Wig Out! Get Your Toxic Mutation On!
back to corymarie.com
categories
-
recent posts
Ruby City
- Ruby City Sign
I love this sign! I spotted it in downtown Franklin, NC.
Face Mug Party
This is what a face mug party looks like:
Face Muggery at the Willows
Rob hosts face mug parties, where you apply a face to a mug that Rob has already thrown on the wheel. Rob takes your finished mug, fires and glazes it, and returns it to you. It is so fun! How can you not have fun at a face mug party? This particular party was at the Willows Pottery in Sautee, near Helen, Georgia. I get to assist Rob with large parties like this one.
Artist perfects her face mug look
Isn’t the Willows Pottery store pretty?
They have so much beautiful pottery; it was so inspiring to browse!
First Batch
After a month, my adventure with pottery has been delightful! I have learned so much; Rob is a great teacher and so generous with his time and supplies. I received my first batch of pottery back from the final firing. I has been so cool to make pottery!
Pottery has many steps. First, you build the vessel/sculpture out of wet clay. Rob uses either a stoneware clay or a porcelain clay. You let the creation air dry and then it is ready to go into the bisque kiln. A kiln is a big oven type machine that is either fired by electricity, gas, or wood. Rob uses gas kilns, although he does have a huge wood fire kiln which, he has used seven times. (Wood firing is an intense old-time firing process which I will tell you more about later). The bisque firing takes all the moisture out of the vessel. It becomes a consistency like terra cotta. Next, you sand it and glaze it. Finally, it goes back in the kiln for a glaze firing.
It is such a journey that your creation goes on! Danger and unpredictability at every point for me, since I am so new. It teaches me to not be attached to anyone thing. So, let me present to you…..
My very first pottery pieces!
The beauteous big blue mug is not mine. That is one of Rob’s mugs, but I am getting better and better at throwing on the wheel. Soon I will be making things that big. I love the glazes Rob uses! My favorites are the ones that are layered like the brown one on the right.
A closer look
Wig Out! Get Your Jazz Hands On!
Here is a flyer I made for the upcoming Wig Out!
Wig Out! Get Your Jazz Hands On!
Face Mug Party at Appalachian Sound
Check out this face mug party flyer I made for Rob’s upcoming event on January 27th at Appalachian Sound,,,
Posted in pottery
Leave a comment
On the Wheel
I have been throwing vessels on the wheel for two days now! I really love this new artform. I was shy to try it, but now that I dove into it, I am starting to get hooked. I will have photos soon…
Cluck Old Hen
My old hen’s
A good old hen
she lays eggs for the railroad men.
Sometimes one,
Sometimes two,
Sometimes enough for the whole dang crew.
Posted in appalachia, banjo
Leave a comment
Time for Clay
When I took 3D art in college, it was NOT a pleasant experience. As Studio Art undergrads at UCSB circa 2000, we had to take 3 foundation classes: 2D, 3D, and 4D. “2D” included all things flat, like drawing, painting, photography, and printmaking. 2D art is my forte. “4D” was the fun performance/conceptual time-based/video art class where we could run wild and turn any craziness into art. I was enough of a weirdo to love and rock 4D. “3D” was my dreaded foundation class. I remember staring at the lump of clay in front of me and thinking, “you want me to make art out of this?” I was just not into it and drug myself through the quarter. I really embraced the idea of “found object” to get me through!
- Rob Withrow of Smoke in the Mountains Pottery
Who would have guessed that over 10 years later, I would find myself in an apprenticeship position with North Carolina potter, Rob Withrow, of Smoke in the Mountains Pottery? You may remember an earlier post I wrote about face mugs and Rob; this is how my interest in clay began. I love Rob’s style and work; it is so beautiful and functional at the same time. Looking at clay from a folk art perspective as opposed to a fine art perspective is incredibly different.
The wood fire kiln at Smoke in the Mountains
Rob makes face jugs, which are a signature product of many north Georgia and western North Carolina potters. Rob is known for his really tall face jugs, some measuring out at over 6 feet! Rob makes everything from beautiful bowls, to steins, to goblets, to plates, to mugs, to life-sized piggy banks (plus anything else you can make out of clay I surmise). I fell in love with his big bowls at the folk school dining hall; they are used to serve soup to eight people. Like so many other crafts I learned at the JCCFS, I love the idea that I could make my own plate set, or lasagna dish, or incense holder.
Blue Bowl
Steins
So here I go, ready to delve into the world of clay. Instead of the clay feeling like a burden or a chore, I feel like the possibilities are endless! Thanks to Rob and Julie for inspiring me! I can’t wait to get started…
Posted in appalachia, inspirations, super adventure 2011
Tagged face jug, rob withrow, smoke in the mountains pottery
Leave a comment