Clay Blog Review: January 2016

Happy New Year! I hope your 2016 is off to a great start. The clay blogs have started strong. There was a lot of great feedback for the Top Pottery Blogs of 2015. Don’t forget to subscribe to the blogs that you really enjoy and connect through the comments on those blogs. Also thanks for sharing and commenting here on the Pottery Making Blog.

If you’re new to the Clay Blog Review, it’s basically a monthly recap of all the great pottery blogs from around the ‘net. They are sorted by category to make reading a little easier. If you know a pottery blog that should be included that isn’t on the blog list let me know!

So, let’s get to the blogs!

The Can’t Miss

What were the “must read” pottery blog posts during the past month?

• Kristen Kieffer: Studio Cycles Pictorial 2015
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Best of CFile.Daily |15 Potters to Watch in 2016
• Whistle Creek: A Tip, A Tool, and a Technique.
• Barnbarroch Pottery: Teapots
• Gary’s third pottery blog: CRUSTY… a potter’s workplace
• HaldeBlog: Five things HaldeCraft did wrong in 2015
• Tony Clennell: Some and some
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: New Stamps For The New Year
• Blog – objective clay: Throwing Molds on the Wheel
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Video | “The Valley of the Potters:” Meet one of the Oldest Clay Traditions on Earth
• Love Sown: Pulling Spoons
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Video | How to throw a Banana on the Potter’s Wheel
• Lucia Pottery: 10 Practical Considerations when Pulling Handles for Mugs
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Ironies of the potting profession

Process and Technique

What do pots look like during the process and how are they made?

• Jenny Mendes: begin again
• weddwould: In my hour of darkness
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: Monday. Time to Get Some Pots Finished!
• Jenny Mendes: Traveling Girl
• Kyle Carpenter Studio Pottery: Making pots for #stcroixpotterytour !!
• Courtney Martin Pottery: I’ve been making trays! So many made, so many more stil
• Jenny Mendes: Nepali School Girl
• musing about mud: movie day: Susan O’Bryne
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Video | A Portrait of Sculptor Michael Boroniec in the Studio
• Elif Ozbay: sketchbook: inspired by architecture
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: Throw a Curve
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: Finishing Up The Week
• Tony Clennell: Big Jug Country
• Dawn Whitehand: Visual Artist: Sunday Studio Visit – custom orders and bits and pieces
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: An Emotional Day
• musing about mud: technical tuesday: Making ceramic wall art discs by Natalie Blake Studios

• Kim Murton: Worktable-12 heads in process
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: I’m in Business
• meesh’s pottery: Not Piggy Banks
• Claying Thoughts: Clay Sculpture Projects
• Kyle Carpenter Studio Pottery: #teapot
• Gary’s third pottery blog: great expectations….
• Blue Starr Gallery: Go Out of My Depth
• meesh’s pottery: Need Dentures?
• Kyle Carpenter Studio Pottery: A crappy spout offers a great opportunity to cut this teapot in half and see how the throwing and trimming skills stack up.
• Blog – Clay By Laura: Strength In Numbers
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: Coming to the End of a Cycle
• Love Sown: In Progress
• Jenny Mendes: Tiles
• Lucia Pottery: Making a Pulled Handle on a Pitcher

• Marian Williams Pottery: Video Demonstration of Rob Barron, Gooseneck Pottery, Wedging and Throwing
• Clay and Ginger: Penguin with woolie hat and Santa ornament soon to be fired….
• Learning to be Fearless: Firing the Kiln in a Blizzard
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: New Year. New Mugs. New Shapes?
• Anna’s Ceramics by Anna Ryland: Secret project and bottle pourers
• Blue Starr Gallery: Frozen Tundra and Woven Bowl
• Hannah McAndrew: Slow and Steady
• Blog – Clay By Laura: With A Nod To Mother Nature
• Sawdust & Dirt: Video-eo-eo
• Jenny Mendes: Michael Simon Pottery Demonstration
• Claying Thoughts: Terracotta Big Pot
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: Loaded and Ready to Fire
• Dirty Girl Clayworks: slow and steady
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Christmas Ornaments Again!!!… Too Soon?
• Gary’s third pottery blog: on the one hand, painted mugs.. on the other, gluten-free pizza!
• pots and pieces: Testing. Testing.
• Fine Mess Pottery: Notes from the Martha Grover Workshop
• Marian Williams Pottery: Throwing Demonstration by Tetsuo Iwashita

Tips and Technical

How can I become a more efficient or knowledgeable potter?

• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Cold Finish to Enhance Sculpture
• meesh’s pottery: Tied at #11
• Fine Mess Pottery: A Roll and a Roll
• Tony Clennell: Glazing in a Tea cup
• meesh’s pottery: Oops!
• potteryman: Talk and Tips
• The Art of Wedging – lisa w.b. walker, ceramic artist: The Art of Wedging
• Marian Williams Pottery: Video Demonstration of Spiral Wedging by Malcolm Greenwood
• Bridges Pottery Blog: Saturday Factoid……What is Kaolin?
• musing about mud: technical tuesday: Rehydrating Hard Clay the Easy Way
• Gary’s third pottery blog: how to make a lamp from SCRATCH
• Love Sown: How to glaze the whole spoon
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Val Cushing’s Glaze Handouts
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: Pouring Glaze with a Ladle for Decoration

• Jenni Ward: Tools
• Jenni Ward: Making Kiln Stilts
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Throwing While Standing Up
• Fine Mess Pottery: WELL THAT SUCKED

Recent Work

Where can I see inspiring pottery?

• Gary’s third pottery blog: bubbly: not just champagne….
• Blue Starr Gallery: Another Ribbon Vessel
• Zygote Blum: Starry Blue
• Zygote Blum: Dot dot Dot
• andrewwiddis: New cup.
• Dawn Whitehand: Visual Artist: Sunday Studio Visit – grotesque mug update
• musing about mud: monday morning eye candy: Angela Cunningham
• Whynot Pottery Blog: Reminders for the New year.
• PATRICIA GRIFFIN CERAMICS – BLOG: January showers bringing flowers!
• Bella Joy Pottery by Heidi Fahrenbacher: The Gift of Time
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Design | “The Fifty United Plates” fired in a Detroit Kiln
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Design | Porcelain Plates Swarming with Hand-Painted Ants
• lisa w.b. walker, ceramic artist: small works
• Future Relics Pottery Blog: A Moment in Time
• The Rabbit Muse: Shop update TOMORROW Friday, January 8th!
• Rough Ideas: drawing
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Studio Pottery | Wood-Fired Wares from Stefan Andersson’s Kiln
• Kim Murton: Cobalt drawings on small rd plates
• Gary’s third pottery blog: not exactly bamboo….
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Spotted | Miniscule Pots, Upside Down Puryear, Medical Benefits, Preciously White, and Saving Trees
• Hannah McAndrew: Last Week at The Leach
• Rae Dunn … clay » clay.: new works . . .
• Mishima…and more | Daria Claiborne Pottery: Mishima…and more | Daria Claiborne Pottery
• Gary’s third pottery blog: half of 3.3 million…
• Tim Lake Ceramics: Happy New Year!!
• Pinchpots: New Work
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Exhibition | “Japanese K?gei: Future Forward” at Museum of Arts and Design, New York
• Gaea Ceramic Bead and Art Studio Blog: New Beads… More to Come…
• andrewwiddis: Bottle vase.
• Fine Mess Pottery: Thursday Inspiration: Kirsten Bassion
• FetishGhost’s Secret Studio: Wonder and Reason
• musing about mud: emerging artist: Erin Carpenter
• Gary’s third pottery blog: a tale of 2 vases…or 3….
• musing about mud: monday morning eye candy: Susan Nemeth
• Tony Clennell: Skin Disease
• planetabarro: Porcelana
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Cold Finish on Sculpture
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Marketplace | Selections from the New York Ceramics & Glass Fair
• Rae Dunn … clay » clay.: fruition.
• musing about mud: movie day: Katharina Klug

• Whynot Pottery Blog: Get ready
• Gary’s third pottery blog: glaucoma, sunglasses and new specs, and OH YES new pots….
• Gary’s third pottery blog: whoa, LONG upper handle…
• Whynot Pottery Blog: There were some good ones.
• Tony Clennell: Ash to the wall
• Gary’s third pottery blog: speaking of that handle….
• musing about mud: monday morning eye candy: Marion Angelica
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Online Mug Sale : Starts Next Saturday
• WALLYWARE: It comes from deep within me.
• Jenny Mendes: Protection
• Whynot Pottery Blog: If
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Exhibitions In Brief | Rethinking the Vessel, Shadow Butterflies, and Basic Black
• groszceramika: Warto?ci dodane.
• Tony Clennell: It beats robbin the liquor store!
• Jenny Mendes: Spirit Animals
• Ben Brierley Woodfired Ceramics: And the ash and dust settle.
• Gary’s third pottery blog: mugsmugsmugs…..
• Kristen Kieffer: Valenspringtine 2016
• FetishGhost’s Secret Studio: Hashtag… Reboot
• The Rabbit Muse: Shop Update TOMORROW, Friday January 29th!
• Kim Murton: glazed and fired
• Matt’s Ceramic Action: Liquor Bottle Set
• meesh’s pottery: Drippy Glazes
• weddwould: Know your product
• musing about mud: emerging artist: Eman Abdulhalim
• FetishGhost’s Secret Studio: Le Coq
• flyeschool.com: January 31st 2016

