Merry Christmas! (2011 Edition)

Because I failed to fulfill any of the promised "Coming Soon!" posts, I wanted to throw up this quick message to wish you and yours a blessed and joyous holiday season, and a very Merry Christmas. If you don't celebrate Christmas, it is still a holiday season and I hope you find your days full of the aforementioned blessing and joy, even if it's just another weekend to ya. 

I still fully intend to unleash upon you my narcissism in the forms of a "My Favorite Musical Albums of 2011" list, ideally even this year. Because of course the world will be ending in 2012, as John Cusack so eloquently educated us. But it's unlikely to happen between now and Christmas. So no promises, except to its eventual arrival. Preferably before the world ends.

In the meantime, we've been marveling over our relatively mild weather. This horribly grainy photo shows one of our permanent collection pieces basking in afternoon sunlight not often seen this side of Easter in our part of the world. 

Sunshine! Also, amazing glazing!

For a time of year that often asks for traveling, this freedom from weather is quite the novelty and I'm very much looking forward to not driving through any blizzards or ice storms int he near future. Please.

Sweet Baby Jesus says, "Relax!"

I was reminded again this year when visiting Christmas at the (State) Capitol that I do appreciate living in a state that can fill its halls with Tannenbaum and not become embroiled in controversy. The above creche is part of the display also held in the State Capitol. There's something to be said for living in a place that allows Sweet Baby Jesus to just do His thing. So, thank you, South Dakota, for being so sensible about these things.

My lovely wife, our lovely Tannenbaum.

So with that, please accept my seasonal salutations, my wishes of good cheer and peace and hope and joy and love come down to earth in a manger, the sweet babe who changed the world. May the promise of all love and grace fill you with hope and peace and joy as never before.

And get along with your family.

And to the Grinches: please accept this Happy New Year's greeting, that 2012 be better than 2011, and the promise that in 11 months the election season will be over. At least for a few weeks. Until the prophesied Mayan apocalypse and all that.

things that should have been posted months ago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a few pots that I selected for slide-shooting from this fall's body of work. Some of these are still available. Some of them are not. The ones that aren't, I probably have similar. It's a bit late for Christmas gifts, though, probably. Sorry. Anyhow, these were "some" of my "favorites" from this summer/fall. Mostly that bottom one there. Beautiful. I'm glad it's going to a good home. Cause I sold it. And now I'm rich. Muah-ha-ha!!!

(p.s. - most of these can also be seen by clicking on the "gallery" tab at the top of the page. In the future I'd like to keep the gallery page sort of rotating favorite current and past works, a sort of Ceramic C.V., if you will. But not really. Because you won't.)

Coming soon: 2011 in Review, My Top 11 of '11, and Post #200!!! Maybe not in that order!

Here Hast I Beenst

Sometimes I like to imagine that there's a whole throng of folks out there that read this blog with regularity becoming a Swiss watch.

That aren't my mother. (Hi, mom!)

And in this imaginary world, all of you have been desperately wondering just where I went for all of November, as I seem to have missed an entire month of posting opportunities.

But really: "Hi, mom!"

The way it hangs there (above, see: "where I went for all of November) it almost looks as if I went on some great expedition. But mostly I didn't do a whole lot, and I'm so sorry for being absent. I've been in and out of my studio, and a little travel here and there, and back into the studio...

But generally, I feel as if I used up about 2 years' worth of discipline, motivation, and drive in the preceding three months. And while it was wonderful, and all things went great, that was just an awful lot of exertion in a short amount of time and so, intentionally or not, I took a little break. And since I don't depend on the selling of pots for the buying of food, I can afford to do so. For this I am thankful.

But I've kept myself sort of busy. Some pots, some travel, some pictures? Here:

Mugs! Yes, real mugs! And bowls. These have been drying since the first week of November. Waiting for some friends to justify a bisque firing. I'm getting there.

Spent some time in Phoenix to eat some turkey. My mother-in-law's bobcat has a thing for fine footwear of the smelly, leather variety. Seriously, look at that sublime state of bliss.

Drove up into the mountains and met a week-old zebra. Cutie-for-surie. (we call that a "Slant Rhyme.")

Got up close and personal with a giraffe. Krystal got to feed him. He was wrinkly, but friendly.

May I also say, the pinnacle of this experience was the "Predator Feed" which was essentially a parade led by a beat-up pick-up pulling a trailer full of seven hundred pounds of raw meat which was shotgunned over the fences by park staff (shotgunned in the football sense, for anyone following along at home). First of all, if you've never watched another human being chuck a 12 pound turkey in the air (and I mean, intentionally chuck - because I'm aware that Thanksgiving brings about all sorts of mishaps) - if you have never observed as someone shot-putted a 14-pound roast in the air, you are missing out. Because it's amazing. All on its own. Standalone entertainment in a heartbeat. Worth it.

Now, on the receiving end of that roast is a 6 year old, male lion - and he catches the roast in his mouth and runs off with it, shaking it dead while roasty-juice flies everywhere; on the receiving end of that flying turkey is a regular old Hobbes who up and poaches that turkey out of mid-air with a disconcerting crunch of fowl - THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT.

 That said, aside from the carnivore's buffet, it was one of the strangest places I've ever been. And I've been sucked into some odd little tourist joints. But it seemed that most of the critters in the park were rescued private pets who would have otherwise been put down. Resident White Rhino Boom-Boom, for example, was originally booked as the main event at a canned hunt in Texas before being redeemed by Mark Ecko, "founder of the world famous rhino-branded apparel line, *ecko unltd., and a staunch supporter of rhino relief."  Boom-Boom is now on permanent loan to Out of Africa. So, apparently good for the animals. Right.

Got Christmasy up in here.

Home-made ornaments, even. Maybe I should be marketing these things?

My lovely ladies. Tempy was helping to set up the tree.

Finally getting around to more pots this week. So there's always that.

So that's what I've been doing. Pots. A little. Running. Catching up on my reading. Shoveling snow. Scraping windshields. Running the furnace. Making soups and chilis and such things. Also, plenty of music-listening. Today I've been getting into the brand new release from the Black Keys. It's pretty dope. <--Hip=Me. Thinking that maybe this is the year that I'll actually post a "Luke's Favorite Music/Top Albums of the Year According to Luke with some input from Tempy" post.

So there it is. Nothing too exciting, but it's what I've been up to. Finishing some Christmas orders. Still lots of pots in stock around here if you're looking for any specific gift needs.

Stay warm, and keep potting (if applicable).

Bye, Mom!