Thank you, Jen!

It's late on Sunday and I'm loving this 3 day weekend! I can sleep in tomorrow if I like and still catch the new Indiana Jones movie with Fred at 9:35am!

But that doesn't have anything to do with the title of this post. Checkout Jen's post and all will be clear. It was the inspiration for this new beginning.



He needs some work of course. But I like him. If I were looking for a prince I'd kiss him. But I'm simply looking for a frog.

The A Team

Today the "A Team" met at Clayworks to unload the gas kiln. Ron surprised us with a visit.
Left to right, we are Bonnie, Ralph, Dorothy, Ron, me and Jane.



Our mission was to unload this. So we donned our gloves and got to work.



There were several beautiful pieces, including one of Ralph's vases.



There was also a rather spectacular casualty. The piece literally looked to have exploded, and unfortunately quite a few other pieces in the kiln came out with unexpected shards embedded in their surfaces. A few found their way into my candlesticks. And some of the glaze on my candlesticks found its way to the kiln shelf (ouch). But my goal with these was simply to find a glaze combo I will use on my nieces wedding pieces so a shard here or there didn't really matter.



The stick on the right - no. In the middle, nice despite the "spillage" but no. The stick on the left I liked and it actually was the only one that emerged without blemish. I may make more of these later and extend the oribe further over the shino. But it's still a no for the wedding set.



Here's the "Yes"! The one I'll use on the bisqued pieces that are waiting in the wings for the wedding. Sunshine yellow on top, spotted shino on the base, yanagahara accents. There's some granular rutile on this too. Too much made the black spot but I like it a lot. So I'll glaze the gifts tomorrow and hopefully get them in the upcoming firing. Until now, I'd never used the sunshine yellow. (Can't stop wondering how it would look with black. Will have to try that in the future. )

Here are two faceted pieces I had in the kiln. Blurry pic but you'll get an idea. The coffee mug is my favourite piece from this firing.



As for the animals? Well, I was disappointed with "Spanky." The Shino was too thick so it came out white. The cobalt in the black glaze went blue.



And the yanagahara I hoped would show the white patch of fur on the real Spanky's chest turned purplish. But what the heck. I'll just call him my fantasy Spanky...and the boy does deserve a purple heart. It's hard to be a pit bull today. On the other hand, "Madame O" and her babies came out nicely I think. The black underglaze still carries bluish tones and the gray underglaze faded more than I like. But I'm happy with this tribute piece to the possums we left in ARC's care.


Tomorrow is another day at Clayworks. Pieces to glaze, a kiln to load and some throwing to do in preparation of a pit firing with Elaine. (Details on that new adventure forthcoming.)

Tuesday Night

When we started Ron's class seven Tuesdays ago, he told us one of our goals for this session was to fill the gas kiln.  To that end, we've been throwing, faceting, turning and glazing.  And tonight was the night!  I didn't have a lot of pieces to load tonight. But I'm looking forward to seeing how each candlestick looks. Here's hoping one of these six will have a knock-out glaze combination that I'll immediately fall in love with...the glaze I'll use for my niece's wedding candlesticks.  (oooooh...high hopes, right?)  



Honestly? I'm equally as anxious to see how "Spanky" and "Mama Possum" turn out.



These little forms got their start as "breaks" from throwing and working on cave art pieces. They were simply intended as diversions, something to occupy my hands while watching a DVD from Netflix. But the little devils have grown on me. I'm not confident when it comes to glazing so I'm sure there will be lessons to learn. Whatever the end result, both pieces have sentimental meaning for me.

Loading a kiln this size takes some time. There's a lot to consider. Ron had a crew of five or more helpers throughout the process, handing him shelves and stilts and pieces that would fit like puzzle pieces on each shelf. It's a fascinating process. The end result????



To coin a Southern saying, that's a mess o' pots. But what you see in the picture is only half of what's packed in that baby! Those are just the front shelves. There's another stack packed just like that behind them. When it was finished...when every pot was placed, our fearless leader took a well-deserved break.



Four of us will unload this puppy on Friday at 2pm. Ralph, Jane, Dorothy & I -- the "A Team" -- have been entrusted to do this on our own. (*gulp*) No. Just kidding. I know we'll be just fine. It will be a great way to kick off the holiday weekend...and it will be wonderful to see, first-hand, how everybody's pieces turned out! Some gorgeous work went into that kiln tonight and some wonderful surprises are in store for us this Friday!

If they don't live up to expectations, we'll have only the kiln god(dess) to blame. Here's hoping she takes wing and brings a beautiful metamorphosis to all the pieces under her watchful eye.

Glazy Day

If it's Saturday, I must be at Clayworks.  Our class loads the gas kiln Tuesday so I had glazing on my dance card. For me, that's an all day affair. I love glazing...and I'm painfully slow at it. But that's part of the joy. In a career that's deadline driven, it's pure luxury to take...my...time.

I managed to glaze 5 candlesticks today---all different. I put a coat of clear glaze on the Opossum piece I recently finished. Heavy with underglazes, that's all she'll need I think. I also began glazing my "Spanky" sculpture, but ended up bringing what I needed home. He's tricky. Brindle coat. And I'm having a dickens of a time figuring out exactly how to tackle that. Will decide tomorrow and finish him up, in time for the load in on Tuesday. I've waltzed around this long enough.

Later in the day, Elaine arrived. It was wonderful to see her and the array of pinch pots she's been working on at home. Nobody can pinch as graceful a pot as Elaine does! Together, we made an Apple Crackle raku glaze. This was my first foray into glaze making. I loved it! Sorry I didn't take a picture of the final product which looked like melted mint chocolate chip ice cream...without the chocolate chips. Elaine is an excellent teacher.  She guided me step by step through the measuring, mixing and sieving steps. Because I did it myself, I will easily remember the process. (Thank you, Elaine! It would have been a lot more nerve-wracking without your help.  I'll treat you to breakfast or lunch at Zada Janes)

Before I left Clayworks, I unloaded a glaze kiln. My horse bowl (with the S crack) survived the firing.





The black glaze I used on the interior filled the crack nicely. The yellow slip kind of jumps out at me. And the porcelain slip could have been applied more heavily. But this was meant as a test for cave art critters. I'm not sold on it for parietal images. But it could work well for other deco applications.

So...so much for my "glazy day". Once the gas kiln is loaded, fired & opened, I'm sure there will be more lessons learned--one way or the other.

Enjoy your Sunday!

Happy Mother's Day

Didn't have my camera as I was en route to the grocery store. But I did have my iPhone. This is the dam at the far end of the pond where we live. Six babies...Dad and, of course...



Mother goose.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Four more...

..."candlestickities" as Cookie calls them. As you can see, no two are the same (I planned it that way I really did, well I really didn't but that's how it goes.)



And wow, it took me a long time to get these 4 guys. But the practice was good for me. Throwing off the hump is by no means a piece of cake yet, but it IS getting a little easier and I AM learning (albeit slowly) from the repetition. With the four I already have in the wings waiting to be glazed, these four, and another four I hope to throw on Monday, I hope I can end up with one pair that will be suitable for my niece's wedding in August.

That's about all I managed to accomplish today at Clayworks. Though I did spend some time cleaning all of my tools...and the box that I keep them in. Everything was coated in a dried Loafers Glory slip. Until today I was too lazy (loafing) to give it all a proper cleaning. It's good to see the sheen of a wooden handle and the gleam of a metal rib again.

Bits and Pieces

It's been a couple of decades since NC voters had any impact on a Presidential race.  Today we did.  Voter registration was up. People were actively involved in a process that too many, for too long, have taken for granted.  I saw lots of "I Voted" stickers being sported tonight at Clayworks.  It was good to see.  

That said, it was great to be back in class tonight.  Ron has mixed up a special "crackle slip" that we can use on a piece or two.  That's a surface deco thing.  And surface deco things I always love to try.   Our goal this class -- besides learning new & various forms & techniques -- is to load the gas kiln on May 20th. with the fruits of Ron's tutelage.  (Gas kiln?  I'm there!)  I have many pieces to glaze to get ready for this. 

 The candlesticks, imperfect as they are, will go in.  And if I can figure out how to glaze my porcelain dog sculpture, he will also go in the kiln.  Suggestions on this are welcome.  Just look at the pic of Spanky to the right on this blog. He's the inspiration for the sculpture.   There are a couple of other pieces, not pictured that I'll fire as well.    

Pay no attention to the rabbit pictured. It has already been fired. (Sis, here's your "angst bunny", baby. I'm glad you liked it and convinced me to glaze it for you. It has it's own personality and might feel at home in a flower pot on your splendid deck!) And the horses pot is a cone 06 piece. S crack in the bottom. But it will make a nice planter for cacti or other succulents in the garden.

 

While Ron concocted his crackle slip I trimmed and slipped and finished two pieces that may (or may not) be part of my niece's wedding at the end of August.  Besides the candlesticks, she requested a pillar candle holder and a wine chalice for the ceremony.  I've done neither form before.  Here's a look ( please be gentle) at my first attempt at both.  

I spent wonderful time throwing small porcelain forms tonight too. I'd forgotten how buttery porcelain feels between my fingers on the wheel. I threw 3 small pieces ---all meant to be "test tiles" for raku glazes. I'll throw more in the days to come because, surprisingly, I'm drawn to the raku process. It marries well with cave art (when it's successfully executed) and it brings life to my simple sculptures.

The mystery of it entices. The mechanics of it challenge. Who can resist being a part of something like this?



This has been a disjointed post, I know. Bits and pieces. But one of these days they may join together to make a "whole." If they don't, does it really matter? As long as they are enjoyed?

Birdland

At last! Saturday! It's going to be a nice, long day spent at (surprise!) Clayworks. I look forward to Saturdays/Sundays there. Being able to throw for long stretches of time is the only way I can improve. Today there are lots of candlesticks on my dance card, and at the end of the day John & Joe are doing a raku firing. I have a couple of small pieces that will jump into the fire tonight - a cave art pinch pot (hope it's strong enough to take the heat) and one of the little birds.

I really enjoy making the birds. They're a great way to wind down in the evenings and -- as a good friend suggested -- they'll make nice test tiles for the different raku glazes. Here are two more from the flock...



More smoothing for this pair, then I'll give them time to dry before I rub them some more. They're so, so simple but they're a joy to make, and it's fun to do each one a little differently.  I love to hold them once they're bone dry and after they've been fired. They nestle nicely in a cupped palm.

The camera is going with me to Clayworks today. If all goes well with my throwing and the firing, I'll update later tonight or first thing tomorrow.