soon)

2009-06-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting on Mr. Doug Dotson's porch "firing" the soda kiln in preparation for my studio sale this weekend. So, tight timing as usual, fire today, cool tomorrow, and unload on Friday, clean kiln, clean pots, pack pots, unpack pots, price pots, place pots...you get the idea. But, I am very exicted about this load, a further exploration of cone 6 soda firing, and I have some new forms for me testing out new glazes, new clay bodies, and new decorations. So, you could say everything about this firing is tinged with excitement and wonder. For the capitalism side of things, I do have some big old stein forms I thought would appeal to the Father's Day gift buying crowd, y'know for all of dad's beer, or in my dad's case coffee. I have been thinking and working on some new cup forms, sort of a single lobe shape for those of you who are familiar with my double lobe cup shape. Smaller, simpler and lower to the ground, I think I like these forms and I am hoping they turn out from this firing. So, come on by the sale if you get a chance, and I'll try to post some images from the firing before I put the pots out for consumption. I will leave you in the good hands of my kiln god(dess) Otis(sa) the Owl.

Happy Sprummer Sale!

2009-06-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

I am busily getting ready for the 1st Annual Nine Toes Pottery Happy Sprummer Sale which is going on this weekend, Saturday June 13, 10-4pm and Sunday June 14 12-4 pm. I have lots of earthenware pots together and I am squeezing in one last cone 6 soda firing before the sale. In fact, I loaded the soda kiln at Doug Dotson's studio today and will be firing it off tomorrow. I will keep everyone abreast (promise no month long hiatus) of the firing and results. Come on out to the sale if you would like to see the pots firsthand. Also, my lovely and amazing wife will have some of her ironwork on display and available for purchase. She has some incredible iron side tables with very colorful tops and a few wall pieces of the same ilk. Details are in the sidebar to the right, with directions to the studio further down the page, so scroll on down. Hope to see you there, tell your pottery lovin' friends, and keep on keepin' on. More later.

Mudfire Show with Gillian Parke

2009-04-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

So here goes my monthly post to my blog, makes it more of a mlog I guess. I wanted to get the word out about a show at Mudfire Gallery in Decatur, GA that I have with Gillian Parke. The show is up May 9-30 with an opening reception May 9, 5-9pm. Gillian and I will be on hand at the opening to visit with attendees. Gillian has very interesting work, high fired porcelain forms with shino and celadon glazes, but further enhanced and layered with feldspar inclusions, lusters, and decals, some of her own making and others reassembled from commercial sources. I will have some new sugar and creamer sets, as well as a good selection of my "Gorignac Jars". The show will include a myriad of colors, surface, and textures between our two bodies of work, which span earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain clays and temperatures. Check it out if you have a chance, or please let your friends know about the show. We are very excited about showing together and how our unique styles will play off one another.

Check out www.mudfire.com/parke-peterson.htm for more info on the show and how to get to Mudfire Gallery.

Shacked Up at the HoJo

2009-03-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

Glazing done, kilns unloaded with nary a scorched hand. Kara, the Bean, and I are on the road to Fairhope, AL for the 37th Annual Outdoor Art Show put on by the Eastern Shore Art Center. We were here last year and I sold pretty well, so we will see how pots fit into the southern Alabama market in this wacked out economic mess we find ourselves in. At least we will get to spend some QT with Kara's aunt, uncle and cousins. I think if the weather holds we should have a good sale, nows the time for me to put into practice all of Bruce Baker's advice on how to sell work. All this gathered from a cd burned from a cd no telling how many times over. It was a gift, and I will let y'all know how the sale goes and hopefully have some pics up soon.

P.S. I really enjoyed the NC Potter's Conference last weekend, Mark Pharis is the man and amazing and pretty much blew me away. More on that later. Goodnight.

Time Draweth Nigh

2009-03-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

So, here we are, a new president elected, Valentine's Day past, and a mere week and a half until me, my wife and big boy travel to Alabama to do an outdoor arts festival and my pots are drying and waiting to be bisqued. Looks like another mad dash glaze-o-rama kind of time. With all my best intentions piled high, I still can't seem to be ready enough to glaze pots in a leisurely and civilized fashion.
Other new events on this end: completely destroyed and renovated apartment, Facebook page, Nolan is saying "ma-maw and pa-paw" (my parents) nearly 65 times a day (which is music to our ears...but 65 times?!?), my sister-in-law Amy visited this past weekend, classes come and gone: Cone 6 Soda Firing and Cups, now up: Cone 6 Soda Firing, Pouring Sets, and Focus on Vases, which all promise to be pretty fun. What else...Spring! well maybe prematurely, but yesterday was a balmy 77 degrees and today's forecast says 82, very nice. I'll try and get some photos up soon of some new work and possibly pics from the past soda class. Wish me luck with all this glazing and burn some incense so the glazes don't freak out on me in this frantic hour.

Winter Time and the Livin's Easy (What?!?)

2009-01-16T13:28:00.000-08:00

So, once again the post holidays have been spent at home and out of the studio. It seems like every year for the past little bit, I have the hardest time making it back into the work cycle. Although, it has been nice catching up on some household projects (finished assembling and installing some bathroom drawers that were a Valentines' Day treat...2008) and hanging out with my little boy Nolan, pups Sambuka and Neaka, and honey Kara. And being in the studio isn't everything, right? Regardless, I have a pretty good line up of shows starting in March, so I'd best get busy.

