Honest Works Island Pottery Co

boat in a bottle haiku

2011-09-23T20:57:00.000-07:00

I jumped off the boat
When I arrived, paradise.
Come and visit me.

that deep summer vibe.

2011-09-12T12:21:00.000-07:00

Im allllll alone in here...(most of the time.) Its September. That means when you walk in on an ultra mellow thunderstorm saturated september monday, my kids are elsewhere, my wife is runnin the promos from home, my kiln is blazin and my music is WAAAAAAYYY TOO LOUD....... Way turned up. (funky little lovers rock reggae for you)

hahaha...ya. I'll be dancin all around and singin like its some type of late night concert.

Youll probably scare me to death when ya stop by... so go easy with the laughin', see me? I didnt real-eyes it wasnt just me....

Drinkin my coconut water from right out the husk, shirtless, all clay up in my dreadlocks.... lol. Its september! About 30 hundred degrees and thunderstormin like a son'ova ...with lightning shootin around all over outside. THeres barely anyone one on the island in september. But by all means, if you are actually in key west right now...come into my shop, lets hang out. We are chillin out on a real good vibe. Gettin prepared for season in a big way. Its going to be an epic year.

There will be time to impress you later, if thats what your into. Come by in November..I'l be wearing a shirt with a collar and we can talk politely about pottery in the context of world events.... but if you want the real artist in his hour of genius...now is the time.

Yes. Summer's last hoorah... a whole month of studio intensive. Spinnin pots like a hurricane.

We are nailing it though, on that 'life is good' type of wavelength. The pots have a heavy love vibration imbued in them from the over abundant vitamin d absorbed from the sun. Right now we are so full of island life perspective and have kiln after kiln after kiln of new pots all crystallized with this energy. Collectors be warned, save some room in your car for this trip ;) You are going to LOVE it, when you stop through this year.

We just picked up a new extruder and slab roller from a friend on the next island over (Thanks Kris) and that greatly expanded the variety of work we can achieve. Guest artists for this coming season will be pleased to find the LARGEST studio on the island of Key West equipped with all the good toys for your art making pleasure. Call in advance if you want to schedule your artistic hiatus and elope into the heavens of sculptural bliss under swaying palm trees at christmas time. But, If you come this month, itll be extra cool...because Im allll alone in here.

Few more orders of business. Big Up to one of my favorite magazines Ceramics Monthly, for running the cute picture of my wife in this months issue. You all have a great publication and we always are wanting you to remember that the Florida Keys and Key West have about 3 million potters who live hear making an expression in this medium, thanks for recognizing us bit by bit...

I still have a FEW spots left in my afterschool program starting on the 21st of this month. Get a hold of me local families if you want your kiddos included this round!

Also, Kelly and I have greatly expanded our "Paint Your Own" selection and are quickly seeing how popular this genre of ceramic art is. If your interested in painting your own pottery come on in at anytime. THe flyer below says Saturdays, but becuase it is so popular and since our studio is so big now -- we'd love to have you anytime! I'll even turn the music down to a comfortable level when you get here.

miss ya. Love You..

All~Ways

A

The BIG Post.

2011-08-18T11:52:00.000-07:00

Its been too long since we shared thoughts from the southernmost studio and a lot has happened. I did it, I caught the lazy blogger syndrome....sorry for the hold up. Its not because Ive had lazy potter syndrome though. Plenty to tell you about!

We've been on the move though (lots of bridges). A ton of new work, partnerships, and expansive vision been happening amongst the color intensity of the summertime. Oddly, what has traditionally been a social season for me (as a midwestern kid), has turned into a whole new thing. Summer on the Island is crucially saturated; with sun, heat, water, and time. Incredibly beautiful and lush with loooong days of quiet work making in the studio. I totally love it.

Been sinking some more intentional narrative into a few pieces as well as new glaze chemistry painting and new shapes too. Studio Magic. Its been sooo long since my last post (sorry) that I have a quadrillion new pots to post, some of which have already traveled off to their new homes... I'll keep it flowin with some pictures for a while.

Works...

Summer Pottery Summer Camps were a hit! Our students were not afraid to get messy while exploring their creativity. We were pleased to have met a whole gang of young potters over the past few months. These camps make me realize that the true meaning of the studio is in the hands of the curious minds of the island. We are in the process of making art normal again....showing everyone that art doesnt have to be so fancy that it loses its effect on your everyday life. Art can flow out of your mind like the song you whistle when your in a good mood. Pottery camp has been a blast.

So continuing with our summer update....

We were privileged to have a trip to the gulf coast of Florida for a little R&R (visiting the grandparents!), Mixed with business of course. We have had the pleasure of making some new friends and partners. We are newly represented on Sanibel Island by the Watson McRae Gallery,

Here is a snapshot of Kelly with Maureen Watson who stopped by for a studio visit at our home turf in Key West. We are extremely excited to be working with Maureen and her gallery, this beautiful space on Sanibel is well furnished with astounding artworks, all of which have been expertly curated to add to the contemporary and sophisticated vibe of that lush island. Their roster of artists is impressive and we feel quite honored to be among the rank. Make sure to check them out when your exploring Sanibel Island.

Another Island Gallery that we have entered into a partnership with is Island Visions Gallery in the ultra cute/quaint/whimsical little blip of an island called Matlacha (Matt-la-shay), near Pine Island on the west coast of the state. This is the classic salon style gallery that you can dig through and admire for hours at a time. Matlacha is a hypercolor former fishing village turned artists colony....go there. It is seriously cool.

OUR BIGGEST NEWS OF THE SUMMER.....

We have built a new gallery onto our studio as well! After a summer of planning big ideas we were met with an auspicious sunset on the night we started our implementation. Classic omen style.

