Art & Pottery: Art Shows & Sales in Gulf Coast Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, this weekend

The first weekend of November is always a popular weekend for art shows andsales here on this part of the Gulf. If you're looking for something to do this weekend, here are but a few of these events to check out:

• This Friday night, Nov 3rd, between 5 and 10 pm, Main Street Mobile will be closing down Conti Street again and opening it up for the evening to the arts. ArtsAlive! on Conti Street is a bi-annual event, usually held in May and November and is a celebration of "visual, performing, and written arts" as well as local artists. Please refer to their calendar for more info.
• Fri Nov 3rd through Sun Nov 5 - The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival , Pensacola, Florida
• Sat Nov 4 & Sunday Nov 5 - The Peter Anderson Festival, Ocean Springs, MS

Nan Coffin & Richard Burkett Pottery Exhibit in Indiana

Please check out this exhibit by Joe Molinaro and my good friends and Nan Coffin and Richard Burkett at the Charlie Cummings Clay Studio and Gallery in Fort Wayne, Indiana:


http://www.claylink.com/currentexhib.html


This exhibit runs from Oct 6 until Oct 27th. Unfortunately we have already missed the date for Joe Molinaro's free lecture at the gallery: "Evolving Traditions and Outside Influences Facing the Ecuadorian Amazon."


Richard Burkett teaches at the University of San Diego and Joe Molinaro teaches at Eastern Kentucky University. Joe, Nan, and Richard have spent extensive time doing research in Ecuador working amongst potters and collecting their work.

2007 Alabama's Year of the Arts

Alabama's Governor Riley announced at the beginning of this month that 2007 would be officially Alabama's Year of the Arts.

"The campaign is designed to be a year–long celebration of the arts in Alabama that encourages both visitors and Alabamians to spend time experiencing every form of art that Alabama has to offer."
according to the Alabama's Bureau of Tourism & Travel web site

In addition to a brochure they are putting out, they are compiling a database of artists, arts organizations (including galleries), events, and attractions online that they will be drawing from for future promotional information, publications, and happenings. In the next couple of weeks they will apparently also be revamping the existing web page, making it a lot more extensive, and hopefully a resource that will benefit everyone in the arts community. You can learn more about their plans and keep up with the latest news on their web site.

Sometimes working as an independent artist tucked away in your studio can be a tad isolating. If you haven't heard anything about this, don't feel you've missed out. Its still not too late to get your name/event/gallery into their database.
Artists have been asked to submit information directly on their website
at: http://www.800alabama.com/yoa/signup/artists/index.cfm?action=new,
art organizations (including galleries) at: http://www.800alabama.com/yoa/signup/organizations/index.cfm?action=new,
and if you have an arts event, list it in their calendar at: http://www.800alabama.com/things-to-do/events/submit.cfm.

Webb Pottery site, Coastal Artisans, Christmas Show and Sale

My apologies to those of you who may have tried to access our web site for the last week only to get a "page not found" message. I can assure you, we have not fallen off the planet and, I'm happy to say, we are still most definitely very much here.

As I had mentioned in a previous post, we, along with 11 other artists, have formed a group called the Coastal Artisans, a self-representing collective of noteable and established artists from the Mobile, Baldwin County, and Surrounding areas. Our mission is to present a broad range and eclectic mix of quality artwork to the public, and increase art awareness in the community.

Our artists include: Charles Smith, pottery; Chris Hartsfield, Watercolors; Kurt Thomas, Serigraphs, Screenprinting; Phillip & Jaclyn Benedict, Fine Jewelry & Handcut Gemstones, Rick Tino, Acrylic, Watercolor, & Gouache; "Spike" Cloninger, Fine Lathe-Turned Vessels; Lowell Webb, Pottery; David Atwood, Stained & Fused Glass; Anne Webb, Pottery; William Colburn, Metal Sculpture; Scott Blackwell (Mombo Designs), Cajun Art & Design; Lillie Mack & Marilyn Gordon (Blackbelt Designs), Fiber, Fashion Design; and Jimmy Stroud, Nature Photography.

