2013 NC Potters Conference

Whew!  Sensory overload again at the Potters Conference.  Friday afternoon and Saturday were spent watching a 3 ring circus of potters, Julia Galloway, Peter Beasecker and Tara Wilson  throwing their signature designs on the wheel.  Julia and Tara live in or near Helena,  Montana which is close to the Archie Bray Foundation, a well known and revered educational facility for pottery.  Beginning to get the impression that if you go there you will most likely become well known and revered yourself.   Peter is on the faculty at Syracuse University. 

Julia's work.  She does a lot of decorating and uses lusters in an interesting way.

More of Julia's  Here she has carved with an exacto knife on hard leather hard pots, painted with colored slip and wiped it off with a damp sponge.  She also has used shellac as a mask in places.  When she cleans off around the mask it leaves a raised surface.

Julia pulling a handle for the pitcher in the forefront.  She  made some interesting handles inspired by vegetables:  peas, green beans and celery.

a salt and pepper pot.  she makes "pillow lids for them", (hollow lids with rattles inside.

Julia's backside, Peter and the finished pitcher.

Julia's teapot left, Peter's teapot right.

Tara's pieces.  She does lots of darting and pinches little feet on her pots starting with bottomless pots.  Wood fired of course.

more darted footed shapes

She is a fan of pulling handles thick on both ends and thin in the middle.

Tara forming a pitcher spout and finished spouts below.

This became a collaborative piece when Julia did her decoration on it.

finished pitcher... green of course.

Tara's finished teapot.  They all did teapots at the same time sharing different techniques of spout making.

My new mug purchase from Peter Beasecker.

There were several inspiring speakers.  Check out: http://skulladay.blogspot.com/p/about.html to read about a project that went viral and became a creative awakening inspiration for thousands.