Thoughts

What can I ponder while making pottery and ceramic art?

• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Your pots by the hour
• Love Sown: Setting aside ideal
• JEANETTE MANCHESTER HARRIS: Being an Expert
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Lingua Ceramica
• FetishGhost’s Secret Studio: For No Good Reason (In praise of the amateur)
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Greener grass
• Blog – objective clay: The Minimalists Dilemma
• Marian Williams Pottery: Pricing Your Work…Thoughts.
• this artist’s life: managing details
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: The world is not enough
• Love Sown: Will You be Intimidated or Inspired?
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Voice = choice + advice

Interviews and Podcasts

What do potters have to say?

• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Interview | Bomb Magazine Interviews Nicole Cherubini
• The Potters Cast: Being a Pro | Richard Peterson | Episode 176
• The Potters Cast: The Philosophy of Art | Simon Levin | Episode 177
• The Potters Cast: Social Media Manners | Tim See | Episode 178
• The Potters Cast: Writing a Diary with Art | Minah Kim | Episode 179
• NCECA Blog: Board Bio – Spotlight: Deb Bedwell
• The Potters Cast: Branding for Potters | Anna Eaves | Episode 180
• The Potters Cast: Seasons of a Potter’s Life | David Voorhees | Episode 181
• NCECA Blog: Board Bio – Spotlight: Patsy Cox
• The Potters Cast: Sleep- The Cost of Pottery | Adriana Christianson | Episode 182
• The Potters Cast: Building a Communal Pottery Studio | Melissa Weiss | Episode 183
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast: 132: Jacques Kauffman on developing bioactive architecture that reduces green house gases

Opportunities

What’s out there for potters?

• musing about mud: call for entry: The Clay Studio National
• BPracticalPottery: Opportunity: Across The Table
• BPracticalPottery: Opportunity: Contemporary Clay 2016
• musing about mud: Florida Heat Surface
• NCECA Blog: Inside NCECA: Vol 2, No. 8 – PreConference Events
• musing about mud: call for entry: Small Favors An Exhibition of Diminutive Works
• musing about mud: call for entry: Cup Show and Sex Themed Exhibition at Clay Art Vegas
• musing about mud: Archie Bray workshop registration opens tomorrow!
• musing about mud: Upcoming workshops @ La Meridiana
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Call for Entries/ National Teabowl Exhibit/ 2016
• musing about mud: CERAMICS STUDY TOUR: Shanghai, Jingdezhen, Xi’an and Beijing
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: SC Clay Conference 2016
• musing about mud: call for entry: Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Lecture | Garth Clark to Speak at Belger Crane Yard Studios
• musing about mud: Think Big 2 – Sign up now and receive 20% off.
• musing about mud: New Workshop: Narrative & Controversy
• NCECA Blog: Inside NCECA: Vol 2, No. 9 Exhibitions Receptions
• John Britt Pottery: Gulf Coast Clay Conference Feb 3-6, 2016 Pensacola FL
• NCECA Blog: Glenda Taylor Memorial NCECA ride update
• musing about mud: call for artists: 4th International Ceramic Art Symposium “CERAMIC LABORATORY”
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Call for Entries…3rd Annual Teapot Show…March 2016
• Clay Club: 29th annual North Carolina Potters Conference – March 4-6, 2016
• Clay Club: Linda Christianson – Visiting Artist! Haywood Community College
• musing about mud: residency opportunity: CRAFT ACT
• musing about mud: Pitchers – Pre-NCECA workshop

The Rest

What else do potters blog about?

