HI oh man what where well here’s what happened/ happening soon we’ll see…

I was hunkered down in here with nothin but onions…

Things started out in Milwaulkie, middle-June. The weather was cool up there, and my booth was under a huge tent that backed up to the beautiful Milwaulkie Art Museum.

The show went great, I stayed with some awesome strangers, and saw some beautiful foggy scenery from my bike. Also saw some righteous rigs, guess people in that city love useful bikes..

I was loaded down with 3 shows-worth of pots, and would end up in Denver, but my next stop was in Elizabeth, IL, to stay with Paul and Laurel Eshelman of Eshelman Pottery.

First off, I had no idea that this part of the country was so beautiful. Eshelman pottery is i Downtown Elizabeth, which is in the Northeast corner of Illinios, which i guess never took the blow from glaciers a hundred or so years ago, and is a beautiful landscape of rolling hills and big skies.

Paul is kind of a ninja. He has been slip-casting for 25 years or more and is a stellar designer on top of that. He and Laurel run their business just a couple blocks from their home, and employ a couple of folks including an intern in the summahs. I learned a lot about slip-casting during my stay and could learn just as much every time I return..

Some finished work in the gallery

Paul showing Graham something or another

d plaster lair

set up for making mold of ultra-cal masters

scribb

They have raised three kids on their pottery and carved out a wonderful spot in Elizabeth, IL. You should go see them, you should buy their pots. Eshelmanpottery.com. Elizabeth is surrounded by rolling dirt roads that one could ride on for days. I got some bigger tires off a buddy before I left Chattanooga and they came in very handy. Took a little overnight bike camping trip from Elizabeth to a state park nearby. The ride was perfect and the gnats were out in full force once you stopped moving until the sun went down.

My next stop was Des Moines, IA, where I stayed with more awesome strangers. They put me up in this 8-bedroom house they rescued and renovated all themselves.

The show was alright, but it was a rainy weekend. That’s a pisser with craft shows for sure, being dependent on the weather so much. However, those who know they want to go out an buy art will still find a way to do so. That’s Paul on the right closing up his tent in preparation for more downpour. Des Moines seems like a pretty nice town, next year I hope to get out on my bike more. I ate pizza and got wet once.

The show goes until 10 i think which is a long day but I guess I went there to sell pots so ok.

Leaving Des Moines for Denver, I drove through the worst weather I’ve ever seen. Guess there was softball sized hail and about a mile behind me a semi was blown completely over. Though the van might blow over as well. It’s loud as hell in that thing when it starts to hail..

Outside Denver I stayed in Evergreen, CO, with this rad dude Josh Bales of Dying Breeds. He is a printmaker/ leatherworker/ fabricator/ blacksmith extraordinaire. That’s a wood stove he threw together. I left with a couple beautiful belts and a burning surge of urge for one or all of his prints.

The show in Denver was alright, but I was low on pots that sell. Would love to return.

After returning home for about a week, I had to drag my ass out to Penland School of Craft to assist a three-week workshop with Leah Leitson and Susan Filley..

It was a lot of hard work as I expected, but it is such a fostering and inspiring place to be, I came away with a few new ideas..

The class was about throwing porcelain pots on the wheel, so I got to just mess around with forms, handles, surfaces, and firing processes. I cam away with a few specific ideas and the start to some new handles and building techniques.

orange-1, snakes-0

burning all that gas again was kinda weird

watch out

salt n pep peps in process

class was this, dey was coo

finished pep pep

lil finished pep pep

some mishima cups for mexican dinner

mexican cocktail cup

new urban squirt

used cones again

salt kiln loaded as hell

We had a project which involved making a whole setting for a dinner party- serving, drinking, and eating vessels, as well as candlesticks and condiment dishes. It looked like this

Then I came  home and now I’ve been working on new dinnerware, pots for fall shows, and slip-casting with Jessie…

Really I only have a couple traveling shows this fall, but wholesale orders for bean & bailey are picking up. AND we are part of a Chattanooga Gallery hop this weekend. AND oh yeah I will be a guest artist on a studio tour in my hometown of Murfreesboro, TN in November.

