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Author: Ken
Weeds are flowers too…
…once you get to know them.
These weeds were the inspiration for todays pottery design. I think the plant is called chickory. It is blooming EVERYWHERE along the highways (and in my garden) here in Kentucky. I don’t know if it’s a native plant, but it has a big presence this time of the year. I like the idea of handmade pots reflecting the time in which they were made…
This still needs to be fired, once it is, it’ll be porcelain, and the blue will be a deep cobalt color.
Stay tuned to see how it works out!
First look- kiln opening 9 July 2020
fresh out of the kiln! I just opened the kiln filled with plates, sugar bowls and bowls in stoneware, English porcelain and porcelain. I need to setup my photo booth and get a good photo of each piece, but here’s a sneak peek!
9 July 2020 – new pottery
Yesterday, I had a pretty good kiln firing. A couple of losses, and some lessons learned, but also some beautiful pots! This was my first time firing translucent porcelain with the sgraffito technique. It is beautiful. Something you have to see in person to appreciate.
you can visit the gallery and see better photos of each piece by clicking here or the image below
Like all my pottery, it is for sale, but not online. you have to visit my home in old washington, KY; where you can hold them in your hands; to decide which is the right one for you. They are dishwasher/microwave food safe. The design technique is labor intensive and carved by hand. Plates are $80, sugar bowls $55, bowls and the mug $40 each. First come, first serve. They are sitting on my porch and first come, first serve. If you are going to travel a long distance for something in particular, contact me first to make sure it is still available. I wear a mask and have hand sanitizer for safety, and ask one household to visit the porch at a time. Hope you can make it! It’s a nice day for a drive in the country!
back in the print shop 3 July 2020
After a pottery intensive month (june) i found my way back into the print shop.
Love One Another – ink on paper I printed some of my “Love One Another” prints. Most were on paper. A few of the artists at the Log Cabin Print Shop are textile artists. Watching them over the past year has inspired me to think outside ink on paper, and to print my design on fabric.
using the press to print a design on fabric 
Print on fabric is fun! Ok, i’ll tell the truth. I did not have a pottery free day. I DID also make these cream pitchers. What can i say? I might be a pottery addict!
A day of carving in clay 2 July 2020
My favorite part of working with pottery is surface design! It’s a good thing I love it, because it also takes the most time. Each piece takes at least an hour to carve.
Using a design from my sketchbook…penciled onto the pot and ready to carve All of today’s designs were hand carved, using a technique, called sgraffito.
Carving the design Since we are in the middle of the summer season, I have been inspired by one of my favorite summer flowers: the sunflower!
it’s sunflower season in Kentucky! I have started carving a new porcelain clay, and it feels a little bit different from other clays. I found myself carving it a little bit different too. Because porcelain needs a little bet of extra care, I dry these REALLY slow. They might be ready to fire in a week or two. Stay tuned to see how they turn out!
Today’s work Pottery intensive June – recap
At the beginning of June, I decided to make June a ‘pottery intensive’ month in the studio. Looking back at the month, it was a lot of fun, and I made some really nice pots. I fired the kiln twice. After each firing, i put the pots on the porch, where they sold out in a matter of days.
Pottery Intensive June was a success! You can see a gallery of each kiln load by clicking the thumbnails below:
June 9, 2020 
june 20,2020 July is going to be a little bit different. I am going to keep making pottery. But i’ll also take brakes to do some more printmaking and painting too. The big thing for July is that I am participating in the facebook boycot #stopHateForProfit by not logging into facebook or instagram for the month of July.
I am a frequent facebook user, so this is going to be a challenging month for me. One of the bright sides of this boycott is that I plan to give my personal website and email newsletter some TLC, so stay tuned for more art and updates!
30 June 2020 – printing ink and playing in mud
I spent the last day of June split between the clay studio and the printshop.
The finished block. Ready for ink! I have been working on a special print for one of my US Route 62 neighbors who lives all the way over in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
The finished print. Hanging to dry Today I got to put first ink on the block and then print an edition at the log cabin print shop.
Pots in progress After printing, I had some time to put some handles on mugs, put some glaze on bowls, and then throw a few cream pitchers and bowls
Bowls and creamers just thrown from the wheel. The Potter – by Tania Horne
You never know where it will take you when you put your creativity out there:
Late friday night, i made a live stream while throwing pots…no words, or instruction, just an hour of making pots.
I don’t know who all watched, but poet, Tania Anderson Horne , saw it, and it inspired a poem! I liked the poem so much, we made this short video together. Thank you Tania! I’m honored!!!Tania is participating in Lexington Poetry Month. A project, where every June, poets are challenged to write a poem every day. You can learn more at https://lexpomo.com
#lexpomoWedding Invitations – a woodcut project
I recently completed an exciting printmaking project; wedding invitations!!!!! The original idea was to have the bride and groom help print them at the cabin, but we’ve had to change our plans to stay safe….still, what a cool invitation, a hand printed, limited editon woodcut?! I’m so honored to have been asked to do this! Thank you and Congratulations! Jessica and Jonathan!
Carving the Woodblock 
Finished Carving and ready to print! 
the first proof 
All invitations were signed and numbered as a limited edition 
The invitations were delivered in a box, decorated with proofs from the invitation, and can be used as a keepsake. Plein Air Painting – Ripley, Ohio 16 June 2020
It’s been awhile since I have been Plein air painting. All my recenty projects have been in the studio. When an artist friend invited me to meet up somewhere to paint outside, I said ‘sure! Where do you want to go? ‘ It didn’t matter to her, so I got to pick.
I picked the Rankin House in Ripley, Ohio. It’s a historic site that was once the home of John Rankin, an abolitionist who helped many people escape slavery. Perched on a hill, overlooking the village and ohio river, the rankins were able to give signals from their home to Kentucky.
Not only is the rankin house an important part of the underground railroad, it offers artists a magnificant view!
I wasn’t fully prepared to capture the view. I *should* have brought a panoramic canvas to capture everything. To improvise, I used 2 8×10″ wood panels, and set them beside each other to make a dyptich.
I have been experimenting with live videos and I tried live streaming the entire painting. It put a little bit of pressure on me…having a live live audience brought out some of the best of my talent, and I am happy with the finished painting!
Ins addition to my ‘virtual’ audience online, some friends (1 a fellow artist) came up the hill to watch me work.
Thanks again for a great day!
Here is the full length stream of the painting…originally live streamed on Facebook.