Christmas Shopping Time

It's that exciting time again!!

More info at Black Sheep Vineyard website

Preparing the Wood

My next firing of the Ramsey Anagama Kiln will be in April! I am preparing the wood now so that it can rest while I make work in my studio next to the wood stove all Winter.

In Wheeling Magazine!

Being involved with the Wheeling Artisan Center has garnered a mention of my Wood Fired Pottery! In the newest "In Wheeling" magazine there is a story on the Artisan Center about what it has brought to the Wheeling area in terms of showcasing the fine craft work of local Artists. A small picture of my work and my name is included in the story!

New Show at Blatimore Clayworks

I just found out that I was accepted into a new show for Wood Fire Pottery at Baltimore Clayworks! The show is: 

Artifacts From The Inferno:

Contemporary Wood-Fired Ceramics

Juried by Jack Troy

October 5- November 9, 2013

The piece pictured above is what got accepted!

Crosscurrents Juried Arts Exhibition

The Stifel Fine Arts Center in Wheeling, WV is hosting their annual juried arts exhibition called "Crosscurrents". I entered these three pieces from my last firing of the Ramsey Anagama Kiln. Not only were they accepted, but all three won an Honorable Mention from the juror, Naijun Zhang, Associate Professor of Painting from WJU!

I am very exited about this and have to thank my friend Andrew Croft for suggesting that I enter this show.

The opening for the show is this Thursday, March 7 from 6:30 to 8:30, but the exhibit runs until May 3rd!

Here is a link for directions, hours, and such: Stifel

Stone Walls of Ireland

One of the most visually appealing things for me while in Ireland was seeing all the stone walls. They were remarkable in their amount of labor to create something functionally beautiful. These walls were built in the Burren in the far west of Ireland, looking out over the Atlantic Ocean.

Upon my return from Ireland I have built my own small stone walls as a property marker, and to try and add some functional beauty to my own space. All stones were collected on site here in Ohio.

New Works!

Some of the latest work to be fired in the Ramsey Anagama Kiln. Digital images taken by my good friend Andrew Croft                                                                                

Crooksville Pottery Mug

 While exploring in an old Antique Shop in Barnesville, Ohio the other day I found an interesting old mug. It is hefty like a shorter beer stein, glazed white on the inside and brown on the outside. The raised imagery is of a man smoking a pipe on one side and a windmill on the other.
Resaearching the piece I was led to The Burley and Winter Pottery Co. which worked out of Crooksville, Ohio. They made pottery from the 1830's into the 1930's and the mugs were made around the turn of the century. (also pictured is a large 12 gallon crock that I found at an auction years ago that was made by the same company...)
This is one reason that I love being a potter here... drinking coffee from a mug that was made one hundred years ago in this area... you can't beat that!

Happy New Year and New Beginnings!

It is now 2013, the year of the Golden Snake. Hopefully a good year is ahead for all of us.
 Last year we focused on setting the groundwork for our future. Tearing down, and cleaning up the old house (which we of course used in the last firing of the Kiln) helped begin a new movement in our lives. This year we can now focus on the building of our home...
Thanks to our friend Steve Long who provided the winch and the help in pulling down the house. Melanie Steffl Thompson does a good job of filming & narrating.
Here's to 2013!!

Just in Time for Christmas

While we were traveling in Ireland, I had to find a potter to visit. So we visited Coolavokig Pottery in West Co. Cork, which has the oldest wood-fired Kiln in Ireland (built in 1977). It is a traditional two chambered climbing Kiln. A beautiful Kiln...

We pulled up and met with Meredith Flandreau and she showed us around the Kiln and their wonderfully quaint shop. Very nice people with a beautiful setting for making pottery! Here is a link to their website: Coolavokig Pottery

So just in time for Christmas, a package was delivered to my door from Meredith in Ireland which contained this wonderful wood-fired "Failte" plate! (Failte means welcome in Gaelic)

 Thank you so much Meredith and we hope to visit you guys again!

Anagama Video

Here is a short video done by my fiend Phil Cole about the building and firing of my Anagama Kiln. We used this for the "Resilience" Exhibition opening back in November.

Magical Ireland

We were lucky enough to spend one week in Ireland this last November! What a wonderful experience...

Christmas Shopping?

This Holiday Season my work can still be seen and purchased in a few locations.