On December 2nd, we are happy to announce that we will be holding our First Annual Christmas Show and Sale at The Mobile Botanical Gardens from 9 am to 5 pm. Its a one day only event and is being held in conjunction with the Master Gardeners' and Annual Poinsettia Sale events at the Botanical Gardens.

To find out more info about our group, our artists, and our Christmas Sale, please check out The Coastal Artisans' blog/website (http://thecoastalartisans.blogspot.com) . We will be adding more info in the months leading up to the show.

Webb pottery web site? ...Where'd it go?

Yes we are still around, but the web site has been down for the last 3 days. Unsure what the problem is this time but am hoping that some light is shed by sometime later today.
Later today: Found out the Webb Pottery site will be down at least until Thursday or Friday. Problems with web host server. Please bear with us. Thanks!

Webb Art Pottery Stylized Art Nouveau Oleander Design - Raku Vase

Vase with Art Nouveau Stylized Oleander Design
Incised design, Raku fired

Approx 12"H x 6.5"W

Anne Webb, Webb Pottery, 2006


Recently listed on ebay: Item #130030461617

More Links - Pottery, Ceramics, & Art Resources, Glaze Calculation

In line with my last couple of posts, here are a few more links for you ...just some of the many out there.

NCECA - National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts.
The Ceramics Web - a Database of all sorts of resource links, datatbases, and material put together by SDSU's Richard Burkett
Clayart Archives - Clayart, the popular ceramics email chat group originally put together and moderated by Joe Molinaro and Richard Burkett, now moderated by Mel Jacobson, is still going strong after 15 to 20 years. Instructions to become part of the Clayart discussion group, as well as the archives of all posts since Clayart's inception can be found on this site (www.potters.org). Discussion on just about every aspect of ceramics.
Arts, Crafts, & Theater Safety - Find out a little more about Monona Rossol, one of the leading authorities on studio and material safety.
Hyperglaze - Glaze Calculation Software & Info, Richard Burkett
Insight - Glaze Calculation Software & Info, Tony Hansen & Digitalfire
American Ceramics Society
American Craft Council
Southern Arts Federation
Southern Artistry

Pottery, Ceramics & Art Magazines

I mentioned in my last post how isolating working alone in your studio can be. As any artist knows, the arrival of a new catalog or magazine can sometimes put a little more wind to your sails just when you need it.

On more than one occasion I have had beginner potters come into my booth at a show with that hungry thirst-for-knowledge look in their eyes, excited to see anything made of clay, and sometimes even more excited to meet the artist.

There are so many great magazines out there that offer informative articles, tips on technique, calls for entry, upcoming workshops and conferences, as well as info on suppliers and new equipment available.

I've compiled below for those budding new artists, collectors, and anyone else interested in clay, a short list of some of the more well known (in North America at least) publications with links I've found to their web sites.

Clay Times (cover pictured here)
Ceramics Monthly
Pottery Making Illustrated
Studio Potter
Art and Perception (Australia)
Ceramics Technical (Australia)
Ceramic Review (UK)
Critical Ceramics
American Craft Magazine
Art Calendar

A Plethora of Pottery Books & Videos from The Potters Shop

Working alone in your studio can be a lonely existence at times and the arrival of new catalogs and publications gives us potters a chance to find out what is going on out there in the clay world and makes us feel a more connected member of that community.

For as long I have been potting, I have always been excited to get the latest catalog from The Potters Shop . A few times a year they would send out their thickly folded pastel colored catalog with literally hundreds of wonderful books, videos, and a selection of tools, to pour over and discover as I unfolded each section. I could always count on finding something that was new, or at least new to me, and at a good price.

Steve Branfman, a veteran potter, seasoned lecturer, and author of books such as Raku: A Practical Approach and A Professional Potters Handbook, runs The Potters Shop out of Needham, Massachusetts, along with his wonderful staff. They don't just sell books, but it is an actual working studio with a gallery, classes, and rental studio space.

