Becca Van Fleet in Hanover

On my day off in Hanover today I walked through the League of NH Craftsmen's Gallery and noticed a small group of Becca Van Fleet's pottery. I thought *I know that name from somewhere...* So I searched the web for a blog or website and realized I had written about her back in April about a photo contest she was having. I suppose the entries have been posted for a while now, but I hadn't looked until now, and they're really fun!

Pottery Photo Contest

Another note on Becca Van Fleet, because I just think this is a wonderful idea. One of the ways to keep your pottery business alive is to develop a relationship with your buyers (not that I speak from experience, but simply from what I hear from many potters). It's also nice to know that your pots are being used, and how they are being used. So what a clever idea to combine those two. Make a contest from people photographing your pots being used, give the winner more of your awesome pots, then use those photos for your own advertising. I love it!

A Very Large Kiln

Firing an anagama kiln is an amazing feat of patience and hark work: Becca Van Fleet Wood-Firing. Thinking about that makes me feel foolish for being hesitant to fire a simple gas reduction kiln. Really I would love to take a class or workshop on firing kilns. Though I was encouraged to fire them on my own, I don't feel I was really given a push or instruction on it and I've always felt timid about firing. I do what the professor or the previous firing schedule tells me to do, but I don't know why I do this or that and I don't have the greatest memory to repeat it without looking at the schedule again. I've always been more interested in making the piece than firing it. I feel like I should get one part down before I try to figure out another, but I think that's just an excuse...