Exposed in Ceramics Monthly

Hello gentle readers and happy Saturday,

I would just like to toot my horn here a moment and let everyone know that the exhibition I co-curated with Jill Foote Hutton, Gallery Coordinator from Red lodge Clay Center, made it to the "Exposure" section of Ceramics Monthly. It appears in the February edition... hey, its not much but there is a picture and caption and it seems like its in good company. The exhibition "The Lowdown: Tales from the Margin" will be showing at the Red Lodge Clay Center the month of February as well.

As thrilled as I am that we were mentioned, let me add the names that were left out of the caption...Julie Guyot, Jason Bige Burnett, Carole Epp and Max Lehman...these names are in addition to those that appeared in the magazine...Nick Ramey, Alex Kraft and Melissa Mytty.

Also included in February's edition is a full article on Lowdown exhibiting artist Jason Bige Burnett...included in the article are pieces that are currently on view in our exhibition..."Static Platter" and "Bang -O-Rang Bowls".

It was actually my first look at Ceramics Monthly since they changed their format...for shame Mr. homefry...I know. But as chocked full of cool stuff as this edition was I didn't think it was all that different from the previous format. It seemed to me that CM changed up their direction sometime in the mid-2000's to better reflect a more academic pursuit of ceramics instead of the sort of "technical heavy" path they had been on. I, for one, was happy about this. I was writing my thesis for my M.F.A. about that time and was in need of philosophical/theoretical back up to better support my graduate school pursuits and I was happy to find it in my friendly and familiar CM. Now, I know that the articles were not always the best but they had gotten better and the good writing was not just limited to Glen R. Brown. My return to CM at a glance finds a fancy new semi-gloss/matte cover, new graphics but an abbreviated  "Call for Entries" page as well as shorter classifieds...less pottery studio real estate to dream about. Maybe that's not such a big deal but the tightly packed text from the "Exposure" section left me wanting to go back to the days where there was a little more content that explained what the image was about...although more visually modern, it is a bit of a cluster-fuck of a design. Also, in the meat of the magazine, I read what I thought was an article on Justin Rothshank which turned out to be a not altogether favorable review of a recent exhibition...going as far as saying "the handling of the material seemed awkward". I don't fault the alliteration loving author as much as the editor here but perhaps a "review" of this nature would be better suited in a separate section of the magazine...like the "Exposure" section... Exhibition + Pictures + Review... now that = "Exposure".

Anyways, I mean it when I say I am thrilled that "The Lowdown: Tales from the Margin" found its way on to the CM radar...it deserves to....the wonderful work from these seven artists surpassed my expectations and I hope they gain even greater exposure at the next showing in Red Lodge. And even with my nit-pickings about CM, I am debating about re-upping my subscription. Go figure.

Proof...

Here ya' go...

I have to say, it is good to be able to just post some new pieces that are currently "in process". Check'em out...I have a dozen of these guys in a variety of sizes and shapes that also sport a variety of stamps, line quality and application of slip.

Once finished and fired to cone 5, the clay body will be a rich deep brown and I am currently debating glaze color right now....so, tell me what you think...its your chance to stop being just a lurker(I know you are out there)...Do you like the smaller ones, the more cone shaped, the bigger one, the large decorative foot, suggestion for color choice? Thanks for looking and all comments are appreciated...even yours.

Its High Time...

And no, I'm not talking about your favorite magazine. Its high time I got back to getting dirty...and no, I'm not talking about your other favorite magazine...I'm talking about getting back to making art...making pottery...making something in my new space.

I have successfully set up a fairly decent work space in the basement of our new, old place here in Beaver Falls. I am not showing full pics of it quite yet...but here is a teaser...dig my fancy throwing stool!

It is not the rustic, picturesque setting of Little Mahoning Creek Pottery...I can not swing open the big barn style doors on the side of the studio space and let the outdoors in, but it is an OK space and there are basement windows(that do not open) that let a little light through...it may be a bit leaky on one side...but that's the other side of the basement and the little river doesn't run through my stuff. There is plenty of room for me to make work and also to store work...and to photograph the work. Besides, every time I move stuff around in the basement I find cool things...like my new stool, these super cool Star Wars balls(below) and vintage "lounge" items like funky 70's style beer glasses and an array of ash trays from all over the place. The kiln will be coming but first I need to plug that leak in the wall...small waterfall where the down spouts run into the ground. In the meantime I will be a kiln mooch. Hi Dan! Hi Nance! ...like this is anything new?!

