15 August 2009

a brief tour of the Patton Pottery workshop

Here are a few pictures of our workshop. Be sure to click on them, since Blogger cuts them off a bit. . . .

The picture below is the view just to the side of the front door of the workshop. Most interesting are one of Greg's disturbing assemblages (this one's a fountain) and the pottery chicken lamp (of unknown provenance).


Here's a view from the back door into the workshop. Greg was inspired by the Baltimore, MD tradition of screen painting:

Just across from the backdoor of the workshop is the kiln shed, and over the door to the kiln shed is this cheerful fellow:

More pictures are forthcoming, with any luck.

04 August 2009

coffee cup design

I bought these coffee mugs off a friend a few months ago:


If there's anything I don't need, it's more coffee cups. I couldn't resist these, though. The design is really slick -- the handle follows the curve exactly, and the cups are quite light. They're not the sort of thing I'd made (or could make without a mold), but they feel nice in my hand and they look good. The only disconcerting thing about them is the pinging they did when I first poured hot coffee into them. (My friend reported that they'd never been used, so maybe it's just the sensitivity of a glaze changing temperature quickly for the first time since firing.)

Every since I started making pottery, I notice and like all manner of ceramic items. . . I suppose that's how it goes for everybody.