• ang design blog: raku workshop video at G1855
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Handmade Ceramics are “White-Hot”
• Learning to be Fearless: First Day of 2016
• April Noble Studio – Notes from the Journey: Baroque Crap…
• paul the potter: Heading into the unknown life as a potter in 2016.
• Fine Mess Pottery: Dream it, Plan it, Bless it with Sweat
• good elephant pottery – blog: First Pot of the Year
• News – Pottery Making Info: Top Pottery Blogs of 2015
• Gary’s third pottery blog: holy CATS number 2 in the world…
• Alchemy of Clay: A Top Potter Blogger
• Blog – Clay By Laura: Back and Forth
• Pots and Tea: New Year, new blogging attitude…
• Tony Clennell: Easy money, hard money!
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Voted #1 Pottery Blog for 2015… Yeah Me!
• Tony Clennell: Bronze Medal
• Jenni Ward: New Book Launch!
• NCECA Blog: one day, late in the afternoon
• BPracticalPottery: Read It: Activist vs Political Art
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Marketplace | Garth Clark: In Sydney Grayson gives 13 steps to “becoming a successful artist like me”
• meesh’s pottery: Tools of the Trade
• Tony Clennell: Cussin’, The Lord and Slab Trays
• Mashiko Potter In Minnesota: How I Came To Be A Potter. (I wrote this about 15 years ago, for a friend.)
• Clay and Ginger: The new trend IS handmade ceramics
• Marian Williams Pottery: Markets or Online Shopping? Setting Up An Online Shop
• Scott K Roberts Pottery: David Peters
• Clay Club: Edmund de Waal’s “white road”: journey into an obsession, or a pilgrimage of sorts?

• Peter’s Pottery: Happy New Year 2016
• Contemporary Ceramics: Winter rotation: Featured makers
• Tony Clennell: The Richest Man in the Room
• Fine Mess Pottery: Goal Setting, January Too Oh! Won Six
• Clay and Ginger: My Wholesale year
• BPracticalPottery: Viedo: Issac Button

• Marian Williams Pottery: Setting Up An Online Store
• Around and About with Bulldog Pottery: 29th annual North Carolina Potters Conference – 2016
• Blog – Clay By Laura: Taking Care of Business
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Architecture | An Entire Home in Japan to Showcase Pottery to the Outside World
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Marketplace | Washington Post Cites Trend of Custom Ceramic Tableware for Restaurants
• meesh’s pottery: Throwing Money
• Whynot Pottery Blog: In the blink of an eye
• Clay and Ginger: Checklist Items – Boos and Yays
• Fine Mess Pottery: Postcards, Business Cards, and Plane Tickets, Oh My!
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Discussion |”Panic!” Study: UK Arts Dominated by the Wealthy
• Rae Dunn … clay » clay.: take that !
• Clay and Ginger: Time Management: My 2 cents
• Marian Williams Pottery: How To Make Coffee With A Ceramic Pour Over – Video
• Mashiko Potter In Minnesota: MacKenzie, Shimaoka, Hamada and a “Bunchong” Dish.
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Foto File | Sculpting a Large Container of Clay using Only Your Body
• musing about mud: via the LA Times: Harrison McIntosh, Southland artist who pushed ceramics’ boundaries, dies at 101
• musing about mud: Obituary: Chase D. Grover
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Video | Ron Nagle Speaks at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Colorado

• Nine Toes Pottery: Happy 2016! Finally a few words…
• Joel Cherrico Pottery: The Next Generation: Asteroid Cups and Meteorite Mugs
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: Gratitude
• April Noble Studio – Notes from the Journey: Goals
• musing about mud: Obiturary: Barry Brickell
• Dawn Whitehand: Visual Artist: Sunday Studio Visit – bits and bobs
• HaldeBlog: The January #planwithmechallenge (days 1-5)
• A Devonshire Pottery: In case you’re still wondering, we did it!
• Joy Tanner Pottery: New Year, New Thoughts
• Tony Clennell: Too Many Non Paying Jobs
• this artist’s life: daily rituals
• meesh’s pottery: Giving it Away…
• Hughes Pottery: A Love Story
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: When Pottery & Technology Collide.
• CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Video | Andy Goldsworthy Builds Crumbling Clay Dome in Brazil
• Hannah McAndrew: Barry Brickell – Potter
• Tony Clennell: Cranky Love
• NCECA Blog: 2015 Process Room Videos Now Availalble via Digital Download!
• Blog – Art by Fuzzy: Year in Review – 2015

Thanks for reading! If you have any questions let me know. I’m way behind on emails but I hope to catch up soon. Don’t forget to sign up for the Pottery Making Newsletter as well!

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