making it nice

Every once in a while, I'm reminded to actually enjoy the pieces we've made for a few moments before they disappear into the hands and homes of others. (It happens so quickly, the unloading of the kiln to the goodbyes!) One of my favorite ways to spend some time with what we've made is to 'make it nice' in the kitchen of our farmhouse, and have a little photo shoot. Here are some shots of pieces that were included in our summer firing, as they were meant to be seen and used . . .

{dinner plate, bread plate and bowl in green celadon for a wedding registry}

{unglazed wood-fired plates and tumblers, soup bowl and flower bowl in green celadon for a dinnerware order}

{Becca's stones design in her flower bowl}

{unglazed wood-fired bowl, basket, and mason jar - with new chalkboard glaze}

{vintage flower bucket with garlic scapes}

{unglazed wood-fired pitcher and tumbler set ; mason jars and cups}

We have some of this new work available in our shop, and we'll be adding more pieces in the coming weeks!

~Becca

pottery in progress

We're pretty excited about what's happening in our new studio these days. Not only is it simply a gorgeous place to be, but it's been quite a while since we had some regular creative time with clay, and we had both forgotten how HAPPY it makes us . . .

Our new studio got its first delivery of clay a couple of weeks back from Vermont Ceramic Supply. We use primarily cone 10 bMix from Laguna, but we custom order a ton (yes, 2000 lbs) to have a lower pentrometer reading. That just means the clay has a higher water content which makes it softer . . . it's easier on our hands when we're throwing a lot.

Lego is loving the new building, too . . . he spends his days 'guarding' both us and the chickens . . . half in, half out.

Becca's been working on filling some orders, including a wedding registry and a dinnerware order, so there are lots of plates and bowls in the works.

Also making an appearance are collaborative batter bowls, tumblers, quite a few pieces with Becca's signature pebble designs, and some new twists on past designs, too . . .

And a happy potter with some very large fermenting crocks by special request . . . can't wait to see how these all turn out!

Our firing is scheduled for early July, so we're still going strong in order to fill all 350+ cubic feet. It's nothing if not satisfying work . . .

~Nathan and Becca