the blues.

I've finally found my blue! Some other vapor firing potters out there may be thinking I speak heresy but at least it's an ash glaze, right? I've been trying to find a soft blue for some time now. I've tried several ways to get it without using cobalt but between the iron in the ash and in the clay that clearly wasn't going to work(though it does hold some promise on porcelain.) The other problem I encountered was that I only needed fractions of a percent when using cobalt and when you're mixing 100gram test batches that is not so easy or accurate. My solution was to mix up a 10000 gram batch(5gal bucket) and start with 1/10%(10g) cobalt and that was spot on the first time. The only drawback is that cobalt is so powerful it eliminates many of those little variations you get in an ash glaze. It usually likes to break brown on a sharp edge and I'm not seeing that happen, perhaps they're just not any edges sharp enough on this piece. Who knows what this will do in the wood kiln.

I've also made some headway on an ash based tenmoku, I think I just have a few more tests to get it where I want it.

So long for now.

flutes.

Hello all. I'm seriously lacking for content so you'll have to bear with me. I've been making a few pots here and there lately but it seems I never have time to make more than a couple. I usually like to do a whole run of a certain shape but lately when something pops into my head, I'll only have enough time to make one or two.

Fluted bottle/vase. I really enjoy making these and I think I'd like to make some more.


12# Fluted bowl, about 12-13" wide.


Slab dish with slip deco. I'm really excited about this one. That is tile6 slip and bare clay so the contrast after firing won't be too great but it was a spur of the moment idea and I'm glad I went with it.

12# & 6# jugs. I think I've finally started to find "my" jug/pitcher shape. I've struggled with pitchers the last couple years to try and find a shape that works with my glazing/slipping/deco. and is still mine. I have a nice round shape already but I've been playing with this adaptation of the medieval jug shape.

I've also been making fat handles on everything. Every cycle they seem to get a little fatter. I think I've taken it to the point where I need to bring it back down a little.

This is the sawdust tray under the table saw in the univ. wood shop. This is all from me and I've already emptied it once. Wish they had a dust collection system but no budget for that yet. Speaking of budgets though I had a budget approved to build a new gas kiln next year with all new materials(I'll finally be getting those kiln shelves I need.) I'll be teaching a semester long kiln building class(which means I'll be getting paid to build it, woo!) We'll be building a gas kiln, a salt kiln from the leftovers and brick lying around and a new raku kiln. I've built nine kilns to date so I'm not nervous about it, it'll be fun.

We decided to go with the floating shelves afterall. I've made 38 of them which was all we thought we needed but I think we're going to need a few more. These pieces of MDF are the top and bottom of the shelf and wrap around a 2x2 frame. They have mitered edges so there are no joints showing(5 pieces for each shelf), it's actually a lot easier than you might think but still a fair amount of work. I enjoy time in the woodshop but I'd hardly call MDF woodworking. The tally is 23 pedestals, 38 shelves all out of 20 sheets of MDF. I think I've had enough! I'm ready to have some free time to work in the garden and be out in the sun.

So long for now!

teapots

Today was a teapot day. I assembled a few that I threw yesterday and shot a little video of assembling one. I also broke 2 teapots today while cleaning them for bisquing. I was scraping out excess slip and whacked the spout on one and dropped the lid on another. What a day.

Here are a couple videos of teapot stuff. The first is making the lid and spout and the second is assembling the piece. Enjoy.

stayin alive.

I've just been awarded the Kreativ Blogger award...twice! Thank you Potterchik(?) and Joy. It's nice to know people out there enjoy my blither...let alone read it. I really wish I had a broader blog-reading interest than just pottery but I'm kind of lame like that.

My five choices:
Ron Philbeck-Ron's blog was the first that I ever came across, back when he posted it on his website, pre-blogger. My inspiration to become a blogger.
Joe Bennion-My second inspiration to be a blogger. Joe makes wonderful pots and I love how his work intertwines with his home and family.
Scott Cooper-Scott strikes me as a thoughtfully meticulous person and his blog portrays that. His posts are clearly thought out(perhaps even drafted?), often times border on being philosophical and are always enjoyable to read.
Joy Tanner-Joy strikes me as a very down to earth person and always has striking images in her posts. Clearly a joyful(haha) person and always a pleasant read.
Joe & Christy Cole-I must say I'm not terribly familiar with Joe and Christy but I do feel a certain kinship. Maybe because we're both struggling, roughing-it woodfirers.


I finished building pedestals today, woo hoo! Now it's on to shelving...
I have a firing scheduled for May 1st and I don't have near enough pots. There are going to be several long nights these next couple weeks. I've been spending way more time in the woodshop than the studio lately but I think if I can split it evenly I can get the pots done. This is the first time in my life that I've had a large surplus of pots. I don't necessarily have to fire but I really want to have the best pots and the most options for my show in may. My current struggle is with what to make. I keep a making list but it's more than filled so now I sort of have potter's block. I want to try some new things but the creative juices just aren't flowing. Eh. It'll all work itself out.

So long for now.

look, i have been doing stuff.

I finally got around to making some pots today! I'm sloooooowly plugging away towards the next firing on May 1st. After these pots in the photo are finished I'll be about 1/4 of the way there. I"ll have quite a few student pieces in that firing so I won't have to fill the whole thing up myself.

The way I've been potting and firing so far this year some folks might get the impression that my pots are flying off the shelves. The truth is they're just stacking up in the showroom, that's probably part of the reason I haven't had much motivation to get in the studio these last 2 weeks. I'm pretty much taking the month of May off for some much needed vacation. Vacation for me will consist of gardening, landscaping, house repairs and a week in Kansas helping my older brother do some work on his house. Then in June I'll be teaching a summer course(how do you cram a semester's worth of ceramics into 4 weeks?!!) and get back to the potting. My current stock after the may firing should carry me through the summer so I probably won't fire again until late July-unless of course sales take off!


Todays work. Not much, but it's a start.


20# vase. This is a bad photo to judge scale but if I were to stick my arm inside the spot where the shoulder meets the neck is at my elbow. It's the largest one-piece pot I've thrown in a long time.


This is where a chuck of my free time has been going. I am having to build about 30 pedestals for my show in may. The gallery we're showing at has never had an all 3-d work show so they only have a handful of pedestals. There was an issue for awhile about the pedestals because I felt that I shouldn't have to pay for them, painters don't have to purchase and build the walls, right? Luckily the gallery was able to secure funding so I didn't have to pay for them but I do have to build them which isn't so bad. As soon as these are out of here I have to fabricate a fair amount of wall shelving that I will have to pay for, but that is totally reasonable because it's custom for the show. I really wanted to do floating shelves like these(watch the slideshow), but the expense and amount of labor was too much.

Anyways, no classes tomorrow so I'm looking forward to getting some work done.

Cheers!

pots!

I woke up this morning all gung-ho to get potting. That momentum was very short lived but I did manage to get a few pieces made.

This is the bigger jar from my previous post that wasn't finished. It's under plastic because I haven't decided on slip or glaze. The unevenly spaced ridges(self-criticism) would suggest a glaze but this piece would have to go in the top of the kiln which we all learned last time doesn't fire off my ash glaze so well. Conundrum.

This is my production for the day.

I liked this guy.


This is the piece I chose for my show poster. It's one of my favorites from recent firings.

And the other side.

Cheers!

(insert girly shriek of joy here)

Dolan tools are back! Woo hoo! In case you couldn't tell, I'm a huge fan of Dolan tools. Bailey has them and so does Continental Clay, I haven't checked anywhere else. Time to hit the trash can kemper.