Kreeger Pottery Blog

New SIte/New Blog

2011-09-21T12:58:00.003-04:00

Just in case you haven't updated your feed for my new site...check it out:

http://kreegerpottery.com/blog/

I've been blogging away as I've been working away in the studio.

And...I know you know that you can find me on The Facebook and The Twitter.

Enjoy!

New Site, New Blog, New Address

2011-06-15T12:48:00.003-04:00

And, just like that the new site is live! I hope you'll check it out and keep following the blog which now exists within the new site. Click on over and let me know what you think!

You can always follow me on Twitter and Facebook.

Finally...

2011-06-13T01:44:00.004-04:00

No, I haven’t disappeared from the internet completely. I have been reading and following the pottery world. I’ve just been hiding from Blogger by spending my computer time on the Kreeger Pottery Facebook page and Twitter. Over the past few weeks I’ve also been working on my new website with, gasp, a web designer. I also recently completed a photo shoot with an incredible photographer here in Austin, Raychel Deppe from Applebox Imaging. She took the photo on the right and a lot of the images on my new site were part of that shoot.

We also recently finished another successful year of the Art of the Pot Studio Tour and we are already onto planning the next one. This marked the culmination a lot of hard work while creating my new body of work. The move to Austin back in 2009 brought with it many challenges but mostly, it was working in a new studio, a new city, a new firing method and with new materials.

This year’s Art of the Pot felt like the official unveiling of my new work. I’ve been showing and selling work the past 2 years at some craft shows and other events throughout Texas. Images of the new work have also been floating around the internet on my Twitter feed and Facebook page. Unlike your traditional craft show or gallery exhibit, Art of the Pot brings a highly educated and eager crowd out to see only clay. In addition, the work is surrounded by 15 other top quality artists who have brought their newest wares to town. My friend and AotP partner Lisa Orr likes to say our guests are the rock stars of the ceramics world. Looking at our guests this year, it’s easy to see why she says that. With all that work in town, it is daunting to see how ones own work holds up among the crowd of beautiful objects.

I was very proud of my work and I truly felt as though it was the most solid body of work I’ve had since our move to Austin back in 2009. It’s close to where I want it to be...not quite there yet but very, very close. I’m in the editing stage in my creative process. I will start subtracting the elements that don’t work and will be left with only the objects that make sense, both on their own as well as with the work around it. This next step is a difficult one and I almost feel like it’s a break with how I’ve worked as a potter for the last 15 years.

I’ve always put my body of work together by creating a series of one form, leading to the next; a run of pitchers, then a run of vases, then some mugs and so on. At some point I realize I’m low on larger forms so I try to scale something up. Then I remember the small cups I wanted to make or that I’ve forgotten the small plates that I wanted to have at the show. I’m realizing that I’ve always approached a show or deadline as a potter trying to fill a kiln. It’s a noble approach and may work for some but with the direction my work has been heading, I’m not sure if it’s the right way for my work to keep evolving.

It’s time for me to change how I look at an object. I need to look more closely at it’s purpose, it’s design and how it relates to the other objects I want to make. I think this simplifying of my work even more will allow even more subtle complexities to be exposed. It’s another big change but I’m looking forward to seeing how it develops within my studio.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be filling orders, finishing the build-out on my new website, shipping work off to galleries and try to get a head start on some ideas that have been percolating for quite some time. In the meantime, I’ll let you know when the new website is ready...it’s going to be pretty amazing...and I’ll be back to blogging within the new site. And hey, for a final blog post on Blogger, this wasn’t too bad, right?

In the meantime, click over to the Kreeger Pottery Facebook page or my Twitter Feed to stay up to date....and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to get news and promos for the new website.

Neglect

2011-01-20T11:17:00.003-05:00

No more apologies for not writing.

I'm working on a new Wordpress website to replace my current one.

I started with this blog when I re-worked my website last time...which now seems like ages ago.

The new site will have a Wordpress based blog as part of it and one day I'll work on importing this one over there. Although, I'm not sure if that's even worth doing at this point.

So.....when the new site is ready for the intertubes I'll let you know.

E.A.S.T. Awesomeness Part 1

2010-11-14T00:35:00.002-05:00

My studio complex is full of a variety of artists. I had no clue this wheel of awesomeness was being built.

Sorry for the iPhone quality video but it's all I had at the moment.

I'll report more on E.A.S.T. tomorrow but I'm beat and it's late. Short version is today was great and the Cobra Party was a huge success!

Party Time!

2010-11-11T08:47:00.004-05:00

It's almost time for the East Austin Studio Tour!

My studio complex is having a big party...so big that we have a flyer with a snake on it!

Drinks, Music & Art are available so we'll see you there. Cobra Show info is here.

My studio is open only during the first weekend of E.A.S.T. so don't miss out!

And so you don't have an excuse...here's a google map to get you here:

View Larger Map

Mariachi Tuesday

2010-11-09T16:12:00.003-05:00

This weekend was one of my favorite weekends of the year, Fun Fun Fun Fest. As expected, it was awesome. Austin is known for the ACL Festival and that is all well and good. FFF is on much smaller with a much broader mix of music that ranges from Hip Hop to Indie Rock to Hardcore Punk. I'm not nearly as punk as I used to be, and that was debatable at the time. I did have a skateboard, a wallet chain and pink hair but that only counts for so much.

What FFF offers is a great mix of bands that I never thought of seeing, never thought I'd see and was too scared to go see when I was a wee little one pretending to be punk. I kept trying to stay at the Orange Stage and check out the newest and coolest Indie buzz bands but the shreiks and noise from the Hardcore Black stage kept sucking me in. I did miss a few bands that I was dying to see and even missed the Air Sex World Championships...think Air Guitar but with..nevermind, you've got it. (I was going to provide a link but I'll let all interested parties search for it on their own....this is afterall, supposed to be a blog about pottery)

I didn't see Mariachi El Bronx, the side project of The Bronx but I wish I had. I did catch some of The Bronx set, albeit way in the back away from the pit.

So, here's some Mariachi and some Hardcore to end your Tuesday with. The Bronx hardcore set isn't my style but to point out the contrast, I thought I'd include it.

E.A.S.T. 2010

2010-11-09T11:22:00.005-05:00

The E.A.S.T. Catalog is finally out! I'm on page 60 (older celadon ware image) and my studio is location #59. You can pick up the catalog around town and check it out online here.

Don't forget that the Cobra Studios is going to be full of awesomeness this weekend. I'll only be showing the first weekend but the rest of my studio complex will be open both weekends. More info on the Cobra Show & Party here.

From Gruene to E.A.S.T.

2010-10-26T10:11:00.005-04:00

I had a great time in Gruene, TX this past weekend for the Texas Clay Festival. I really can't say enough about how wonderful the TX Clay community is and how welcoming they've been. It was a great opportunity to meet many of the other potters that I had sort of known through blogging and facebook as well as put some faces and names together.

Now it's time to get ready for the East Austin Studio Tour. E.A.S.T. will be another good time and my studio complex is having a big party on Saturday night, 11/13. More details on that as I hear about it.

I'm working on a few new forms and will also be doing another series of Austin decalware. I just need to find the time to comb through some images and find the good ones.

Musical (Every Other) Tuesday?

2010-10-26T10:06:00.002-04:00

Last week was a little crazy in between Bayou City and The Texas Clayfest and even my little music post was a failure. To make up for it, here's Boy Lilikoi by Jónsi.

Jónsi is playing at the Austin Music Hall tonight but I think it's going to fall in the category of yet another show that I miss.

Musical Truth

2010-10-12T23:04:00.004-04:00

I almost forgot what is supposed to be my easiest post of the week.

I'm glad that Bayou City went well because we missed the ACL Festival and a beautiful weekend here in Austin. If things hadn't gone as well in Houston I would be a little upset for having to sell my tickets. If all goes well, next year I'll get to do both since ACL is getting pushed up to late September like it used to be.(I say that as if I've been an Austinite for years.

Well...enjoy the Musical Tuesday:

Alex Ebert from Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros has another project and here's his song "Truth". He can whistle pretty well...not quite like Andrew Bird but it's a pretty good song.

Alexander - Truth by the Good Badger

Bayou City Recap

2010-10-12T11:21:00.002-04:00

Houston, I think I love you!

Thanks to all who came out to Bayou City Downtown during the beautiful weekend. The show was packed but even better was that people were leaving with some new pots. It was definitely one of the more successful shows that I've had in a while and am glad that so many pots found new homes in Houston.

I'd write more but I feel like I'm already behind schedule for the Texas Clay Festival in Gruene(pronounced "Green"). I've got some pots to catch up on so I can have a full booth for the festival. More on the Clay Fest later...it's a pretty cool event and I'm glad to be part of it this year.
One of the cool things about Bayou City was that they had these barcodes for each of us. With an App on your smartphone you could scan it and get right to my website. I'm glad my site is somewhat up-to-date....somewhat is the key word. That's on my list of things to do when I have a moment.

