I just got back home after a wonderful week at Arrowmont School of Art and Crafts: ‘considering the teapot’ with Yoko Sekino-Bové.
I need some time to process everything I learned, but in the meantime, here’s a snapshot with 5 of my projects from the workshop.
These pots have been fired once, but still need to be glaze fired.
stay tuned and I’ll share more once I get settled back into my home routine.
We just took some brand spankin’ new pots out of the kiln
click the arrows or swipe to see all 7 Jars
another new technique–no carving into the clay, just brushwork on the surface
click the arrows or swipe to see all 7 cups
click the arrows or swipe to see all 9 cups
I don’t ship pots, so you’ll have to come see them in person! I’ll be out of town from July 20-29, so I hope to see you before or after that time!
You might remember a couple of months ago I made a bunch of forms during the spring pentaculum residency at Arrowmont?
I’ve been blocked, and unable to finish them because they have already been fired. My normal technique is to decorate while the clay is still wet–allowing me to carve and scratch and inlay the surface.
With a fired pot, I have less options-the obvious one is to brush underglaze designs, which is a little bit out of my comfort zone.
After a few hours of painting, I gotten into a flow of using just underglaze and a brush–instead of carving, and I’m really happy with the surface designs I’ve created so far!
stay tuned to see the cups after the final glaze firing!
I’m getting ready to take a teapot workshop with Yoko Sekino-Bové at Arrowmont later this month. I’ve been making a LOT of cups recently, so I’m confident making handles, but a TEAPOT has more than just a handle.
I want to improve my LIDS, and thought sugar/salt/jelly/honey/spice jars are the perfect way to practice.
All of these jars are unfired, but the surface design is finished. I learned a lot with the first grouping. and feel more confident making a flanged lid.
I’m looking forward to firing these pots soon. Will update when they are ready!
stay tuned!
I wanted to get test results for some new colors, and decided it was a good excuse to fire up my smaller kiln.
here are the results
As a bonus, I have 8 new cups as well!
Use the arrows or swipe to see all the pots in the slideshow
They will be available to see in person this FRIDAY at the Pendleton Art Center’s FINAL FRIDAY EVENT.
Hope to see you there!
This morning, I just unloaded a batch of new black, white and red porcelain cups and bowls.
There are so many pots, I have organized it into 3 slideshows.
Swipe or use the arrows to see all the pottery from each category
I only do in-person sales with pottery. I want you to have a chance to hold your pot before deciding whether to take it home or not. Contact Ken for more information on when and where to see this work in person.
More is more, Right?
Update on my cappuccino cups. Couldn’t help decorating the interior and exterior—really can’t wait to see how they turn out 🙂
It’s pottery season, so I’ve been busy, here’s a little peek at whats been happening in the clay studio:
I’ve been experimenting with new ways to decorate the surface of my pottery. In particular, I want to carve designs and have more than one color
these work in progress cups have painted patterns (3 coats each) and then are carved for more details
More designs with this technique. I have started to carve into ‘unpainted’ clay in hopes of a variety in the surface once glazed
I just finished assembling these cappuccino or soup style cups. Looking forward to decorating them. The interior is wide enough, there is an opportunity for some artwork!
We are at the beginning of a heatwave here in Kentucky, a great time to work inside and make pots, so stay tuned!
After a short break, it’s pottery season again!
To celebrate, here’s a gallery showcasing the first batch of pots—most designs are inspired by my cherry tree-and all the critters who ate the cherries while I wasn’t looking.
swipe or use arrows to see all the pots
These cups are all thrown on a wheel with hand carved designs and food/microwave safe porcelain, priced at $50 each. Bowls are $70. Unfortunately these unique pieces are available by in-person sales only.
If you are interested in seeing these (and more) in person, they will be on display at my studio in Old Washington: 2111 Old Main Street, Maysville ky 41056 from 10-3 on friday and saturdays. or at Final Friday at the Pendleton Art Center in Cincinnati, OH
Always fun to live in a small artsy town! Was asked to make some pots to help with a video project for the city this morning. The wonderful Deni Stanev Photography was on the job, and she shared these photos so I could document my ‘community service’ for the day!
thanks so much Deni for the photos! and thank you Katelyn Bailey for inviting me to be a part of your project!!! I’m looking forward to seeing the finished video!
you can see more of Deni’s Photography at her website: https://denistanevphotography.com
Ken is a self-taught artist from rural Kentucky, whose work includes painting, printmaking, and pottery. He considers himself to be a 'lifetime learner' and uses art to explore and learn more about the world around him. Much of his work reflect his optimistic views on rural folk culture, river life and simple pleasures.
