We're building furniture

I'm planning on doing some shows with Kyle Thomson a fellow Sheridan Alum (http://imakepottery.wordpress.com/) to sell our ceramics. We've been busy preparing for a show on June 1st to try and see how we can sell together in the same tent. We are building some display shelves for our work. It's been a fun and challenging experience we are both potters and our furniture skills are a bit limited. We have building one cabinet and using that as a way to learn the process and are expecting the other cabinets to improve as we go along. We keep on making slight modifications to design as we come up with better ways to complete the steps. Kyle has been taking the lead on the project as he has a higher comfort level with the tools and building in general. It has been a very time consuming project but very rewarding. We may have one ready stain tomorrow as we plan to put a final push to get one done. Hopefully the displays we make are of a higher quality then the furniture made in the Portlandia video I posted at the end of this post. And if you're wondering I have been doing more than just standing around and taking pictures of Kyle working. I think we should make a quick video at some point but I have to see if Kyle is on board with that. We could definitely make a "how not to video".

 

First Video

I thought I would try to make a demo video today. I'm a bit shy and don't like the sound of my voice so I decided to use a song in the background. Though in the next few weeks I do plan to be a little more ambitious and explain what I'm doing in each video. Anyway I hope you take a moment to watch what I created as I get prepared for a few show's this summer and hopefully get my work in a few new locations.

The next round of pottery classes

So I'm halfway through my first pottery class at the London Potter's Guild. I hope my students are enjoying it as much as I am. The next round of class starts next month and the registration is up online. I'm teaching another Friday night class if enough people sign up for it. Each class at the guild needs a minimum of 6 students to go ahead. I should write my instructors bio for the website before I go to bed tonight. 

General Pottery I*
Sean Robinson
7:30-10pm (6wk)
May 10 - June 21

General Pottery I

Teacher: Sean Robinson
Day and Time: Friday 7:30 - 10pm (6wk)
Date: May 10 to June 21

Adult Rate: $120.00 + 15.60 hst = $135.60 + Toolkit
LPG Members: $105.00 + 13.65 hst = $118.65 + Toolkit

This is a comprehensive introduction to working in clay. Learn hand building techniques such as pinching, coiling, soft and hard slab building, and press moulding. Students will also work on the potter’s wheel, and will learn the basics to create their own pieces. The students will end with a collection of their own glazed pieces. * If you are new to pottery, this is the class LPG recommends.

New students need to purchase a $15.00 toolkit.
Toolkit is included in your registration cost.

http://www.londonpottersguild.org/offer/classes.htm

Last class

I really need to blog more often. This is my first time using my phone to blog so I will keep it short. I've been teaching a class with Kyle Thomson (http://imakepottery.wordpress.com/) a fellow Sheridan grad at the London Clay Art Centre. Here is some of our class glazing their pots.
In a few weeks I get my first solo class and I'm very excited about it.

But now for the first time I understand

I did a quick search for a Song poem online for this post and this one jumped out at me. I feel it relates to some of the paintings I have been working on lately. But anyway I heard some interesting news this week. A Song dynasty bowl recently sold at auction for 26.7 million U.S. dollars. That is an astonishing amount of money and is hard to comprehend. It's interesting to consider how many bowls could be purchased from practicing makers today. Here is a poem from the Song Dynasty by Wang Li.

"In my dream I scratch my head and get up and listen.
I listen and listen, until the dawn.
All my life I have heard rain,
and I am an old man;
but now for the first time I understand
the sound of spring rain
on the river at night."

- Yang Wanli

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17612167

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2125032/Chinese-Song-dynasty-dish-sells-26-7m.html

A handle and jars to share

I should be posting some paintings and drawings soon. But how long have I been saying that? I haven't really liked much of my work lately. But when do I anyway? This is just a quick post. I found this link through one of my favourite pottery blogs http://slipware.blogspot.com/2012/02/saturday-and-sunday-on-monday.html .

http://www.rammuseum.org.uk/Collections/ The Royal Albert Memorial Museum & Art Gallery has some interesting work online to explore. These aren't the best photographs that I have seen from a museum website but there is an interesting variety of work.From Pitcher handle fragments to English delftware. What else could anyone want from a website? Though there search function needs to be improved.D

Saxo Norman Pitcher Handle

Drug (Ointment) Jar

Pharmacy Jar

Some Cups

Here are some cups I found from my local thrift store. They are made by an old pottery from Collingwood Ontario. Here is a wikipedia link about it. And a link to the fan club. I remember a fun lecture about glazes from an instructor at Sheridan about buying their glaze materials at auction. One member of the class thought he was telling the class that he liked this type of pottery and became incensed when he found out that someone thought he liked it. Anyway it looks like I missed this years Blue Mountain Pottery convention again.