Luke Langholz Pottery

Thought #1: This weekend I didn't get to spend any time in the studio because I was too busy doing other (awesome) pottery-related things.

Thought #2: I'm very pleased to announced that I have been selected to have my work carried in the Dahl Art Center Gift Shop in Rapid City, SD!

Thought #3: So, segues obviously aren't my literary strength tonight. But I told you #1 to tell you #2 which leads to...

Thought #4 (and onward): Got up early Saturday morning to drive some work over to the Dahl and run some other related errands. They were kind enough to accommodate an out-of-town artist with a weekend intake for my work, and I was glad for an excuse to head to "the big city" as it's called (maybe?) by West River folks.

Hard at work, getting ready for the grand opening!

Certainly enjoyed getting to pay a visit to the Dahl and check out the current exhibits (stunning) and meet some fine folks.  Anna Marie Thatcher (not MaryAnne, as I had written in my notes) handled the intake of my work with great care and attention.

Intake. IYFC Bowls, now at the Dahl! Well, after May 1st, at least!

It was great to hear about the progress made by all involved in this project. The Dahl Art Center apparently moved into its new building several years ago, but the space designated to become a gift shop never quite came together as such. A committed group of individuals have recently taken the bull by the horns, so to speak, and so the Dahl Art Center Gift Shop will see itself opened on May 1, 2012. I'm greatly honored to have been selected and look forward to working closely with them in the future. Please make a point to stop by when you're in the Rapid City area. The Dahl is a lovely space and I'd say well worth the time to visit. And don't forget to do some shopping while you're there. (<- sales plug)

After taking care of business, Krystal and I ran some necessary errands before heading home via Badlands National Park. On account of it being "National Parks Week" there were no park entrance fees so we thought it would be worth our time to make the stop regardless of how much time we would have.

Got in on the daylight-side of dusk and enjoyed some moderate hiking to enjoy some vistas. And then the "moderate hiking" took a turn toward "scrambling on narrow ledges of sheer limestone and scree." At dusk.  With the sun setting more or less in our eyes. We've made enough poor decisions in our hiking days (Krystal would say that I've made poor decisions in our hiking days, but as Obi Wan Kenobi once posed, "Who's the more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?") to know that there's no pride lost in cutting losses and heading for home. So we made our way back down the cliffs back through the canyon to our car.  Made another quick stop at a fully accessible trail (more our pace at the end of the day. Oh, did I forget to mention the gale-force winds? Cause, yeah, there was that. It is South Dakota, after all.) with additional vistas quite extraordinary. Also: dead batteries in the camera. So, here's a parting, blurry shot from the phone to pay absolutely no justice to the view.

They just go on and on and on...

Anyhow, good times. Sort of a long day to be spent driving to and fro, but hopefully for reasons fruitful. Ought to remember to take the camera downstairs while I'm in the studio this week. Doing a lot of heavy throwing, and being quite picky about what I keep and what goes back to the wedging table. Especially in the form of vases.

Whether I've explained it or not I'm not sure, but I find that even when vases aren't selling, vases and vertical forms are a strong judge of throwing capacity. A measure of control and focus, of vision and technique. So I'm thankful for the practice, and keeping more than I'm throwing out, for now at least. But no matter how much I throw, I can only keep so many vases on hand. Because the fact is, vases don't sell like bowls or mugs. And they take up a lot of space in the studio and the kiln and the storage bins and traveling to and from shows. So I'm trying to be picky and only keep the "top-shelf" pieces. So there's that. I mean, also throwing bowls and such. After the trip to the Dahl and a couple boxes that have to go in the mail this week I'm almost out of all those pretty blue bowls!  So I'll need to make more.

And that's that. Happy Monday to you all, wherever you are.