The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,000 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 3 trips to carry that many people.
Pots are back in Manchester in one piece, take a look on my page for some photos of them safe and sound at university.
Here’s a photo of the two ‘rib pots’ that Joe turned yesterday, displayed alongside their ribs. I was mistaken – they are lambs’ ribs, not goats’ – but they were definitely lambs from the Spanish hillsides, not lambs from Waitrose.
At the close of yesterday Joe started experimenting with ribs… Ceramicists amongst you will know the term ‘potter’s rib’ – for non-potters those are the tools you use to shape the outside of vessels when throwing – and last night Joe decided to test the etymology, using goats’ ribs collected from the Spanish hillside to form the classic Greek amphora outline of two vases. Rib pots? Ribbed vases? I rib ye not.
This morning he will start by making an apron with pockets for his ribs. As a homage to Beckett it may have six pockets down the right hand side and six pockets down the left hand side… A rib-tickling apron. Photos up later today.
Robert
Take a look at Joe’s page to see the ingenious method of coding he has devised to match his stoneware transit cases with their porcelain contents. Wish I’d taken a picture of the first five lined up beside their accompanying snipped-off typewriter blocks after having been stamped – lovely shot, but missed!
Joe and I were talking about the possibilities of creating origami cases for porcelain transit today – beautiful but entirely ephemeral caskets that would burn up in the kiln. Transitory in both senses of the word.
Robert
Hopefully Joe is back in York now tucked up safe and sound at the Ace Hotel (thanks again guys for putting Joe up) and after a good night’s sleep will arise as cheerfully and sprightly as he departed on Saturday. That’s unless he got diverted by any hen/stag parties in York on his way back to the hostel – York being, it seems, the hen/stag party venue of the North – and wakes with a monumental hangover. But this I doubt very much to have happened, as Joe’s mind is, I feel sure, as pure as the porcelain he throws…
In the meantime there are some lovely photos from Saturday’s session for your delectation on Joe’s page, and we will be adding more tomorrow I am sure.
Robert
Just a message to say there are now some new photos up on my page.
And also thank you Robert for your kind words, its been an absolute privilege for me being in the gallery. Im looking forward to next week all ready.
Joe
Can’t believe the first week of Joe’s residency has gone so quickly. He is en route back to Manchester, and hopefully he will have a chance to put up some of the photos of the last few days after he has said hello again to family and friends. Lots of eager takers today for a go on the wheel, which was great to witness. I haven’t had my go yet, but promise to try next week – though doubt my first attempt at throwing in porcelain will be any match for James Beighton’s yesterday. Not that it’s a competition or anything…
Today also saw the first try out of Joe’s transportation concept for the vessels, as we took 5 stoneware cases and their precious porcelain contents to the university kiln, where they will be fired later next week. More of that on Joe’s page shortly no doubt.
It is such a privilege to have someone of Joe’s calibre in the gallery each day. I feel the work he has produced has been so very finely resolved in such a short space of time, and can’t wait to see what his second week brings forth!
Robert
It’s the end of Joe’s 2nd day of the residency – check out his page here to keep up to date. It’s so nice having him in the studio – I think he’s enjoying himself. What’s really good is hearing his ideas, so full of originality and freshness, and then seeing them being brought into being so soon afterwards!
Robert
Joe arrived safely yesterday with wheel, sewing machine and heaps of other stuff after braving high winds over the Pennines – thanks to George the van man for that! He’s in the gallery from 10am today. We’re very grateful to Brian and the rest of the fab team at Ace Hotel York on Micklegate for generously supporting Joe’s residency and looking after him while he’s in town.
53 Degrees 2011 