Mark C.

I had very long hair until the early 80s-Being raised in turbulent times(60's)We set out to change the world-my part is with clay.I have had a beard since 18-only have shaved twice in my life.Not much of a hippy since 81-more a worker bee-my midwestern parents work drive kicked in as I grew up. My Long Beach years where 53-71 minus almost one year in Nashua New Hampshire when I was 15 (ran away with a girl-long story but I have a New Hampshire soc security number from my 1st job working for 6 months in a cemetery .Brutal outside labor job from frozen to beyond humid.That climate is like a rath much of the year.

Rae I see the drug ads with pottery as a hobby thats mainstream these days.I'm going to pass on any comment as I was taught to be quiet if you had nothing nice to say.I do not believe in magic so that must be it. I was introduced to clay in high school-well sort of. Back in my day we had a dress code and it was not to have long hair or sideburns extended. Well that did not fly with me so I spent lots of time in the deans office in late 11th grade discussing hair length and side burns-Thinking back on this its just insane. sort story now- My mother was in the teaching system and suggested I check out the continuation school taught at the Business and technology junior collage campus-I did and I finished high school early there(my 12th grade) as you could work as much as you wanted. Here they had a small clay studio that was used during the day sessions when I was there. Since I was not a troubled discipline problem (b average all thru school)I could work in there with a friend. Hence I was exposed to clay then. My friend suggested we take some private night lessons taught by a potter in nearby Seal Beach at the same time so we did.My family was mostly all teachers and art was a common theme in our home.Before graduating I was taking flying lessons and stopped after soloing and spent my savings on a wheel and was throwing at home. I moved to the Northern part of the state (from Long Beach)to go to Junior collage to study forestry and art then on to Humboldt state to finish my art degree. I landed at the JC in the right time as they where building kilns as it was new school. I knew how to throw and learned kiln building-went on the HSU and learned glaze making and ALL other aspects of ceramics from recent Alfred graduates who where all new hires and very much on fire to teach what they learned from the greats.I was at the right places at the right times it turned out. Went full time in 1976 the year of graduating from there. I never left my area of education (still a sleepy spot in this busy state)I bought some property in 73 and started building kilns while in school-still here 45 years later. I caught the clay bug without realizing it-never viewed this as a job or thought of it as work or a living until late 30s. I went thru some very tough $ years first 10 years then it slowly took off. The rest is history. Looking back you could say growing long hair and side burns got me into clay. PS: they dropped the dress code two years after I graduated .

I cannot wait until ghost is gone in all customers memories-Its been a sore spot with unrealistic pottery talk in my booth for decades.The romance of pottery-ya right-getting dirty-living heavy things- sure it romantic Johnny we have a different take on that.I cannot count the comments on that move years ago but they are now very much fading.

Here's that last load that came out last week.This is the kiln load in above post It was a loose load -what I call a year end clean up fire. Now its a everyday selling pots at my pottery booth and dropping pots off at my 9 outlets in this county. Xmas is go time in my world. The 25th is time to put my feet up. Then its stock up the outlets for the slow winter months.

Pres its like this every other week on Glaze day and sometimes every week if I took a few weeks and just threw without firing. Its my last fire of this year, only thing left is sell the pots myself and take them to my outlets every week. It go time in my business until the 25th then its as Mea says time to put my feet up -right now I'm waiting for a cortisone shot in my thumb.Seems all this clay work can mess with your body -who knew as one person said recently?

So today started like many glaze days except this was the last one this year. The day ended looking like these last two photos.Which is all that bisque ware you see in above post which got glazed and loaded today. The big car kiln was not quite full (last fire of year is a cleanup of whats left) and the little 12 cubic updraft was bait loose as well. This year in firing making terns is ending earlier than it ever has for me. Due to my two month broken arm setback-I ended up with a whole shows extra inventory-Hence no need to make that much more for xmas.I;ll post a year end comparison as usual for my business later in month after things slow down. I closed my retail pottery sale booth for two days (mon_tues) to concentrate on the glazing and firing as well as the usually 18 days this season is just a bit to long for me-I like 15 days selling maximum . So is will reopen on Wednesday and sell everyday thru xmas eve. My workbench will be empty of greenware and bisque ware its only for fired pots that need pricing or sorting or shipping now as the selling season is on and the makings season is over.

