Upriver Ceramics is Up and Running!

This past week I didn't work out at all because I was sick, so I can't really write any kind of weekly review post. Instead, here's an amazing update on Matt's ceramics studio!

Last time I posted about Upriver Ceramics, Matt had gotten his new equipment and was making pieces. He hadn't fired anything yet. I think he was nervous about the kiln. Would it work? Would it destroy the cottage? Would it destroy the pieces? Would it leak poisoned gas and kill everyone who came near it? (These are all very real possibilities, by the way.)

Over the last few weeks, he's been testing that out. First he did two test-firings, which means he heated the empty kiln up to about 1700 degrees F and then let it cool down. The cottage got up to 100 degrees even with the AC set at 75, but otherwise nothing went wrong.

Then, he put the pieces in. Time to fire them. Obviously we were nervous, but everything turned out beautifully!

I made that ugly cup! See my initials?! Go me! I'm so talented.

The next nerve-wracking test was glazing. The glazes Matt bought are new to him, and it's been a long time since he's glazed anything. He had to put on the right number of coats and make sure the glaze didn't run (thereby making the pieces stick to the kiln shelves). Then, he had to fire them, which meant heating the kiln up to 2000 degrees!

Yesterday we went in to see how it all came out:

^

He put all the sea horse mugs on the top row but he did make other designs, too!

I am so freaking proud of him. This is the first time Matt has fired a kiln himself and been fully in charge of the entire creation process from start to finish. (His ceramics master used to fire everything for him.) It's a huge deal that everything turned out perfectly the first time around! Soon, his Kickstarter pieces will be done and he'll be able to work on his bigger projects and take custom orders!

I picked out the dark blue and red glazes. Clearly I have an eye for this sort of thing.

Side note: Most of these pieces have a "Florida" theme (sea life/water) but usually Matt's designs are very abstract. I think he wanted something that would appeal to tourists and would be cute and fun for his Kickstarter backers!

While the kiln runs, Matt stays in the cottage, so he's been leaving the house at 6am to start everything early. It takes well over 12 hours. I'm hopeful that now that we know everything is safe and in working order, he won't feel the need to be there the entire time.

As if that's not exciting enough, Matt had another big success this week!

Matt and his pieces!

He entered three pieces in a local gallery and one of them won first place! (The curator admonished me for taking pictures in the gallery but that's not stopping me from publishing them here! I'm a rebel and too proud to care!)

Do you prefer functional or abstract art?
Fun fact: many people don't pronounce the "n" in "kiln"! Pronouncing it either way - "kill" or "kiln" - is considered correct.

ABK

4th of July & Upriver Ceramics

This year's 4th of July celebration was extra special because it marked the official opening of Upriver Ceramics to the public! I've been calling it the "grand opening" but Matt thinks this was more of a "soft opening." Either way, we were there, we had visitors, we made contacts...it was a good day!

 The city where Matt's studio is located hosts a festival for the Fourth every year; the renters at the cottages are expected to be at all city-hosted events, so this was the first time Matt would be opening his doors to the public. Knowing this, he's been spending a ton of time getting the studio ready.

We spent the morning putting up cards with the pieces' names and prices; we rearranged some of his work to make the space more conducive to visitors. Then, we brought his throwing wheel out under his awning and enjoyed the day.

The festivities (food trucks, ice cream, music, and games) began around 4pm. There was lightning in the area and things kept getting closed down until the "all clear" was given, which was great for us because people wandered our way while they waited for danger to pass.

Quite a few people sat down to watch Matt work on the wheel. (Little kids were especially interested and I gave a few guided tours of the studio and answered all kinds of questions the way only teachers can.)

He had a lot of interest in the mugs he's been working on for his Kickstarter backers.

Our friends Justin and Jessica hung out for most of the day (James and Rhonda also stopped by earlier). All told, Matt was there from 8:30 until 10, and I was there from 11:30 onward, so it was a long but gratifying day.

Matt let Justin try out the wheel and it was pretty hilarious.

Although Matt didn't sell any pieces, there were a good number of people interested in commissioning pieces, and everyone took a business card. It was so gratifying to hear them as they entered the studio; everyone was surprised and impressed with the detail and obvious skill evident in Matt's work.

The space looks very official now that all the pieces have their titles and prices listed.

He's still working primarily on Kickstarter awards, but I know he's really anxious to get to work on larger projects.

If you want to follow along as Matt continues to make progress, here are his Instagram, website, and Facebook accounts.

What is your favorite kind of art?
What did you do for July 4th?

ABK

Musings

This week has been one of those. There's nothing necessarily bad going on, but for some reason I'm super stressed and can't seem to get my feet under me. It seemed like a good week to just kind of...brain dump.