Skyscraper Preview

2010-10-05T21:50:00.001-04:00

Here's one of my new decal pots. Skyscrapers on a new gray glaze.
4 of them will be in Houston.

See you there.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Buraka Som Sistema

2010-10-05T09:56:00.003-04:00

It's a double-header musical start to Tuesday.

I caught some of the Buraka Som Sistema act at the FunFunFun Fest last November and it was fantastic. I had never heard of them which made it even better to discover something new and awesome at a live show.

I'm looking forward to the FFF Fest this year because it's a great sized festival (not too big) and it always has an amazing line-up of punk, hip-hop, indie-rock and more. It's also a great mix of bands you know, bands you knew and bands you're glad you found out about. Devo, Deerhunter, The Hold Steady, Slick Rick and Bad Religion are just a few bands I'll be catching at this year's festival.

As soon as my ridiculously busy October is done I'll be taking a weekend full of Fun Fun Fun.

Soup or Cappuccino? (Part 2)

2010-10-01T12:07:00.003-04:00

It's been a long week but I wanted to get a quick post in. I didn't even get my ridiculously easy Musical Tuesday post together. Picture above are some of the new cups. They have a clear glaze but the line-deco has been waxed so it's just the raw porcelain. I wanted to see if the deco would be cleaner and brighter without the glaze on top. I like the results but I think I just re-complicated my glazing.

It was a week of making, bisqueing, glazing, firing, decalcomania-ing and today I'll load the decal firing. I'll put another post together soon once I find the brain-power.

Quick musical thoughts:

The Ratatat Show on Monday was one of the best shows I can remember. Music, video and lighting effects combined seamlessly.

Guided by Voices last night was slightly disappointing. best review I saw was on twitter, "It took 10 songs and a bottle of tequila but Guided by Voices finally kicked the shitty cover band off the stage." I know it's early in the reunion tour but it looked like the previous nights show was the first time the original group played together...I'm guess it was. Still, they had some good points and maybe they'll have it put together for the Matador Anniversary show in Vegas that they're getting ready for.

2 shows in one week made me feel old and tired but somehow I've also been able to get my work done...now back to that decal stuff.

Pixies, Snakes and Anniversaries

2010-09-23T12:48:00.003-04:00

Well Evangelina and I made it to Number 9...Number 9....Number 9 and celebrated our anniversary last night. I had bought tickets to the Pixies as soon as I saw they were playing in Austin. Evangelina and I have slightly different taste in music. I'm an aging indie rocker who was skateboarded and playing punk rock in college...She likes Jimmy Buffett.

I was getting the feeling that she really didn't want to go to a show for our anniversary so I surprised her with a dinner at Hudson's on the Bend. They specialize in wild game and I'm not that adventurous of an eater but a good bottle of wine was enough magic snake oil (pun intended) to try their famous Rattlesnake Cake. Think Crab Cake but a little more cowboy. So, we had a fantastic meal with rattlesnake, smoked quail, seared duck, trout and a variety of other deliciousness.

I definitely got some good husband points for the surprise change of plans. And, at least one of our good friends was able to enjoy the show as I seem to be running a part-time ticket agency.

So now that we've had our wild game for the week we're off to Dallas tomorrow for a quick weekend without the kids. The Texas State Fair starts tomorrow so if we leave the poolside margaritas we may have to try some of this coronary inducing goodness.

Blurry Snake Photo from Maggie's Austin

And, since I forgot to post my Musical Tuesday here's a Pixies Classic that we listened to on the way to the restaurant last night...

Calatrava Cups

2010-09-17T10:35:00.004-04:00

I'm getting ready for tomorrow's Art of the Pot Workshop at Eye of the Dog Art Center so I'm playing around with some decals to demonstrate with tomorrow. I'll print out some of my Old York decals but I also wanted to try out some new ones. I found images of some Calatrava bridges on the intertubes and I'm working some things out with regular paper before I print it on the decal paper.

I thought I'd put up two images, a cup with a sample decal image and another cup (cappuccino cup from the other day) with a similar incised line deco. I like the play between the two styles of decoration.

So I think next up it's time to bitmap and print.

Sneak Preview

2010-09-17T10:25:00.003-04:00

Some fresh fall pots and I'm in that in strange place somewhere between expectations and results. Give me a couple of hours and I'll figure out what I think and where I'm going next. Still liking the cityscape design and I like the sharper lines.

I used some underglazes to get some color (gray and blue) on the insides of some pots. Not too many this time, just testing it out but I think I'll play around with it some more. (Does gray even count as a color?)

That's definitely blue.

Hopefully some real pics to follow.

Soup or Cappuccino?

2010-09-15T13:06:00.003-04:00

Can I interest you in a cappuccino or perhaps a cup of soup? These are my newest (to me) multi-use pots.

I missed some of the how-to images but you'll have to use your imagination of how they magically got connected to the cups....sorry.

They'll set-up for a little while under the plastic and then will get some deco tomorrow morning before waiting for Friday's bisque.

I wanna...

2010-09-14T10:04:00.002-04:00

...go to the AIA Austin Homes Tour. I'd also like a house with those sliding glass corner doors.

And I think I want to be an architect when I grow up.

Garage Parking

2010-09-14T10:04:00.001-04:00

I've got a huge glass commercial garage door here at the studio but I think I need to find a new parking spot for my motorcycle.

Bridgework

2010-09-14T09:56:00.002-04:00

I'm playing around with some designs that sourced from bridges. I showed Javi a picture of some of them and he immediately said that they remind him of bridges...does that mean it's a successful endeavor?

I'm excited to try them out with some decals as well but this first round of work is all getting lines on them. Next week I'll be starting to make some decalware work for the next firing.

Bisque #1 of the fall was fired on Friday and I'll start glazing up today and hopefully be firing tomorrow.

It will be nice to have some new pots before I head to the Art of the Pot Workshop out in San Marcos. It's not too late to sign up...there are a few spots left. Check out the Eye of the Dog Website to signup. It's only $100 and it will be full of information by all 5 AOTP Hosts.

Guided by Voices

2010-09-14T08:00:00.001-04:00

And Musical Tuesdays continues....

Guided by Voices is coming to Austin soon and I'm about to grab some tickets before it's too late.

Bridges

2010-09-09T17:17:00.007-04:00

Looking through some source material for designs on my new pots. I love the internets and I love all of these bridges.

Handling it

2010-09-08T11:46:00.002-04:00

I don't think I can work without this attachment slip from Matt and Dave's clay anymore.

Here are a few cappuccino cups/soup cups attached with that magical goodness.

(trying out blogpress for iPhone so we'll see how it works.)

This was posted with my iPhone including any and all typos.

Designing and Making

2010-09-07T19:00:00.000-04:00

I've started to hit a nice little groove in the studio after struggling to find my skills my first week back. Last week was productive and I got about 50 small pots made. It had been a very long studio layoff while we played, and played, and played on Cape during the summer.

I'm getting ready for a few shows this fall and right now I'm focusing on the waxed/incised/slipped deco. I am planning on getting some decalware made for the shows but I'm really going to focus on 2 forms for that work. Most likely just mugs(or cups) and tumblers. The trouble I ran into in the spring with the decals was that each form required a new template in Photoshop or Illustrator for the decals. With two forms, I'll only need two templates and I'll be able to experiment more with each image while not worrying about how they'll fit on each piece. I think the long term solution is still slipcasting cups for the decalware...I actually can't wait to start that. But for now, it's time to keep throwing in the studio to take care of what I do know how to do.

Some basic basketweave patterning on the mugs.

I like this design and I think I'll keep playing around with it...perhaps there's some color in all of that open space?

I threw a dozen tall soup bowls this morning.

I thought I would try some larger porcelain bowls(9 pounds).

Some even larger ones may appear on the table tomorrow.

Hurricane Earl whimpered through the Cape last week but today we're feeling the effects of Tropical Storm Hermine and it's been absolutely pouring here today and is supposed to continue on through Thursday. Good thing....we need the rain down here.

Musical Tuesday...again?

2010-09-07T17:48:00.005-04:00

Why not?

Here's one from Ratatat's new album. They're playing Austin here in a few weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing them again...and there's some Skidmore pride since they both graduated with a degree in art from my Alma Mater.

Hi Earl

2010-09-02T19:00:00.001-04:00

While we're sitting here in Austin enjoying the heat and humidity, our old stomping ground of the Cape is getting ready for a visit from Earl.

Right now, according to my friend Bruce's photo, all is normal. (I found a blog that has been updated less than mine)

I'll get some pics from my folks, who are still on Cape, as the storm rolls through and we'll see what happens.

Great Texas Clay Symposium

2010-09-02T16:54:00.004-04:00

I'm excited to be part of the First Annual Great Texas Clay Symposium hosted by the great folks at the Eye of The Dog Art Center in San Marcos, TX.

They have a brand new building and I'll be there along with my fellow Art of the Pot hosts, Ryan McKerley, Claudia Reese, Chris Campbell and Lisa Orr. We'll each be demonstrating our varied techniques and having a lively discussion throughout the day.

