Chimney upclose

Last week, guys were tearing down lots antennas used for wireless company from the roof.  I got a chance to go up the roof to check the chimney. It looks good after 7 years.  The way doves are flying over, I thought a mess on the roof, but quite contrary, it was very clean and no sign of the doves.



2012 is finally winding down.  Etsy got very busy right after the Thanksgiving, and my basement became the shipping center. Pieces of corrugated boxes were every corner of the basement until tonight.  Almost a time to reset and restocking my inventories and sending out the applications for the summer shows. Yes, mugs week...

Happy holidays!

Teapot 50

[caption id="attachment_2289" align="alignleft" width="640" caption="Teapot 50"][/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_2290" align="alignleft" width="640" caption="Teapot 49"][/caption]

I started making one of a kind teapot in early 2011 inspired by Fong Choo's teapots.  Now, finally I made fifty.  It was great exercise, to imagine new shapes as well as learning construction. It did sell well. It also saved many greenwares.  A time spent building a teapot gave enough time to dry freshly thrown pieces to cover with plastics before leaving the studio. I felt a bit of limitation with using mostly two glazes toward the end.  Now first 50 was done, should I go on or make something else?

All teapots are here.

Snow on the horizon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It has been cold November, but not much of snow. I have been busy stocking the Etsy store and am getting ready for the studio open house and sale on December 8 & 9.  This is going to be my fifth open studio.  So far I had four glaze firings in last 30 days, and plan to two more in a week.  I am so tired....

Kitsune Udon

Have  you had your favorite snack sudden disappeared from a store shelf?

I was frantically looking for the Sppporo Ichiban Kitsune Udon early this year, then found it was discontinued.  I have been eating this more than 10 years. This instant noodle was my frequent midnight snack.  I gave up and forgot about it until recently.  Outside is getting cold, and I miss eating the noodle at night.  Then, hit me. Just make one myself.  Udon noodle is made of flower and water with a bit of salt.  I mixed up them with the food processor and made a noodle with the pasta machine.  I purchased the Inarino-moto, which is seasoned fried tofu used for sushi.  It came 16 pieces or so, I separated with a parchment paper, and put in the freezer. So, I can enjoy 16 snacks.  The boodle is cooked in boiling water for 4-5 minutes, while I make the soup.  Boil 1.25 cup of water, a pinch of salt, a pinch of dashi, and 1 table spoon of soy sauce and 1/2 table spoon of mirin. Add sliced scallions and an egg. It was very easy, and very close to that instant noodle.

 

Teapot 48

Teapot 47

Chimney checked

I was firing the kiln on Sunday.  The firing result has been good, but the atmosphere has been different recently, and decided to check the chimney.  I do not have an access to the roof, so I drove around the corner.  It looked ok. See, that why these doves flew toward the windows.



I always messed up the schedule around this time of the year.  I checked the calendar, and the Thanksgiving this year is 22nd.  I have enough time to have two more glaze firing before the turkey.

 

 

 

Teapot 46

Weather forecaster was predicting the bad night from the Hurricane Sandy last night, but we dodged bullets.  It was windy and raining hard, but no major damages around my neighborhood.



 

It is while sine I made the one of a kind teapot. Number 46 is done.  This one is wheel thrown and flattened by hitting with a board from both sides after trimming the foot.

A lid of this teapot was a bit tight side.  I remember Carolyn Dilcher-Stuyztold me about the valve paste mention in the Val Cushing handbook. I searched the web and found it at the Autozone.  I applied around the lid and moved around for a couple minutes.  It smooths out surprisingly well.

Irondequoit bay

Frustrated

It has been three weeks since I dropped off the application for gas line to local utility company.  Nada.....  Sigh....  My plan to move before the snow is almost impossible.  Just frustrated.



I sold my minivan on Sunday, workforce for my shows over 10 years.  It was a bit small for carrying around the pottery, but it worked great.  I found 2006 Toyota minivan for replacement.  I was thinking about a cargo van, but just could not jump up just for 7-8 shows a year. This minivan is a slightly larger, so maybe I can get a new tent for the next year.  I have been eyeing the flourish tent for a year, and am ready for a new tent.

 

 

My pottery from 1991

I was cleaning the garage and found a box full of old pottery of mine.  Here are some from 1991. Two years into my production pottery.

Can't decide

Last time I move the studio, I declared I would quit the pottery rather than moving the studio again. Now I am seriously considering the home studio.  This hot summer was really hard on my body.

Home studio has lots of advantages, saving rents, travel times and gas, more control over the drying process, not hot studio, etc. Advantages of the current studio is lots of craft and art people in the building and sales of my ware at the First Friday and Open house.

It is not easy to move the pottery studio.  I need to move the 2000lb kiln and everything, and build a shed, get a new gas line that I had nightmare getting the attention of the utility company, and cleaning up and winterize the garage....  This would be required lots of patience and planning. Sigh...

September already

I had the Clothesline Festival last weekend, that concluded the busy summer show season. This was the hardest summer ever.  I had two shows cancelled or suspended due to the wind storm.  At the Clothesline Festival, the organizer announced that the 60 mph winds are approaching in 20 minutes, and advise to close up the tent and look for the shelter.  I have never moved that quickly to pack loosely everything in the containers, and closed up the tent.  I did in 15 minutes.  The winds came, fortunately we missed the center of the the storm. The wind got 30-40 mph and flipped up a couple tents. My twenty some years old tents withstood the wind, but the sidewall flaps too much against the shelves.  I was not comfortable at all during the storm.  This may be an indication for a new canopy.

This was the hottest summer, especially in June and July.  I am not sure where I made the schedule mistake, but I was always behind the schedule this summer, that lead to the glaze firing in last minutes.  My studio has the bisque and glaze kiln in the same room,and I can't fire the same time due to the heat.  I really need a new space soon....

Lots of things to think about...

Thank you very much for all customers come to see me.

Guess what I got in the mail?

I was thrilled that my teapot is included in this 500 ceramics, a decade in Clay (500 Series).

Picture from a customer

I am always curious how my pottery is used.  Here is very good looking breakfast.

 

 

Niagara falls

Visited the Niagara falls a week ago. I have visited the falls over twenty times as most of Japanese guests wanted to go.  This is my second time spending on American side.  It lacks the fill view of the Canadian fall from the America side, but you can really get close to the American falls as well not much waiting for the Maid of the Mist, less than 15minutes (this time) wait compared to almost 1 hour and half (last year).  This is in the state park, and I like its natural setting, walking through the trails..



This weekend, the Elmwood Festival of the Arts in Buffalo.

Hot summer

My studio is on the top floor (4th floor) of old brick building facing south.  Every summer, the studio got hot after 3PM, baked through the window and the roof.  This year, the summer has been just HOT. I finally got an air conditioner, 80,000BTU.  I wanted 100,000 BTU, but was too heavy to move in out of the window by myself.  I figure I need to remove it during the firing to get outside cooler air.   It has been working better than expected, I got 10 degrees cooler than outside. A day after any firing, bisque or glaze firing though, just a drop in a bucket.



The downtown Syracuse festival is this coming Friday through Sunday.  I have one firing done, and another on Tuesday. I usually do not like unloading the kiln day before the show.  I unload the kiln, pack them, bring home, unpack and rearrange with other inventories, then load the van.  Too much.  Anyway, Monday is expected nineties and gusting up 30mph.

I got the smart phone to use with the square credit card reader.  I like it.  It is easy to use, and the credit card payment on a spot is huge plus.  I can't believe how far we came.  We used to use a knuckle buster, and bring the receipts to the bank on Monday. Only problem I have is my phone drain battery so quickly, and need some back-up battery.  I could use the netbook to juice it up, but not compact.....

