Friday, December 31, 2010

Christmas in North Carolina



Again I am out of the studio and out of state.  This time I am in North Carolina helping my son, Paul, move.  He will be attending Appalachian State.  Paul's new apartment is quite nice and in a lovely, hilly spot--which has made this move an adventure.  The snow storm also added to the fun.  As a consequence the move took longer and cost more than anticipated.  Here are a few pictures of Paul's new place (and Jeep) day one of the storm.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Back In The Studio

Here is one of my new "gear head" pigs.  He was conceived in a fit of perversity.

"What if I made a pig with his legs up in the air?" I asked my studio colleague. "That would be so cool!" was her answer, "only you need to make the piggy smile and give him wings, so he won't be so scary."

So there you have it, a little gear head made to lay on his back. His surface is textured with gears, armatures and old Linotype slugs like the others of this series. His smile is from a "D" and eyes are X and O. He is 4" high and about that in diameter. He has wings of course--he just hasn't figured out how to use them.You will find him at Little Pig Pottery Etsy

Friday, November 26, 2010

Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center

Da Baby!
The cache
Gators?
This post has me well away from the studio for once as I have been visiting my parents in Punta Gorda Florida for Thanksgiving.  Today my son Paul and I were looking for a geocache on eagle point trail.  We found the cache and best of all, a lovely little gopher tortoise.  Any alligators?  Nope.

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

A Few More Piggies

Just a quick note about my new piggies.  They have been around a little while but I am just getting them uploaded to the web.  You can find them at little pig pottery.com and esty.little pig pottery in the section labeled critters.  There also are a few at little pigs on Artfire

Monday, September 13, 2010

Rosewood Reception

The Rosewood exhibit of my ceramic sculpture and Laine's water colors is now up and will be open until October 8th. It was a fun day yesterday at the opening reception and we were beaming. You will find details on Rosewoods location and hours at this link and at Rosewood gallery facebook link If you live in the Kettering Ohio area it is worth seeing. Where can you find more pictures of the show? For a complete photo listing of my sculptures in the show this link should get you there.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Exhibit At Rosewood Arts Center Gallery



Laine Bachman/Jean Ann Bolliger
(Columbus, OH/Middletown, OH)
Watercolors/Ceramics
September 13 - October 8, 2010

Opening reception Sunday, September 12, 2 - 4 pm


Below are links to more information on my exhibit at Rosewood Arts Center in Kettering Ohio. I would love it if you could come.
Jean Ann (Little Pig)

Rosewood Arts Centre
Rosewood facebook

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Sluggish Blogger


I think it has been a month now since I set up a booth at the Annual Worthington Art Fest in Ohio. Little Pig Potter was set up in the shade which was very nice. The day could not have been better. I got to try out my new booth furniture. I think it showed well--except for the risers on the left. I've had them slimmed down a little, so we shall see how they look come next show which is in Kettering Ohio This coming August 8th.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Pachyderm Passenger

Here he is fresh from the kiln and on his way home. He fits in the seat pretty good for 21 inches tall. That is not big for an elephant but large for a kiln.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Booth Preview


With the help of Digital Visuals I have some new booth furniture. I am presently devising covers for them all. I will be setting them up in my booth this coming weekend in Worthington. I am quite pleased with how they assemble and break down and am looking forward to seeing how it all fits.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Give that Tea Pot An Eye

There has been a couple suggestions that my hedge apple teapots be made into little hedge hogs. I thought I might give editing a picture of one a try to see how it fits. Beastly!

Friday, May 28, 2010

Tea Pot Strainer


In my quest to make a fine tea pot strainer I did find a tiny hole cutter yesterday then commenced with OCD hole making. I now have a few prototype teapots and have decided to stop for the time being. This because I need to see how this form pours. I also have another concern. I am thinking (especially with the porcelain) that cracking and warping between holes in the strainer is a danger. We shall see. Meanwhile I leave you with a couple images of my latest child--this one is stoneware and is yet too moist to fire.

Monday, May 24, 2010

About Them Apples

In November I assembled three little hedge apple tea pots, fired them to biscuit and I stopped. They just were not right and I needed some time to figure things out. Well I have been at the hedge apple tea pots again in studio and am a little happier with them this time around. Here is an image of two. They are still green and mostly I am still playing around with their spouts. . . We shall see.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Same Little Pig


Early this week I was contacted by Jenn, aka known as verybigjen. She also lives in Middletown Ohio. She saw my work and made contact--Hi neighbor! She makes wild and lovely pin cushions and sells them on the web via Art fire. Here is a link to her shop.

