The day after

I got to sleep in this morning.

It was glorious.

The last few weeks, heck the last month, was non-stop. Right after Clay Fest, I went into the studio to start glazing for Clayfolk. Loaded and fired that kiln, and immediately started throwing pots for Holiday Market. Finished that making cycle a week ago, and immediately started glazing pots for Holiday Market. My next firing isn't until the first week of December, but next week is Clayfolk, the week after, set-up at the fairgrounds Wednesday, Holiday Market opens Friday. With a brief pause in between for Thanksgiving. So I tried, for once, to get ahead of the game.

It was challenging; Traci was glazing in the back room, for a kiln she loaded last Saturday. Jon was in the kiln room, taking up every available flat surface . Linda was out in the studio on the big work table, so I started out on the smaller table, conveniently close to my shelves, where everything had to go, because there were two firings in the kiln room before my turn.

Fortunately, I was able to move into the back room after Traci moved out, because things got even crazier. Tea realized he needed work for Clayfolk because he'd committed a bunch of bowls to a seasonal gallery in Corvallis. He and Jon decided to share a firing, then Jon would immediately load another. Somehow, Tea found space in the kiln room for three more folding tables, which he quickly covered with so many bowls. Meanwhile, I'm coming in early, glazing all day, leaving just a Tea checked out and Jon checking in, basically hot-bunking the kiln room.

Yesterday was the worst, because I had to: 1. Drop Denise off at the UO Duck Store for their annual Tools of the Trade art supplies sale, 2. Go back to the studio to glaze soup bowls, 3. Pick up Denise at the sale, 4. Continue glazing while she labeled and stamped postcards, 5. Start glazing stew mugs after lunch (we treated ourselves to the Asian Buffet on Franklin), 6. Go over by the fairgrounds for our monthly Book Arts Group meeting. Home for a quick supper, then back for 7. Choir practice, followed by 8. Back to the studio to glaze the last ten stew mugs. Theoretically, there should have been 9. Pack up brushes and stains to take home for my Clayfolk demo, but at that point, I was completely unable to continue. I have the room reserved through tomorrow, so I'll go down after Farmers Market to clean up and put everything in order.

But it's lovely that I have an entire kiln load of pots banked and waiting for me. For once, I won't be almost out of stock for the first half of December.

To air is human

Got an unexpected email the other day:

Good evening,

We recently stayed at an AirBNB in Shreveport and I fell in love with the mugs they had there.  We asked the owners where they got them and were directed to you. 

I checked your website's "In Stock" list and would like to order two mugs, if possible. [etc.]

She said she'd expected them to be from a local pottery, but was happy to order from me. One of her choices is waiting for my December firing, after which I'll be shipping them off to her in Texas.

A few pics

Here are a few pics from the latest crash-program glazing cycle. Didn't take a lot of pics, too busy scrambling to finish everything. It was also a bit of a challenge; I usually start a new work cycle after a show, so I know what sold and what needs replacing. This time, because I'm anticipating, I kinda have to guess. It also gives me less flexibility in case of special orders. I'm not making any more pots this year, and not gonna wash and reglaze pots. I've already had to turn down a phone order; she's waiting until January.

The time to get me Christmas orders? October. September would be even better.