I did start back teaching a couple of weeks ago. I have a Cups class and a Narrative Vessels class at Claymakers in Durham, NC and a much anticipated cone 6 Soda Firing class (it filled in a manner of hours of registration opening!) at the Artscenter in Carrboro, NC. The Cups class is full, and I have a great deal of enthusiasm for this class because I love making cups, I've submitted a Cups class proposal for a couple of years now with no takers and I feel like they are taken for granted and given a Beginner's project rep. Cups can be very sophisticated functional and aesthetic objects and its nice to have 12 students focusing their attention on such humble forms. We are starting off with mugs and steins (handled) and are moving into tumblers and "unomis" (handleless), followed by goblets (assembled) and teacups and saucers (sets) if time allows.

The Narrative Vessels class is on Saturday mornings, which usually prove to be more laid back classes. Basically, the class is a flurry of surface techniques, including sgraffito, uber-sgraffito, slip inlay, pushing out and pushing in forms, brushing, terra sig, glaze layering and resists, etc. My work almost always involves some aspect of a story or tell a tale beyond simply being pottery, but I am a little nervous about the developing narrative aspect of the class, because I usually find my way through my stories as I work on a piece. Sorry students! Hope you're okay with the hide and watch approach to storytelling.

So, I have been in ceramics studios for the last little bit, just not my own. The classes are good and it is good to be back in teaching mode. We'll see how my enthusiasm waxes or wanes when I'm at full steam in my own studio.

Speaking Low Member Badge

2009-01-14T13:01:00.001-08:00

Earthies Come Join!

Per Jen's Request

2009-01-09T12:03:00.001-08:00

Check out the link to some photos of pots from December cone 6 soda firing. I've included some detail shots and may put some more photos up soon. I'll also try to put some specifics about clay bodies, slips, and glazes in the comments sections of the pix. Enjoy and I appreciate any feedback.

Happy New Yar!

2009-01-02T16:55:00.000-08:00

Before

My New Year's resolution is to keep up with this here blog in a more timely and consistent manner. Hope y'all had a good New Year's celebration and that you are looking forward to a new president's inauguration, I know I am. I talked about a cone 6 soda firing in my last entry, and I have some photos from said firing to fit in this entry.

The firing went well, smoothly, and makes me ponder the need for ceramics to be fired to cone 10 in atmospheric kilns. I know there are plenty of reasons to fire hotter: durability, certain crystalline effects, flashing, color, etc., but I was pretty pleased with the range of color, glaze reactions, and flashing from my last firing, and I know that Mr. Doug Dotson, whose kiln I fired and who normally fires a cone 10 soda firing, is intrigued by the concept of less fuel, less time, and some pretty similar results at cone 6. More info and pics later, and let me know what you think of firing lower, pros and cons. Catch you in a few.

After

Its a North Carolina psycho pottery show freakout!

2008-11-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

(I guess you need to be a fan of the Cramps for the title to sink in)

Here's some images of the invitations, so graciously put together by one talented Ann Parrent, for my Nine Toes Pottery postcard and the card for my holiday open studio sale with Laura Korch of Trout Ceramics.

Followed by some photos of my studio, packed and overpacked with a backlog of bisque and drying greenware (not drying fast enough) for the upcoming sale. The bisqueware is for a cone 6 soda firing that I am doing at Doug Dotson's hopefully in a few weeks in preparation for a class I'm teaching at the Artscenter in Carrboro, NC. Very hot class, it filled up the morning registration opened for the Winter 2009 classes. These peeps here in the Triangle loves them some soda firing.

This past weekend, I was in Raleigh for the 39th Annual Carolina Designer Craftsmen sale, which hosted pretty sparse crowds and most exhibitors had lagging sales. But, a big old bright spot for a slow sale is I got to hang out with some of the other exhibitors and talk quite a bit. Blaine and Laura Avery and Bruce Ghoulson and Samantha Heneke of Seagrove were there, and my good friend Kelly O'Briant and her hubby Matthew Thomason, not to mention Jen Mecca were some of the other artists that I spent more time with than in my booth trying to sell my work (Kelly noted that "Discipline Factor" of knowing you should stay in your booth even though the temptation to wander keeps calling you into the isles and out of the boredom of no customers.)

Well, all this previous typing was done weeks ago and I have had my studio sale in the meantime and a little downtime to boot. The studio sale with Laura was better than last year and I am really thankful and excited that everyone came out and bought some pots even in this most dire of economic times (or is it?) here's dem photos of my packed studio and Doug Dotson and I are loading and firing a cone 6 soda this coming weekend. Keep the kiln gods with us. More later.

Hey Y'all

2008-11-01T19:10:00.000-07:00

Hey y'all, I for some truly unknown reason have taken upon myself to start this here blog. I think browsing Ron Philbeck's, Jen Mecca's, and Amy Sander's blogs kind of planted a seed for me to start thinking about articulating some of the reasons why I am a potter and also explain what I am trying to do and get some feedback from all of you blog trotters. It may end up being mostly a journal for me, a record of daily studio happenings, thoughts, frustrations and a quick way to get images out in the world. So here goes, and forgive me for any violations of blog ettiquette.

I biked over to the studio today, beautiful high 60's sunny weather, and worked on getting a bunch of bud vases together for my upcoming sales. I made it in the door around 1pm and after 4 hours of throwing, listening to NPR, and having lunch, I ended up with 40 thrown bud vases. Now, I am always much more productive in my planning of the day than in my actual production, but I have almost come to accept the fact that I am a slow worker and tend to expect a lot more of myself than I actual achieve. Nevertheless, 4 hours and 40 bud vases later I head home for some Nolan time while Kara has an evening out.

Enough for now, more later on.