.....love that.

We have busted some serious..ahhem...tail.... to get this project done. Amongst work making, camp teaching, traveling and summer vibzin in general, we were blessed to have an opportunity to DOUBLE the size of our studio while adding a new kiln room, Paint Your Own Pottery station, and gallery to the location.

Here are some flics..... a thousand words.

Heres a few process shots! Big thanks to all our helpers!!!!!!!! It takes an army of people to make big things happen. We feel so thankful to everyone who has helped us Real-Eyes this fabulous place to the extent that we have been able to thus far. We are still building and there is more to come, trust me.

My oldest boy the painter, he loves this role...complete with hat.

Kaya! Thank You.

1....2....3..... BOOM!

Summertime. What a bless thing you know? All type of changes precipitating from the great unknown. To some changes we squeal with joy inside and respectfully state our welcome, to other things we are challenged to stoically say farewell. To those within the range of this sound, thank you. For those who have left the radius, we love you still and faithfully acknowledge the universe's ability to magically provide for you exactly what you need. you know how that is.

Our baby turned one, hes on his feet. My oldest boy and I are building an outdoor pottery shop at his school, our new gallery is buzzing with activity all amongst the triple digit heat of the salt breeze. The lightning strike and its thunderous voice is the order of the day on a tropical island in August. Give thanks for that.

Whhhhhhheeewwww .... what a grind! hehe..

Dont get me wrong though, Plenty of this kinda stuff still happenin in the epic of the southernmost potters....

aaaahhhhhhhhhhh yes.

All~Ways

ps- summer soundtrack 1.0

had to

2011-05-09T20:56:00.001-07:00

SKYSCAPIN STYLEE

2011-05-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

So anybody who has been following my artistic endeavor here in key west knows that I have an ongoing pursuit... the skyscape pot.

When I first moved to Key West I was taken with the sky meeting the sea. Throw a little distant island in the mix mm mmmm.... thats what the inside of my mind looks like. It really displays the multilayered densities of this world ....one layer floating on top of the next. Even the varying height of the clouds and the invisible surface they sit on, just illustrating the varied densities of sky all layered up....done wrapped us all up in endless blue heaven.

Anyhow, Ive been trying somewhat unsuccessfully to make these pots where I paint the sky/clouds with engobes and mason stains and then rock this perfect glaze combination on the bottom to show the emerald water of the florida keys. At first I had issues with my colors burning out under the clear glaze that I was using over the painting....it heated things up too much and I lost the detail and brushwork was totally obliterated. Plus the painting underneath the shiny glass is tough to get used to for me. Its hard to make it look perfect when there is that much shine... this lead to the quest for the perfect matte clear glaze. Which Ive come to find out is like looking for the philosophers stone... not just laying around

However, on this elongated vase shape as long as I have a nice glaze lining the inside and the rim, my functional seal is achieved and the painting just gets high fired and left raw. Which makes it matte detailed and just the effect I was looking for.

Still a little bit of burn out but the brushsrtoke still reads and the color kept true. Made about a half kiln of these and put them through the inaugural glaze firing on the new kiln. Pssshhhhh sooo nice. Its like I just went from driving a junky old huffy to a 2011 BMW...in the kiln world that is... The pots came out pretty nice, still need some tweaking and Im still working on the illusive--everchanging sky. Somethings will make you feel so tiny little and insignificant that, if you utilize that recognition correctly, all your problems just evaporate in the hot sun. The endless distance above our heads...truly heaven-ous...let yourself expand in that. That unapproachable type of beautiful ... try and paint it still. .......anyway.... One of my favorite spots on this batch of pots is the ultra fat drip edge of glaze about an inch off the table top. Really pushes the liquid idea behind the glaze.

Heres a few flicks and some detail shots, I like these pots. Kelly put a few of them up on the ETSY shop if yall are interested in them. Im flowin on the idea right now and spent a day or two to throw a whole grip of these tall vase forms, of varying sizes, so I can expand on this....maybe venturing into other territories of subject...

And While were on the topic of island environments, I just wanted to throw some extra special vibes at ya, a Hawaiian reggae band called Ooklah the Moc... they got a special sound of it. this cut features the singer Koko man from another Hawaiian band called Inna Vision.

IVe been feelin a few of these Hawaiian bands really really hard since moving to the Keys and being introduced to them.

Dig it.

Yes... as it gets nice all over the north hemisphere, not just on this island, I encourage you to take time and enjoy yourselves family... this is your life. Feel some love you know, it a human construction ....love. We create it, and the more you create the more that goes round. Free up yourself, its almost summer.

All~Ways
A

a thousand words

2011-05-08T20:01:00.000-07:00

sunday stylee. back to the grind tomorrow, cool pots to take pictures of, shelves to build, play time is over

work of the 4 elements

2011-04-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

Firstly. As mentioned before, I present to you the Royal Poinciana Tree. Hundreds of these on the island showing their true colors right now. Simple beauty ya know, small moments of observation- take it in.

And...

It finally came! The studio upgrade, the fire chamber, the pottery blazer, the art transformer, the... ok Im getting carried away. But, Im excited. We bought a brand new Kiln from L&L KILNS and it finally completed its journey from the factory all the way down to Mile Marker 1. We've been blessed with expansion and I have each and every customer of ours to thank for your participation, we have momentum building up and its a positive feeling you know.

Still, its important to overstand a balanced perspective, keep it humble, and realize its just 'stuff' and can be blown away in the next big storm.

So lets have a moment of rejoice amongst ourselves family, deeply fulljoy a smile and a peace... ah yes.... :) thank you all so much...then,

Back to Work!

.............................................................

So, about these four elements.

