...NOT!

"We are still alive!", my daughter exclaimed as she came downstairs this cold December morning. That's right folks, another "end of the world" has come and gone! Silly Mayans.

Since the world did not end, I must once again resume my normal daily routines...and maybe take back the shiny red sports car I bought, stop looting the neighbors houses, and put away my "Mocking jay" brand bow and arrow. Then its Christmas time as usual...hurrying to finish last minute projects, frantically cleaning up the house in preparation for visiting family members, scratching and clawing my way through the stores with the rest of the last minute shoppers...hmmm, that end of the world stuff doesn't sound so tough compared with this...

But, we will make it and we will be happy we did. When I am able to sit and reflect and just take in the goodness during this time(perhaps in a haze of egg nog and glazed ham), I know it will all be worth it. We here at homefry sketchbook hope you will also find that moment of peace...that moment that reaffirms all the reasons you put the extra work in, the extra care in to all that you do...for your family and yourself.

Much to come in 2013...starting with the first in our series of artist interviews...Kwak-Pong "Bobby" Tso...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!

Hope Santa's good to you...

Santa Came Early...

This week as I was scurrying around getting things ready for Christmas...shopping, decorating, cleaning up this house...Santa paid me an early visit! HO HO HO, I got my new kiln! This is a major thing for me as I have never had my own brand new electric kiln. I have had a couple clunkers that I used as bisque kilns that I either got free or really cheap but not a new one and not a nice shiny digital Skutt either. Just look at that baby, look at those bricks...no chips or chunks torn out, no hanging or bulging elements, no shards embedded into the soft brick, no glaze stuck anywhere! Maybe I just won't fire it....ha, NOT.

The kiln has a new home in the new super secret studio. I have been getting all my stuff into the new space and slowly getting ready to pump out a very big body of cone 5/6 mid-range work... and now, I'm pretty much ready. This has been a long and somewhat difficult transition from firing the wood kiln with Nancy at Little Mahoning Creek Pottery, who is now 2 hours away, to deciding to go all electric in a somewhat weathered old mill town. Thanks to the love and support of my wonderful wife and her family here in the greater metropolitan area of Beaver Falls, we are making it happen.

And while I am in the thanking mood, let me say thanks to all those folks who have been keeping me busy sending out orders. MUCH APPRECIATED!

While Santa was dropping off my big present at the studio, he slipped a little something in my stocking too...via Barbara Donavon down in Baton Rouge. I purchased this really cool, shifty-eyed, wild hog mug from Barbara when I saw the recent post on her blog...which you too can see by clicking on the link just above or over on the side bar blog roll. She is donating 100% of all the sales from these mugs to CERF+...Craft Emergency Relief Fund...monies that will be going to help artists recover from Hurricane Sandy. Click on the link to check it out...or maybe see if Barbara has any more mugs left in her Etsy shop by clicking HERE. Its a great cause and I applaud Barbara's efforts to lend a hand...and it was a good excuse to finally purchase one of her mugs that I have been checking out for some time now!

Stay warm...