The robins have returned to our little corner of Cattaraugus County, the last piles of snow are melting in the meadows, and today we spied the first wood chuck of the season.  It must be spring!

Since Christmas we have been hibernating indoors, enjoying the fire and some time to relax.  But now, with the welcome arrival of milder temperatures, we are getting ready for a new season of pottery production.  We are eager to begin again.  We are designing some new pottery items that will be available later this spring and early summer… just in time for the gift-giving season.

Thanks to the very generous hospitality of good friends who own a time share in Hawaii, we had the vacation of a life-time in February.  Two wonderful weeks of swimming, snorkeling, whale-watching and relaxing on the west coast of Maui were a gift beyond measure.  Inspired by the incredible beauty of the ocean as well as the tropical plants and flowers, Elliott plans to create some new paintings in clay this summer.  Look for the influence of tropical plants and flora caught in clay when you visit Hog-Shed Studio Pottery!

Another facet of our winter experience has been teaching basic ceramics at the University of Pittsburg at Bradford.  Elliott has had a really heart warming chance to instruct and get to know the students there as she teaches 3 sections of the Basic Ceramics.  This has also been a good chance to work with a different clay, different glazes and the advantages and new characteristics of Electric Firing, as opposed to the Gas kiln used at our own studio.