It's probably because this time of year is ridiculously busy; I haven't even seen my homeroom/first block of students all week because they've been taking their algebra EOC, so I feel even more swamped and anxious to finish everything before the school year ends.

And honestly, this isn't even half of it.

To start in with good news, Matt's Kickstarter was successful! He reached his goal of $6500 and will begin buying his equipment and making pieces in a couple weeks. I'm so thrilled!

Matt in his studio!

I was really moved because quite a few donations came in from runners I only know virtually (or have only met a couple times) through the Sub-30 Club. Runners are the best.

I've been on a major salad kick lately. Maybe it's the hotter weather or something. Salads can be really boring, so I'm playing around with making mine as flavorful and nutritious as possible.

I'm living for Bolthouse's Cilantro Avocado dressing and tomatoes right now.

I was going through old photos and cards the other day and found the birthday and Valentine's Day cards Matt wrote me the year I began running. In my memoir I talk about how he really helped me stick to running when I was new at it. Seeing those old cards was a great reminder of what a supportive partner he's always been.

Matt bought me my first iPod with a Nike+ adapter and my first pair of dedicated running shoes.

I was pretty bummed Monday because I ate pizza and chips for dinner, and I've been really good about eating healthy. It wasn't the pizza that bummed me out - it was why I ate it. I was in a piss-poor mood and wanted comfort food. I'm trying to break the habit of comfort eating; realistically I know that one day of junk isn't going to derail my progress, and once I ate it the craving for junk went away, but I wasn't happy that I gave in to my stress that way.

Finally, I went to a Derby party on Saturday. I've never been before and I was so tickled by my giant hat that I had to take a mirror selfie, which I never do. Matt and I tried to get a selfie and I was dying - my hat kept getting in his way! It was a fun excuse to get dressed up, even if my horse lost.

Shameless selfie-ing

 This post was brought to you by my random thoughts and Amanda's Thinking Out Loud linkup!

Have you ever been to a Derby party?
Do you wish hats would come back in style? YES!
What's your favorite salad topping or dressing?

ABK

Seriously Proud

When I first met Matt, there were a few things that made him stand out from other fraternity bros I'd come across at Stetson. One was his super cool 1968 Chevelle...the other was the fact that he was an artist.

Despite being a writer, I'd never actually dated anyone who was also into any kind of creative outlet, and I was immediately drawn to the fact that Matt was. I loved that we could connect on that artistic level, and I was in awe of the fact that he could envision a piece, draw it, and then execute it.

Matt creating "The Oasis" in Ki Woon's studio.

The final product.

He was majoring in marketing so that he could hopefully someday market himself as an artist; the ceramics professor at Stetson didn't have anything to teach him because his skill had surpassed what instruction Stetson could provide (thanks to studying under a Korean master potter in high school).

(This short video features Matt's guide, Ki Woon Huh.)

After we graduated, the economy was in the pits so Matt started his own business, but we've always kept an eye open for a chance for him to get back to ceramics. In the meantime, Matt worked with the local art league whenever possible; his love of art has never faded.

In 2011, one of Matt's pieces, "Smoldering", was accepted into a local art exhibit.

The opportunity to open a studio and gallery finally came around when a local artists' cottage became available nearby. Matt applied alongside dozens of others for the cottage, and the city chose him from among all the applicants! Now, he'll be able to work on his art and give back to the community on a regular basis.

Kickstarter doesn't allow its campaigns to raise money for charitable causes, but after Matt's campaign ends, he'll be donating proceeds from all subsequent sales of his water-drop pieces (which are completely rounded on the bottom and meant to be hung) to support water conservation efforts in Florida.

"Dream Filter"

This is one of my favorites. It's called "Self Portrait."

Matt hand carves every cutout and groove in his pieces. Here's a great picture of the detail-work on "Realizing Dreams".

Because he works with ceramics, Matt needs all kinds of supplies and equipment other artists may not need. He'll need a kiln, a slab-roller, and a throwing wheel at the very least, not to mention the actual porcelain and glazes.

Matt has started a Kickstarter to help him get his gallery set up and running. Those who donate will receive a custom-made ceramic piece. If you're feeling philanthropic (or just love ceramics), please consider donating to his studio!

Click here to watch the video and view his Kickstarter page.

And of course, if you know anyone who would want to help a young artist make his big break, please pass along his Kickstarter link! We're trying to raise publicity as much as funds.

Matt's extremely talented and this is his passion; I'm so proud of him for taking the risk and going for it. It's not an easy thing to do, but I have a good feeling that this is really meant to happen for him!

What's your favorite kind of art?
Do you or your SO have a special talent?

ABK