Still scrambling to get ready for the third firing, and there is Soooo much to do in the gardens.

But to begin I need to get up first…

A small tribute to Michael Kline this am: Instagram pic of his plate bearing blueberry pie.

Some small honey/sugar jars got done yesterday. Playing around with different lids.

Glaze test cylinders.

Salt cups.

Salt cups will be bisqued, then covered with kiln wash and filled with salt for our next firing. I like the effects of early salt on the pots – silky, satiny coating of glaze. Yum.

Also – one last look at the Transparent Kiln, before I took it down on Monday.

Last weekend we went up to Brevard NC, for our sweet friend Amy McIntyre’s solo show opening. The show was totally awesome, so was the company, and needless to say – we had a blast! I did not bring a sheep back in a bag this time however, since “Romeo” is still unwashed and uncarded… Shame on me.

Here are a few pix of Amy’s work that I took at the opening.

The quality of my images is questionable, sorry! You can get a much better idea of Amy’s work HERE.

Friends:) Seo, Amy and Amy’s grandpa John. Thanks for the good times!!!

Well, off I go now, to explore other avenues of social media…

I hope you all had a good relaxing holidays, and the New Year came in just as you prefer to welcome it.

Adam, the kids and I were all in bed, face up, when 2012 came – that’s pretty usual for us. I always have mixed feelings about New Years… well, since I became an adult, I guess… I want to carry on the tradition of staying up through the 12′th, eat myself silly with traditional Estonian New Year’s foods, shoot guns and fireworks, shake hands with neighbors and family right after the clock strikes midnight… (or is it 1 am?!?! sheesh)

But right around 10 pm I start dozing off, and just tell myself that it’s just another day after all, and all this hullabaloo is sort of nonsensical. All these holidays are just societal constructs, meant to keep the machine chugging along, and when you see through all that you can choose not to participate. Besides – In Estonia  the New Year starts at about 5 pm by NC time… and as my heart lives in two places – I sort of get over that hump of the New Year coming earlier in the day:)

I do sometimes wonder if the kids will miss out on something by not having set traditions and rules. There have been a few years when we go all out and celebrate, but we never seem to be consistent with any traditions, routines or other such things. I hope they’ll just be able to choose their own path in the future, without feeling the weight of having to carry on something they don’t even see to the bottom of…

On to something more tangible – we (Takuro, Hitomi, Santiago, Adam and I) just had a show opening at Randolpf Arts Guild in Asheboro, to showcase the clay bodies of STARworks Ceramics. I have one image of the show… The reception was great – gallery was FULL of people, and I felt a little claustrophobic, as I usually do at those events. The show will be open until Jan 31. – so hop on over to see it if you get a chance.

I have to say that I’ve been a bit lazy past few days. Not that I don’t DO anything, I just don’t really WANT to do anything… The best cure however is to ignore the voice that says: “You deserve some rest… Just go and  read a book… It’s cold in the studio – the couch has a blanket on it – and a warm dog… blah blah blah”

So – I’m gonna get up now, and descend into the mudhole.

But hey – I remembered that I had a few images from last weekend:)

The Holiday Show at Lovejoy Pottery was quite fun, and I met some wonderful people!

This was the Blue Hen Pottery booth. Nice natural light from the window:)

This sweet wood stove kept us cozy all day, and cooked a pot of chili!

This is unfortunately a fuzzy phone picture, but it’s the booth of Nancy and Dan Lovejoy, the hosts of the show.

I traded some work with Nancy and Dan, and this lovely plate has been in use every single day since I brought it home:)

The blue bird on the right put a spell on me! Had to have it! It’s made by Kathleen Redman, if I’m not mistaken. Nancy and Kathleen Redman is a mother – daughter team, and they make nice work. Loved their sculptural pieces. The blue bird – I like to think of it as a hen – is guarding the kiln right now:)

Took a picture of these bag-wall bottles in upright position on Wednesday, when I was cleaning up around the kiln shed. These will be part of the STARworks Ceramics exhibition in Asheboro at the beginning of January. This show will be all about STARworks Ceramics Clay bodies.

These smaller bottles will go there also.

My dear friend Anna gave me this cup today as X-mas present:) We were in Greensboro last week, hunting down Kim Chee ingredients at Super G Mart, and visited a few shops in downtown while in the big city, and I saw this artist’s work, and fell in love! I will try to track down the name of the artist soon… Sweet work!

And here’s the Holiday Chicken, inviting y’all in this weekend! All of these folks Bulldog Pottery, Ben Owen Pottery, Donna Craven Pottery, Dean and Martin Pottery, Chris Luther Pottery, Jeff Brown and Michele Hastings Pottery, Seagrove Stoneware, Johnston and Gentithes Art Pottery, David Stuempfle Pottery are going to have kiln and studio openings this Saturday, and Blue Hen Pottery will be OFFICIALLY open for the first time so swing on by!

I will hop over to the kitchen now and start the supper. Sour kraut soup tonight – perfect for a chilly night!