Here also is a link to myArt Fire shop. My red tea pot is the first item in it. I am hoping to have more in it at some point this week end

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Another Studio Diversion


As always I manage to stay busy. This week I get to fire the gas kiln at the art center in Kettering Ohio, so (as always) I am firing biscuit and glazing up to the last minute.

Also, per my usual, I have found another slab diversion in the studio. This, from some problem solving for a student. I am now on to making slab cylinders and beating them into spheres. Here is an image of teapot prototype #1. It is still green in this photo. More later.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Spring Pottery Fair In Cincinnati

It is called The Spring Pottery Fair and it is sponsored by Clay Alliance of Cincinnati Ohio. I was there as Little Pig Pottery trying my new booth out for size.

The day began quite soggy and miserable but dried out before noon. From there the atmosphere became quite pleasant. Jake Speed & the Freddies performed in the street while above a woman three floors up blew bubbles, like blessings, on the many people below.

Monday, April 26, 2010

Functional Ceramics 2010--Sylvie


The last presenter at the Wayne Center for the Arts in Wooster Ohio was Silvie Granatelli. Hers was a quieter enthusiasm--one that I felt more of a connection to. She told us her focus in this workshop was on dinner ware--something related to food. The workshop set would be aimed for the more formal and architectural presentation of food.

Silvies tools? She told us she was trained on the Randall wheel and uses those plaster bats refitted to her present wheel. There are a few more, a wire, wood knife, steel rib, sponge, plastic rib and highly eroded fettling knife.


The pictures here is of Silive pulling a handle off a tea cup and of her demonstration dinnerware set.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Functional Ceramics 2010--Bill

Bill VanGilder was the first to present at Wayne Center for the Arts, Functional Ceramic Workshop and he got things rolling. He is a big fellow with a big voice that wrestles big wads of clay. He also has lots of experience and an out going enthusiasm that I found engaging.
What he was demonstrating in these pictures was how he made his oil/watering can forms. He also has made quite a few handy tools of his own and I put a picture of them here as well.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

Time For Functional Ceramics 2010



It was time off yet it was working time and yes it was worth the trip. I went about three hours north, this past week, to participate in the Wayne Center for the Arts Functional Ceramics Workshop. It was good thing for a potter to do. There were three speakers/presenters and the second was Fong Choo. I found him quite informative and entertaining. I was impressed with his enthusiasm and focus on marketing. You can find his site at his link. More later.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

A Sheepish Kind of Day



Today, after a month long wait, the sheep arrived for their photo session. These little ones just came from the kiln Friday and are set to join the ranks of other yarn holders in my etsy shop. These guys and various other yarn holders are part of the pack going to the Wool Gathering September 18th and 19th, 2010. My colleague, Adriana, will also be there and we are exited. It is our plan to bring a spectacle of the most unique collection of yarn holders yet to be seen.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

RTC Fresh from the kiln


Last week I fired the gas kiln for the people of Rosewood (Kettering OH) I also had a few of my pots in that firing. Here is an image of one of my corn kernel ash glazed teapots that came from that firing. It is a small(ish) tee pot as it holds just over 8 ounces. More pots and pictures later. Today I fire the gas at Middletown Art Center (OH).

Sunday, January 24, 2010

About RTC

RTC (Royal Tea Culture) is a name I have given to a series of tea pots, tea cups & all things ceramic, made for tea. What got me started is seeing all the Japanese, Korean and Chinese tea ware. They are all so lovely and refined. I found myself wanting to make those things. Yet, there is no honest way for me to make "copies" of those things. As a result, I began to ask "What can I make that is unique to me and to my culture?" I decided I could create new territory--a different land born of my own experience and imagination. That way it would truly be mine. Hence RTC. In this series, by my decree, the pots must live by certain rules.

1. The pots are to be unique and reflect their maker, her culture and location. (ie hedge apples, surface marks and glaze surfaces all created from things in my location)
2. Mark(s) of the maker, tools, and the process of making form and surface are to remain.
3. In the making of these pots the maker is to slow down, get off the wheel and make these pots quite directly by hand.
4. These pots for tea are required to function in spite of their character.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Fresh From the Kiln

The firing was Friday and quite a few hedge apple tea bowls emerged from their second glaze firing  when we opened the kiln Sunday.   I am quite happy to report that they did well and we were off to the next phase—photographing them.   I am presently editing their images.   This one is one of my porcelain babies.  She is clear glazed inside with copper red exterior. hedgeapple0004E

hedgeapple0004D

I will be uploading more pictures  to flickr.com photos of Little Pig Pottery

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Back into the quiet studio


I have been busy at the wheel this past week. First it was piggy bank bodies and next more yarn holders with a unique bent. I also glazed a few hedge apple tea bowls that were fired yesterday in the gas kiln. Pictures Sunday when that kiln is opened.