(Yes, Im about to get metaphysical on ya....but its not without reason. We live in an incredible place at an incredible time and it merits a good ole mystical thought. )

Four elements from ancient description: FIRE, WATER, EARTH, and AIR.

Now, its not as though the ancestor was 'primitive' or uneducated as certain academics would have you believe. This is ourselves in our current form, under different technological circumstances. It wasnt the popular belief that these elements were what physically constructed all matter (the way we think of 'elements' today), you need to think of them in the more ethereal sense of 4 forces, or better yet, 4 personalities of the force. (gosh I love italics) . Im fascinated by the fact that the observation of these forces is common to soooo so so many ancient cultures. This idea is one you can really run away with in deep thought. These forces/powers do actually seem to be present in most things including ourselves, and I could have a whole blog livicated (not dead) to this topic but I know your bright people so lets move on.

The potter is concerned with almost only the manipulation of these four elements. The EARTH is most obvious as the clay, purely earthical. Careful and precise control of the moisture/workability of the clay is the skill obtained over years/generations of practice and observation -- this is what a potter is really doing in the nuts and bolts sense of things-- this is the fundamental manipulation of AIR and WATER. Of course FIRE is what we add to set a permanence to the mixture and in the end you have... a vessel. The art, the sanctifier, and the value.

The alchemistic process of turning dirt into gold.

So the alchemist was the magician of old. No slight of hand though, not a trick. The technical definition of alchemy makes it seem like these were ignorant people who were trying to make some type of magical life potion. However, when you really look beneath the surface you'll see that this is actually the art of self mastery cloaked in (pre-chemistry) chemical language.

From the Wiki on Alchemy

"It supposedly involves the manufacture of several substances with unusual properties, as well as improvement of the alchemist. Some alchemical sources treat the various substances, equipment and processes in an allegorical sense, as metaphors for a spiritual discipline..... "

In any case, I know thats what the role of the potter/artist/craftsman is in this day.

It is to take the natural ingredients of earth and internalize them deeply, mix them using skill and science, interpret them via the self so they can be articulated to a collective....create value from the valueless using the ingredient of self mastery. This in turn grants self mastery to the potter/student/painter,writer/seeker/singer/etc. Alchemist

CREATE SOMETHING! It will cause you to know yourself more.

When we know ourself more, we bring an end to bobble head toys, and fast food, and pollution and junk stores and senseless

die-versions of various media while simultaneously giving LIFE to the greatest aspects of human kind.

But I got to say, it is up to us alone. They take art and music out of school everyday and you cant see it on tv. So, ... you know what to do.

I had originally been familiarized with this four elements idea by the Navajo Potters in the American Southwest. They were traditionally women and their pots are incredibly detailed and beauty-full. I had the opportunity to explore a serpent mound not far from canyon des chelly a number of years ago and there were pottery shards ALL OVER the place. We were asked not to remove them but rather pick them up, enjoy a look and then put them down again... which in many ways has made their effect on me more intense.

Ive said it before and Ill say it again, pots can make you think.

BTW

Theres a danger in this whole 'blog' paradigm... where I say everything and you say nothing. I never try to stand on a soapbox and preach, never tryin to be didactic or patronizing.. just one mans perspective, seen? Engage the conversation anytime.. would love it to hear you. Yall cats read my blog 300 times yesterday. I encourage your comment and criticism. Really felt a need to say that after seeing how many times the last post has been read. Wheeew, I feel better now.

Lets create a cypher here, let your fire burn and air your thoughts, give me something to flow on and lets get rooted together ;)

Exploration.

All~Ways
A

ps- Snorkels Up! Grandpas in town!

its all in the way you talk to yourself

2011-04-26T07:56:00.000-07:00

Mankind.

Lets be real about it, I know that you talk to yourself.

And if you dont, you should probably start because it means that your talking someone else's ear off.

To think and know that the human life has come through countless aeons of time despite unimaginable difficulties:

famine

drought

storm

displacement

cold

heat

flood

extremes of all imaginable polarities, mankind has done trod it.

Unmeasurable distances in time, we stepped away from the original birthplace on the earth and WALKED around the whole thing back again.

So adaptable that even our fundamental genetic makeup remains agile and able to adjust, changing always.

Dont forget!

What an incredible creature he (and she) is, Man.

Upright in natural body orientation, with a rhythmic fountain of blood being pumped skywards in a gravitational environment that pulls all things in the opposite direction. Able to withstand disease with an intact and agile gathering of systems for getting better at physical living.

endocrine

circulatory

nervous

digestive

respiratory

immune

muscular

skeletal

systems

The electromagnetic field of a beating human heart can be detected from 12 feet away with relatively basic scientific equipment. (Vibes) The animated spirit capable of mass construction and musical harmony. Art as magic and word as song.

The soul vessel as the body temple full of whatever is poured in.

(my pottery reference for an otherwise unrelated post)

Amazing in and of itself, this is to say nothing of the more intangible abilities of man. Not only to cognize present experience through a variety of senses (the ancients identified and named 360 senses, not just 5), but able to REcognize, and even METAcognize...which we are engaged in together now. This despite the fact that we are not physically in the same space nor the same time.

(amazing web found illustration, thank you unknown artist!)

region, timezone, language, demographic, religion, age, race, space and time all transcended by the great power of REAL-EYESation, present always. Ready to be accessed.

This power is what we have adapted to and it is our natural surroundings.

The "Universe"!

Except, I would like to call it the I-niverse, because it is not somebody else.

See it and hear it. Taste its subtle flavor and savor its scent. Feel it and its immenseness. Its beauty. Fear its power. Seek its Protection. Love it.

Speak it.

Because with its powers, the I-niverse, has caused us to describe it to others, we are naturally fascinated and comparative. By describing it to others, we are describing/affirming it to ourselves.