It's a full day workshop, 10am-4pm, on September 18th. Check out the EotD Website for more info and to sign up. It's limited to 40 participants and there's still a few spaces left. Sign up before it's too late.

Musical Tuesday?

2010-08-31T14:44:00.004-04:00

I began last Tuesday by posting a song. Maybe Tuesday becomes a music day here at the blog.

Ryan Takaba, who was one of our guest artists at Art of the Pot last May, posted this on his Facebook page. Since he grew up in Hawaii, I'll take his word for it that Ohta-San is the real deal.

I liked it anyways and I'm thinking the kids will like it to when I show it to them later.

Pots are being made in the studio...perhaps I'll blog about that soon.

Color

2010-08-25T13:11:00.004-04:00

Kristen Kieffer's tweet about color and the link to her old post about color came at the exact time that I was sitting looking at my test glazes that I had mixed almost 18 months ago.

I'm not looking for anything fancy but I do think I should add some color back to my work after going without it for the past year.

I do like the simplicity of having one glaze...and it's even simpler when the one glaze I have mixed up is a clear glaze. All of my decorations have been done while the work is either leather-hard or green which means I don't need to deal with the static bisqueware using any creative energy at all.

I also think that maybe the reason I've stayed away from color this past year is the fear of new. It's been a lot of changes in the studio but the main thing has been the switch to porcelain and electric firing. I like how Emily has embraced the new materials and kiln going with lots of color right away.

I guess it's time to add something to the mix. First of all, I'll need to make some fresh work...and maybe staring at these test-tiles has been just one more form of procrastination as I put off finding out if I can still throw.

Musical Marathon

2010-08-24T10:07:00.003-04:00

I love this song by Tennis.

A couple sailed up and down the East Coast and then recorded an album.

I first heard this song on my satellite radio a while back. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have that gadget. I'm not cool and hip enough to find new music any other way now.

Home Sweet Home

2010-08-23T16:06:00.004-04:00

I got home from the Cape on Friday and the kids started school today.

Summer blew by and we had a ridiculously fantastic time at the Cape. Coming back up to the Cape after having been a business owner for 12 years was like being on the other side of a wall. It turns out that the Cape is an amazing place to vacation. I had always heard that from our guests but I was always in the gallery during all of those beautiful beach days in the past.

Last year was a fun summer but the stress of the move to Austin got in the way of the pure enjoyment we had this year. I don't think we left our 10 minute radius more than 3 times the entire 8 weeks we were there.

But, now we're home and Ale had her first day of Kindergarten while Javi started 2nd grade!

It was craziness today but great to walk into the school knowing where to go and seeing familiar faces...a far cry from a year ago. Javi couldn't wait to get back to school and see his friends and Ale was trying hard to deal with how nervous she was. Once she sat at her table we went to the door and I waved goodbye. She just looked at me and shook her head no...but, she held back the tears and her first day of school began. I can say that her mother didn't hold back the tears so well.

And, today I made it over to the studio to assess the situation and get ready to make work again. I'm used to being burnt out by now from the busy summer season but I've taken most of the summer off and now I'm going to have to turn it into crunch mode for a very busy fall.

First up is the Bayou City Arts Festival in Downtown Houston on the 9th and 10th of October...then it's off to Gruene, TX for the Texas Clay Festival on October 23rd and 24th. This is one of those moments when I'll be thankful for the switch to electric firing so I'll be able to cycle work out quickly for these shows. I'll post about all of my fall events shortly but now it's time to head home and see how everybody's first day went.

Knoxville or Bust

2010-08-17T17:53:00.003-04:00

Woohoo!

The trip home has started. It was an easy day today...golf with my father in the morning and a 4 hour drive to my sister's house in Nyack, NY.

Tomorrow gets a little tougher as I try to get to Knoxville which is about 730 miles from here. On the way to the Cape I did 910 miles (Nashville to NY) in one day and I'm not very interested in trying to break that record anytime soon.

More from the road if I find anything interesting....

2 Person Show at Blue Heron Gallery

2010-08-16T09:31:00.003-04:00

First of all...Yes, I know it's been a while.

Clearly I should try to get back to writing again. I have big plans for the fall in the studio and I'd really like to make blogging an integral part of it. More on all of that later...no need to bore you all(someone still checks this place, right?).

The important news is that my Two-Person Show opens at the Blue Heron Gallery in Deer Isle, Maine today! Ryan McKerley, my fellow Art of the Pot host, and I are having a show titled, Contemporary Porcelain Surfaces at the gallery which is located just down the road from Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. I was hoping to swing by and check it out but I'm starting my drive back to Austin tomorrow and I just couldn't rationalize adding another 13 hours of driving to the trip.

Here's to hoping this is just the opening salvo in a return to the blogosphere.

Up top are some of my SkyLine Mugs that are up at the show and pictured below is one of Ryan's bowls.

Art of the Pot

2010-05-05T12:35:00.004-04:00

The Art of the Pot studio tour is this weekend! I'm now officially going to be hosting this year and can't wait for the tour to begin. We're all busy getting ready for it and our friend and patron Judy Gordon went on the local CBS affiliate's afternoon show with our wares to let everyone know about the tour. Pretty cool to make the news. You can see the clip here.

I'll be at Domy Books on East Cesar Chavez along with fellow AOTP Host Chris Campbell. We'll have guest artists Charity Davis-Woodard and Amy Halko along with us. For more AOTP info check out the website.

Tomorrow I'm picking up my friend Mark Shapiro. Mark is here for the tour as a guest artist at Claudia Reese's studio. He'll also be one of the speakers at the Pottery Confidential Lecture at City Hall Thursday night. More info here.

I'll try to get some pics up throughout the weekend. It will be more likely done on Facebook or Twitter but I'll see if I can at least get a few up here too.

Sneak Preview

2010-04-22T10:21:00.005-04:00

I'm just about ready for the big show this weekend. Art City Austin is Saturday 4/24 & Sunday 4/25. I just need to clean up a few things and pack up some pots. I'll be setting up tomorrow night and ready for a beautiful weekend in Downtown Austin.

Here are a few sneak preview pics of the new decal wares. My email newsletter went out today. If you didn't get it, sign up on the right hand side of the blog or on my website. That way you won't miss out on any future announcements.

I'm in Booth 304 this weekend near the corner of Guadalupe and Cesar Chavez.

See you there!

Glazing with Yeasayer

2010-04-13T09:39:00.003-04:00

Sunday night I went to see Yeasayer at La Zona Rosa. I've been listening to them a lot since I saw them at a music festival in town last year. The show was fantastic and it's been a constant channel on Pandora Radio for me. Check out the song below and then listen to it some more.

photo from the Austinist.

Glazetime

2010-04-13T09:29:00.002-04:00

I'm finishing up my glazing today.

I'll be firing Ryan's soda-kiln tomorrow so most of the work is just getting a liner glaze for this round. Some of the work will have some line decorations on it...maybe....the rest will get decals applied after the firing.

Art City Ad

2010-04-05T11:41:00.003-04:00

I haven't been excited for a Craft Show in a long time I'm looking forward to this one. Maybe it's all the great food I'll get to eat while downtown.

Art City Austin from Lucky Rabbit Films on Vimeo.

Fluted

2010-04-02T20:29:00.003-04:00

I've been playing around with some simple forms for this firing. As I said earlier, I'll be firing them in my friend Ryan's soda kiln which will give the bare porcelain a nice sheen and a nice medium for the decal application.

I fired a bisque yesterday and have another bisque-load drying. I'll make another bunch Monday & Tuesday of next week, then the making is done and it's glazing and firing time. Art City Austin is going to sneak up quick and since I need some time for applying & firing the decals I actually need to be ready ahead of time....yeah right.

New AOTP Website!

2010-04-02T12:57:00.008-04:00

I finally got the AOTP Website up and running. Please check it out here and let me know what you think. I have a few more pages to build but we were ready to get something new up there.

I used Wordpress to build it and even though I'm still figuring out some of it's quirks, I like it and am thinking of switching this blog and my site over to WP.

Other than the website build, I've been busy getting ready for Art City Austin. I'll be firing Ryan's kiln in about a week and a half. I'm pretty excited about my new work. It's all porcelain, lots of fluting, some squaring and in the end it will have lots of decals.

I wish I was at NCECA...never thought I'd say that again but for some reason it seems full of energy this year. Maybe it's because of Michael Connelly's pre-conference got things rolling.

I Won!

2010-03-24T10:16:00.003-04:00

Who said that Twitter is a waste of time?

Well, while I was wasting time on said website I noticed that DO512.com had some free tickets to Gilberto Gil's show over at UT. I was the 2nd person to reply so I won I pair of tickets. In addition to this lucky moment of the day, we were also able to find a babysitter for the evening so Evangelina got to see a pretty great show.

