The People of

East Otto Country

	My roles at Hog-Shed Studio Pottery and in East Otto Country Associates have always been ones of support, and sometimes leadership for these two entities. At the pottery, I load and fire the kiln, drive to art shows and assist in setting up the display. Elliott makes and glazes each piece of pottery, and so the creative part is really her domain. We work together on different levels to bring our pots to our customers, and, with luck, to provide the high quality of pottery for which Hog-Shed Studio has become known. Firing the Kiln is at once a technical and seat-of-the-pants process. I have a schedule that shows what to do at 5:10 AM, or at 9:30, but those adjustments in the firing process are always tempered by forces that are completely variable. Is the wind pushing the firing ahead of schedule? Is there more oxidation going on than I need? Should I be givng the kiln a little more gas? These questions arise at one time or another during each firing and one has a little information to go by and one needs the input of all the senses to reach a decision. Experience has been a great teacher, and perhaps the most consistant lesson of all is to expect the unexpected, and to be ready for anything! The rewards and the disappointments of firing all come at the kiln opening, after a day or two has passed to allow the kiln to cool. Until that time I only have a vague sense of whether or not the pots will be beauties or beasts. Fortunately, we have gained enough consistancy to avoid producing too many beasts, and in the best of cases, the kiln is the crucible where Elliott's pots reach their fullest potential. As president of East Otto Country Associates, I have a role which is both different and the same as my role in the pottery. Once again, I am not the one who produces the art work, and once again I have the opportunity to assist getting the product, in this case our advertising, to the public. This has meant arranging meetings for the association members, drawing up an agenda, creating and maintaining our website, and trying to maintain the support of the agencies and vendors who enable us to tell the world about ourselves. The rewards here are far less tangible than when I hold a finished, beautiful piece of stoneware in my hand. Now and then I hear some one say: "I saw your web site and decided to come to see you." Or people will come to our Spring or Holiday Open House and say "Your ad was in the Villager last week." That's a different kind of satisfaction, knowing that in some small way I can help the people around me who have so much to offer to connect with people who can apprectiate and support their efforts.