Sinks on a Pedestal!

I really enjoy large scale projects--sometimes I think the harder the project, the more I have to tackle it! Here is one example of that. It's a pedestal sink (we actually have one in our bathroom). Typically, I make them in three pieces and assemble them post-firing. The pedestal style sinks are a great solution for small bathrooms and powder rooms.

I really like this glaze and clay combination: Coyote glaze in Light Shino over brownstone speckle clay from Highwater Clay.

Please let me know what you think!

This Has Absolutely Nothing to Do with Pottery

We needed to escape from work so, today, Karen and I took off to Epcot Center in Orlando and had a great time. I liked the Future Pavilion, she liked the Land exhibition. We had a great dinner in "Mexico" and got rained upon. We didn't care.

Unless you know Karen and I well you are, no doubt, expecting to see some photos of our visit. Those of you who do know us fully expect that 1) we didn't remember to take our camera and 2) even if we had, we wouldn't have taken any pictures. We have no photographic history of our life together. Pathetic.

I'm off to peel off wet socks and relax!

Meet the Mascots

They say "behind every great man. . ." Well, with no disrespect to my wife, in this instance, behind every artist is a strong support system. Part of mine happens to be cats. Several. One belongs to us and three have adopted us. They view the studio with great interest--particularly when it's time for food--and have served as inspiration for art, as well.

First, meet Salvador. Yes, despite a mustache and a boy's name, Salvador is a girl. I found her almost five years ago at the pottery studio in Atlanta where I used to work. I'll be blunt: She's a temperamental bully who bites and smacks, withholds affection until it suits her agenda and runs the back yard and studio on a leash. (Yes, a leash.) In short, she is absolutely horrible! And we adore her! She also inspired a recent new work. My wife thought it looked like an urn and didn't want it in the house, until a friend suggested that we use the "vessel" for cat treats so now I get to bring her in!

Now for the rest of our little family. Over the past year and a half, we started taking care of a sweet little mother cat who was all on her own and expecting her second litter in under a year. We feed her and two of the kittens who decided they had a good gig and stayed. With the fabulous help of the Mission Orange program of the Tampa Human Society--we managed to catch them and have them spayed and neutered. Mission Orange is a fantastic program dedicated to helping feral cats throughout the Tampa area. I've included their web link at right so check them out.

 

Meet Momma Cat (the elegant little gray tabby. The name isn't original but is highly descriptive); Cotton (shock, I know, she's the white cat, a grumpy, highly vocal girl); and A.J. (a little tuxedo boy who is our adventurous spirit). Just to look at them, would you ever guess they are a little family!? We've lost our hearts to these three and hope we've given them a better quality of life than they would have had. They've certainly added so much joy to ours.

 

Join Me at Charlie's Wine Bar

Here is a sneak preview of some of the new pieces I am creating for a new exhibit of wine-related works beginning April 16 at Charlie's Wine Bar, 533 South Howard Ave. in Tampa.

If you aren't familiar with Charlie's, it was voted in the top 20 best wine shops/bars in the U.S. by Go magazine in March 2007. Charlie's celebrates Bistro Night every Wednesday and Thursday from 6-10 p.m. Good food, good wine and, now, a pottery display from m.garnes studio.

Let me know what you think about these new works!

The Birth of a Studio

In my last blog, I mentioned that my journey to being a full-time potter wasn't always pretty. Let me give you a taste of that. Before I could get started doing anything creatively I had to completely renovate my studio space--a two-car garage distinguished by bare timbers and a cracked floor. Over the course of three months, and with an alarming lack of knowledge about carpentry, I created this studio space. Photo 1 shows where I started. Photo 2 is halfway complete and Photo 3 the finished working studio. Labor of love? Or just labor? You be the judge!

Welcome to My New Blog!

Blogging is an entirely new world to me so please be patient as I learn the ropes.

I've decided to dedicate this to anyone who ever decided to follow a dream--and did. My dream: To become a full time potter. Getting here wasn't always pretty and hasn't always been easy but the journey has been well  worth it. And, more to the point, I did it.

After owning two small printing companies for over 10 years, our family moved to Atlanta and I found a job as Pottery Studio Manager at the Hudgens Center for the Arts where I had the great fortune to reconnect with pottery. Today, it's my full time gig.

Please check back often. I hope to share more information later this weekend on a new exhibit soon to be scheduled.

If you're in the Tampa area this weekend, please stop by the Tampa Artist Emporium this Saturday, March 8 from 5-9 p.m. The Emporium is located in historic Hyde Park in South Tampa. The address: 1618 Snow Avenue (zip 33606).

Thanks for checking in. Let's talk again soon.