Avery Pottery & Tileworks December Tile Sale

Hey everyone you know there's always something going on down here in the Grove!! This Saturday Im doing a tile sale featuring Leaf tiles and a new purple glaze and over at Chris Luther Pottery there's Kiln opening (it looks like he's going to have some great pots) on the same day so I hope to see you on this special day December 12th for a tile sale exclusively for my online customers. Buy two tiles of any style or size and get the third tile of equal or lesser value at half off!
I am very excited to debut a new translucent eggplant purple glaze on my recently created leaf tiles. There will be a large selection in 4, 6, and 8 inch sizes.
Happy Holidays!
-Blaine

Settin' Up

I set up this evening for the celebration of seagrove potters it opens friday night the 20th at 6:00 and a special auction of collaborative works is set to start at 8:00. This year I collaborated with Carol Gentithes of Johnston and Gentithes ART Pottery. I made a hand built folk art Turtle sculpture and Carol did some magic with her story telling through decoration.
DESCRIPTION:
This zealous turtle was created by Blaine Avery and decorated by Carol Gentithes. Blaine admires the introspective, thoughtful nature of the turtle who is forever the independent, intrepid nomad carrying his home on his back through the journeys of life. Carol narrates one of the turtle's journeys as he wanders into the waters of a lake where he discovers traces of human interference from the land above. The turtle is hand built from stoneware and is salt glazed. The decorations are silkscreen emulsions that are fired onto the surface in a separate firing.

The images are of the setup, not quite done I'll finish up in the morning and of the Turtle It came out great I hope it finds a home that honers its greatness!!
And I also wore my new Vibram Five Fingers KSO shoeswhen setting up I get funny looks but I love them!!! Check them out there just fun!!

Working,Working,Working, so glad I love what I do!!!

You know some days just seem to go on forever and weeks too, so I take a deep breath or two then I remember how much I love what I do! The past few weeks I've felt like this. This Time of year is always like this, tis the season!!! Anyway so far this month I have fired two loads of tiles, one gas fired kiln of pots and there is one more firing today. All this in preparation for The Celebration of Seagrove Potters. Last year was the first year and it was crazy busy. Its friday night 20th and the 21 and 22nd. I'll leave you with a few pics of judson helping me unload the kiln on monday. He loves helping unload the kiln and this time he filled up his little red wagon and pulled them in the studio, he's becoming my little helper!! To night I'll be setting up for the Celebration, hope to see you all there!!

FRIENDS!!!!!

Friends!! Great to have and Judson and I have some great ones here in the Grove! The other night our friends Jennei and Wes came over for dinner we made pizza one of Judson's favorites, I used tom grays recipe off his blog The Grays Table, there are some great recipes on there. Anyway Judson just loves Jennei and Wes. He talked Jennei into carving a pumpkin or as I call it pumpkin surgery!!! Jennei did a great job with judson doing some directing between running around jacked up on halloween candy!!
OK so I know I said in the last post, that this post would be all about pottery..... sorry you'all this is however the life of a potter right? I will be glazing pots all dat tomorrow. There!! I got some pottery stuff in!!! Trying to keep to my word!!

trick-or-treating!!!

Ok so I need to post this if you get tired of hearing about the kid well read somone else's Blog!!!! look away or do otherwise, No apologies here....

So we went to the little town of Robins down the road from Seagrove. It's another one of many rural towns around here. You could find a town like this any rural area of the county. You know the story textile mill closed no jobs, yada,yada,yada... But tonight the town really went all out!!! Some of the store fronts are vacant but the town was packed trick or treaters everywhere. Costume contests pumpkin carving contests trick or treating in the shops, police station, and the firefighters giving out candy in front of there fire truck!! Well I felt like I was in a Norman Rockwell painting. It made me remember why I chose to live here, you know sometimes you forget and its always nice to be reminded.
So this was sort of Judson's first Halloween last rear he just didn't get into it but this year...... He made out like bandit!! Yesterday at daycare they had a trunk-or-treat. I had never heard of this before. Cars in the parking lot giving candy out of their trunks? Kind of weird I think but it was fun. Its sort of a POWER-trick-or-treat candy grab he got so much candy!!! And after that he knew the drill and was ready for tonight!!! We met some friends that live in Robins with their two kids one is almost the same age as Judson and he just loves her. It was so much fun!!!
Alright!! I'll leave you with a few pictures and promise the next post will be all about or at least mostly about pottery!!!!

Starworks

We had a fun night tonight. Judson and I went to starworks for their annual gathering. If you don't know what starworks is checkout their website. Its a business/arts incubator creating green jobs and promoting tourism in the region.
We had fun, had some great food met some new people and saw the usual suspects drinking lots of free beer..... AKA the Seagove potters there is something about free beer that really brings out the potters!!! But I had to leave early to get the little boy to night night. We got the hear some great music. The music was a guy named Joe Robinson from Winston-Salem man could he play the trumpet!!!! Judson was mesmerized dancing and clapping couldn't take his eyes of them. He was so cute he pulled me aside and said "hey daddy will you get me a trumpet" so I promised him i would what else could I do you should have seen the way he looked at me makes your hart melt.
Then after the food and music we went to the other side of the old hosiery mill to see a glass blowing demo. It was fun and first time Judson saw glass blowing. Nothing like hot glass, glory holes and flames to captivate a crowd! We stayed out a little late but this only happens once a year and I still had him in bed at a reasonable hour. We have to rest up for trick or treating this weekend!! I'm excited this was my second favorite holiday (if you can call it that) after christmas when I was a kid.

Claymakers Workshop

I had a great time at Claymakers doing this workshop great people!! Great place!! and I had a incredible lunch at this cafe called TOAST. I love doing these workshops there lots of fun I am planing on doing more in the future so if any one out there has a need for workshop let me know!!! and the best part is I always lean something from some of the people attending nothing like getting a bunch a of potters together to get the ideas flowing!!!! Oh and Tracey here is a great picture of a finished Bull Bowl!!