Making potz

Well, Joseph is back at it again. I am constantly amazed at the calm in the workshop as he works. Being the lucky wife that I am, I have been witness to many beautiful creations in the making, arriving home from work while he's in the thick of it. Some of them did not make it, however. We learned very quickly that I am not as strong as he assumed me to be. Luckily, him and I never dropped a pot, but have had some mishaps that led to the demise of a few beauties. He did drop a big one with a friend the other day. All in all, only 2 big ones were lost, their lives fleeting and brief, but stellar none the less.

Here is a selection of the 10-gallons jars and vases that Joseph has thrown in his past few weeks of production. He started off by making a variety of medium sized planters, moving on to these pieces. Using a variety of glazes both familiar and not, he is taking a gamble, hoping that the risky proves to be rewarding.

Wouldn't he be a good snake charmer? I'd rather him wrangle some clay coils instead! This coil is en route to be added as the next layer on a big monster pot.

Once the coil is added, thrown, and smoothed out, an even rim is cut and removed.

So proud of his beauty! This was his first big pot, being so incredibly heavy that his poor wife couldn't budge it one inch. He had to call a friend to come over, but it had to be before he started work, so the two of them moved the pot at 5:30 am the next day! Show me someone who loves his job more than Joseph does, and I'll buy you lunch!

A quick shot of a week's worth of muscling around clay, lots of sweat, grunts and groans trying to move those big beauties around the room!

Now, don't get excited, because this is not a true firing; there are no pots inside. After the kiln was painted so nicely, Joseph (joined by our friend, Spencer, from Pittsboro) decided to burn a bunch of scrap wood just to take it for a test drive. Man, that thing fired like a gem. Let's hope it does the same when it's full of pots! We can't wait!

SAVE THE DATE!

Speaking of which, we can't wait to announce our kiln opening date!
Join us on August 21st and 22nd for our first kiln opening.
Those that have participated in our Buy A Brick program will have their own pre-sale on August 20th.
As we get closer to the date, watch your email and snail-mail box for an official announcement.

That much closer

Joseph has just finished the decoration on the kiln! He finished the firebox in the morning, laying brick and castable, with the remainder of the afternoon spent decorating the kiln in vibrant colors.

All that is left to complete now is the flashing around the chimney and a little kiln wash.

He will be making pots starting monday for our first kiln opening event. Our tentative date is August 21st and 22nd, with the special pre-sale for Buy A Brick customers on friday the 20th. You can still buy a brick and join us at the presale through May 31st at: http://www.jsspottery.com/buy.html

We're off to Art on the Vine this weekend in Mebane. Come check us out and say hi!



Using portland cement, black concrete stain, red iron oxide and local clay as pigments, the kiln is painted in true Joseph style!





Looking closely, the surface design of the kiln is reminiscent of a decoration Joseph uses on his pottery.


The firebox was completed using cartops and a high temperature castable. Joseph is going to add some brick on both sides to be able to stack pots in the firebox, as well.

Finito!

The kiln takes form...

Hey everyone! Welcome, welcome! We have finally arrived at a point where we have a free moment to sit down and share with you all that is happening here at Joseph Sand Pottery! It's quite exciting. Joseph has been working hard and long to get this place up and running, and wow, is it gorgeous. It has been incredibly difficult to get him to take a day off; he is just having so much fun.

For those of you that know Joseph, he is a determined and driven person, working on all cylinders and giving a project his full attention and focus. He builds a pottery just like he throws pottery: fast, efficient, and beautiful. We can't wait to share our journey with you.


The post holes are dug. You can see one of Joseph's helpers as well as the rooftop of our house in the background.


Joseph hard at work, as always. This was early January, right when we were having a cold snap. The cold didn't slow him down one bit. With some help from Joseph's father, the kiln shed took shape within a matter of three weeks or so.


Look at all that red clay! Joseph began the base of the kiln.


A view from the fire box of the kiln. Joseph laid every single brick by himself. A serious accomplishment!


After the straight walls of the kiln were laid, an arch form was created so that it could provide a guide to lay brick upon for the top portion of the kiln.


Now it's starting to look like a kiln! The stoke holes take shape. Hard to believe that the bricks support themselves in an arch form. The supports are removed (by chainsaw, no less!) and the arch stands on its own.


The kiln's interior is almost complete except for the firebox. Isn't it beautiful?


Next, insulation is layered on like lasagna, with tinfoil between to provide some heat-holding capacity.


Last sunday, we held a work party to apply the final coating on the kiln. It was a hard day of work, making many batches of this concrete mixture. Thanks to all those that helped!


This is after the kiln coating has dried. Joseph is planning on painting the kiln with a unique design. Even I have no idea what it is going to look like.


Just finishing the chimney, thinking about all the pots to be made...


A quick view of the inside of the workshop. You can see the ware racks in the background as well as Joseph's wheel off to the left. This building already existed on the property; Joseph only added the ceiling and it was ready for making pots!


This is the view from front of the workshop. Joseph has already made his clay and everything. In the background is the back side of our gallery: an 1840's farmhouse, which was the original home on the farmstead.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for all your continued support as we embark on this journey. You play an enormous role in this, as customers, supporters, and friends. We invite you to stay in touch, either through this blog or by email. Additionally, you can find us on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/pages/Joseph-Sand-Pottery/230073816797


Signing off with the most beautiful honeysuckle and blackberries...

The most recent earrings (beaded only)

New Jewelry Available

We were lucky enough to sneak in an extra kiln firing this cycle, using the new ash-glaze Noborigama wood-fired kiln this time. It created incredible colors, especially with the glass we used. You will find dynamic blues, greens, and whites displayed brilliantly on warm brown tones. Unfortunately, we only fired pendants this round. But, only another month until we fire the kiln again.  

Prices on these pendants range from $6 to $10 each. In addition, we can put them on a leather necklace for you for an additional $3. Shipping is separate, but very inexpensive.  All sizes given below are in inches.  Please read them from left to right, and top to bottom (as I couldn't fit more than two pieces per line).

Enjoy!

                   

Not For Sale        #2 - $10 (2.5x0.75)     

#3 - $6 (1.5x0.5)        #4 - $7 (1.25x0.75)

                  

#5 - $6 (1.5x0.5)       #6 - $6 (1.75x0.6)  

 #7 - $7 (1.2x0.75)      #8 - $6 (1.75x0.75)

                

#9 - $6 (1.25x0.75)         #10 - $8 (2x0.75)   

#11 - $8 (2x0.75)       #12 - $6 (1.5x0.75)

                         

#13 - $8 (2x0.75)       #14 - $6 (1.5x0.6)   

#15 - $6 (1.25x0.5)       #16 - $9 (1.75x0.75)

                

#17 - $6 (1.5x0.75)            #18 - $6 (1.25x0.5)                  

#19 - $7 (1.25x1)

            

#20 Side View - $9     #20 Top View (1.25x1) 

#21 - $7 (1.25x0.75)

           

#22 - $7 (1.25x0.75)        #23 - $9 (1x0.75) 

#24 - $7 (1x0.5)

                  

#25 - $7 (1.5x0.75)      #26 - $7 (1.5x0.75)   

 #27 - $9 (1.5x0.75)

                           

#28 - $7 (1.5x0.75)       #29 - $9 (2x0.75)  

  #30 - $9 (2x0.75)

#31 - $7 (1.5x0.75)