We parked on Campus and I had no clue where the Hogg Auditorium was. Luckily, there was a group of not college age looking folks leaving the parking garage at the same time. I decided to follow the guy in his mid-60's wearing a blazer, a mock turtleneck and a pair of vans. It was definitely my lucky day. Will-Call had our tickets and we enjoyed our great seats and our show.

Art City Austin

2010-03-22T10:32:00.005-04:00

We're back from an amazing trip to El Salvador. We went all over the country and had a blast doing so. We went from city to beach, from city to lake, from city to beach and back. The kids had a blast and this will probably be the first trip to El Salvador that they truly remember. Javi and Ale had been before but it had been almost 3 years so their memories were hazy. With all the fun they had this trip, it should be crystal clear for a long time.

Now that we're back it's time to focus on getting ready for Art City Austin. I don't know much about the show other than it's right here in town, put on by a wonderful local organization that works really hard to promote Art in Austin and that it's going to be in a wonderful location. The show stretches along the Lake on Cesar Chavez from Colorado Street to Lamar. I've only done one other outdoor show before so I'm hoping for good weather. I'll let you all know my exact location when I find out.

I'm also hoping that my good friends Abigail and Steven win the TOGS Competition so I can use their exhibition space rather than set up under a sorry EZ-UP Tent.

My Favorite Place in the World

2010-03-19T21:12:00.003-04:00

el lago de coatepeque

We've been visiting my wife's family in El Salvador during spring break. Haven't been in about 3 years and I'm wondering what took us so long to get back here. A trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to my absolute favorite place in the world. El Lago de Coatepeque. Actually, we were on an island in the middle of the lake...does it get any better than that?

Back to Austin, my studio and reality shortly. Pero, para mientras, vamos a tomar un poquito mas.

Art of the Pot

2010-02-24T23:57:00.004-05:00

I keep forgetting to tell everyone the good news. For those that don't know, there's a great group of potters here in Austin who work together and host a big tour Mother's Day Weekend called Art of the Pot. I've been invited into the group and will be a host potter beginning in 2011.

There is a great tour planned for this year. AOTP Founders Chris Campbell, Ryan McKerley, Lisa Orr & Claudia Reese will be hosting Ted Adler, Jennifer Allen, Ben Bates, Joe Bova, Charity Davis-Woodard, Sanam Emami, Nancy Gardner, Amy Halko, Brenda Lichman, Mark Shapiro, Jane Shellenbarger and Ryan Takaba.

I'm excited to be working with such a great group and I'm looking forward to being here for this year's tour in a few months. In the meantime, I'm working on re-working their website...and learning about WordPress in the process.

Art of the Pot has a new Facebook page and I hope you'll check it out and "become a fan"

What's Going On?

2010-02-23T23:55:00.003-05:00

I just got my formal introduction to Texas weather. No, not the searing heat that we were welcomed with in August when we first moved. On Sunday it was 76º and absolutely beautiful. Tuesday, it snowed...or as my brother likes to say, it snew. It kind of makes sense as the past tense to me now. And today, it was 55º and gorgeous again by the afternoon.

We've had a great couple of weeks here. This past weekend we celebrated my son's 7th birthday. It was actually more like the entire week and he had a blast the entire time. I guess we're Texan now because this was one of his presents:

Although, if we were really Texans, I guess it would be a real one.

Modus Operandi

2010-02-04T19:13:00.005-05:00

As with any assigment, I'm running a little behind schedule...perhaps I can get a note from my mother so Michael will still let me turn it in. (do you still get to do that as an adult?)

I made cups yesterday. I made lots of cups, not all of them before Noon but most of them. Most likely they will all get decals on them after they're fired. Some are squared, some are cylindrical and others will get fluted tomorrow.

Tomorrow I'll be making a few more cups and finish up everything for the weekend.

A Month Late...

2010-02-01T12:49:00.006-05:00

Update, 12:50pm:

Sorry for the image quality on the NYC postcards. I guess I used the halftoned jpegs that I used for the actual decals rather than the original image. More on that later when I get a how to together about the decal.

Original Post:

I'm ready to attack 2010. I may be a month late but procrastinating has always been my downfall.

I had planned a 2009 review but it's a bit late so we'll go with the Cliff's Notes version for everybody...We moved to Texas.

The rest is a blur. It's been a good move and we're definitely beginning to feel a little more settled in. It was awfully strange returning back to Austin after the Holiday Road Trip. Well, a month has gone by and I'm ready to start working again in my new city.

I haven't actually made pots yet but the (extended) time off has given me some ideas of where I want to go next. The year in Austin began with CityScape line drawings and then I moved onto laser toner decals. I don't think I ever posted any pics of the decalcomania wares on the blog so I will put some up shortly. I did post them on the Kreeger Pottery Facebook page though.

I used photos I took of the current Austin skyline as well as used some postcards from my grandfather's extensive collection. The postcard ones turned out to be my favorites. Here's a couple of sample postcards I used:

And here's a couple of the Austin photos I used:

I'm really enjoying using the cards with the handwriting on the front. Most of the ones I used were postmarked in the 1920's and 1930's. There was something very cool about using these artifacts on my pots. I also really enjoyed the method of photoshopping the cards, cutting the decals and applying them to the pots. Yes...one more step to the process. And, we moved here at a really interesting point for Austin's downtown as the City is trying to figure out it's next move in development. The skyline has changed dramatically since we first came here a few years back and decided to move. I guess I'll develop my work as the city develops itself.

My plan for the next month is to make series of cups and tumblers, fire them in Ryan's soda kiln and then apply the different decals. I'm planning on 2 main series, Old York Postcards as well as finding some Old Austin ones around here too. I have 2 CDs with about 1500 scanned postcards so I have some work to do finding the ones to put on. It's awfully cool research though.

I'll take another look after this next firing about what to do next but I'm thinking I have to split my studio mind into 2 distinct groups...decal wares and line drawings. I'm hoping it makes sense to my customers and galleries. I also hope it makes sense to me as I'm working.

I'm glad to be in the studio writing this post. I was ready to put a big old on hiatus post up and wasn't sure when I'd be back. Brandon kind of forced the issue the other day. So..hopefully more soon.

Holiday Road

2009-12-31T16:05:00.004-05:00

Until I searched on iTunes, I had no clue Lindsay Buckingham wrote this song.

We're just about done with our holiday road trip. I can't believe how fun it was. The whole trip will be a little over 2400 miles when it's all said and done. Austin to Orlando and back! I had looked at flights home for the rest of the family thinking it was going to be a disaster but our kids were fantastic. They even pushed us to go all the way to Orlando from Houston on day 2 of the trip...16 hours! We had planned a stop in either Pensacola or Tallahassee but they weren't having any of that...no stopping until Orlando!

Details of the trip to follow....hopefully. I also have a year end blog post in my head...I hope it makes it to the interwebs soon...it will probably have to turn into a beginning of the year blog post since I'm getting ready to prep our seafood feast for tonight.

We're driving the final leg of the trip tomorrow. It's been a great trip but it will be good to be home.

We're Open

2009-12-13T11:01:00.003-05:00

Luckily the child labor laws are a little different down here in Texas. As usual, we're busy pricing work at the last second. I'm lucky to have a few helpers today and here's one of them pricing some of the new decal mugs. He was also kind enough to make a sign pointing the way to the "free" candy that we put out for our guests.

We're here 10-5 and hope to see some of you all today.

Holiday Open House

2009-12-12T23:49:00.003-05:00

Our Holiday Open House is starts Sunday at 10.

Guest artists:

Chris Campbell

Michael Merritt

Ryan McKerley

Lisa Orr

Claudia Reese.

I'm very excited to be working in a city with such wonderful people.

I hope we'll see you then. Info and directions here. I'm psyched about the new decal work. I'll get some good pics of my decal work up soon. But...for now, I have to get back to setting up.

I'll try to get some blogging in tomorrow during the show.

Save the Date 12/13/2009

2009-11-30T14:26:00.003-05:00

We're going to be hosting a fantastic Holiday Open House this year at our new home in Austin, TX. I hope you all will be able to join us on Sunday, December 13th.

Once again, thanks to all of my fellow Austin potters for joining us for the show. It should be fun and we're in a great central location so hope to see you soon!

This is a rough layout of the card...I'm just waiting for a couple of Hi-Res photos from some fellow potters before it goes to print.

Back Home

2009-11-30T11:12:00.005-05:00

We're back in Austin after having a great week in NY and I'll post about it soon...plus I think I owe a follow-up post on E.A.S.T.

Today I'm getting settled back in and reclaiming my studio from it's tour set up as a gallery space. What I have left over from E.A.S.T. will be over at our house for a Holiday Open House that we're doing on Sunday 12/13. I'll announce the details soon and get some images up about it.