And recently, after reading others blogs, I do not feel so alone in the struggle to get back into making work. I do not know why its such a battle, but it is. Maybe its the new place or the wintry weather, maybe its the rust that has gath

ered on my brain after not making anything since October. I'm betting on the latter. But TODAY gentle reader, is the day...its high time I got back to making some work!

...OK ...did it just feel like I should have stopped tapping away here and got down to my wheel? I agree it definitely did...I should have segued to the end but I do have a few updates to tack on...(maybe this is part of my problem)

After my last post about a generation of young people called "Millennial" and their addiction-like dependence on their electronic devices, I received a nice email from a person connected to a website called onlinecollege.org . It felt real and not just generated by some program. I'm always a little wary about this...but she provided me with a positive flip side for Generation Y and here it is...click it baby. Hey, its only fair.(I can hear Jim Gottuso groaning from here...see his comments on last post))

I also posted 5 new items in my Etsy shop...ON SALE...that's right homies...I came across some pieces I had stuck away for a variety of reasons and decided why not just put them out there...I'm calling this my "WONKY SALE". All 5 pieces have a bit of an unevenness to the bottoms...they are a bit wonky. BUT they are also pretty cheap too...this mug pictured below is one.

Finally I will end with a bit of sad news...The Philly Street Cafe in Indiana, PA has gone the way of the Do-do. They gave it a good try and had a fair run but its tough out there for the small business. The cafe is where The Self Serve Pottery Kiosk was located...it is now back in Beaver Falls searching for a new home. Click the link to learn more about the kiosk.

Now I'm heading down to my wheel to make some mugs...stay warm.

Are you a...Millennial?

...Better yet... am I?

Happy New Year internet. Here it is the end of the first week of the new year and it feels like Spring. Honest. Today it felt like Winter had completely passed over us in favor of an early vacation. The temperature cracked the 50 degree mark and although it did take a while to melt most of our recent snow, the sun did its best to make you think it was warmer. I wish it were true and Winter had indeed forgotten to rest its grey, heavy ass upon our shoulders until March, but I know better.

Although the day was pristine, I did have to spend part of that time inside...grading papers. I am just finishing teaching two online courses of Art History 101 in what is a very brief and intensive "Winter Term". Its an interesting thing teaching a fully online course. Its actual my 4th year doing the Winter Term and I have used components of online learning as part of my regular "face to face" classes. I started involving the online component to my 101 classes out of convenience. I made all the quizzes and exams available online and the students could take the test at anytime on a given day. This also was helpful in freeing up extra time...instead of wasting time sitting in class taking the test that time could be used doing something else...plus the test online automatically grades it's self and adds the grade to my class list...more time saved by not grading papers! Besides those, there are a number of other reasons for the online thing but I'm not interested in really making a case for it right here. I'm interested in talking about the person, the student who readily signs up for these courses...who does not hesitate, even if they have never taken an online course before.

I recently learned the term "Millennial". I think I'm a little slow on the uptake with this. Anyway, the term Millennial refers to a generation of people..."There are about 80 million of them, born between 1980 and 1995,"... "They multitask, talk, walk, listen and type, and text. And their priorities are simple: they come first."...They were raised by doting parents who told them they are special, played in little leagues with no winners or losers, or all winners. They are laden with trophies just for participating and they think your business-as-usual ethic is for the birds. And if you persist in the belief you can, take your job and shove it."..."Characteristics of the generation vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions. However, it is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies."

Now, with this clearly defined, I understand why its often difficult to fully engage the college students. It is downright difficult to shock them as well...it often takes a story about Vito Acconci masturbating in his performance piece "Seedbed" to shake them from their devices...and even then its a brief glance up from a deep, back and forth text conversation. But, honestly I cannot sit here and point fingers. Better yet, I'm asking myself...have I become a Millennial? Am I one through cultural assimilation? Can I be one even though I'm a Generation Xer with a healthy DIY mentality? ...Dear God what have I become!!!