See, With our speech we take what we think/feel on the 'inside' and we EXternalize it, only for it to be re-INternalized again as an environmental stimulus.

In other words: When you express a thought as words, you are hearing the sound and reabsorbing the thought again.

Words are power. This is partially the idea behind prayer, mantra, story and song.

Your words are an indication of your internal cognitive movements, which means:

WHATS INSIDE COMES FIRST, the words are the secondary/description.

So, what is on the inside? Listen to whats coming out of your mouth to get a clue.

You do have some control over that. Pay attention to whats in there, what you let in, what you PUT in. You can add any ingredient you want. (on purpose or by accident)

But if you dont know that, anyone else can also add ingredients.... that they want

Ah ha!

The reason I bring it up is because I think we are in a pickle here. Mankind has painted himself into a corner. This is beyond politricks and economics, it exists in the behavior of people and thats where they keep it alive. The battlefield is in the mind. Claim your own mind and reassemble your history as a self real-eyesed human being who is able to adapt and survive.

And show that to the next person whos looking... he is also comparative in nature. Create an atmoslove of awareness in you come-unity based simply on the way you talk to yourself... add good ingredients based on real observation.

Enough with the fiction, the celebrity, the nonsense material marketing strategies to appeal to the sentimental/emotional sensitivities of man. Mega danger my family. These things have been KNOWN from a long long time. REcognize the emotional trap and pull yourself out of this vulnerable overly emotional state with clear focused thought... thoughts and emotions are different things.

Produce original thoughts and speak them, hear them, and feel them again.

Mankind has come through some seriously tuff circumstances to get this far. Lets not get all hung up now. Concentrate .

create onegetherness. no brainwash necessary .

PS- link this one up to the BIG speaker, the low end is crucial. Feel it.

All~Ways

The Spin of things

2011-04-15T19:22:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhhhhh Yes.

Still busy in the southernmost city, its gettin hot too. Couple of major developments about to break through the surface but a little premature to mention yet. So Instead, I thought a whole grip of pictures would suffice for my blogging lull... a picture is worth many many blogs.

Some of those flower inspired pots I had blogged about earlier are starting to pop up finished in the shop.

Its a fitting metaphor for life, opening of the flower. So many layers very beautiful, some hidden, some peeling off from age. Time passing to bring out another change.

Change has been the theme of the past two weeks or so.

We have had a family member pass into the realm of the ancestor this week. Kelly's Grandfather was close, he will be missed greatly by many and of course remembered always. An occurrence like this causes a great reflection to come over you, not unhappy but thoughtful you know. Life! a wonder to behold--detailed beyond exploration.

There is an obvious common-sensical way that we observe traits of another person that live on beyond their physical body. We see their language and manner, their posture and ethics living in their children and descendants. ... Their belongings become instantly charged with intense meaning, of course memories and colloquial characteristics are easily recalled by those surrounding them, alive still. Certainly there are also things that are lost. The duality is intense. It shows us a lot of things.

So, dear Ancestor. Our respect and love for you continues and your solid example guides us still. Your patience and old school 'fix anything' work ethic is an inspiration and lies at the foundation our family is built on. Thank you. Your humor, strength, and your physical blood lives in our children who are ambassadors to/from a culture so distant into the future that we will not ourselves see it -- but smile to know that our good works now, will reflect in that day. Like your works do in this right now, clearer than ever. One moment forever unraveling, blooming really.

To celebrate life with our boys and each other on such occasion, kelly and I watched the sun go down on the beach and taught them how to do cartwheels and squeal with laughter-- for the simple joy of doing so. Live the life you love!

baba.... ba ba BAGAAAWWWK!

Rooster sculpture coming to life, big plans for a little series of these, but Im on the waaaay front end of the idea so dont hold me to it... this could take a while.

My Wife has been doubling as a publicist and we have been getting a lot of local "ups" recently. It feels great, we have worked beyond hard for a long time to manifest this little studio and Im happy and sooo grateful that people are noticing more and more each day. Our classes are bumpin and we are selling a ton of pots, which is the surface measure of success. Below the surface the success lies in the community's recognition and value of the 'old way'. When people worked hard for themselves and each other to strengthen up their surroundings and make themselves better. I really really feel a strong vibe of that in key west and specifically in our studio neighborhood. While its not 'downtown' we are on the edge of oldtown and positive businesses are gathering in the area... we get bigger everyday on that energy and have a serious vision to real-eyes as well. Strength from the neighbors too.

Anyway.... we've been spreadin the word!!!

we were honored to have an hour long chat about art, business in key west, philosophy, and parenthood with Shauna Lee Lange on her KONK Radio show "Wholly Be You". Big up to you Shauna we had a blast. Im tryin to dig up a little mp3 of the show for anyone that wants to hear it, I'll keep you posted

This next shot is For anyone who has ever spent time in south florida and realizes the outrageous variety of gigantic insects.

This is the photo document of the latest "What the hell is that thing crawling in my sleeping place?!?!"-moment .

Ive named him Earl, he seemed like an old timer and he had a thick shell. I am a peaceful rastaman and I'll have you know that I did not kill this fine insect specimen, although I did probably teach him a few new words as I liberated him into the out of doors. Hes huuuge.

Work hard as the red disk sets into restful orange pink and red settled peace, breezy. Green Flash! The palm tree rattles call attention to the full moon and it cools me out in temperature and demeanor, just a reflection--without all that heat. We keep it barefoot and easy, but still walk like a king

live it.

All~Ways

oooommmmm......

2011-04-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's a sound. It's a feeling. It's a vibrational meaning.

It rings clearly to the Heart center. It's drumming Nyah bingi.

Inhale, exhale-- balanced breath rhythm keeping.