For now, I just want to thank my fellow Austin potters who have all been incredibly welcoming. Ryan McKerley came up with the idea of a group open house as a way of letting people know that I'm new in town making pots. Ryan is one of the founders of Art of The Pot and he's called in reinforcements with some of his Art of The Pot co-founders. So, I hope you'll save that Sunday to come by our house and check out all of the work. So far we have a great lineup including, Ryan, Lisa Orr, Michael Merritt, Chris Campbell and Claudia Reese. I'm printing up a card today so let me know your address if you'd like one. keith (at) kreegerpottery (dot)com. (sorry...trying to avoid spam by not writing out my full email address)

Static Bisqueware

2009-11-30T11:06:00.003-05:00

I, like most potters, tend to complain about how boring/dry/static our bisqued pots look before their final firing. Perhaps I wouldn't complain if they looked this nice before they get fired. Michael Kline is busy firing his woodkiln today and I can't wait to see how they look afterwards.

For anybody reading...my birthday is coming up soon....just thinking out loud here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T10:39:00.003-05:00

The prep has begun for our Thanksgiving Dinner. We're in NY and have done a ton of stuff. I'll need a whole post to cover it all. For now, I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving.

E.A.S.T Weekend #2

2009-11-21T10:49:00.005-05:00

It's studio tour time once again with second weekend of E.A.S.T. upon us. We're number 61 on The Map, 902 Gardner Rd Unit 18. I'll be at the studio from 10-5...but that's not all.

Tonight is the Big Cobra Studios Party. I may forgive them this once for mis-spelling my name. It's slightly harder to forgive the fact that they left Michael Merritt's name off of the poster. He is my guest artist after all.

It starts at 5 and will most likely go on through the night. One of my neighbors is a lighting designer and he's been busy setting up some heavy duty lights for the festivities which includes mariachis as well as a dj and judging by the sign hanging up seems to be sponsored by Tito's Handmade Vodka as well. It should be a fun night. Hope to see you all throughout the day and into the evening.

Recovery Day

2009-11-16T08:57:00.003-05:00

Today will be a day off from the studio.

Thanks to all who came to visit during E.A.S.T. And if you didn't make it....don't worry, you have next weekend to stop by as well.

I just dropped Javi off at school. He had a friend from Cape Cod visiting this weekend and the two of them had a great time. It was great to see Javi get to hang with one of his friends. I can't believe how many Austin activities they packed into this weekend.

The girls were in Houston for the weekend with Evangelina's parents. We're off to La Grange today to meet her mother halfway and get the girls. It will be nice to have them home. Plus, I get to grab some Kolaches from Weikel's Bakery....mmm!

The rest of the week will be spent photographing the new work, getting some of it off to some shops back east and the rest up onto the website. Saturday is the big party over at Cobra Studios for E.A.S.T. and then it's off to NY for Thanksgiving. I guess it's the time of year when the next time I look it will be 2010.

E.A.S.T. Day 2 Today, 10-5

2009-11-15T10:20:00.003-05:00

We had a good day yesterday with lots people coming through to check out the studio during E.A.S.T.

Today is day two of the tour and Michael Merritt and I will be in the studio again from 10-5. Hope we'll see you soon. We're number 61 on the E.A.S.T Map or you can click the map below for directions.:

View Larger Map

All Set Up

2009-11-13T23:08:00.004-05:00

We're just about all set up for E.A.S.T. which begins tomorrow. I've got a few things to tweak tomorrow morning but with Evangelina's help the place looks fantastic. Hope we'll see you this weekend. We're at 902 Gardner Rd. Unit 18.

For more info on E.A.S.T. check out their beautiful website.

New Plates

2009-11-13T14:30:00.003-05:00

Here's some new plates with the cityscape designs. I'm happy with the results. I'm leaning towards the blue designs a little more...I like the old-school blueprint feel the blue stain is giving the smaller plates.

E.A.S.T Catalog

2009-11-13T14:17:00.003-05:00

E.A.S.T starts tomorrow. We're still setting up and pics are coming shortly but here's a quick peek at the catalog. It is quite a publication and I'm excited to see what this weekend will be like.

That last pic is the ad for the huge party planned on 11/21 for my studio complex.

Sign Up!

2009-11-11T08:41:00.001-05:00

The new newsletter goes out today.
Sign up and you'll get it too!

East Austin Studio Tour

2009-11-09T10:55:00.002-05:00

I'm starting to find out that this East Austin Studio Tour (E.A.S.T) is a pretty big deal. I'm incredibly excited about it and better get to work mixing glaze so I'm ready for it.

I had just about the best weekend ever and after I catch up on my work I'll tell you all about it.

Sugar Creamers

2009-11-05T13:28:00.003-05:00

Been a while since I've made any of these but I'm at the end of my throwing cycle and that's when I usually don't know what to make. I was working out a few design ideas in these four as I was throwing. Sequoia Miller has a new blog and he addressed that idea nicely the other day:

A great thing about making as a practice is that design and fabrication are interwoven. Our culture separates them for specialization (and wealth) but one reason why craft rules is that we can make things and think about them at the same time.

check it out here.

These sets will get some deco and then they'll head into the space being saved for them in the bisque which I'm planning to fire off tomorrow.
Here's that bisque. Almost ready.

Coming up next weekend is the East Austin Studio Tour. I thought I had planned ahead well but it's almost here. I'll mix up a glaze or two tomorrow and hopefully fire a glaze kiln on Monday.

Tough Commute

2009-11-05T10:04:00.003-05:00

I hope I can make it back up the hill to our house at the end of the day.

Of course, I'll have to catch my breath first.

Re-Organized

2009-10-28T15:57:00.003-04:00

One of the hardest switches down here is that since the studio isn't next door, I can't ask my wonderful wife to come by and help very often. Today, I needed the help to re-organize the studio and luckily...she obliged. We didn't change too much but we were able to make the studio flow a little better. We also created some space for finished pots...which means another trip to Ikea is in the works tonight to get some more display shelving. The East Austin Studio Tour is coming up in a few weeks so I do need to get my finished work out of the boxes and get the new work through the kiln.

Anyways, here's my main worktable with a view to the back of the studio. my office area is on the right by the chair and my lounge(ikea sofa) is on the left. Those boxes next to the sofa will be replaced by som bookshelves soon.
Here's another view to the back with some shelving visible. Apparently...shelving is supposed to be used to organize and hold stuff. The floor is not the correct place to put piles of stuff. Thank you sweetie!

Here are a few pots drying for the next bisque. Not sure how that polychrome piece will do but it may at least make it into the bisque.
Bisqued pots, ready to glaze which means it may be time to mix up a bucket of something.
Another bisque is already started. I'll probably fire a glaze afterwards...I'm used to cycling through for a larger kiln so I need to adjust to just make, bisque and glaze fire a shorter cycle but old habits are hard to break.

Off to Gruene

2009-10-24T13:42:00.001-04:00

If you're in the area you should be to.

For more info check out their website.

Trimming

2009-10-21T13:02:00.005-04:00

I've never really thought throwing plates is an efficient use of time or clay. Well, not so much the throwing of the plates, but perhaps the trimming?

Time to learn how to slipcast?

Now Back to our Regularly Scheduled Blogging

2009-10-21T10:20:00.003-04:00

I fired my first bisque here in Austin yesterday. I had to head home before the kiln had finished and was pleased to return this morning to find out that the kiln works after the move and that the studio is still here after the first firing.

I bought a kiln vent from Bailey. I got the double-kiln vent even though I only have one kiln at the moment. As I was started the kiln I looked at the instructions and it said to get a standard 4" pipe cap if you only have one kiln hooked up. I didn't have the "standard" pipe cap on hand so I made do with what I did have.

On the making front, I got a round of plates thrown. I have to send a plate to an upcoming show at the Ferrin Gallery so I'd like to get these in the next bisque. I'm planning on giving these guys the CityScape treatment that most things seem to get these days.

Javi's Day Off

2009-10-21T10:08:00.003-04:00

It was parent teacher conference day on Monday so Javi had the day off. It was a boys' day and we started on South Congress for lunch. Javi took this first photo. I have to create a folder of all the pictures the kids take. They get some good ones and thank god for digital cameras...because they take some terrible ones as well. Sort of like me photographing my pots.

Javi with the some of the more recognizable South Congress stores in the background.
Then it was off to HomeSlice Pizza. It's very, very good....and I'm a pizza snob raised on Sal's Pizza. The little ones in our family don't get soda very often so this root beer was thoroughly enjoyed.
Hmm....which piece?
That one!
Then it was off to the studio to try his hand at the wheel. He's popped his head in the studio before and I've always handed him some clay, a few tools, a paddle but this was his first time on the wheel. I may have helped him center and raise the walls a bit.
But he wasn't interested in my help. It was sort of like the time my father-in-law thought he knew how to make pots.
He wanted to make a mug for our babysitter so I helped him out a bit.
Here are his 4 pots of the day. See if you can pick out the one he did by himself.

Remember the Alamo

2009-10-21T09:54:00.002-04:00

We took a much needed one-day vacation to San Antonio over the weekend. My mother-in-law picked up our youngest on Thursday and shuttled her off to Houston. This allowed us to take the older (and more agreeable) children for some fun times. We started at the Alamo, which they loved. They each got a couple of pennies stretched and stamped....all for only 51 cents!

