squam art fair

I'm packing up to go to the lakes region of New Hampshire this weekend for a small evening show that I've heard many great things about - it's the Squam Art Fair at Rockywold Deephaven Camp on Squam Lake in Holderness. It's this Saturday night, June 6th, from 7:30pm to 10pm. IMG_8694

And though I should be making pots for the wood kiln (firing in less than a month!), I decided to make a small batch of brand-new work for this event. ;)

squam

Here's a link to the other fine vendors you'll find. We're looking forward to being a part of this!

~Becca

save the date : holiday open studio

Save the date: our Holiday Open Studio and Sale : December 6th & 7th, 11am to 4pm at our place. IMG_4517

We'll have a great selection of new wood-fired work from our fall firing - including gift ideas like fermenting crocks, butter keepers, coffee and tea mugs, mason jars, and serving bowls for holiday get-togethers. As per usual, it'll be a chance to tour our kiln if you haven't been here before, and get some deals on discounted pottery.

See you then! And if you can't make it to Vermont, we'll be posting new work in our Etsy shop in the coming weeks. Stay tuned for an announcement on that!

~Becca and Nathan

 

after the fair(s) :: thank you

We had a truly wonderful summer of shows, and we thank those of you who came out to see us - and those of you who shouted your support from the sidelines of these virtual spaces, too. :)

Our biggest show of the year, Sunapee, was a huge success. It was fun and exciting to see and hear the responses to our new work, including our fermenting crocks, mason jars, and our new chalkboard glaze prototypes.

(By the by, we're now taking orders and requests for the next firing - we're thinking more of these plus chalkboard glaze on put-away pots and canisters!)

There were plenty of new twists on previous designs, too, and it's very fun to see what folks respond when we get the pots out of the studio and 'under the lights.'

It's hard to believe, but the once full kiln shed shelves are nearly empty now! There were 1018 pieces in that kiln (!) . . . so nice to think of all the kitchens and homes that made space for our new pottery . . .

There are, however, some really nice pieces still here in our home studio shop. We hope you'll give a call or an email if you'd like to visit. We've also listed a great selection of new work in our online shop. Have a look.

Again, many thanks for a great summer!

~Nathan and Becca

upcoming: the Sunapee Fair

For the 80th year, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen will host it's annual Fair, held this year from August 3rd-11th. We're excited to be exhibiting once again - this is Becca's ninth year and our fifth showing as a couple!

Join us at the base of Mount Sunapee, in the beautiful Dartmouth/Sunapee region of New Hampshire for this unparallelled nine day event. The show is open from 10-5 daily, open until 7pm on Friday the 9th.

Our booth is in the same location as the past few years - in the front of Tent 6, booth 628.

There will be handmade crafts from over 350 juried artisans, as well as workshops, demonstrations, performances, and tours.

Speaking of tours, Nathan will be giving a "Master Tour" of ceramics at the Fair on Monday at 3pm. Find him at Tent K; should be fun!

You can find more information about the Fair, as well as purchase tickets in advance, by visiting the League's website.

Hope to see you there!

~Nathan and Becca

upcoming . . . this summer's events

We've got some great events coming up in the next three months! Hope you can join us at one of them.

We'll have a table of our pottery at the 3rd Annual BALE fest in South Royalton, VT, on Thursday June 13th, from 3pm to 7pm (although the festival runs 'till 9). It's a celebration of the growing strength of our local economy, including a farmers' market, educational workshops, live music, all kinds of food, stuff for kids, even a place to get your bicycle tuned up! more info

We're also open at our home studio on *some* Fridays and Saturdays this month and next. We'd love to show you, your friends, and family, around our new studio, showroom, and wood-kiln. Find us open on the following Fridays, 2-6pm : June 14 & 21, July 12; and the following Saturdays, 12-4pm : June 15 & 22, July 13. Stay tuned for updates on late summer + fall hours, and please call ahead if you're coming from a distance!