  Bean and Bailey will be in Greenville, SC next weekend for the Indie Craft Parade.

Then September 26-28 is by big fall show, the Fall Tennessee Craft Fair in Centennial Park, Nashville, TN.

Also watch for our big holiday sale at Artifact in Chattanooga in November/December

hey lil buddies…

Well, I just got back from a show in Naples, FL and had a pretty good time..

Got to dip in de sea, camp in a KOA (shushed someone for the first time i think), and met some really great people…

Now I am back in the studio preparing for my next run of craft shows, including:

Bayou city Art Festival- Houston, TX, March 28-30

Ridgeland Arts Fest- Jackson, MS, April 5-6

Magic City Art Connection-Birmingham, AL, April 25-27

Tennessee Craft Fair- Nashville, TN, May 2-4

Click “shop” on the menu at the top to see a boatload of new work for sale on my etsy site!! Double-click your way to a very tight demitasse w/ saucer!!

Triple-click twice for an opportunity to buy some salt and pepper shakers…

Also dont forget about Bean and Bailey Slip-cast Ceramics!!! New colors in the works!!!!

Well yall, we’ve been making and firing a whole lot, and currently going through our last push before the holidays have their ways with us… Jessie and I have had several big wholesale orders, notably from a shop in Dallas called We Are 1976, and a local Chattanooga outdoor sports store Rock/Creek.

I focused more on Bean and Bailey Ceramics this winter (Jessie’s and my slip-cast functional ceramics), which was a joy and a learning experience as always. I have had time to make a few things in the studio since September, which I am firing now (finally), and will have for sale at the Studio Sale this weekend, then on my ETSY shop after that.

Our studio Sale is this weekend, December 13 & 14

Studio Sale at Artifact!!!

Along with fresh pots, I/we will have seconds, overstock, and wierdies, and work from 8-10 other artists. See Teamartifact.com for more info…

two-tone birdies..

These are a couple of the beauties from Bean and Bailey Ceramics that will be for sale this weekend..

And I have a fresh batch of mugs and bud vases coming out of the kiln as well…

half-glazed, lookin purty

Do you spend too much of your time on Instagram?!?!?!

I can help with that. follow me @breadheavens, I will help you with your focus and long- and short-term goals.

Well I have returned from Des Moines and Denver,

and have to say it was a good trip. No disasters, got to see some homies, and even hang out with my brother, Ames, who helped me out for the first leg of the trip…

He bro, cell phone expert

Thissa view from out the back of the booth in Des Moines. The show was situated around a beautiful sculpture park, and the weather was pretty dreamy, though gusty, which is not great for a tent. One guy lost all of his work pretty much. I saved a big bowl AKA “Mongo” from smashing unto the ground because of wind + pedestal + tent wobble. The show was open until ten at night, so i was able to get a few good shots as the crowds died down..

I see you, ghost. what it like when you cant touch my pottery?

You can see here I took almost all new work, which was exciting, but I didn’t really know what would sell, what would bomb. Didn’t sell any tall baskets, which were my favorite new forms. People really reacted to the low wide cylinders (AKA Mongos), which is good because i like them too.

veiw out the front of the booth across the row

You can see a big boy there, on the pedestal just past the bud vases.

Anyways, it was on to Denver from there to the Cherry Creek Arts Festival, which was also a successful show! I was able to stay with a good buddy of mine, AND my wife met up with me there. We also were able to take some weird photos. This one was in the dark at night, but with a very long exposure. Never thought these would turn out like this…

That’s us on the roof there. Looks like a weird technicolor wonderland…

I am back in the studio now, working on some new mugs I am excited about, and re-visiting some pitcher and teapot forms I dabbled with in the spring.

The studio has been somewhat quiet, but only because everyone had their/our heads down working like crazy. I will keep this updated with new work and it is being developed. And two more things…

Visit Mudfire.com where I still have a nice batch of work for sale!!

the website address for my work is exactly: http://www.mudfire.com/anderson-bailey-ceramics.htm

ALSO VISIT BEANANDBAILEYCERAMICS.COM!!!

