Ahhhh... sitting with my feet up just basking in the feeling of having a big event behind me.
Yesterday was the last day of our annual Bluff Country Studio Art Tour. While the event is just one weekend, we've managed to make it into a multi-week event here at the studio. You know how it gets - it starts out a simple thing and then you gradually keep making it more and more and before you know it... it's taking up several weeks of your life. But I love it!! It's the kick off to our summer sale season so worth starting out big, right?
The weekend before the tour, we fired to wood kiln so it could be opened during the tour with a kiln opening and pizza party. It's always fun to be able to share the pleasure of opening a kiln and the surprise and wonder discovering what is found inside.
So, on Saturday evening, with the help of a great group of friends, we unloaded the kiln fired the previous weekend and it was fabulous to see the results. The firing was longer than usual and the results were wonderful. The occasional peek inside while it was cooling did not do this load justice.
Here are some photos of a few of my favorites.
Ok - no more time for basking. It's time to get back to work again. Be well. Have a great week.
Whew! The last couple weeks were pretty hectic. But in the good way.
Monday, April 22nd we fired the wood kiln which had some challenging moments but ultimately, went very well. Here are some photos of my favorite pieces.
Last weekend we participated in the Bluff Country Studio Art Tour as well as our annual kiln opening and pizza party. It's fun to have lots of people come together and have them experience the same excitement of unloading all the wonderful surprises in the kiln. Add pizza to the mix and how can you go wrong?
Now, after a few days to recover from all the activity, I'm ready to get back in the studio tomorrow. A custom order of dinnerware and some horsehair raku sound like a good starting point. Have a great weekend all.
We closed up the wood kiln this morning at 10am. Despite a troubled period in the middle of the firing (stall and wood stacks getting rained on) this firing went fairly well. Cones in the bottom and top of the kiln are amazingly similar in maturity which is something I've been striving for and don't always achieve. So while I didn't feel it in my 2am delirium, I think this firing shows great promise. We'll be unloading during the Bluff Country Studio Art Tour this coming weekend, visit if you'd like to see the results first hand. Click here for info on the kiln opening party.
You might wonder what a person does the day after a 24 hour kiln firing? Well, after the best shower in the world and a post firing nap, I had to deal with my excess pot wadding. I seem to have this nearing neurotic fear of not having enough wadding so I always make too much. While that normally might be considered a good thing, my wadding mix has oat bran in it that causes the wadding to get nasty smelly and furry in just a couple days. I don't usually find the excess wadding until a couple weeks later when it's absolutely gross. But not this time, I spent my post firing afternoon, making little wad balls, hoping I can get them to dry before they go bad. Sad huh?
Now for the post firing beer...
Woohoo!! Spring like weather may actually make it to
Minnesota!! Well, whether the spring like weather arrives or not,
the annual spring Bluff Country Studio Art Tour definitely will.
This
event for us is the kick off to our summer sale season. It's the time I
have the largest inventory of the year and since it's at our studio, I
don't need to only bring part of it to a sale because I don't have room
for all of it in the 10x10 space sales allow. It's your best
opportunity to find the perfect pot you've been looking for or maybe one
you didn't even know you needed before you saw it.
Please join us for the Bluff Country Studio Art Tour
April 26 - 28, 2013
10am - 5pm
40051 Co Rd 12
Lanesboro, Minnesota
link to tour map below
Also
during the tour, we'll be having a kiln opening party on Saturday,
April 27th starting at 5:00. We'll unload the wood kiln to see the new
treasures it holds, socialize (its a party!!!) and enjoying delicious pizzas from our cob oven. Everyone is welcome so I sure hope you can join us.
For a map to all tour locations click HERE. I'm at location #22 on the map.
During the Bluff Country Studio Art Tour last month, we hosted a kiln opening party. It was a great time to have so many people around to share my "Christmas morning" and a few beers. Watching the video, it appears I spent most of the time making faces, but I swear in each of the photos I was actually talking so it was just motor mouth funny faces, not "I'm a dork" funny faces. Honestly!!!
The Bluff Country Studio Art Tour is just two short weeks away and I'm
still busy making new pieces to have available for this fabulous event.
Here is all the information you'll need to visit our studio during the
tour.
Where: Sue Pariseau Pottery at Old Crow Studio
Location: 40051 County Road 12, Lanesboro, MN
When: Friday, April 27 - Sunday, April 29, 2012
Time: 10am - 5pm each day
Link to map
& follow the signs to location
We are also hosting a special event during the art tour -
We're having a Kiln Opening Party!! Please join us on Saturday, April 28th from 5pm to 8pm
for all the oos and ahs while we unload the kiln. We'll be serving
pizza and you'll get the first opportunity to purchase pots fresh out of
the kiln.
Artists Stop #8
Artists Stop #8 on the 2012 Bluff Country Studio Art Tour is where you will find Sue Pariseau Pottery.
Sue's functional stoneware can be found at 40051 County Rd 12,
Lanesboro, Minnesota. Her work features a diverse palette ranging
from beautiful earthy wood fired pieces to brightly colored oxidation
pieces and many shades in between.
Saturday evening (April 28th) from 5pm
to 8pm Sue will be hosting a Kiln Opening party to unload her bourry box
wood-fired kiln. For those who have seen or will see the kiln firing at
Allamakee Wood-fired Pottery, this is a nice follow-up event to see the
unloading of a kiln. Plus, you'll have the first opportunity to buy
pots fresh out of the kiln.
Don't miss this activity packed tour stop, the kiln opening party or the opportunity to grab fresh pots just out of the kiln.