You can view their huge selection of books in their Online Catalog, or you can contact them directly for one you can hold and read offline.
Here is their contact info:
The Potters Shop - 31 Thorpe Road, Needham MA 02494
info@ThePottersShop.com (781) 449-7687 fax (781) 449-9098

Pottery Biz with Kids? Shows, Gas, Coastal Artisans, Art marketing...,

Because of surgery recovery and other irons in the fire, we decided this year to not do our usual Labor Day show. Even though recovery went better than I expected, I think it was probably a wise decision. It has allowed me to ease back into throwing, enough time to try out some new forms and designs, and to reorganize my work space.

My eldest daughter started at school four full 4 days a week this year and I am amazed at how much of a difference it makes to my routine and productivity. Believe me, having 2 small (and busy) children and trying to make pots certainly presents its challenges, to say the least! One has to learn 1) how to work smarter, 2) not to leave critical things to the last minute (because inevitably that will be when your child decides to have a meltdown or get sick), and 3) not to beat yourself up if you don't get everything done. No small task for a skilled procrastinator.

Then doing craft/art shows with small children ...that's another experience. At an outdoor show its a little more doable than an indoor one, but, believe me, having to keep a steady eye on a child while trying to deal with a customer is tough, if not impossible. So last year when a friend of mine offered to watch the girls while we went to a show in Ocean Springs, MS, I jumped at the chance.

The day started out well but Saturday morning, shortly after setting up (in the pouring rain), I started to feel quite ill, with the flu, as it turned out. Lowell kept asking me if he needed to take me home but since we had driven all that way, were already set up, and I was convinced I was going to will myself better, we stayed. By the time I finally got to calling to check on the girls, I learned that they had already been sick since early that afternoon. The choice had been made for me, we had to head home and get the girls. Luckily Lowell was healthy enough the next day to head back finish the show so that saved us.

This fall, with children as a consideration but also the ballooning cost of gas and travel, we had to think hard about our show schedule. Staying closer to home seemed a little more prudent. In hopes to create a niche, we, along with a group of other select local artists, are putting together a special one day show at Mobile's Botanical Gardens this late this fall. Our group is called the Coastal Artisans. The group has intentionally been kept small, limited this year to 12 to 14 invited artists, to ensure quality and an eclectic variety of mediums. Its an experiment, but if it works out well, we plan to make it an annual event. Look for more about our event in future posts.

In my surfings in the wee morning hours (my period of solitude with noone to bother me), I found 2 valuable websites: 1) Artbizblog - a blog by Allyson Stanfield that covers a plethora of valuable art marketing info and tips for artists; and 2) the Craft Emergency Relief Fund (CERF) - an organization that helps out artists providing "direct financial and educational assistance to craft artists, including emergency relief assistance, business development support, and resources and referrals on topics such as health, safety, and insurance." ..including artists who have been victims of natural disasters, such as Katrina.

Other news... It was down for longer than I had hoped, but our web site and regular email is back up. (yay!) If you tried to contact us and haven't had a response, please send your post through again.

Webb Pottery web site and email down until tomorrow

Well just off the phone. The Webb Pottery web site and email will be down until sometime tomorrow, Saturday Aug 26th.
In the meantime, here is one of the pots I recently posted to it:

Raku Dragonfly Vessel
8.5" H x 4.5" W
2006

Anne Webb, Webb Pottery
Magnolia Springs, AL

Webb Web site access problems in the last few days...

My apologies to everyone who has gone to look at our web site or try to email us from the email link in the sidebar here. The webhosting server I have been using has been experiencing some technical difficulties. I can assure you both are still in service and hopefully the problem will be resolved shortly. Thanks for your patience.
Anne
http://www.webbpottery.com

Vasefinder Second Annual Nationals 2006 - Online Pottery Competition

They announced the awards for the Vasefinder 2006 National Competition yesterday. The winners this year are:

• First Place: Blue Flower Pod - John Denis Ransmeier, Weaverville NC
• Second Place: Howling..Ode to Terri - Joe Bruhin, Fox AR
• Third Place: Large Bottle Vase - Tom Turner, Mars Hill NC
• Honorable Mentions
• 3 Holed Arranger Vase - Laura Korch, Ypsilanti MI
• Vase - John Glick, Farmington Hills MI
• Bird in the Grass - Nancy Darrell, Marshall NC
• Wire Cut Vase - Bacia Edelman, Madison WI

The juror was William Farrell formerly of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The Vasefinder Nationals is an online invitational competition where each exhibitor is to present their "interpretation of a pottery vase". It is the brainchild of Mr Charles Blim, an avid and knowledgeable collector and supporter of the arts.