They got to look at all of the old guns and knives, and since he's 6 1/2, it's kind of all he talks about right now....granted....he's a Texan now.
Look out!!!
After a very touristy and enjoyable time in downtown San Antonio we headed out about 15 minutes and stayed at a great hotel for the night. They had a man-made tubing river around the property. The water was a little chillier than I had planned on but once the kids went in there was no choice but to join them.
Evangelina has learned how to vacation as a parent in style. Tubing with a child and a margarita....I guess it helps warm up with the cold water.

A single night in a hotel and a full day in the pool and riding bikes was such a cool treat.

A Musical Interlude

2009-10-09T10:47:00.004-04:00

Last weekend was the big ACL Festival in Zilker Park. We had originally thought we were going to be out of town so I didn't buy any tickets even though the lineup was pretty incredible.

We could hear the main stage from our house at night and our street had turned into a semi-official parking lot for the festival. It was painful to see all of those people park their cars and walk down to check out all of the bands. The only thing that made it somewhat alright was knowing that 55,000 people were there and I've never been a fan of crowds. That didn't matter...I was jealous.

On Sunday afternoon I lucked into tickets when my friend Paul called and said that he had an extra ticket for the festival. We didn't get there until late in the very muddy but rainless day. We did get to see a few great acts; The Arctic Monkeys, Dirty Projectors, Dead Weather, GirlTalk and Dan Auerbach. Paul stayed for Pearl Jam, but I headed downtown to catch an aftershow with my friend Greta that Bon Iver was doing at the Paramount Theater.

I've been listening to Bon Iver a lot and if you don't know the music. Check it out. The show was sold out but I wasn't going to let that stop me from seeing Justin Vernon and folk play....thank you Austin Craigslist!

It was a fantastic show that was basically wrapping up a tour and the emotions being felt by everyone on stage at the end of the tour was incredible to witness. There was a mix of the acoustic guitar, steel guitar, amped up electric....including a fantastically loud and noisy rendition of Blood Bank. My favorite moment though, was a sing-along version of Wolves. It was unbelievable! I've never been to big a fan of sing-alongs but I'm glad I got into the moment this time.

Speaking of sing-alongs. There was another one at the Wilco show that Evangelina and I went to last night. Jeff Tweedy said that some people don't like sing-alongs and they can just shut up...go get a beer, go to the bathroom or tweet about not liking sing-alongs. So, once again, I sang. This time it was Jesus Etc.

It was another great show. Strangely enough in this music mecca of Austin, the Wilco show was 20 minutes north at the new Cedar Park Center built for a minor league hockey team. As Jeff Tweedy said, "you know...just hanging out...playing music in a hockey arena....in Texas." and "Wow! Arena Rock...well, existential arena rock." Sprinkled throughout the setlist was a bunch of songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot reminding me that it is one of the greatest albums ever. And, if you like Wilco and haven't seen the documentary, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart...you should.

It's nice to be doing things here in Austin. For two months I've felt a little lost in this city running back and forth between being a dad/husband on one side of i-35 and a potter/recluse on the other side of i-35. For the first time, I've felt like Evangelina and I are taking advantage of some of what is going on here...after all...we didn't pick Austin out of the blue.

Between all of this music and almost hipsterness, I've been making some pots that I'm really happy with. This cityscaping is really coming together on my work. I've also been working on some collaborations. I'm working on a designed line with a friend of mine....more on that soon as the brainstorming/research phase turns into the making phase.

Well, it's back to being a potter on the east-side for a little more during this rainy day before I become super-dad later today and head northwest to check out FallFest at my daughters' pre-school.

Next week is more designing and making then it's time to start finishing some pots. And it will also be a comedic interlude as we're going to the David Cross show at the Paramount.

Whoops!

2009-10-02T15:14:00.002-04:00

These are my keys.

I need these keys to get into my new studio.

When I got to my studio this morning after my 20 minute commute, I did not have them with me.

I had to drive back across town, then back across town.

Damn it!!!

I didn't need keys to get into my old studio...it was at my house. I never got locked out of my old studio. I think I miss my old studio.

More CityScaping

2009-10-01T10:05:00.003-04:00

I guess I'm excited about living in a city again. Here are my cups and saucers which were inspired by watching and tweeting about Mad Men....I know....pathetic.

To make this useful, I even put a little step by step of the handle process together. When working with stoneware I usually pull the handle directly off the piece but I'm worried about overworking the porcelain so I'm trying this technique out:

Below are the finished cups sitting on their saucers...it's been a long time since I've made cups and saucers.

And here they are after receiving the CityScape deco(tm?)
The only decision left is whether or not these will stay relatively simple or whether some stains will be involved with either the buildings or the background. Luckily, I can wait on that decision.

CityScape Mugs

2009-09-30T12:14:00.003-04:00

I had mentioned the other day that I made some tall mugs that will fit into a cupholder for your morning commute. Well, they got a CityScape deco on them. I had done a similar deco a long time ago using wax, glaze and a wood kiln so we'll see if this heads anywhere.

A Visit From an Old Friend

2009-09-30T11:29:00.003-04:00

Thanks to my good friend Bruce, my Soldner foot pedal has been rescued from a deserted studio on Cape Cod. I got my Soldner wheel when I first opened up my studio on the Cape and it quickly replaced my Brent as my main throwing wheel. Subsequently, my Brent became my trusty trimming wheel which gave me the luxury of not having to clean the wheel between throwing/trimming/throwing.

As I mentioned earlier, the Soldner Wheel made it onto the truck but the pedal missed the ride down. I figured, it's 12 years old and I might as well look into getting a new pedal. I quickly learned that a replacement pedal was $531 and I also quickly sent Bruce on a scavenger hunt to find the pedal wherever I had left it.

I returned home from taking Javi to a tennis lesson yesterday evening and found a box had arrived with my trusty pedal....I'm looking forward to getting some pottery made on my trusty old wheel. Thanks Bruce!

And as a bonus...that wasn't the only package that arrived yesterday. Abigail sent down a fantastic care package from Michigan full of pickles and jams made with her crop from her super-garden. Can't wait to try it all! I didn't have the camera with me this morning so the pics of the deliciousness are going to be posted shortly.

Mad Monday

2009-09-28T16:35:00.004-04:00

This past weekend was the first time that my folks made it out to visit Austin since we moved here. It was great having them in town and it was great to show them our new lives here. We were a little limited in what we could do since Ale had come done with a fever and my mom was recovering from a little knee surgery. That didn't stop us from having a good time though. We even made it out on Sunday to check out Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs in 3D. Better yet, we made it out for a nice dinner with everybody on Sunday evening and got to see the bats depart for their nightly feeding from the Congress Street Bridge. That was a first for everyone except Evangelina. I have to say, it was pretty cool and my father who isn't a big fan of bats handled it quite well, although the wine at dinner may have helped.

So, after a few days away from the studio I found everything intact and was able to carve into the bourbon bottles I had made before the weekend came.

I made a few more bottles/jugs this afternoon as well as some large mugs that should fit into car cupholders....something that has become important to me as I now have a morning commute.
My morning got off to a late start as I had to get my car serviced. I had an appointment for 9:40 but they didn't start on my car until an hour later....I complained, they got the car serviced quickly and didn't charge anything for the service. I guess they earned another chance for my business.

I also wasted a bit of time this morning on Twitter and Google hunting down the Drapers' dinnerware. Yes, I know they're only characters on a tv show but, last season I caught a quick glimpse of their cups and saucers and needed to know what it was. I had googled it all back then but there wasn't much about it. A tweet by Lois Aronow got me interested again and in no time the internets had saved the day, Raffia Pattern dinnerware from the Vernon Kilns. I found some plates for sale and a few other items but I'd love to get a couple of cups and saucers. I guess an ebay search is coming later today....Wait!

I found one! Perhaps it's time to make some cups and saucers? And, maybe it's not time wasted but rather corporate research/espionage?

Oh, and I haven't watched last night's episode yet so please no spoilers in comments.

Batter Bowls

2009-09-23T12:14:00.002-04:00

Still working on the porcelain stuff. Along with the switch to electric firing is the switch to porcelain. I've always dabbled with it but it's an adjustment to have it be my only clay. I'm starting to enjoy it a little more and the forms are starting to come together. I made a few batter bowls the other day and they got handled up today.
The clay doesn't stay put like I'm used to with stoneware so hanging these handles upside down is letting gravity work with me rather than against me. We'll see how much strain was put on those microscoping little particles once the drying begins. I'm hoping they stay put.

Today is my half day of work because of a ridiculously overscheduled afternoon for the kids....of course, they all go in different directions. At some point I'm hoping to make it back here after dinner for a productive evening. We'll have to test the nighttime commute at some point. That will most likely be tested as we get closer to a deadline. I have a few things scheduled for the fall but they all seem distant now.

Working Through It

2009-09-21T16:47:00.003-04:00

I feel like I'm slowly moving from making random objects towards entering a working cycle. I think it's partly due to the move but also partly due to the fact that it's been months since I've made new work. I made some monster cappuccino/latte cups that I was planning on "squaring" up but just couldn't bring myself to alter them when the time came to. There are a couple of squared mugs hiding behind the biggest of the latte cups.
I also made some bowls and batter bowls because when things aren't flowing as you'd like them to, what else is there to make besides bowls?
Here are a couple of those small test vases from the other day with some incised lines. I didn't have wax so they didn't get my normal treatment. I'm sure I'll figure out how to get those patterns to stand out under the glaze.

And finally, here's a group of random objects that have came off of the wheel Friday.

The electrician was here today measuring things out and getting everything set so that later this week he can hook up the disconnect box. It won't be long until I have a kiln operational.

I've tried a few different porcelains so far and as of now I'm most happy with the least convenient...for me. Matt & Dave's Clay has been really nice. I'll leave the detailed analysis up to the porcelain pros like Jim & Jeff. There is a clay supply about 5 minutes down the road from my studio which I was hoping would have a clay body that I would fall in love with but that hasn't happened. It will be convenient though since steady readers of the blog know that I am sometimes without the main ingredient of a glaze while I mix up a batch. On the Cape that was a slight problem since the closest clay supply was 1.5 hours away. I still have yet to try Coleman Porcelain that a clay supply in San Antonio carries. I would assume that by next week I'll have a decision made as to which clay body I'll stick with for a while. Matt from Matt & Dave's has been very helpful in figuring out a cost effective way to get a larger amount of clay down here so it is still a likely option I'll end up with that clay body. I don't particularly mind paying a premium for good clay, I mean seriously...are material costs our main issue as functional potters?

Well, tomorrow I'll be finishing those bowls and getting handles on those cups and then it's time to settle into a cycle...won't be long now.

Friday

2009-09-18T15:09:00.003-04:00

I'm still trying out clays and testing my surroundings. I made a short run of small flat bottomed bowls this morning and because of the a/c in here I'll be able to finish them up before I head home this evening. (sorry about the blurry pic)

I was also trying to work out some new variations on little vases and I decided to go the Michael Kline route and make some 1 to 1.5 pound versions. These will probably get a little bigger but not much since I don't have my big gas kiln to fill any longer. Something here will probably evolve into a small bud vase, something I haven't really made in years.
So many new things to get used to. I think the smaller kiln will be nice as I'm able to work through the cycle a little quicker than I'm used to.

The other thing I realized was something that I twittered about earlier today. Until now I've been able to sneak into the studio quite easily over the weekend. Spending 45 minutes in the studio putting some handles on mugs on a Sunday while the kids did a project was a no brainer. With my studio across town I no longer have that same luxury. I feel like I may be complaining a little too much. I've got a few hours left to get something done so I should do that.

I'm sure that coming in here next week will go a little more smoothly than things went this week.

New Space, New Work

2009-09-17T15:41:00.003-04:00

Other than a few mugs, the gravy boats/batter bowls above are among the first pieces I've made here in Austin. I'm adjusting to a bunch of new variables and hopefully by next week I'll have actually figured a few things out.

This is the first new space I've worked in for almost 12 years. I'm a creature of habit so it's going to take me some time to get used to the new surroundings. Seriously, I have I think 8 or 10 of the same gray t-shirts that I've been wearing for the past 3 years. You can find me either in jeans and one of those t-shirts or shorts and one of those t-shirts. I can and do dress up on occasion but for everyday outfits...it's that t-shirt...or perhaps a 9 year old standard ceramics supply t-shirt given to me. That could be genetic, my dad has been wearing khaki's and a blue oxford shirt since 8th grade and on my mother's side, my grandfather wasn't exactly known for his fashion sense and often wore mis-matched suits to the office.

Needless to say, it's going to take me a little while to get used to the new creative surroundings.

It's a great space but I'm trying to get used to it. I'm getting used to a commute across town instead of downstairs and down the hall. I'm trying out some new clays including, the blogosphere's newest sensation, Porcelain for the People.

So...new clay, new studio, new studio hours....it's a lot for this creature of habit. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all works out. Better get back to work.

Oh...and I left my foot pedal for my Soldner Wheel back on the Cape. I'm missing that more than most things that I've forgotten. I've been throwing on my Brent, which for 12 years I've used for trimming. I'm going to call a friend and see if they can find the pedal in my studio and ship it down so I can have one thing feel normal here.

The Art of Tea

2009-09-09T19:51:00.005-04:00

I was invited to a Teapot show coming up in Rockville, MD. I don't have a picture of my teapot yet because it is still inside one of the many boxes which I'm going to unpack over at my studio this weekend. I guess I now know what my first order of business in the new studio will be...photos. And, the second order of business will be to pack that teapot back up and ship it back East.

Here's the link to a blog they started for the show. I'm in some great company with some wonderful teapots.

Slipcast Blog

2009-09-08T22:15:00.003-04:00

For those who haven't checked out Slipcast: The Ceramics Blog yet, you're missing out. I'm loving these plates that were featured recently.

I haven't tried porcelain from Matt & Dave's Clay yet but once I get my studio up and running I intend to get a sample batch and see if it's as great as I keep hearing it is.

Here We Go!

2009-09-08T15:06:00.002-04:00

I had hoped to get a studio together by October 1st. For the first time in my life as a professional potter I'm ahead of schedule. I just signed a lease for this great studio space in East Austin. It's in a brand new live/work condo development called Cobra Studios. The woman I'm leasing the unit from is a painter and had planned to use it herself but luckily for me decided to lease it out instead.

Here are a few pics. I'm planning to move everything in by Friday and hopefully I'll be fully operational by sometime next week.

Here is the main space of the workshop. I'll probably have the wheels, table and shelving set up here.
This is the back area. I'll set it with shelves and a table for glazing.
Here's another view of the back area. I have an electrician coming in to wire up a disconnect box for the kiln along that back wall.
Here's a view from the main are out to the common area of the complex. There are 4 buildings around this courtyard. If it ever rains again in Austin, those giant tanks are supposed to hold the water to use around the complex.

Someone was nice enough to put a leaf imprint in the concrete during construction.

So, now that I have a space and will begin life as a potter again, perhaps posting will resume on a more regular basis.

Bon Iver= Good Music

2009-08-28T19:23:00.002-04:00

I'm no longer hip and I'm not a big fan of small, crowded places but I would love to see Bon Iver. I'm going to miss 2 shows here in Austin in October as we'll be in Portland, ME that weekend.

I found this on twitter from @birbigs

Settling In

2009-08-26T20:18:00.004-04:00

We're adjusting to life in Austin pretty well so far. The toughest thing is the heat but I'm proud of myself for dealing with it as well as I have been. Mainly, I'm planning on not being embarrassed about sweating anymore. It made it up to 106º again today.

I've spent the last few days tooling around the city trying to find a new studio. My friend from Skidmore, Mike Merritt, has been living in for Austin about 12 years and lives on the East Side of town. I drove around with him the other day looking at the neighborhoods and brainstorming about studios. We even stopped by fellow potter, Ryan McKerley's studio. Ryan rebuilt his kiln recently and had a studio full of work that he was getting ready to fire. He shares a studio space with jewelry artist Lisa Crowder, whose work we had carried at our gallery. It was nice to catch up and see what's going on in town here.

I looked at a couple of spaces yesterday and today. My dilemma is, do I want a space close or within a retail area or a space a little further away and one that will be purely a studio space? Obviously, there's a price difference between those 2 ideas. The benefit would also be the ability to sell pots out of the shop, something that I'm very used to.

Right now I'm leaning towards leasing a place a little further out. It's a new space in a brand new live/work development in East Austin. It's a little further out from downtown but nothing is too far in this small city.

I'm going to look at a few more places but hopefully I'll have a studio soon.

Here's where the new studio might be...

View Larger Map

And I'm Off...

2009-08-11T09:30:00.000-04:00

View Larger Map

Thank You

2009-08-10T08:32:00.004-04:00

I've been putting off this post until the last minute. Those of you who know me well probably won't be surprised to hear that I've been procrastinating. Today is my last full day on the Cape as a "year-rounder" and in classic Cape fashion, it's cloudy, grey and foggy.

I'll be spending the day loading the mini-van, taking Javi to his tennis clinic, getting some beach time in with everyone(if it clears) and enjoying a great cookout at my folk's house(what am I cooking Dad?).

Today feels awfully strange but I'm trying not to think about the actual saying goodbye thing. Here's a little note that will be on our gallery door and posted up to our website shortly:

Thank You All

After 12 years on the Cape I want to thank everybody who supported us through the years here at Kreeger Pottery. Many of you have seen my work grow from the very beginning. You have also seen the gallery expand from an extension of the studio to become one of the premier contemporary craft galleries on Cape Cod. It has been so nice to meet you all and get to know you through the years. We are honored that we became a part of your summers for so long.

