Graduation

I attended my first graduation in US, not mine,  my daughter's.  I was amazed many people other than parents were there. I realized how important thing and key milestone on her life, like the initiation rite.  Japanese cerebrates him/her on 20th birth year. I think most high school kids here are definitely more matured than we were in the high school. Now, our daughter has two months before departing to Abu Dhabi for the collage.



My mug is featured in the blog, http://dancingdolphinpottery.blogspot.com/

Earthquake

I was loading the kiln yesterday.  Around 1:30pm, I felt the building moving. We are facing the CSX yard, and they produce lots of ground movement, but nothing was in action. Then I realized this was earthquake. It was long one, about 30 seconds. In my experience in Japan, if it continued more than 15 seconds, it tends to become a large one. But this earthquake was just long steady horizontal shake. Ware on the shelves are all ok. Epic center of the earthquake was in Ottawa, Canada, 180 miles away, magnitude 5. We probably had Japanese scale of 2 to 3, once month or more if you are in Tokyo.

I really hate the earthquake. You have no control over the earthquake, but stay put or hide under the table. I don't remember when, but I hid under the table in the student full of the class room, but nobody else.  I was very embarrassed, of course.

Ready to fire tomorrow.

Garlic pot

Between shows is the time to restock what sold and received orders. I have been throwing the pots and putting lots of hole recently. Garlic jars,  planters and berry bowls. Garlic jar is like a sugar pot with lots of the holes on the side, so the garlic can breathe, and its top protects from the light, not grow. I use it at home. I don't make them often, but probably one of the most asked item next to the French butter dish. It does not mean it sells well, though.

The French butter dish, on the other hands, it sells. I made one year. I tried it at home, and I got butter dropping into the water, and several days later the butter became moldy. After researching the web, I found you can't leave it if the temperature is above85°F or so, and you add salt in the water to avoid from mold. I thought if I am not satisfied I should not sell. I discontinued after selling a dozen or so in one summer.

Clay

Where does  the clay come from?  I don't dig my own clay in our backyard.  I wish.  I purchase from the Laguna Clay Company, and come in a box pre-mixed #510.  They keep the content (receipe) secret, so I really do not know.

I used to mix the clay, which was back breaking operation.  Yes, mixed. I purchased 50lb bag of dry materials; Hawthorne Bond Clay (Missouri) , OM-4 ball clay (Kentucky),  EPK(Florida), Custer Feldspar (South Dakot) and Flint. It is not mine in single location.

In Japan, pottery clay is mined locally, and glazed with local materials (ashes) to make their product unique (one of kind), and people appreciate it. It makes the pottery more expensive .  Bizen pottery was known to purchase a lot of the rice field for their clay, by digging the rice field and removing the clay means no more rice production there as well as you do not know what kind of clay you can get until mine. It is very expensive transaction.

Is it possible to do the same in US?  Yes, I think some do, however  I think people do not see much difference in the final product, or its value.  I sometimes wonder how many people see the difference between the high fire and low fire.  I think mining and making clay too much time-consuming and challenging practice , meaning finding, testing and processing clay as well as fitting the glaze, not mention storing these unprocessed clay, to justify the cost.  I do not mind using the clay in the box as long as I can make my own pottery. Painter uses the paint in tube.  I do not think people ever asking the painter, where the paint or canvas comes from.

Good weekend

One of neat thing about the Allentown Art Festival is a lodging. The Holiday-inn is in front of my booth. It is neat to see the booth at night from the room. I guess someone broke-in to my booth overnight, and took a large vase. Maybe around the time I took this picture. Kinds of ironic. I have been doing this show and had never had problem before. Then, one of customer told me the vase was shuttered three blocks away. What is the point.... I don't understand.

I have applied the award competition for a decade, and finally got one. It is very nice to be recognized.

Washed out

Well, the weather dictated the Three Rivers Arts Festival last weekend. I should note to myself, "no outdoor show in the first week of June", as the weather is not stable.. I have not seen such a strong rain. My bowl at outside the booth collected close to 1” in 30 minutes. The entire booth became a part of the stream, and kids were only ones having fun! I had five years plan for this festival, to establish the repeat customer base, and this was the fifth year. Last year, I felt some build-up and had high expectation. Due to the rain, the five years plan did not meet my goal.  This festival is physically demanding in terms of set-up / tear-down and long hours; driving and festival hours. Live music was very loud this year I hardly hear customer talks, very bad for business.

Thank you very much for those who came.

Good note, I enjoyed the Pirates ball game after the show with awesome fireworks.

Next up, Allentown Art Festival this weekend.