Whew... I am one tired out Lolly! The pottery workshop is fun but it really wears you out (in a good way... honest)! I just wanted to share a few hundred pics (almost kidding about the hundred part) from my family pottery weekend!
This past Thursday my AuntChops (MomChops older sister), CousinChops (AuntChops daughter) and my sister (SisterChops) all flew into town! We had signed up for a 3 day pottery workshop together at Cliff House Studio (with PamChops and RaymondChops and IsabelChops)! Besides the fabulous teacher, amazing food and Isabel the pottery dog - my favorite thing about this workshop is that it's small. So it was just us and no strangers (cause the teacher and her hubs are almost like family).
If you have been hanging around these parts for the past few months you might remember that we had a family pottery weekend scheduled a few months ago and did not get to go because of some unforeseen health issues (little stuff like quadruple bypass open heart surgery, gall bladder surgery and almost knee surgery)! Fortunately everyone recovered and we were able to reschedule to this past weekend! I went on my own last year and shared my adventures in this post HERE, HERE and HERE.
So here we go! Below is a little picture + commentary sharsie of our weekend!
How each day began...
Every morning as you drive into the studio grounds you are met with this furry baby!
This is Isabel.
She's fur-roucious.
See what I mean.
I think she was on the brink of taking off my hand here.
That collar is the only thing keeping her at bay.
Well... that and the dog treats I might have been sneaking her every morning.
shhhh don't tell on me ok!
We started off the morning of the first day with a tour of Raymond's glass studio.
Pam (our teacher) is the potter and Raymond (the chef) is the glass blower.
SisterChops was pretty darn excited about the glass studio.
Here is some of Raymond's beautiful work.
CousinChops went home with several pieces similar to this!
This is a pic of some of the color rod chunks Raymond uses when he throws glass.
These three are my very most favorite colors EVER and they just happened to be hanging out with each other!
It's color karma.
I so would love a piece made with these colors.
I think Isabel is giving me the eye here.
Yep.
That's the eye all right.
As we got started throwing our first pots Pam demonstrated the hippy-hippy shake pottery dance.
I tried it and my clay lump literally jumped onto the wheel and threw itself (see it sitting there).
I would have continued with this method but I threw my back out and actually had to throw the pots myself.
Total bummer.
So after we had thrown one pot each it was time for lunch.
Soooo tasty.
Raymond does all the cooking for the workshop.
I think his last name might be "Lagasse" but I cannot be sure.
He has some chef jeans in there somewhere.
The food was so good we were all ready to steal him away from Pam.
The Raymond-napping plans are actually in the works.
Not.Even.Kidding.
After lunch some of us had to pug clay.
...and some of us stood back and took pics of the rest of us pugging away.
I don't know who that slacker could be do you????
Some of us got a little carried away with the whole "initial your bat" thing.
ahem... I have no idea who "LC" could be.
Nonewhatsoever.
These are SisterChops pots.
She did GREAT for her first time throwing ever!!!
So during the workshop if you were good Pam would give you a treat.
But you had to be really really good.
...and covered in fur.
...and like bacon flavor.
A lot.
Oh and you had to lay down and bust out some some really sweet close-your-eyes-and-look-like-a-little-baby-bunny moves too.
...and then and only then would you get the treat.
I tried it but failed on the whole covered in fur thing.
Such a shame cause I really loves me some bacon.
On day two our pots were so lonely that we decided that they needed to take in the spectacular view.
So what did we do while they were soaking in the sunshine?
We had lunch of course.
Pottery schmottery.
We were living for lunch at this point.
Noon could not have come fast enough.
Isabel guarded the door to make sure we did not enter before lunch was ready.
You think I am kidding.
If you had tasted the food you would have been living for lunch too.
Trust Lolly.
After lunch we cleaned our newly thrown pots.
...it took a lot of concentration.
A lot a lot.
I am talking some serious concentration here folks.
...so some of us decided to take one for the team and get a nap in.
What a trooper.
I am pretty sure PamChops is telling AuntChops about how she cleans 400 million pots in a month and that she really loves it.
Judging from the angel of AuntChops head I am thinking she's not buying it.
Isabel isn't buying it either.
This is her "don't buy that line from PamChops and don't even think about going back in for seconds lady" look.
I feared for my hand.
On day three we were greeted with lovely bisque fired pots.
mmmmm bisque.
Is it lunch time yet???
We admired our pots.
We glazed our pots.
..and...
You guessed it.
We had lunch.
Of course.
Let me rephrase that.
...we ALL had lunch.
No dog left behind.
That's motto of this pottery studio!
Here is a batch of some seriously hot pots.
This is CousinChops debating on the whole sticking the tongs into the fire to grab a pot thing.
Her face says it all.
Oh YAY! Only 2,000 degrees????
Noooo problem!
We are just about done at this point.
I liked this shot of the flames licking out of the kiln!
This is pretty much the last step.
These are some of my pots at home all safe and sound.
The two on the left I bought from Pam and the three little fellas on the right are mine.
I think they look smashing together on the mantel!
I will be getting a picture of all of us together from Pam sometime soon (and will post it)! When we were doing the group shot I kinda forgot to hand over my camera (like a giant worn out from a long pottery weekend dork).
I hope you have enjoyed these pics. I sure did have a nice time and I hope you'll consider doing something like this too! It's pretty amazing to walk in on a Friday morning and walk out Sunday with an arm load of beautiful pots you made yourself! It feels pretty fantastic!
P.S. Big HUGS to Pam and Raymond for making our weekend extra special. They are truly amazing people.
