More Conference Thoughts

Here are all three presenters this year for the 24th annual NC Potters Conference. Lorna Meaden, is in the black and came all the way from Durango Colarado. Bruce Cochrane flew in from Ontario Canada and Sara Jaeger lives in Helena Montana. All where extremely down to earth and worked very hard to answer all sorts of questions and finished several pots in a two day span.

As with every conference some times I enjoy the answers to the same old questions that seem to get asked while potters are up on stage frantically trying to work. Firing schedules, pricing your work, how much time does it take you to fill your kiln, packing and the age old question about how much clay they are using for each piece.

Since I got to see both Lorna and Bruce at the last Utilitarian conference I was trying to just watch the way in which they worked and handled each piece they where putting together. Both Lorna and Bruce do alot of altering so I tended to keep my eye's glued to what they where doing. Sarah on the other hand is a very soft spoken - simple potters who forms and straight forward but finished with such integrity that I found myself picking up her finished work in the gallery more and wanting to use it in my own kitchen.

Bruce was amazing to watch because he worked so fast and was extremely clean and precise with his cuts and altering methods. Bruce just finished teaching full time and I can imagine that he probably was a very patient instructor with his students. His slide presentation and forms really made you think about the construction methods he used and even though I can't say I've ever really been drawn to his sort of work I really was amazed with the thought process that goes into his forms. Bruce tended to get the most technical questions from the audience out of all three presenters. Many people would interrupt a totally different conversation that was going on with Sarah or Lorna to say "Hey Bruce..what did you just do there to the pot!!!!"

Here is Sarah working on a teapot.

Here is Lorna finishing up one of her covered jars. I really felt like I could be great friends with Lorna. She was very funny, sarcastic and quirky. I loved her slide lecture because she admitted that she doesn't always make pots that a super functional. She makes works that is fancy and just fun for her to create. My kind of potter! The final day I moved over to be right up close to watch her work. I too had to ask one of those age old questions " how long does it take you to make.....ect.?" Here punch bowls look like they would take a month to construct.

So, another good weekend of filling my head with thoughts, idea's and most of all motivation with my own work. I've been back in the studio getting ready for a Spring Sale at Ron Philbeck's studio on March 20th. The children are on Spring Break this week so I'm trying to balance doing alittle something with them while also trying to get some studio time. Today we went down to the old cemetery and did some grave stone rubbings. Cheap thrills! So nice that the weather has been sunny so everyone can play outdoors while Mom opens up the studio for some fresh air and the sound of children laughing.