THIS IS WHERE JESSIE AND I ARE SHOWCASING AND PROMOTING OUR NEW COLLABORATIVE LINE OF SLIP-CAST FUNCTIONAL CERAMICS!!!!

It is very special.

Lordy, I been makin a lottta treasures

Well this week is gonna be a crazy one, as I am packing up my van and heading out to Des Moines, Iowa, for the Des Moines Arts Festival. It will be the furthest I have traveled so far for a show, and that’s only the beginning, as I travel to Denver the next weekend for Cherry Creek Arts Festival.

So needless to say, I have been very busy preparing for these shows! (Which is awesome)

I have returned to making more mugs and bud vases and bread and butter like that, as well as some new tall basket forms and larger low cylinders that I am very excited about.

My glaze palette is slowly evolving as well, and will be changing more this summer. Switching my firing process from gas-firing to electric-firing has been more arduous that I expected, but I am beginning to see the light and understand how to use my new glazes.

I guess I could shed some light on why, briefly:

My old glazes were formulated to melt (turn into glass) at around 2350 degrees, and to interact with the atmosphere around them, which WAS burning propane– an atmosphere lacking in OXYGEN. This atmosphere is very different from the atmosphere inside my new electric kiln, which is full of oxygen. AND, the new electric kiln is only firing to around 2200 degrees. SO, i had to find new glazes that melt at lower temperatures, and do not need to react with the atmosphere around them to achieve the effect I desire.

Pitchures!

Fresh-glazed tall baskets etc. reddy to load!

That’s a shot of the pots after they are glazed, but not yet fired. The glaze goes on in liquid form, but quickly dries into a fragile powdery coating. When fired, that coating fluxes out and melts into a thin layer of glass on the surface of the pot.

loads of bud vases reddy to travel!

lotta mugs, sittin pretty, waiting..

some new stacking soup bowls

I’ve been packing everything into totes and getting them ready to load in my van. I am having to take much more work than usual, as both of these shows are open 10-12 hours a day (WHAA!?!?!) and i cannot come back and re-stock. The pots have really been piling up…

Pretty dang excited about these new sandwich plates, too….

AND THEN THERE’S BEAN AND BAILEY!!!

Jessie (my amazing wife) and I had our first show exclusively featuring our new line of slip-cast work– Bean and Bailey Ceramics. It was in Nashville, and people were very receptive.

Since then, we have launched both our website and online store, you can visit them both through beanandbaileyceramics.com.

We have made some work we are very proud of, and have a lot of ideas we are excited to execute, including new forms and surfaces. The process is completely different from hand-building and wheel-throwing, which is refreshing and inspiring.

Lots of Solid Colored Cups, ready for de takin!

Detail of Grey Splatter Cup..

Stack of Small Bowls

I hope you will go check out beanandbaileyceramics.com and see all that we’ve been working on. Jessie make the website and the online store, which are both beautiful, and she took all the photos.

I will be posting more work for sale on my website after I reeturn form my trip, so stay tuned for fresh treasures!!!

Whewwww….

Hey everybody, I just got back from Birmingham. Had a good show there at the Magic City Art Connection, though we were rained out on Sunday. Had a good response to some new work, which utilizes a new clay body and new glazes. The work is not too obviously different, but I’m still working on fine-tuning the surfaces. I am very excited about some new vase/basket forms…

Oval Towers….?

More baskets/vases with new blue/green….

This weekend I will be in Centennial Park in Nashville…

for the Spring TACA fair. I you are in the Nashville area please come out and support local craft artists. The Saturday after that, Jessie and are are having a Mother’s Day 2nds Sale!!! They are not necessarily “2nds” but trials and tribulations, like glaze tests or random forms we decided not to further explore.

This is an effort to make back a little money from the blood sweat and tears we’ve put into to refining our aesthetics and experimenting experimenting experimenting.

Mother’s Day 2nds Sale will be at our studio, Artifact, at 1080b Duncan Ave, in Chattanooga, on May 11th from 2-8 pm.

Would love to clear some of these bad boys outta here!!

We will be selling our independent work, as well as our collaborative line,  Bean and Bailey Ceramics.