Main Street Gallery in St. Clairsville: (here is a link with info, hours, and directions) http://placestobeintheov.blogspot.com/2012/03/main-street-gallery.html

Wheeling Artisan Center in Wheeling, WV: (here is a link with info, hours, and directions) http://www.artisancenter.com/

Or feel free to contact me through my email: silverfoxpots@gmail.com
We can set up an appointment and I can show you the Ramsey Anagama Kiln!

4th Annual Pottery Sale!!!

Join us at the Black Sheep Vineyard on Saturday November 24th from 1:00 till 5:00 for our annual pottery sale! We will be featuring new work by both Ben and Melanie Steffl Thompson from the Ramsey Anagama Kiln.                                                                     

Stay for the evening at the Vineyard and be entertained by music from the Gypsy Cowboys, starting at 7:30!

Here is a map for directions to Black Sheep Vineyard. Or check out their website for more info: www.blacksheepvineyard.com                                                

Newpaper Write Up

We had a very nice write up in the Wheeling Sunday News Register by Betsy Bethel-Mcfarland! She, very eloquently, put the story of the process together with some great photos.                    

                                                                                                               You can also go to the newspapers web site to read the article here:  http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/576476/Fired-Up-.html?nav=528

Hope to see you all Thursday Night!!!!

"Resilience" Exhibition

Upcoming Ceramics Show!

 This Thursday, November 1st at The Main Street Gallery in St. Clairsville, Ohio from 6-9 

 Featuring new ceramic work from the third firing of the Ramsey Anagama Kiln.

 Also enjoy Bagpipe music from 6:30-7:30 by Betsy Bethel-McFarland

Third Firing Success!

The Third Firing of the Ramsey Anagama Kiln was a success! We fired for 62 hours total. The images are of the firing and a sneak peek into the Kiln at the finished work! We will unload tomorrow.

October Kiln Firing

                                     Dersu with some of the wood for the firing

Welcome to our firing....October 14-17th. We will be there 24/7 feeding 6 or so cords of wood into the kiln, so follow the signs and join the big fire.

 Directions from Wheeling/Bridgeport area: Take State Route 250 North from Bridgeport 12 miles until you reach State Route 150. Turn Right onto 150 and travel about 3 miles, look out for a sharp left hand turn onto County Road 6- before the power lines. (If you've come into Mount Pleasant, too far, turn around.) Follow this twisty road all the way down to the bottom of the hills and make a left onto Township Road 129. The kiln is about a mile and a half up the road on the right hand side. Its a gravel drive straight back into the woods! Look for signs all along the way. Please try not to drive onto our neighbors lawns. We have parking past the stone wall. Thanks!
Need more help getting here? Email planetxpotter@yahoo.com

https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=249+Township+Road+129,+Dillonvale,+OH&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x88367f3489de934d:0x43721a89ed63769a,249+Township+Highway+129,+Dillonvale,+OH+43917&gl=us&ei=OEVvUPS9FPOv0AGr2oCYCg&ved=0CB4Q8gEwAA

New work from the Ramsey Anagama!

The work from the Kiln came out better than I could have imagined! To see the results from 7 years of working on this is a phenomenal feeling!

The work can be seen at a number of places:

Main Street Gallery: located in the back room space of Hays Landscape Architecture Studio at 145 E. Main Street in St. Clairsville Ohio. Call them at 740-695-6505 with questions and for hours.

Mulberry Corner Gift Shop: located at 19 Mulberry Street in Mt. Pleasant, OH. Call them at 740-769-7639 with questions and for hours.

Wheeling Artisan Center: located at 1400 Main Street, Wheeling WV. There hours are Tuesday-Saturday 11:00 till 5:00. Call them at 304-232-3087 with questions.

Dr. Dan B. Jones Office: located at 72562 State Route 250, Colerain OH. Call them at 740-738-0020 with questions and for hours.

3rd Annual Holiday Sale!

Tomorrow (Saturday Dec. 3rd) from 1:00 till 4:00 is our 3rd annual holiday sale at Black Sheep Vineyard in Adena, Ohio. New Pottery work by Melanie and Myself fired in our wood-fire Kiln here in the Ohio Valley! Also paintings by Melanie as well!

Check out Melanie's website at: http://walkingsanguinaria.blogspot.com/

For directions, or details, about Black Sheep Vineyard check out there Website: http://blacksheepvineyard.com/