Finding connect with Jah Jah being -- oneness revealing.

Creation flowing. light emanating out from within showing…

sanctity in present moment self knowing

...yoga friday at Shakti Yoga Studio

Bless

Kel

tell me a story

2011-03-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

The story. The actual account, a dramatization, a fib, a legend, a COSMOLOGY, a lie..... a tail, a rhyme, a song, the AUTOBIOGRAPHY, a mystery, or an EPIC. The Story.

Our whole social calibration is built on this-- the portrayal of our story, both personal and collective. How well can you represent your history, how you came to be this way, or bigger yet... how "things" became this way. ..?

Your degree of story articulation will determine many things for you in this world. Some people can captivate with word/art and hold their audience in full attention and some storytellers never speak a word into the air, the story they tell happens in your mind.

Life becomes a story when you speak of it. Recollection and metacognition in its high form the story is an art.

So let me tell you one. An abridged dramatization, of art OURstory ...

(a term I find preferable to HIS-story, for reasons that seem obvious)

It starts with man finding himself in a beautiful fertile land. Safe from danger and without enemy. Because of a high intelligence and keen observation these folks learn to till the soil. The first stationary cultures, the agriculturalists. But what good is tilling the soil and staying put in one spot? Well, you can achieve an overabundance... a stockpile of food. Its known that a culture who increases its food supply will likewise increase in population..makes sense if you think about it.

However, you have to be able to KEEP the food, so it doesnt spoil, so rats dont eat it...etc. Enter....THE POTTER. They make the vessel! The pot has a most sacred job, Protect the food.

<Now, this is the abridged version and speculative at that, I know there are basket making cultures and so on.....gimme a break though, Im a potter.>

So, this pot...it holds ALL your food/work/faith.. the food for your children and your pregnant daughters... this is an IMPORTANT POT! An heirloom vessel, the keeper of cultural population growth ingredients! (--food/water/faith) This pot needs to be decorated in terms of its significance! Adorned and visually sanctified and protected against destruction, painted/glazed by a professional! ! (....the fine art painter spins out of this subgenre ).

The outside of the pot tells the history/meaning of whats inside..... and the history is in a place where you'll definitely see it. So your youth will know what to do when your gone, the pot is the historical document.

SO, inside of the pot, life ingredients. Outside of the pot, cultural ingredients.

Cultural symbols on a life sustenance vessel ...multidimensional meaning. Let you mind quantum leap and see the fullness of pots, these time traveling story tellers. Multidimensional in function and purpose. Ya dig?

Ever so much more valuable than a styrofoam coffee cup. The potter is at the foundation of what we call civilization. IE: Potters are waay important. See?

I drop that hisstory on unsuspecting tourists and visitors sometimes when they stop through...LoL

I get some LOOOOOKS boy!! But I know you hear me when I talk AND that you think about it later ;)

We are still living out the ancient story my friend... and our vessels speak the message the same way. Paper or plastic?

Anyway, I have been really digging some new creative sparks recently and they speak directly to this concept.

A mans gotta make some history pots, you know?

A bit more personal and certainly more playful than most of the production work we are kicking out, I figure these pots will probably manifest as some type of gallery show idea... and they are blog material for sure. Im anxious to get them through the kilns, they arnt done yet.

But what the hay, lets hear some opines anyhow.

Its fun to be excited...

These pots are vignettes of small life experiences that have larger concepts attached to them. Nature works in that way if you notice. Comparative in nature, we humans draw great meaning from small circumstance from time to time.

Pictured above are my new "what goes around comes back again", "sneak a sunrise past a rooster". and "watch every step" pots, with a few big brothers in the background in waiting. These are all based on real life events, that you have to see the pot in all 3 dimensions to fully overstand the 4th dimension references (time). More soon

Im Excited about these ... Ill let you know.

Also adding to life's story is the recent addition of daily walks with my youngest boy (9 months). He is coming away from mamas arms more and more each day. Walkin with the baby has been cool because his mood adds a whole different pace to life. You have to keep a nice smooth walk flowing to keep him satisfied. End up noticing a lot of new earth characteristics from that perspective.

PURE FLOW DAD!

ahhhhhhhhhh....earth characteristics.

Lastly, just want to big up my good organic food lovers and tell you about Annie's Buying Club. Every Tuesday the fams and I ride our bikes to the next neighborhood over and pick up a big ole' box of goodies. All organic plant food: mangoes. chard. potatoes. carrots. pears, pineapples. broccoli the list goes on and on. Always a surprise, always nice and affordable natural food. Big ups to smart people gettin organized!

Things comin soooooon

All~Ways
A

New Lizardware.

2011-03-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

plenty of this coming.

Who said clay was soft?

2011-03-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Big week for the Honest Works. Been pushin tons of new work through. Ive really been gettin floral on the form, inspired by the aroma. Anything on the island that CAN grow flowers, has GOT flowers all over it right now. Beautiful and fragrant. All except my favorite, the royal poinciana--they are a hold out for later in the season but I'll show you them when they arrive, spectacular. Anyway, the feminine presence has made its way into my pots via, lids, rims and so on. Tricky getting these crimped edges to dry without cracking in the creases, but like anything that is even slightly tricky....we take it slow.

If youve ever wondered why half the Island calls me as Mr. Adam.... here's why

The Next piece of good news is that the we received a grant from the Keys Council for the Arts (www.keysarts.com) to continue our clay program at the Montessori Children's School of Key West (www.montessorikeywest.com)! The youth are the future, ours and their own, pay close attention. Dont let our own booboos be the mistakes of our children too. Concsious powerful youth!

My kiddo goes to this school and we are waay impressed the whole package, a peaceful serenity.....well, as serene as 100 kids can be together at least! Totally worth it, by far.