Plate setter

I got the plate setters, to save some space in the kiln. I hate to use them in the front row of the kiln, where does not get good pull at some stage of firing and choke up the kiln.  So it leaves me to middle or back of the kiln.  It does save the space great, but it is very hard to set up on my front loading kiln.

It has been a hectik.  My studio has been just hot, above 90°F almost all the time.   I need to get an air conditioner. I don't like the air conditioner, but.... I might have no choice.



Half of show done. This is very dry summer, and somehow it managed to rain last two shows, at least each of one day of two.  Sales are good, but the impulse buying of small items are not happening.  Is this reflection of the economy?  I start seeing this last year.

 

 

 

Red worms

The red worm composting started a month ago, turned unexpected problem.  Somehow hundreds of small flying bugs hatched in the bin.  Google searches suggested the red-vinegar trap for the fruit flies.  It did not catch any.  Anyway, I picked up all red worms one by one, and restarted the bin today.  I can't find 250 worms I bought, so there was not there to begin with, or died off. I will give one more go.

The first Western NY Pottery Festival this Saturday.

Two shows

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

100 American Craftsmen and Allentown Art Festival are behind me.  There were many people despite the rain in one of the festival days. Next up, the Western New York Pottery Festival.



 

 

 

 

(18"Wx20"Dx6.5"H) I had this piece for the first time at shows, and people asked me what is this for.  Sometime I just make a piece not thinking its purpose, but its looks. What do you think this is for?

Glaze bug

Last firing of this month went all right. I am all set for the Kenan Center.

I got a bit of glaze bug recently.  I am trying to get the no craze celadon. Celadon glaze is traditionally preferred to have the crazing, but I want to try one without.   So far, all crazed.  Steven Hill's celadon recipe found in the web turned out really nice celadon green, but crazed nicely.

Finally

I got every piece fired in reduction, with help of no winds. Hopefully I can repeat again. Here are new pieces from Sunday's firing.

3 done, 2 to go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Less than three weeks to the fist show of 2012. I have done three glaze firing last three weeks, and two to go.  I always wonder I made enough pots at this time of year.  No way I can make every possible item made.



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In between the glaze firings, there are bisque firings.  Ya, the studio is dry and hot all the time.  At least I am having the good results.  Exhausted.  Two to go.

 

 

Zaru Soba

 

 

 

 

 

 

Zaru soba (buckwheat noodle) has been my favorite food since I was little. I was not fun of eating up until the first year of my corporate world. I remember my parents were so disappointed whenever we went to the restaurant, I ordered the plain zaru soba. That all I could eat outside the home. It is not child food, more like older people's food. I just did not like the food grown-up. All changed when I started eating the dinner with clients almost every night, sushi, eels, tempura. I was a market researcher, and arranged lots of the focus groups and monitoring tests, almost every night. I was forced to eat new foods with other people, and all of sudden I developed the taste.  I cook almost every night because I still do not like easting, so I prefer eating something good.

Zaru soba is made of buckwheat, and eats cold. You dips a half of the noodle into the dipping sauce, and swallow it with noise. Swallowing probably was the key why I liked it.  Not eating like food. Sauce is made of dashi (bonito), sake, sugar and soy sauce. You add condiments, dried seaweed, wasabi, sliced scallions, grated daikon (white radish), or yamaimo. Better version comes with shrimp tempra.

Areial view of my studio

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is aerial view of my studio. My tenant said 500 SQ feet, but actually about 400 SQ feet after deducting the wall spaces. When I have an open house, I hear at least one person said you uses every square inch of studio.  I have two electric wheels, an electric kiln, a gas kiln, a slab roller and a pugmill, a TV, a refrigerator and a toaster. One of the wheel is Shimpo, thirty some years old, brought from Japan when I got married. I threw sake cups for the wedding in a kitchen of my tiny apartment in Tokyo. My studio is three time bigger than that apartment. I do not store finished pieces in the studio.  I wish I have big enough space to store and retail my pottery.  I just do not have enough space.  If I leave the fired pieces in the studio for a few days, they will be covered with clay dusts and need to wash. So, After opening the kiln, I usually bring them to home to store.



 

 

 

 

 

I had a a dental hygienist appointment yesterday.  It has been one year since the painful periodontitis gum surgery.  She said my teeth is "Stable".  With my mouths open , I started to wonder with my not-good English, "stable" like "stable condition after the accident",  that is not good.  After a couple minutes of discussion with myself, and I began to worry, I asked her that "Stable is good, right?", She replied, "yes, good, very good."  I thought why just say so.... It has been good, no bleeding after brushing teeth.  But lots of works.  Dental floss, brush-picks, tooth brush and mouse wash for one cleaning. I would be very depressed if they find any problem with my tooth.

Worms are here.

I got worms yesterday by the priority mail. They are packed in a video cassette size priority mail box.  They are alive, but not active at all.  I prepared the compost bin with extra plastic container laying around for the craft shows. Drill bunch of holes on the bottom, and put an air hole with a cushion came with the Orton cones glued over the top.  My wife teased me about names for new pets.  I have checked them a couple time since, they are more active now.

 

I had very good firing, and found couple good leads for new glaze combination.



 



 

 

Web of information 2

Strawberry short cake with strawberry cream

I have been spending some time on the pinterest. I started this mainly for the etsy.  People the marketing mix, facebook, twitter, and pinterest, to draw people to the store.  Sound great, but actually they are too foreign to me.  I am not good English writer, nor social butterflies.  I found a bit difficult to write in forum or leaving a comment.  I always regret after pushing a submit button.  So, I still in a dark on this marketing mix thing.  If I ever figure out, I will be selling like crazy.

Anyway, I slowly get the hang of the pinterest. I was collecting things to pin yesterday, and stumbled upon the worm composting.  I have been using the garbage disposal every night when I cook, and thinking about the composting, but never materialized.  I tried in the past, but did not worked well.  Maybe this worm composting may work. My wife really does not like the idea of me keeping the worm in the kitchen.  Yes, some factory made worm composts are meant to have in a kitchen.  I will buy couple containers, and collect some dozen worms from my yard to start, instead of spending hundred dollars.

Weather has been very mild and cooler side, and keeps flower blooming.  This has been the best spring so far.

Teapot 40 &41

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[caption id="attachment_1996" align="alignleft" width="461" caption="Teapot 41"][/caption]

 

 

 

Bats with a hole

The bats with a hole seems working.  I have left a platter all day like this, but the rim is not lifting up.  I covered the platter with a plastic overnight, and continue tomorrow. I made a throwing bats with a hole part, and threw one yesterday so see if warp. It stayed flat. This is 1/4" MDF. If I can use it as the bats, I will make small bats out of the leftover 2'x2'.



I threw yunomi (green tea cup) and sake cups off the hump.  I don't know why I make them off the hump, while the most others off the bats.  My habits,I guess.

Web of information

I  spent last weekend reading through the blogs and watching the videos of demonstration. I was amazed amounts of information out there, like attending the several workshops at once.  It was lots to absorb.  I picked up one great idea from Tony Clennell's blog , a thin bat with a hole in middle, to cover the large platter, preventing the edge from lifting up while drying up the middle.  I am having this problem, and only solution has been to leave it under the plastic for 3-4 days before trimming, but I do not have luxury to have couple of these sitting around in my tiny studio.  I went Home Depot and got 1/4"MDF board, and made one bats.  I threw a platter today, and use the bat tomorrow.  I noticed several potters have converted from cone 10 to cone 6.  This makes me to think.... If I can convert, I can bring the studio back to home, something to think about it.  To test the glaze, I need a small test kiln.  I saw it on the craiglist, but was not quick to respond.