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7/17/2020 1 Comment

Setting Up the Blue Island Gallery


Glenn and Keith are just about finished setting up their gallery in Blue Island, Illinois (13201 Western Ave., Blue Island, IL 60406).
Check out this video as they walk around the gallery and discuss some of Glenn's more recent pieces.
They are also just about finished with their website and discuss how COVID-19 has forced them to transition from selling their pottery at art fairs to on-line sales and by appointment gallery sales.
Please subscribe to our channel - we will have more demonstration oriented video blogs as we finish setting up our Blue Island studio, which will be our next project.
Check out our Virtual Pottery Store to see what is available and our prices.
Watch the video below and please subscribe to our YouTube channel - we will be doing demonstrations and talking about our process all summer - don't miss it!
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7/12/2020 3 Comments

Carving Platters

One of our more signature items is our carved bowls, plates, and platters.
I really enjoy designing the flower-like patterns and taking the time to make sure that, while similar, each one has a unique pattern and series of beads. It is odd that I would spend so much time carving and then apply a crystalline glaze which often will totally obliterate the carving and bead details, however, when it works - it really works and the end result is totally worth the work and risk of loosing detail.
I am going to try to attach a slideshow I put together for facebook a while back - not sure if it will work.
I am also including a few images of our carved bowls, plates, and platters. Check out our Virtual Pottery Store - we only have a few available right now but we are getting ready for a glaze session and we are always adding new items for sale.
​https://www.facebook.com/keith.herbrand1/posts/10222600513306106?comment_id=10222600521546312&notif_id=1594555999475424&notif_t=feed_comment
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6/30/2020 1 Comment

Pottery Available at San Antonio Pottery - Florida

San Antonio, Florida is a short drive just north of Tampa/St. Pete off of I-75.  This is where you will find San Antonio Pottery, owned and operated by Jack Boyle and Debora Gillars. You will find a nice variety of pottery by Jack and a few guest artists.
Starting in June 2020, you will find some of our work there as well. We hope you will take the drive, check out the local scene and even in this time of COVID-19, if you wear a mask and keep a safe distance, you can get out of the house and drop in to San Antonio Pottery and pick up a gift for that special someone - even if that someone is you.
Keith and I tried to deliver a wide variety of shapes and sizes - things you can use, like mugs, spoon rests, vases, and jars in addition to some of the more decorative pieces.
You will find San Antonio Pottery at: 11903 Curley Road, San Antonio, FL 33576
You may want to call first to confirm hours: 352-588-4228
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1 Comment

6/25/2020 1 Comment

Creating Art During CORONA Pandemic

So many of our art fairs are being cancelled, consequently we are spending more time in our studio.
This gives us time to test glazes, try new forms, perhaps design a new body of work. This is exactly what we were doing with our studio time. Out of all this came a series we call "COVID Tears". 
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Check out the video below to see the new pieces and hear how we came to make them.
If you like what you see, there are many available in our virtual Pottery Store right her on this website.
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1 Comment

6/24/2020 0 Comments

Glaze Results Discussion

In this video, we review the glaze diagrams we create for each piece and then show samples of the glaze results. As ususal, some pieces did exactly what we had anticipated but others fell short - however, it is in reviewing these glaze diagrams that we are able to repeat results or learn what adjustments need to be made to achieve the desired results.
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Check out the video below
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6/13/2020 1 Comment

Kiln Opening - June 13th, Anniversary Series

As promised, here is the kiln opening for the Anniversary Series. We will do a follow-up video comparing the glaze instruction sheets to the finished pieces.
Let me know what you think - which one is your favorite and why.
1 Comment

6/11/2020 0 Comments

Preparing for a Glazing Session

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Each firing is recorded - firing schedule, time it takes to complete the firing, and any special notes regarding the firing.
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Just a photo of the pieces loaded in the kiln - a second layer on the bottom lifts the primary pieces into the center portion of the kiln for best results. 
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Slightly different perspective of the top layer of pots ready to be fired.

Here is a video discussion of preparing for a glaze session

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6/9/2020 7 Comments

Exploring a new Mug Style

As I have said many times before, I am no longer making mugs but our life as a potters has come to a screeching halt since all of our art fairs have been cancelled through July. I am spending more time in the studio making smaller items and testing glazes however, I am throwing almost everything away that comes out of the kiln. Honestly, production has been very slow and as luck would have it our glazes have been misbehaving - not really sure what the actual culprit is yet. We are still working on the solution.

One of my friends (Mo Anderson) has been requesting a mug similar to what I used to make so many years ago and another crystalline artist friend (Holly McKeen) challenged me to explore the making of mugs using similar forms found in our larger pieces - interestingly enough, her suggestion takes me right back to the mug forms I was making so long ago.
So here they are -  exploring a new and yet familiar form.
Let me know what you think.
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The older mug style - cone 6 oxidation.
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One of our newer forms used to style the new mug
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The body style of the new mugs - will trim and finish tomorrow
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Slight variations on the same theme ready to be trimmed and handles added.
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6/7/2020 1 Comment

Discussing Anniversary Pieces

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6/6/2020 1 Comment

Anniversary Pieces - video to follow

What an honor to have been asked by a few people to make special pieces designed to celebrate anniversaries - from one year anniversaries all the way to 60 year anniversaries and many in between. With each project, we get to know a little about the couple celebrating their anniversary as well as the person or people giving the gift. With that knowledge, we weave in elements that create a story. I will show examples of pieces in the video and photos attached. 

Keith and I will be celebrating our 35th anniversary June 13th, 2020 and in preparation for that anniversary we are making a limited series of what we are calling "Anniversary Pots". These are collaborative pieces: Keith makes the base of the piece and I make the top of the piece. Once the pieces are made, I fine tune the forms and assemble them and use 35 beads to mark where they were joined. The pieces are signed with both of our names and we will glaze them together as well.

Each of these pieces are 35 years in the making - when we first met, I am sure Keith would have never dreamed that one day, he would also be a potter and yet, here is his work and with each day, with each pot, he becomes more skilled and a very fine potter - couldn't be more proud of his progress. We are a team as potters and life partners - held together by the 35 years and our anniversary pieces are held together by 35 beads. The beads on each piece create a unique pattern and each of the pieces in the series are slightly different in form.

It is our hope that others who are also celebrating 35 years together, will find one of these pieces meaningful and add one of them to their pottery collection. We hope this piece will serve to honor the journey we all have taken to get to this place, each different and unique to the nature of the two who have traversed together.
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This piece was made for a couple celebrating their 60th anniversary - there are 60 beads on the collar, the body is comprised of two lobes signifying two as one and the finial represents the two spirits twinging and turning around each other - a sort of spiritual dance we do with our life partners.
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This piece holds a rock from a beach in Israel, the rock has been worn and sculpted into a heart shape with soft round features. The couple that received this was celebrating their 44th anniversary.
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This piece was designed for a couple celebrating their 60th year together, the names of their children and a 3 words signifying their essence hang from the lid. The shells represent the couple signifying the perfect pairing like two sea shells washing up on the beach - they were made for each other.

If you would like us to design and create an anniversary piece to celebrate your next anniversary please contact us and let us know what you have in mind. We need at least a month to create this for you.

Call us at: 727-504-6200

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727 504 6200

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