Kim and I returned last Sunday from Seagrove NC, after three days of hospitality from our friends and fellow potters Meredith and Mark Heywood of Whynot Pottery and an inspiring North Carolina Potters Conference in nearby Asheboro. We watched UK potters Doug Fitch, Lisa Hammond and Nic Collins demonstrate their making styles for two days, bantering among each other, answering questions, laughing and talking about their lives. Brilliant stuff.
I've been a fan of all three potters for several years. Kim and I were at Doug's wedding in Scotland four years ago to the equally brilliant potter Hannah McAndrew, and met Lisa there. I've known Nic's  wood-fired work for a long time. Also in the room - Hannah and her two beautiful babies, Pippin and Fred.
I'll post a few photos from the conference and won't write much in this post. I stopped my Hatchville Pottery blog about five years ago, moving to Facebook and, later, to Instagram (@ShinoPots47). But a conversation at the conference with Michael Kline, Ron Philbeck, Dan Finnegan and others helped persuade me that I might still have something to say in a longer form than allowed by those other two social media platforms. Let's find out.
Meanwhile, some photos. Lisa Hammond at top, then Doug Fitch and Nic Collins: