Redlodge. Update

I'm workin on the 11th day of my residency.. only 49 days left and still lots to do. Since my last entry I've been bangin away in the studio. One of my main goals while here was to develop some new forms while continuing to refine some older ones. It's so fun making new forms! It really feels like i'm playing all day.


The kiln that I'm planning to fire.. a nice little cat. The stacking space of this wood/salt kiln is 36x24 and the vertical space is about 70 inches. So..I can sort of relate that to the little cat of ours back home, which is 30x30 (we have some custom cut shelves from kohler) at the floor and about the same vertical.. now that I think about it, the space is almost exactly the same!... huh..funny. Anyhoo, I figure on about 120 pieces and I'm 3/4s of the way there with the plan to fire up before Dan Murphy shows up on the 24th. Can I do it? I hope. I have a short week left before a bisque firing...




Everybody here is super cool and totally accommodating. They don't even expect me to shovel my own walk after it snows! I think for my first residency..I might be getting totally spoiled. Oh well. I love getting spoiled..spoiled-stinky, gooey-gross, slap-happy rotten..

a Helena break... Beyond the Brickyard, 2012.

I've been at Redlodge for a week.. I've had the good time of getting to know the residents and the three power house people that run it: David Hiltner, Jill Foote-Hutton, and Markus Urbanik (who's a fellow USU alum) The wood I need for the firing is split and covered..and I've cranked out a good amount of work. Yesterday I came back to Helena to support my special lady friend and her piece that's in the ever coveted and very competitive show, "Beyond the Brick Yard" at the Bray.


the above image is a piece made by Crista Ames, titled, "Chain Fourteen".


Here are those artists who had work in the show that could make the opening. Plus my big sister, Emily Free Wilson, the gallery director, and Steve Lee... Director of the Bray.


It was a good show and a fun evening. It was nice to see familiar faces again..especially this guy, Danny Crump. Danny told me he wouldn't make it..but I immediately picked him out of the crowd..since the shirt he was wearing I remember him buying while we were both in China back in 07.


I brought Danny's piece from Missoula the last time the Anagama was fired with Perry... remember that? So here it is..all set up. When I took the piece, Danny told me this... "If it doesn't sell, I've added a clause to my contract that you get it. Cool right?" I figured it wouldn't sell because it's a big blob of wood-fired sticks... but actually one of the nicest pieces in the show and wouldn't you know? it sold to a collector in Idaho. Damn it! Haha.. I guess I wont get to grace my walls with Danny's sculpture..


It was a good show..lots of funky, whacky ceramics,(the show was currated by the recent, Volkous fellow, Richard Shaw). It turned into a great evening... shootin pool at the bar, me being too drunk and making an idiot out of myself... and then...long into the early hours of the morning at my house. Even ole, Tim Stepp closed us down into the early 4 am hours... Danny played the piano while I accompanied him with a harmonica, and then the trumpet. we had a great old time....drinking, smoking, music.. and conversation about art and the world as we see it... good times. i'll be headed back to Redlodge tomorrow to keep bangin away.