Bean and Bailey will launch our new line of slip-cast porcelain work at Porter Flea in Nashville on May 31st-June 1st. Go to PorterFlea.com for more details on that show…

Spring 2013 Schedule…

May 3-5: TACA Spring Fair, Centennial Park, Nashville, TNtennesseecrafts.org for more details…

May 11, 2-8 pm: Mother’s Day 2nds Sale, Artifact Studio, Chattanooga, TN.

May 31- June 1: Porter Flea, Cornelia Fort Airpark, Nashville, TN. Porterflea.com….

June 28-30: Des Moines Arts Festival, Des Moines, IA.  desmoinesartsfestival.com for more details…

July 5-7: Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO. Cherryarts.org for more details…

Big O Bowl at Mudfire

Man oh man, thangs are gettin busy! I delivered a body of work to Mudfire Gallery in Atlanta, and my solo show there opens to the public on Saturday, March 2nd. All work will be for sale at the gallery there, and online! I will be there from 2-6 on Saturday in case anybody wants to stop by!

I have also been in production mode, trying to stock up on mugs, bud vases, bowls, and some new cream & sugars for this spring. I have started using a new clay and will have all new glazes as well, so I still have a lot of work to do regarding my surfaces. I am going to incorporate more color and texture, but still keep  somewhat simple aesthetic. I am excited and very nervous to see what comes!

Greeware, about ready for the bisque!

ALSO in progress is a boat-load of slip-cast work that Jessie and I have been working on. We are still refining our vision as to what this first line of work will look like. We have tested several colored slips and 20 different glazes, and are leaning more and more towards using primarily colored slips as the basis for our palette.

Pink and white porcelain tumblers, slip cast and fired to cone 6 in our shiny new L&L kiln!

We hope to launch this work by the spring, though I tell you what, I never imagined that juggling two completely different processes and bodies of work would be this hectic! At least I can do it all in the same kiln now. I was previously packing everything up and driving 2.5 hours to fire with the very generous Lee Marshall and John Sellberg.

The rest of the studio has been nice and busy, check out details about that at teamartifact.com

I went to Lebannon, TN last weekend to make some pots for a potter I used to work for and still fire a kiln with from time to time. It has been a while since I’ve been in super production mode like this, and it felt pretty alright. My buddy John Sellberg does it all the time, making her pots and his, which amazes me. My body starts to break down after making this much stuff and finishing it in a couple days. It is good to keep your hands that busy though and really hone in on making subtle adjustments. It’s just building up more muscle memory and showing you where you are obviously developing bad habits and losing efficiency. I also made some utensil cylinders not shown here. Last weekend also drove it home how little money you can make off a mug, especially if you are pulling handles off the pot, which I wasn’t even doing here. Throwing is the fastest part, but it’s hard to charge twice as much for a mug as you would for a cup about the same size. Anyways, nice to make a little cheese and then come home to my studio where jessie and I did a bunch of slip casting the past couple of weeks. Now we fit to test glazes and see what kinda fury we can evoke with our Bean & Bailey wares. Stay tuned for more treasures.

New Mustard Mixing hat

Hey everybody hope your holidays were bangin. The stars and planets have kinda aligned in my world in that it’s a very slow time of the year for most anybody selling anything to anybody else… so, Jessie and I have finally kicked into gear with our slip-casting project we received a grant for back in October. We have been casting blanks out of Plaster, carving them, and made a mold or two as well.

During and after carving, sanding

Been using different vessels to make the blanks, including beer cans, coddle boards, and tar-paper cylinders. Then we carve them up using sure-forms, scrapers, cutters, sandpapers, gitters, and what-you-needs. After the desired shape is achieved, we set it up, soap it up, and either build or pour the mold out of plaster.Jessie’s half-gem hanging planter, inverted.

The finished mold.

Ive been making more cups, images to follow….

This weekend in Nashville!!! I will be here as well as two of my studio mates!!!! Porterflea.com

Then after that we gotta big rig gotta gemstone quarry we thunderiin down into to bring you the tightest and brightest chattanooga has to offer!!!