We're returning to the Lebanon (NH) Farmers' Market! It's a wonderful, family-oriented market on the Town Green with live music, and local food galore. You can almost always find tasty food for dinner, and enjoy the open-air concerts to follow at 7:30 in July and August. more concert info The market runs Thursdays 4-7pm, from now until Sept 26th, but we'll be there on June 20, 27; July 11, 25; August 15, 22, 29 (Please call us to confirm that we'll be there if you're coming from a distance!) more market info

And we wouldn't want to miss the Yarmouth Clam Festival Craft Show! Look for our booth:

Becca is celebrating 10 years (!) showing at this juried event, which takes place on the lawn of the North Yarmouth Academy, in Yarmouth, Maine. The show runs July 19th- 21nd, from 10am to 9pm (Fri & Sat), 10am to 5pm (Sun). more info

And last, but definitely not least, is the 80th Annual League of New Hampshire Craftsmen's Fair, referred to by some as "Sunapee." It takes place at Mount Sunapee Resort in Newbury, NH (near New London/Dartmouth-Sunapee Region), from August 3- 11th this year. It's the oldest craft fair in the country, running for nine whole days, with literally hundreds of handmade exhibitors, performances, and demonstrations. The fair is open from 10am to 5pm daily, and open until 7pm on Friday the 9th! We'll be in the same spot as the past few years - the very front of Tent #6, Booth 628.

If our July firing goes well, we'll have lots of brand-new wood-fired pottery at the Clam Festival and Sunapee Fair . . .

Hope you can join us!

Questions? Need directions? Want to schedule another time to see our work? Reach us at (802) 234-1320, or nathanandbecca@gmail.com.

 

 

with gratitude

Yesterday, we had what could only be called a very last minute open house. We sent emails, and posted on Facebook, and we thought we might get a couple of visitors to see the new studio building.

In a few short hours, however, we were overwhelmed and delighted by the incredible turn out. People came from all over our little town. They came from neighboring towns- and states. People who had never been here invited friends, and we met many new, wonderful people. Everyone enjoyed hot cocoa in Nathan's cute little mugs, laughed at the chickens, and marveled at how in two short months, we've gone from a muddy, ledge-ridden hole to a towering gorgeous building. While that was happening, other folks continued to order pottery from our website.

Wow. Seriously, wow.

2012 has been a momentous year for us. (Heck, make that a momentous four years.) We can't even begin to log the hours of work we've put into building and finishing our wood kiln, firing it for the first two times, and launching into another huge building project without much (any?) time off. And while the last four years have been exciting, we'll be honest: it hasn't been easy. Life has been unsettled, and trying at times. We've 'been through the fire', so to speak, both as individuals, and as a couple. We've felt vulnerable, and we've even been scared. We've learned SO much. About masonry- and about working together. About carpentry- and about marriage. About concrete- and about perseverance.

And the hard work is not over, not at all.

But out of all of this, we see a light at the end of a long tunnel - we are watching our dream unfold, and it turns out it's bigger and more amazing than we could have imagined. We get to be potters again soon! We get to do the thing we love - the thing that prompted and motivated all of this building in the first place. Call me crazy, but making pottery - and making a living at it - is the thing that gets me out of bed in the dark and cold, to pull on the long underwear and wool hat, and get back to work outside. In December. In Vermont.

But the most amazing part of all this - and the reason I'm reflecting on this deeply personal stuff here, is because of YOU. I'm writing this now because it means so SO much to us to have the kind of support and enthusiasm we felt yesterday, and that we've felt throughout the year at our shows. It brings tears to my eyes - tears of gratitude and thanks - that you would tell us, and show us with your presence, that you, too, think we're doing something great, something worth getting up in the cold and dark for.

Thank you for buying pottery, truly.

Thank you for gifting it, and for telling your friends and family about us. Thank you for sending us photos of your dinner on one of our plates, or your coffee mug on your desk, or your cat in one of our bowls. (Yes, this has happened more that once!)

Thank you for telling us that you enjoy using our pottery, and for believing that something handmade by another human is important, or at least enjoyable.

Thank you so very much for helping us pursue what we love doing!

Wishing you the happiest of holiday seasons,

~Becca and Nathan