Ehhh, maybe not. I mean, I have Facebook, but who doesn't. I do involve a good deal of technology in my daily life. I do not use a "smart phone" nor do I desire to use one...I do not want to be attached to my online world every waking second. However, I do write on this blog...have done it for a while now. The blog is pretty much a one sided conversation...its me shouting about me out in the cold, virtual, blackness of the internet. In many ways, I think writing a blog post is like putting out a new status on your Facebook page...just with pictures and a good deal more content.

And as Facebook changes its format once again in an attempt to stay fresh, my boredom grows and I smell the rotting corpse of MySpace still out there...somewhere in the online elephant graveyard...and I feel the need to get my hands dirty with clay. So maybe I'm not a "Millennial"...maybe I am just adapting to survive and exhibiting passive "Millennial" traits. I also wonder how those traits effect the work I make...more about this later.

Please take a few minutes away from your smart phones to watch the Pharaoh, a.k.a. Hen - Rock,a.k.a, Mr. Hennesy Youngman give a very funny and informative talk at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago on the subject "To Catch a Millennial".

Please silence all devices...and BTW(Millennial speak), if your wondering what that home cooked goodness is at the top of this screen might be...its my New Year's Day meal...A mixture of some down home southern good luck traditions...Hoppin' John Stew over Smoked Gouda Cheese Grits, drop biscuits and collard greens.

OK...now you can go tweet about it...

Its the End of the Year As We Know It...Music 2011

Yeah, its that time of year again...the end...and time for everybody's "best of" lists.

If your like me and never really fought the "War on Christmas" and just tried to keep the "mas" in Christmas, chances are your pretty tuckered out. You know what I mean...mas...like mas y mas, c'mon my Spanish language speakers...more and more...like more food, more decorations, more lights, more presents, and just one more beer. So while I am recovering from Christmas's war on my wallet lets get down to it...

First let me say, "man can not live on clay alone". So, what is the next best thing you ask? That's easy kids...MUSIC. Now, a countdown of the year's best in order... its just not possible... ranking my picks in a certain order would drive me crazy so Im going to toss these out there and let them fall where they may. These are full records or songs that I went back to again and again this year...they found themselves in heavy rotation on my Ipod and became my studio companions and later my traveling companions.

Abigail Washburne/City of Refuge....Back in the early(really early) Spring of this year I was listening to this record over and over. She is an acomplshed banjo player with a lovely voice who writes and sings really good songs. I still go back to this record...folky, bluegrass with a hint of India.

Gillian Welch/The Harrow and The Harvest...sticking with the ladies here, this is a fantastic record all the way through. Mostly mellow acoustic folk with dark and gritty undercurrents...shes is a great writer and she and her guitar playing partner make a great twosome.

J.Mascis/Several Shades of Why...Dinosaur Jr. frontman J. Mascis finally made a mostly acoustic solo record...Dinosaur Jr was always capable of poping out a really good mellow song in between fat slices of guitar rock but here J. has done it with the whole record. These songs wedged themselves deep into my ears and the disc did not leave my car for months. Its like your really into Neil Young and you love him with Crazy Horse but you really love those brief nuggets of broken down, solo, mellow goodness and wish he would do an album of just that(before he gets too "Adult Contemporary")...well, thats wat I mean here.

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks/Mirror Traffic...ex- Pavement frontman Stephen Malkmus and his rocking band bust out another winner...produced by Beck no less. Great tunes, odd/funny lyrics sung in his deadpan style and a slightly more necked in approach make this a fun studio record...heck its just a solid record for anytime. Dig the single "No One Is (As I Are Be)", then jump into the rest.

Jeff the Brotherhood/We Are The Champions...speaking of rocking out...this is the record. I was slow to warm to these guys but something kept catching my interest. This is balls out, riffing, stoner rock. If your looking for intellectual and deep song lyrics, look somewhere else. If you want to jump up and down...bang your unwashed curly mane back and forth...play ferocious air guitar all over the living room...or need something to keep you going on the treadmill...now we are talking.

Fleet Foxes/ Helplessness Blues...A great record...and I say that beacuse I own the vinyl...but it is great no matter what media you have it on. Sprawling and expansive, varied and bright, good lyrics and great music...I like this one better than the first record, and thats saying something.

