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| Winter 2010 In this Newsletter: 2009 In Review - Milkshed Gallery Open - New Kiln Update Teaching Schedules - New Work - Photo Blog Happy New Year! First and foremost, Nathan and I would like to THANK YOU so very much for your support and encouragement throughout this big transition of ours to Vermont! While we are feeling more settled and organized all the time, we are looking forward to another big year in 2010, both excited and grateful for all that is progressing in our pottery lives together. Thanks for staying in touch, and we hope to see you this year . . . 2009 in Review Phew, what a year! We are proud to list among our accomplishments the completion of our 30' x 40' kiln "shed" (ahem, barn) that we built with our good friend Bob and key assistance from family and friends. This process included a good old fashioned barn raising on a sunny day in late November, along with single-digit roofing just days before the winter solstice! As if that wasn't enough, we were proud to hold the Grand Opening of our renovated gallery space in early December. It was well attended and festive- a special shout-out to the amazing folks who helped build our shed in the snow while their wives shopped!!! We also had two very successful retail shows in Maine and New Hampshire, and several great exhibitions at galleries in Vermont and Massachusetts. (Congrats to Nathan for a sold- out show at the Cup Invitational!) All in all, it was an incredible year. The Milkshed Gallery Is Open It is SO nice to have a show space again for all of our pottery (photos at left), and we'd be happy to have you visit this winter . . . please email or call first and we'll get the wood stove cranking! We're looking forward to opening on a more regular basis come spring - hours will be posted online - and we're hoping to participate in the Vermont Open Studio Weekend on Memorial Day Weekend. By that time, we'll be kiln building and there should be lots to see! The New Kiln We were psyched to have a warm spell in early November that allowed us to pour the concrete slab foundation under the shed. (photo at left) As soon as temperatures warm up a bit and we can scape the ice off the slab, we'll begin moving and laying out brick. We have many of our materials on site (over 3000 hard and soft brick will at least get us started!) and some pretty nice homemade drawings to work by. It'll be a steep learning curve for me, but I know Nathan and his wealth of experience in this realm will be the best of guides. We're building a hybrid kiln, two chambers, about 25 feet long with a rise of about 5 feet over that span. It'll be fired solely with wood, the pottery sharing the first chamber with the firebox, and the second chamber receiving a soda treatment. It should be quite something. . . please let us know if you're interested in being a part of the process in some way! (Anyone have a spare concrete mixer or wet saw laying about?!?! We could use 'em!) Take a Class! Both Nathan and I are teaching in the coming months. If you're in the Hanover, NH area, take a glance at the courses offered at the League of NH Craftsmen . . . Nathan is teaching an Open Studio session this winter, and I'll be holding a four- week session on painted pots (!) starting in April. Perhaps Nathan will offer a raku class, too. Have a look here: www.craftstudies.org Oh, right . . . pottery! Somewhere in the midst of all this building excitement, we are finding the time to make pottery. :) I am renting a studio here in Vermont, and making many of my standard pots in white stoneware- wine cups, butter keepers, plates, bowls, and mugs. I am also having fun working on a new group of pots involving more slips and bright colors, somewhat akin to my past earthenware work. (photo at left) We'll see how this goes . . . stay tuned! If you haven't yet been to our new website, www.twopotters.com, then now is a great time- we've just re-done the entire thing to include lots of photos, as well as our very own store with a shopping cart and PayPal! Gratefully yours, Missed something? Check out the newsletter archives: Fall 2009 Spring 2009 Fall 2008 Summer 2008 Spring 2008 Winter 2008 Fall into Winter 2007 Summer 2007 Spring 2007 Join the mailing list! Have a friend or relative who you think might enjoy this newsletter? Please feel free to forward this link on! http://www.beccavanfleetpottery.com/news |