For those that don’t know, we are relocating our studio & gallery and moving to Austin, TX. We’re excited to make the move but saddened to leave the wonderful support you all have given us through the years.

I hope that you enjoy everything that you have gotten from us for years to come. Keep in touch and thank you for your many years of support.

You can view and purchase all of our current work at www.kreegerpottery.com. Check out the site and sign up for our email list online so you can keep up to date with us. I'll let you all know once I get the new studio up and running.

Best,
Keith & Evangelina Kreeger

On The Way

2009-08-07T21:52:00.002-04:00

Well, the truck was a few hours late but by about 5:30 this evening it was fully loaded with our stuff....lot's of stuff. Actually, it was half loaded with our stuff and then off to another house to fill the other half. My stress level was high until the end. That's when they loaded the important stuff onto the truck. My electric kiln and motorcycle made it onto the truck without a problem. Now, let's just hope that everything makes it there in one piece....and hopefully by the end of next week so we're not waiting too long once we're down there.

Next up is to enjoy the weekend and load the minivan with everything that didn't make it onto the truck.

Load 'em up

2009-08-07T11:35:00.001-04:00

Just like stacking a kiln, right?

Packing Day

2009-08-06T12:44:00.003-04:00

The gallery full of boxes...
The house full of boxes...at least the first floor.

The movers are here packing up everything that we didn't. Evangelina has been a packing monster in the house. Yesterday I finally got up the nerve to enter the studio and figure out what's coming and going. Yeah, yeah....last minute as usual...what can I say, I'm a potter, right?

I had packed up most of the gallery but left a few larger pieces for the movers to pack. We're pretty much set in the gallery. All of my new and current work is coming. All of my older work and seconds will stay here for a seconds sale next summer up here.

The studio was a little more complex and is still a mess but I'm making some progress. I unhooked the electric kiln yesterday and it's ready for the truck. My wheels are clean and ready for the truck tomorrow. My nice metal shelving is ready to go on the truck. The bats as well as the throwing and trimming tools are ready to go. I really only want to bring the essentials. I have accumulated way too much junk over the years and I don't want to repeat the same mistake in Austin, let alone, spend money moving it. Once I find the space, all I'll need to do is build a wedging table and a nice work table and I'll be ready to go.

Tomorrow I'll clean and organize the studio so that I can then figure out where all of my dry materials are going as well as whatever big stuff I'm leaving behind.

The moving truck comes tomorrow to pick up everything. Then it's one last weekend on the Cape before I hit the road Tuesday morning.

Yeah...The goodbye post is coming....I promise

It's beginning

2009-07-31T22:22:00.006-04:00

Today was our children's last day of camp. The camp is also where each of our kids has been in preschool/daycare since Javi was 18 months old. That place has been a huge part of our lives. Before we had kids, Evangelina was working full time as a therapist and she had a client who was in school there. She came home after her first appointment and said, "when we have kids, they're going to school there." She was right and it has been amazing.

I went to pick up the kids after camp and wasn't prepared for how sad it would make me to leave. It was the first concrete moment I had when I realized that we were leaving. Don't get me wrong, we're all excited to move but it's been completely abstract. It's been about planning, packing, slowly organizing things and planning some more. Even our going away party last weekend was way too fun to figure out that it was a going away party. Plus, I couldn't move or think for about 2 days afterwards.

We're getting past the abstract phase...the movers come and load up the truck a week from today. 2 weeks from today we're all in Austin in our new house. Hopefully, our moving truck isn't too far behind that.

I'm slowly working up to my goodbye to Cape Cod post...still can't do handle that yet.

In the meantime, I'm going to have to figure out a way to get back to blogging and keep this site interesting while we get set up in Austin.

SummerTime Happenings

2009-07-13T13:32:00.004-04:00

Post Originally Started 7/13...finished & posted a week later.

Well, there's not much happening here in the studio now. That's incredibly strange because it's the complete opposite of what I'm used to during the summer. Instead of being in the gallery 6 days a week and trying to refill empty shelves with fresh pots, I'm slowly winding down the studio here on the Cape. I've been trying to write a lengthy post for the blog, my website and to put on the door here as finish up but I haven't been able to phrase things quite right. I guess that post will have to wait a little while longer.

One of the main points of this move is to get away from the seasonal nature of what a business on the Cape is all about. It's been a joy to have a studio and shop on Main Street of a busy destination town. Although, with that good-fortune comes the trade-off that I'm inside the gallery during the best months of the year here.

For the first time since I started the shop in 1998, I've been enjoying all of the reasons that people come to Cape Cod...

I've been putting off my final firing before the big move...I guess I've been blocking out the reality of it all. If I don't get it taken care of soon I'm going to run out of time. It's only about 1 1/2 weeks until I disconnect the electric kiln and get it ready to get on the moving truck. I better get to finishing up work in the studio so I can start packing up shop.

Fantastic News

2009-06-23T13:53:00.007-04:00

This teapot is getting ready to travel to the Berkshires to be part of The Ferrin Gallery's upcoming exhibition, Teapots: Interpretations. I'll get a better photograph up soon but I was just so excited to be part of the show I had to share the news. The exhibition opens July 11th and I'm humbled to be included in the show with so many amazing potters.

I'll pass more info along as it comes in.

Off To Castle Hill

2009-06-22T07:32:00.002-04:00

Off to Castle Hill to start teaching my workshop! I'm excited and even though the weather is cold and damp, we'll figure out how to get a good bunch of work done.

I'll try to report in later today.

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T09:00:00.003-04:00

This is what Alejandra brought home from school for Father's Day. I love the list!

Mini-Sidewalk Sale!

2009-06-20T09:54:00.003-04:00

There's a little sidewalk sale in town today that I decided to take part in at the last minute.

I'm not a member of the merchants group anymore since we're moving, but one of the other members was kind enough to call and let me know about it. Thanks Janet!

I set up a table out front with what I left of my older work and a few seconds....all at very good prices.

I'll be here from 10 until about 2. That's when, if all goes according to plan, I'll be heading off Cape to Chris Gustin's place for the Watershed Benefit.

Boxing Up

2009-06-17T08:37:00.004-04:00

I've finally started to pack up some stuff from the house and shelves are beginning to appear from under pots, sculptures and more. Our move to Austin date is official now of August 12th but I wanted to get a head start so I'm not stressed during the entire summer. So far, 8 boxes of pots and other things from our house collection are packed. Most are from various rooms and shelves so these aren't even our everyday use pots. Those are getting packed shortly as I wait for a delivery of more boxes from Uline.

The house, even though it's overwhelming, pales in comparison to what I need to do in the studio. I'm typically only allowed to bring certain things into the house so we don't get too cluttered. My office and my studio are a different story.

These two places seem to be where stuff goes when I don't know what else to do with it. The answer to that question for a normal person would be: give it away or throw it out. I prefer to make piles and then figure out how to maneuver around it in order to keep working. For instance, In order to mix glazes for tests last week I had to move piles of boxes and old, old pots to create a sawhorse table to work on. Those pots need to find a home or a hammer. The boxes could probably use a trip to the recycling center.

I was planning on this week being a dedicated throwing week but it doesn't seem to be working out that way. I gave myself until the end of June to work wet, but I may extend that a little. I have a few more things I'd like to make but I also just need to start winding down the studio operations and start cleaning and packing. I'm intent on only bringing what's absolutely necessary to start back up again once I find a place in Austin. I'll have plenty of time to fill up that space with useless junk...no need to bring any from the Cape. My best pots will be heading off to some galleries later this week so that will clear up even more space.

The next couple of weeks should blow by really quickly. My class at Castle Hill starts on Monday. I'm really excited about it and looking forward to starting off the summer by teaching. Watching this fantastic video about cups with Pete Pinnell gave me some good ideas for the class.

After my class, Aysha Peltz is teaching a 3 Day workshop and I signed up for it. Her class is going to focus on covered jars. That is a form that I never have felt too comfortable with. Probably because I haven't made enough to let it develop as part of my vocabulary. I haven't taken a hands-on workshop since I started my studio 12 years ago and I'm really looking forward to it. I think taking a class will be a nice way to begin my hiatus from making new pots. When I find a space in Austin, I'm looking forward to going in fresh with some new ideas and less clutter.

Off to Orlando

2009-06-11T08:59:00.003-04:00

My Sister-in-Law graduates from her fellowship program tomorrow and we're going down to celebrate with Evangelina's family. We're coming back Saturday so it will be a very quick trip. Evangelina's grandmother is coming in from El Salvador and it should be fun as we take her to see the sites. She is intent on going to Epcot Center so we may be doing a little bit of tourist stuff.

Oh, and what is my surgeon sister-in-law going to practice........Colo-Rectal Surgery!

I hope the dinner conversation topics aren't work related.

We fly out of Boston mid-day while the kids stay here with my folks...Thank you! Hopefully it stops raining because we're in the middle of torrential rainstorms right now.

Map from Lonely Planet