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When Anne was at NCECA in Portland this year she bought this beautiful mug from artist Ben Jordan. "I was immediately taken with the balance of form and function in this piece. The floral decoration is integrated extremely well with the form. The handle is comfortable and fits very nicely in the hand. The clay is a rich rust red and the glaze reminiscent of a sepia photograph. It has a perfect high pitch ring when you flick it. Even the bottom is decorated! Beyond these technical things, it's just an absolutely gorgeous piece of pottery; so well considered in each and every way. I had to have it and brought it back to Kingston with me to share with all of you. If you do not know of Ben Jordan now you do. Here is a short interview with Ben Jordan." -Anne Bailey at NCECA 2017

NCECA offers an exciting opportunity to see and hear what is going on in the ceramic field. Jim and I always enjoy seeing and being a sponsor of the K-12 Ceramic Exhibition which is an important part of NCECA every year. In its 20th year it has grown from a small show to one of national stature featuring work of students from across the country. In a time when we watch funding for the arts disappear it is reassuring to see that this show is thriving. The 2017 show was one of the best ever. Each successive year confirms that when good teachers and their students come together with the common goal of excellence in ceramic art, great things happen.

Lot's of gift giving occasions seem to come up in May. Now is the time to start making some quick and easy coasters for Mom or the newlyweds! If you missed Part 1: Forming Coasters you can see the post here but then be sure to come back because we are about to jump into glazing!

We are going to begin by rolling out a slab of clay. We have chosen a low fire white clay with grog from Standard for this project, but you can use any clay you are comfortable with. You can roll out a slab of clay either by using a rolling pin or a slab roller. We used our 22" Mini-Might II Table Roller to roll out this slab.

Two giants of the contemporary studio pottery movement passed away on the same day last Thursday. Both were important and influential leaders. We send our condolences to all who knew them and to their families who surely will miss these two dynamic potters.

Mystery Pot 30, Biography of the Artist

"I enjoy making pottery because it comes from inside," Lucy Lewis told The LA Times in 1984, speaking in Keresan, her tribal language.

If you have a Bailey top-loading electric kiln in your studio, or are thinking about owning one, we have a video series to help you learn about your kiln and how to maintain it. In this video you will learn how to replace elements with confidence.

Give your work a spring update with glazes that are vibrant, energetic and versatile. Choosing the right glaze to compliment a ceramic form might be one of the most exciting parts of the ceramic process and yet with so many glazes available it can be hard to know where to start. So, today we have rounded up some of our customers' favorite, tried and true green glazes that you can start using in your studio today.

Bring on the texture with MKM! Sometimes all it takes is one new tool to spark a whole new direction in how and what we make. Pick up one of the new MKM stamps and discover a whole new world of pattern and texture.

At the Museum of Art & Design in NYC