On his web site, www.vasefinder.com , Mr Blim not only presents the Nationals, but he has compiled an online historical database of hundreds of potters and clay artists that he has researched, artist showcases, pottery links and articles, and various other interesting tidbits of information. My conversation on the phone with him earlier this summer revealed a refreshingly genuine and enthusiastic individual who is very much interested in clay and placing a focus on and supporting the artists, while educating the public of pottery's extensive tradition and diverse history. He explains his mission quite well on the web site.
Please feel free to check it out to learn more.

Webb Raku Art Pottery on eBay: webbpots

Peacock Feather Motif Vessel
Approx 4.5" H x 3.75" W

Anne Webb, Webb Pottery, Magnolia Springs, 2006

This vessel was recently listed on ebay:
Item #130017712794
under Art: Self-Representing Artists category

NEW WORK POSTED ON OUR WEB PAGE
If you would like to see more raku pieces, please visit our web page and click on the "Original Art Works" section.

Thanks!

Raku Pottery Vessel

Purple Tulips, Stylized Floral Design
Approximately 9.5" H x 5.5" W

Anne Webb, Webb Pottery
Magnolia Springs, 2006

Pottery sick toys

I've been layed up for the last week because of some surgery I had last Friday. Not much fun when you have 2 little kids and a million things to do on a normal day, including find the time to make pots. Not overdoing it is a challenge, but thankfully every day gets a little bit easier to maneuver.

When I am incapacitated, Lowell has a tendency to bring home all kinds of things. Sick toys he calls them. When I was a month away from delivering my first little girl, Halley, he brought home a puppy. Then when I was pretty far along with my second, he brought me a turkey...yes the kind that walks around, not one that just sits quietly in the freezer. Einstein the turkey grew to a pretty good size and liked to sit on your lap and try and peck the freckles off your leg.... but that's another story for another day....

Lowell came home last week with 2 "pre-sugery sick toys" ....kittens which, luckily are incredibly laid back and pathetic, and take the presence of a 2 yr old in stride. so that is relatively stress free.

But even more exciting is yesterday he came home with a little wooden boat in the back of the truck. Its a sturdy 12 foot cypress dore that, with a few small little additions, will be perfect for exploring those little tributaries off the Magnolia River not 2 minutes from the studio. If you can move quietly over the glassy water, there is lots of local plant, bird, and other animal life to catch in a perfect position to photograph. ..something you just can't quite do from shore. Not only a medatative way to spend a few hours on my own, but great inspiration for new pottery designs.

Hopefully be back to throwing next week.

Have a few events scheduled for the fall and should have more juicy details for you sometime soon.

Tropical Storm Chris looks like its petering out, thankfully. Only three and a half more months of hurricane season to go. yippee skippy.

So about our Webb Raku & Stoneware Pottery...

In the past few months, I've posted pictures of some of our pottery here on the blog and on our web site, now here is a little info about it.

All our raku vessels, are individually formed, carved, brush-glazed, and fired, using an American variation of the Japanese firing technique known as raku.

