Kurt's firing August 2010... more images.

Kurt's firing August 2010... the beginning.

Wood-Salt Firing in Boiling Springs with Kurt

Friend, colleague, and Juniata College student Nick Brown and I joined Kurt to fire his updraft woodkiln in August. It went quite well dis-spite a disgruntled and completely uninformed neighbor who just picked us to take all her environmental woes at about 9:00 am at around 2000 degrees. What a problem! People really need to learn about what they are fighting against before they raise their voice. If she knew what kind of footprint the wood we were burning actually was as opposed to the propane she forcefully suggested we use or the gas she uses to 'drive to her real job' over an hour everyday she would never have left her house to even think about doing anything but thanking us for enriching her town both in spirit and in culture. We went from stoking rather large pieces of slab wood to spending about 12 to 14 hours firing with nothing but 3 or 4 pieces of 9"x3"x1" hardwood and were able to continue to rise in temperature. It was insane. The pictures I promised will be uploaded shortly as there are many.

Mid Summer's End

I have just come back from a 'weekend' in Carlisle PA in which I spent time working with Kurt in his studio preparing for a salt/wood/propane firing in his kiln. This firing is going to happen next weekend and I plan on documenting so there will be another post to follow this one with images of the whole deal. Just before that though my dad and I set up a small barrel that he lined with a refractory castable material and attempted to run a saltku (high temp, like cone 9-14, gas firing using charcoal and rock salt) firing. Because of the lack of a proper flue system we were only able to reach 1250 degrees F but it was still a worthwhile venture. We fired from about 6pm till midnight when the kiln basically stopped gaining temp for good. We are casting a real lid with a better opening for a flue so there will be another firing soon.

We had a camera so here is kind of how it went.

Summer Living.

The beat goes on... the summer in Mount Union has proven to be hot, humid, and without rain. I am volunteering at the Juniata College Ceramics Studio over the summer months and we are preparing to break ground (lay cinder block) for a new smaller downdraft gas kiln. I have been decorating feverishly and am working on a cup design to make a slipcasting mold from. I have been thinking about print a lot lately and have begun some drawings and layouts for print ideas, maybe more on that later. If anyone has any entrepreneurial ideas for money making other than exotic dancing (believe me, there is a market just not with me in it) let me know because I am poo or. Go economy, Go!

At the end of June I returned to Erie Pennsylvania for the Erie Summer Arts Festival for the second year in a row. I set up shop with a colleague of mine from Edinboro University and we made an attempt to peddle our wares to the attendees of said fest. Unfortunately the coordinators of the arts fest cut funding to the advertisements and entertainment so to say the least we didn't fair well. I didn't make gas money to get me back and fourth. Yet, we had a great time with our friends and each other. I plan on being there next year again in hopes that the Erie Summer Fest people get their act together and with my continued support I hope that the festival is able to carry on and improve with age.

The last day of the festival, Sunday, ended just as the year before with a thunderstorm off the lake. Only apparently this time there were tornado cones dropping down over the lake and a few moved inland and one may have touched down, allegedly. During this time Todd and I went swimming in the lake. :) Good times.

I am scheduled to head back up at the end of this month for 'Discover Presque Isle' and I hope the coordinators of that have things tied down a little tighter. It should still be a good time. If you are reading this and are in the Erie area come check it out. July 23, 24, and 25. Come and visit. More miraculous than just reading this and showing up mention my blog and I might give you a discount. Maybe. (what times are tough) :)


I've got many pictures to post and am working on a real website so check back soon for more info, I swear I'll post sooner than later.

no images today just words.

today is the day i was birthed by my mother
the sky was bright and breeze was sweet.
i searched all day for some kind of reason
all i found was more questions and
two brothers to greet.
of celebration there was none,
though gifts there were many in the blue horizon and white clouds in the air.
i hoped questions answered but did not receive them,
though bumble bees encircled my thoughts of despair.
fear not however the evening is coming and i shall have dreams for to bring me to you.
together we can run through the minds of our lovers and all will be found safe and at home.

end of the semester. more work to be posted. more kilns to be fired.

life at Juniata comes to a halt. the classes are empty now (except for my adult class) and i have been prepping the studio for the summer. i also am about to fire a soda kiln comprised mostly of my latest work involving colored slips and brushwork. I'm scared. the amount of time I've placed in the decoration of these pieces makes firing them all at once a little like beating a dozen eggs with a baseball bat. I'm sure it will be fine but my optimism keeps me down so when things do turn out its like Christmas to a 5 year old. Here's more.