Black Keys/ El Camino...yeah sure, jump on the bandwagon... it seems like the Black Keys have made it baby!...these guys are good and this record is a hell of a lot of bluesy, soulful, rockin' fun with a dash of Led Zepplin and a smidge of ZZ Top...these guys made my list last year too!

Real Estate/Days...Beach Fossils/What A Pleasure...I am smashing these two into one grouping because I feel there is such a similar vibe here. Both are young bands and for both these are their second records. Both have a lazy vibe, like laying around the house all day while it snows like the dickens outside. Both have a sort of detached vocal and great guitar sound but Real Estate is a little more pollished and produced...really making their overall sound lush. I have been listening to Beach Fossils for a while now, including some of their earlier songs, and have recently purchased Days by Real Estate but it was quick to sink itself under my skin. Im not sure if its the weather right now, but Days was perfect music to stare out the window with this morning while I watched the snow flurries. Real Estate has somewhat of a lazier Shins feel to me and I am sure I will enjoy it long past it stops snowing.

Noteworthy:
Wilco/The Whole Love...best Wilco album since "Sky Blue Sky"...maybe better.
Tom Waits/ As Bad As Me...best Tom Waits album since "Real Gone"...maybe better.
Beastie Boys/Hot Sauce Committee pt.2...best B-Boys album since "Ill Communication"...don't be a hater.

Scott H. Biram/Bad Ingredients...Poor Boy's Soul/Burn Down... I am lumpin' these two guitar slingin' blues men together. Both are a one man band of damn fine, ferocious, stompin' blues. I even put Biram's video up on the "Whatcha' watchin'"...I needed an excuse to sex up my blog...mmm,hmmm.

And although Im kind of an album guy, I have decided to toss in some noteworthy songs. I admit to downloading just songs sometimes and also wishing I had downloaded just songs after purchasing entire discs....sometimes. So here are songs that were on my hitlist this year.

Low/Especially Me...love the band...liked the newest record but LOVED this song...maybe my favorite song of the year...I don't know...maybe.

Yuck/Get Away...an instant classic...familiar but new at the same time...great hooks, great riffage...whole album is pretty good too.

Ty Segall/ My Sunshine...ass kicking, grungy but catchy, garage rock from the west coast...from an album called Melted...ahh hell, just buy the whole record.

Boston Spaceships/ Freedom Rings...This is Robert Pollard from GBV with yet another one of his side project bands. Good record but this song is superb with a really cool video to go with it. Brand new Guided By Voices comes out in mid January!

The Head and the Heart/ Lost In My Mind...good record too...great sung harmonies and super uplifting folky vibe...can listen to this song again and again...ahh hell again, buy the record.

Well there you have it...my musical faves and raves from 2011. Feel free to chime in on the comment space and tell me some of yours...always love to find new music. Now go find these tunes...download them or better yet walk away from your computer and go find a record store and spend your Christmas money.

Thanks for tuning in to my rantings and shameless self promotions throughout the year...I hope you continue to stop by and read...I hope you even tell a few friends to do the same...hell, the more the merrier. Speaking of making merry, I hope you will be doing just that over the weekend.

homefry wishes you all a productive and prosperous New Year!!!

Wishing you and yours a happy ho-ho...

Narrator: Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!
And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling:
Grinch: How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes, or bags!
Narrator: And he puzzled and puzzed, till his puzzler was sore.
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more."

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays...whatever you do, I hope you enjoy doing it with family and friends...cheers!

Much more to come!!!

hugs and kisses...

homefry sketchbook.

Saving your soul...

"We're kicking off our fun old fashioned family Christmas by heading out into the country in the old front-wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and select that most important of Christmas symbols."

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

...That's right, I went to Home Depot to get my tree this year...elves with orange aprons...tightly bound trees...I'm trying to reconcile this.

You can to.

There is redemption for your hungry, consumer soul if you shop independents as much(or more) as you shop the big boys...instead try: etsy, local artists/craftsmen, friends' studios, pottery tours, holiday craft sales, locally owned record shops...My goodness man, there is still time!

Flying Cat Mug by Nancy Smeltzer and GIMMIE mug by yours truly...just sayin'.