A glazed pot is heated to approximately 1825 degrees Fahrenheit. Its then taken from the kiln while its still red-hot, gently placed in a bed of pine shavings, and then covered (as you can see in this picture, we use a wheelbarrow or on other occasions in a metal wash tub as our pine shavings receptacle). When the oxygen in the air surrounding the pot is depleted by the flame, the flame then looks to the glaze for more oxygen molecules to consume. A chemical reaction may take place in the glaze, causing spontaneous and random flashes of color and metallic lustre. As the pot cools, a random crackling (or crazing) of the glaze occurs as the clay and the glaze expand and contract at different rates. What also happens is the carbon from the burning shavings fuses to all the unglazed surfaces and cracks in the glaze, turning them black. The piece, still hot, is then extracted from its bed of shavings and is quenched (or rapidly cooled) with water. Doing so not only cools the pot to the touch, but sets the colors before theglazes have a chance to reoxidize. Some of the results can be quite spectacular and its easy to understand the allure of pottery fired in this way. No two peices ever turn out completely the same and every one, in its own way, is one-of-a-kind.

The majority of stoneware clay we use for our functional pottery is from abundant native Alabama clay deposits, usually found within just an hour's drive of the studio right here in Baldwin Country. The deposit Lowell working on here is right along a local roadside. The clay that seems to work best is whitish or, better yet, almost a bubble gum color. It fires the highest and has the least amount of impurities which is perfect for durable functional ware. Our functional pottery is individually formed, most of it on a potter's wheel, is individually decorated, and then high-fired in a propane fueled gas kiln to approximately 2400 degrees Fahrenheit.

I'll have to cover in future posts some of the primitive-fired pieces we do as well as the ongoing journey of the building of our small wood kiln using recycled materials...

Webb Pottery Apparel and Accessories on CafePress

Just opened, our new Webb Pottery CafePress store!

Shirts, hats, aprons, custom postage, and other paraphenalia with the Webb Pottery name and images from our original artwork (as you can see here).

Also available, apparel and accessories including bumper stickers, hats, etc. with fun pottery mottos and messages, as well as some others meant to motivate and inspire.

Visit often as we add new stuff!

Riley the Golden - Long time Friend and Potter Dog

We buried Riley, my dear and devoted friend, Sunday evening beside Rebel, Winston, and Elvis, out behind the studio. Suffering from advancing congestive heart failure and nerve damage, he was unable to raise his head to eat let alone stand to go to the bathroom. As I lay beside him quietly listening to him breathe and stroking his side, his heart beat abnormally fast, and seemed to jump out of his chest with every single beat. He couldn't even wag. I said goodbye to my dear, dear friend and let him go in the most peaceful, comfortable, and dignified way I knew. He is sorely missed.

Blogs, Art Blogs, & What's going on here at Webb Pottery

First of all, my apologies for not updating the blog more often. Some people really have a real knack of updating their blog regularly and seem to always have something interesting to say. I hope to have more news, updates, and reflection, more frequently, now that summer is here.

We've just undergone a bit of a down period here at the pottery, what with equipment problems and too many extraneous things going on. The kiln part we have been waiting for has finally come in and has been installed, and the clay mixer (made from parts from a WWII anti-aircraft gun) had some minor repairs made to keep it going, and is once again staggering along.
So we are slowly starting back at getting things fired and moving along again. We should have more raku pots with some different designs up on the web site shortly.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is one of those overuse injuries that plague, among others, potters and surveyors, both of which Lowell has been over the years. So last Tuesday, he surgery for it on his other hand. He had surgery on the first hand some 5 or 6 years ago. Hopefully this latest surgery will be a success as well. The pain that extended from his hand up into his shoulder, as well as some frequent numbness in his fingers, is starting to subside, so hopefully that is a good sign.

Rick Tino 's Fine Art & Frames in Gulf Shores, AL, who I have mentioned in some of my previous entries, finally has a web site up: tinosfineart.com. While it is still in its preliminary stages, please feel free to check it out and make a point to drop in if you are in the Gulf Shores area.

We had a sad week this week. We lost 2 good friends: our bloodhound, Rebel, and our dachsund, Winston, both within a day of each other. Then yesterday we had a mishap in the driveway and accidentally ran over my 12 year golden, Riley, who had been, unbeknownst to me, sleeping under the truck at the time. He survived, and miraculously his back wasn't broken, but he has some problem with his leg/shoulder. Still waiting on news on him from the vet this morning...