Wednesday was Mail Day! So we had to bust out the dolly and head to the post office in old town, to send out to the 4 corners of the earth. So if your reading this expecting a box, its on the way.

A smoothie is definitely in order after all that hard work @ http://www.sugarapplekeywest.com/. Organic life improving drink. Drank it, life improved!

But just so all my people out all over the country there dont think Im gettin soft in the islands. Ole' dad can still take a blow. You wouldnt think a man who works with such a pliable media everyday would get injured so often, but this one was a bleeeeeeeeaaaader at first. Prognosis? Cant play guitar for a week, but I'll be fine. Damn kiln shelves.

A good friend in town from St Andrews Parish Jamaica right now. Stops by a few times a year, always bring my kiddos some good tshirts and the rest of us the good coffee and great company, the blue mountains are his backyard. Refreshing perspective.

Lastly, I wanted to include this flick of my younger boy on full shine mode. Expanding in every direction simoultaniously, this kid is big. He also has impecable taste in music, he has indicated recently that he has a favorite record, Blackheart Man by Bunny Wailer. Everytime this record comes on my baby flips, smilin dancin clappin the whole of it.

Heres a little sample from that record, uplifting and truthful. The whole record is the same way a masterpiece, classic rastafari reggae from a period of time when the reggae prophets were first bringing peace, worldwide, to a confused humanity. Even MORE relevant now, a few decades later. If you havnt heard it, start now! Bunny Wailer, the distinguished rasta elder, is the only remaining member of the original trio, The Wailers, that also brought us Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. Stand up and claim your ancient Culture! Pottery and music, been passin your anciency forward from the begining.... one blood -98.6 from the begining.

Guidance

Key West: distant isle of friendly potters

2011-03-23T19:05:00.000-07:00

this is a message in a bottle, a distant smoke signal, this is like my thundering drum beat into the distance..

.... as you have probably gathered I am a rastaman-potter contacting you from 130 miles south of Miami....waaay out into the straights of Florida, a waterway crosscurrents between the gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean. We are only 93 miles from the Northern coast of Cuba and my studio is 2 blocks South of Mile Marker 1 on US A1A

my hood.

The Spanish conquistadors named our Island Cayo Hueso, or "bone island", for the many human skeletons found scattered cross the area-- supposed remnants of the warring Calusa and Seminole peoples native to the South Florida. The colloquial perversion over time has become "Key West"

Annnywho....As you may or may not also know, I am a fairly recent import to the Island my own self. However, far from a conquistador, I have come on a purely peaceful mission...life gain as i call it. The giving and receiving of betterment. My artist wife and I moved to the islands on a total whim while she was freshly pregnant with our second son. We moved to key west, with our business, on a shoestring budget.... Half from a sense of adventure and half from a looming domestic "locked in-ness" to life patterns.... key west is where we ended up. Unsurprisingly, almost everyone else we meet here did the same thing. Welcome to the Conch Republic...

Life Gain is the forwardness one feels when coming into contact with a positive vibration/energy....hear me out, this isnt some new age hippy business-- its a serious thing. If youve ever felt motivated to create something good and then DID IT... you know life gain. It makes everyones life better, not just your own.

Ahemm.... where you goin with this A?

The reason I bring it up is because my extended adventure in Key West has had me pleased to encounter a few genuine like of heart artists performers rastamen hippies yogis pirates bums millionaires freespirits and life gain seekers of various form...

We have been so surprised to find an inordinate amount of POTTERS on the island.

A whole flock of potters, congregated from the far reaches of the mainland. Crazy variation in styles of ceramic art/pottery in the vernacular down here.

As you would imagine we Key West potters as a group, are totally interested in the idiosyncratic tendencies of the next guy. And since potters spend so much time in silent concentration-- we really like to talk to each other when the chance comes up (its also a really, really small island).

Consequently, I have a whole blog agenda of potters I would like to show, just to big them up you know.

Life gainin my creative people, it is a pottery blog.

Sooo..

Kell and I were pleased to visit our Friend John O'neill (www.oneillstonewaredesign.com) at his home studio in Key West today.

The envy of many northern craftsmen Im sure, but not uncommon in the Islands, John's studio has the ultimate skylight............o p e n a i r .............. true inspiration from nature, hes built a tool rack into the privacy fence and spins pots under Key West sunsets everyday . His two beautiful daughters and wife mill about the cool little house in that total "life as a family" type of way that Im also feelin right now, positive.

When we stopped by John was workin out glaze recipes in 25 gallon buckets, a serious production this guy has.. nice pots all over the place.

Get too hot after throwing 25 pots in the blazin tropical sun? walk 8 steps to the left and fall in to the pool, pure key west. John has (also 2010) recently moved to the island full time and has nice a thing happenin with a nice vision to unfold as well. Check out some of his work.

Heres John himself throwing an invisible pot... hahaha. Just kidding, hes convincing me of the usefulness of a Griffin Grip, I want to get one a those things.

Here is John's oldest girl showing me one of his custom sinks. An elegant bowl on a table, way beautiful and simple, I really really like this one.

Thanks John!

So...... in summation of the philosophically bent beginning to this post:

Pottery is the field we work in-- Life Gain is our business, giving and receiving. Dig it?

I think any artist worth his or her weight will sight me on that. The real art is the LIVING art:

inspiration- form-community-creativity- zeal-concentration-mastery-awareness seeking-giving-wanting/achieving collective betterness,

and not simply the pretty/symbolic objects it bears as fruit -- they are the just the indication of the living art.

See? If yall keep reading Im going to be gettin all talismanical on ya!

Pots can makes you think.

All~Ways

UNRELATED... at the request of my boy...

wawawawawawawa WipeOut!

ahhh a man's first road rash. We're time travelin in the book of life.

