Time to go.

It's over! Tomorrow morning I'm packing up the car and driving back to Helena. I don't know exactly what I could say to describe my time here..other then a few words like: awesome, amazing, stimulating, needed, wonderful, fun, super fun...


Last week I fired up the Cat. I had to push it back a few days to make a few extra pieces that I figured I needed. And a good thing too!.. Almost all of it fit except a couple of boards.. This kiln is about one third bigger then mine back home.. and I'm glad that I was able to talk with Markus about how many pots we thought could fit.

The above shot is from the short term studio as I wadded my pots...inside..and later rolled on carts directly out to the kiln. How spoiled right? even the kiln furniture was totally brand new.. straight... oh man it was great. the folks at Redlodge really know how to make it easy for a guy.


After Markus most graciously volunteered for the overnight, I came on at about 5 am and had the extreme pleasure of watching the sun show it's face on the first official day of Spring. The weather was about 60 degrees high and gorgeous. Later on David took a shift for a few hours and I finished the firing in 30 hours. cone 10s all 'round and a 3 pounds of salt.


Here's Hiltner... taking the classic, fisherman's pose. The pot is a new form he calls, "Fish Boat".


The firing went extremely well. The kiln was built by Markus Urbanik, Ted Neal and some of last years full time residents... The kiln really kicked ass. It is so incredibly insulated..there was only firebricks (exposed) wherever they really had to be, like.. around peep holes, stoking doors and whatnot. The kiln was a pleasure to fire. A big thumbs up goes out to all the hands that were involved. I'm humbled to say that I got to fire it off first... I mean, you never forget your first right? I hope I can fire it up again one day in the future.

And now... as most people are getting geared up to head to Seattle to have long talks about clay and see some of the best work being made now.. I'm going to vacuum the Red House here... and get ready to head back. I'm sad it's over..but glad to go home. Here I come, baby!

Maybe in a couple of weeks I'll have slides up..and a special online show that I'm calling, "Made in Redlodge". And they'll be available for purchase. Please stay tuned!

good times

the day after st. patricks...how could i possibly be ok to do anything? maybe i've conditioned my liver well enough to handle a night of irish whisky and dancing..only to go to the studio to unload a big gas kiln full of pots for the up and coming Cat firing here at Redlodge (i'm planning to load this coming Tuesday- please stay tuned!!). And not only unload a kiln..but take a couple of hours and run around the creek with my buddy, Markus... and go fishing. Hell, we even tipped a log over the stream as a make-shift bridge. I felt like I was 13 again..running around through the thick of a stream bed, catching fish and laughing with a close friend. And to top it off I found a spike deer, and a beaver skull. I even caught my largest trout there so far.. it must have been about 16 inches, off the main channel of the creek. The last Brown I hooked in the gills.. so tonight, it will feed me and my roomie, Courtney. It was soooo fun. I love pots and I love fishing!

Here's a few shots of what's been going on.


The pots above are some new forms that i've been coil building...


a few of the gang glazing some "empty bowls"


A fish and a few pb.ers.


and the abandoned house where Courtney and I met a Mountain Lion. No kidding. a True Story. There was a Mountain Lion in the same house as us. I'll give you full details later when we're face to face.

Montana sure is fun.

And I heard the Bears are awake....