This was on my workbench this AM it did not fit the bench and spilled onto many surfaces.At the end of day (5 pm it looked like next post all glazed and loaded in two kiln loads -see next post) I throw a bunch of bowls and size them in groups by measure after bisqued-thats whats going on with these piles of bowls-they where just sized with a ruler. We(my studio assistant and myself) waxed and glazed and I loaded two kilns today-all this bisque ware processed today. Glaze fires in am. She does the hot dip waxing I do the hand waxing on footed forms This is my last two fire this year. see next post on that

I has a customer request this same item-but I do not do special orders anymore. Good job

letting clay freeze seems like make work to me-rewedeging and all . I would avoid at all costs-of course a few bags is no big deal.

I own 4 --150 quart coolers for fishing -how about using something like those or insulated moving blankets to keep the clay above freezing. It just needs no be at say 34 degrees. Foe small amounts (less than 1/2 ton-20 boxes) you could some keep in in the house as clay is dense and takes little room to store really.

No I do not let my clay freeze-1st its not good on the clay as I would have to wedge it afterwards second it never freezes in the studio or much outside here in this sweet wet /dry climate. I keep about a 1/2 ton inside suitor to work as its warm clay then..My clay shed outside on Northside of studio on road holds 99% of my clay (right now about 4 tons) it has a canvas front but it does not freeze here enough to ever freeze the clay.I also have about a ton of stoneware in another covered area also open to cold but no freezing either. We gat some cold snaps-today was 35 this early am warming to 60 today. I'm almost done with production for the year-as I finish making things next Wednesday-that clay will sit until February as thats when I will get back to working clay again. I still have firing and glazing to do but this year its done on the 12th. Pottery sale goes thru the 24th so its selling time -starts on the 8th. I was glazing in studio yesterday with heater blasting to dry some pots and it was 79 in there-like the tropics-outside it was in the 40s.No freezing in studio ever-its insulated and even when shut down a month or two it never gets that cold here.

I think I'm in that zone myself.

My studio has insulated walls and ceiling-the throwing room is also insulated in floor as well as double glass windows in throwing room added in the early 2000's.That throwing room is 8x12-the other room is 11x22 with an open walkway between. As a business I need it to work well-heat is part of working well.I turn on heater to dry pots as well as I did today-I'm off of clay on Thanksgiving but heater is drying out pots from earlier in week today. It has a sink and cold water (warm water is made on a pan on heater when needed) wired for outlets and has lots of LED 4 foot lights and has a vacuum sateen to control dust as well as a air filtration system for airborne dust when making glaze.The study is 80% old barn garage 20% new throwing room. The floor is wood.Being cold is not part of any creative endeavor or at least for me.

I stop studio work on Christmas and take a 4-6 week mandatory break-work in office on tax prep. My studio has a natural gas heater and can start up any time its needed.It does not freeze much around here only now and then. I do not close for winter and usually do get back to work in Feb. depending on winter vacation trips. Things slow down in winter except my grocery store sales keep on trucking so goods for them need to keep being produced . I often back stock most of that stuff so I always stay ahead of demand.

Two Kilns are cooling with glaze wares so tables are empty-New throwing starts in am-salt cellars,miso bowls and small cereal bowls for am. Only a few fires left this year. I'm way ahead with at this point a canceled show from broken arm-sounds strange but van is still packed full and back sock is piling up priced and boxed.

45 years and 11 months 2weeks and three days and still learning

45 years ago I thought pots all needed feet. That changed in the 1st 10 years for me. I like feet but not all wares need feet. I still feel bowls do need feet.If I have a form with no foot I still have a glaze catching ridge and it tapers under and appears as a foot to small degree. It also catches running glazes.Its one of my styles I'm know for along with the plate and platter nubbins-or any nubbin on the Botton which I sign.