Alright, enough Gallivanting around...

2011-03-22T19:02:00.000-07:00

Seems like the last few posts have been all play and no work, but trust me pleeeennnnty of grind happenin as well. Ever since the influx of snowbirds tourists sailors and pottery lovers this season, our little studio has been jumpin! But this is what we love, connecting with the good people of earth under the auspices culture, art and form.

Turn up the music, its a whole afternoon of pot trimmin today.

Speaking of hard work......

My Wife Kelly has entered a whole new phase of her potting, specifically with the painting and adorning of pottery. This good woman works hard yall! In the studio we use a lot of colored slip and mason stains to achieve the painterly effect you see in our work. Kell and I actually both started our arts trod in the 2 dimensional realm and still really enjoy carrying the painted surface onto the functional form.

The historic old houses in Key Wet are typically called "Conch (like the shell dwelling creature) Houses"... kelly has been rendering the conch house facades on my large, low bowls. The effect is really quite spectacular.... the architectural quality of the painting is in the proper vanishing point illusion style, but the whole illusion is painted in a convex bowl form. The resulting spacial effect is totally cool, almost impossible to effectively photograph because the drawing really utilizes the form of the bowl to propel itself forward. In any case, they are slick art pieces and still retain the full functionality of high fire foodsafe stoneware.

This is a biggie, 16 inch low bowl with the classic turreted conch house ....

All these pieces have kelly's playful touch to them. For lovers of painting, you'll find the accuracy of a well rendered and recognizable structure within buzzing brush strokes and intense accent colors... love these little characters.

This one is a deep mixing bowl, 10 inches, with a painting of the world famous 7 Mile Bridge, your vehicular gateway into the "lower keys" from Marathon and the "upper keys".

again, magical dancing line work with a rockin color palette . Yea Kelly!

Speaking of color palette, just wanted to show off the latest batch of my most favorite studio glaze combination. Slight variations in color due to thickness of application and kiln position.... but this glaze is just nuclear.... glowing with light. I have to employ the wax resist to both satisfy my inner painting nerd and to fully showcase the molten lava like layered effect of the red and copper dipped ware.

LUSCIOUSSSSS!

Of course I have to show a little lizard.

Got to represent my lizard friend who lives behind my shop sink out back of the studio. She just had babies and I can tell because they all look just like their mama.... tiny little tan body with a bright red head! They make their home under the shade of our fragrant sour orange tree and we see each other often. I figured a hard workin mama lizard deserves a little recognition.

So, Turn over a glass little red headed mama lizard, we respect you.

Lastly, I just wanted to comment on the corruption of our youth.... my teenage student came into class the other day with a Pottery "App" on his Iphone.... Im sure my potter comrades have already heard about this via the anxious-to-share-with-an-actual-potter-App-loving-constituency out there, but it still merits a mention. This "virtual" potting is actually pretty nifty for long hours spent with the humming clock in study hall... but could never compare with the intrinsic value of an actual real world creation....the old way is still the best way. But good try tech-ies!

(my son rocking the virtual potter app)

BTW, been lovin the super moon recently. Silhouettes a palm tree like a painter's dreamscape.

The garden awaits us, we just have to open our eyes wide enough to see that the earth sea and sky is ready made and complete for man... no need to improve on it.

Inspiration is already right here, see it?

Happy equinox

2011-03-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Equinox adventuring. Took my boys to get a coconut from friends Christina and Eric. They cut local coconuts and make a rootical, traditional Kava Kava drink for the grown folk. Kava Kava is a powerful Hawaiian/Pacific roots drink that has an seriously calming effect on the body and mind. Its heavy on the liver, so you definitely should practice moderation...but it is a fine treat for Dad on a blazin hot equinox trek with a 4 year old and his baby brother. The larger scope of the days activity here is that our baby finally is getting to an age when he can strike out with dad a little more often and free the hands of Mom...the founding potter at Honest Works. Big up to you Mom!

The coconut water is a seriously refreshing drink, and way healthy too. In fact I have heard that during World War II, in the Pacific theater, the US forces were known to link a coconut I.V. direct to the bloodline of a wounded soldier to save his life if other supplies were unavailable. Amazing if its true. For me, save the IV and give me a little machete-top-straw-action, the taste is incredible.

This is my boy standing out front of Help Yourself Cafe ( organic food, monday farmers market ...helpyourselfcafe.com) on Fleming St. enjoying his malaysian sweet (aka the yellow ones).

Happy equinox. A potter stays tuned into to the earth's celestial cycles, its gonna get reeeeeaaaaaalll warm very soon.

Normal pottery classes resume tomorrow and we have a ton of fresh work rollin through. Watch out week, Im about to run right through ya.

Guidance!

A

Sun-Day

2011-03-20T18:42:00.000-07:00

Sun-day......time to recharge the SOLAR-plexus with a little direct light beam ya know. Had to include this flick of the pelican I saw dragging the very tippytip of his wing through the water. Charisma and flow.

Its a true thing and important to remember that, as artists/potters/singers/performers/parents/givers/bringers etc.... we are constantly giving out, emanating our powers away from us into another direction. So So So important to remember the beauty and magic of sitting in a peaceful place and taking it all IN again, to REfuel. RE-membering ("re" means do it again) our original intentions.

Good food helps me in this process :)

Sooooooooo, I always stop by and see the upfull women at The Good Food Conspiracy (www.goodfoodconspiracy.com) on Big Pine Key, they have just the right ingredients for the rastaman's temple....tofu melt? Yes please. Every sunday.

BUT...

Not to stray, this is a pottery blog. Please forgive my tangents and anecdotal life allegory, thats part of the art.

Today I want to big up our apprentice and employee, Miss Natalie. Miss Natalie joined Kelly and I a few months ago in the studio, teaching and working hard..good help is priceless.

We have also started carrying Natalie's work in the shop. "Staring Into the Sun" is Natalie's Key West/ Life inspired line of of Artfull, hand made neckware. Come in and check it out.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH .... Sunday.....

Keep your Joy.

5 4 3 2 1 its the weekend.

2011-03-19T16:32:00.000-07:00

The long path to a good dinner. Had a pleasant little stroll round town as a family last night, made it to our favorite vegetarian fuel stop- The Cafe. We were helped by another Key West artist, clothing designer Clara Dara...check out her earth conscious wear at www.claradara.com

Our crew.

The beautiful and quaint Johnson Lane right behind the shop.

Back to work Saturday Morning unloading another glaze kiln (flicks coming soon), teachin classes, packin boxes, and taking some time to "watch" (mostly listen to) a super informative documentary series called "Magical Egypt" (watch all 8 esoteric hours of it HERE for free) while I made a whole bunch of these awesome large lidded jars I like to make with the fluted lids.

Im gonna get trrrrrropicallll with a frangipani motif on these I think....

....this is the most fragrant flower in the Keys, and it just came back for a yearly visit.

ULTRA SPECIAL SHOUT OUT to my good friend TJ who stopped by with an extra special surprise for my boy and I today!! I got a little bit of fiberglass surfboard repair in my near future, after that.... a whole new adventure is born. Massive thanks to TJ , sister R, the boy A, and Papa G for coming in and spending time today.

Oh gosh. Here we go.

Love and Light

friday

2011-03-18T15:04:00.000-07:00

Island culture is always good, but there is something special about a salty warm breeze that sweeps through the studio on a friday afternoon. Have to turn up the stereo to that borderline "too loud for people who dont know reggae" level... you know, friday.

Plenty of goodies began their life outside the womb this morning, unloaded a kiln first thing. Just a quick little post today but lots of pics. Kelly and I are hangin out at Greenworld Gallery (http://greenworldgallery.com/) tonight to talk about our work for a little bit, then probably gonna take the kids over to one of our FAVORITE little restaurants, The Cafe! (www.thecafekw.com) Vegetarian food at its finest, ital is vital. Blessed to have sold a few biggies today, special thanks to the good people swingin through from kalamazoo and to my new island friends J and V.... happy birthday J and thanks again.

Life is happening right now, take a deep breathe and real-eyes.

Guidance!
A

busy pottery

2011-03-17T21:01:00.000-07:00

Playing catch up. We have been slammin busy the last few weeks and we are pushin through a ton of pots right now. Everything you would expect to see and some more experimental little characters too.

Inspired to see my oldest boy givin the skill a little work out during his spring break..

the studio has had an even MORE elevated charge with him around all day to rock out some new ideas.

Did I mention elevated energy? We have been visited by the beautiful people from al over the map this month and have felt very happy and honored to link up with everyone. The population of the island is swelling to its yearly high and Im sure some photographic beauties/oddities are going to come up. Im on it for you.

a bunch of beauties in the shop and

A batch of beauties in the kiln....get to open the kiln in the morning for a special start to the day.

Got the newest reggae record (www.midniteband.com) spinnin plenty and we are Marchin right along ... new work tomorrow

One more....

2011-03-16T14:17:00.000-07:00

gotta love a hot cup of tea. A potters best friend, always full of taste and agreeable opinion. My choice herb of the day? YERBA MATE... a staple for energy and vitality. The body is a temple, poor a good liquid into it. direct from mama nature, no syrup, no sugar, no fakin it. Bitter and hot.

Thanks to a good friend from up north for linking me with a sprout of my own.... hopefully i will be standing under the shade of my own Mate tree in a few years.....

The Spring Chicken

2011-03-16T11:32:00.000-07:00

A little burst of the Key West spring... We have all type of good things in the works right now. Big pots little pots and everything in between.

It is high season in key west and we are daily meeting people from all over the earth, some of them come in for a class others come in for a rooster.... Yes i said rooster.

Our island is famous for our infamous rooster population, the feral offspring of their ring fighting cuban ancestors (or...so Ive heard), the little roosters add a large presence to the the island ...as well as a soundtrack. We have brought them in to our work, and they have proved themselves to be an economic stimulus of the highest order--a best best seller. Ive come to realize that the rooster is an american folk hero...not only in key west, but all over. Raise your hand if your mom or grandma collects roosters in the kitchen...yes? I thought so.

When I was marveling at the popularity of the rooster mug to a friend, who owns La Creperie-- a GREAT little restaurant in Bahama village (lacreperiekeywest.com), she said that she had always heard that "a rooster is the only animal that will proudly sing a song while standing in a pile of sh*t...... "

Dignified in the midst of insanity... That is the real Key West. Things have a flow to em' just go with it.

You cant sneak a sunrise past a rooster

SO... I give thanks to my little rooster friends, a batch just came out the kiln today, come and see me.

The New Blog

2011-03-14T12:46:00.001-07:00

Chances are, if your checking out our braaaaaaaaaaand new website ( www.KEYWESTPOTTERY.com ) and are reading the first post on our blog.... you have already been in the shop and know what the story is.

HOWEVER, if you havn't, allow us to introduce ourselves. We are Kelly and Adam, aka Honest Works Island Pottery Co., we are everyday pottin' at the the Southernmost pottery in the contiguous United States... our humble abode, Honest Works. We look forward to keeping you informed of our progress, new work, random thoughts, pictures, music, culture, and all around island vibrational field via the world wide web and this here blog.

Pleased to meet you. Keep checkin back and please chime in with your thoughts and reactions.

Love and Light from Key West

-A