Cat Sgraffito

I started to tackle the back of the candy dish outside but it was too cold and windy and lying on the bedroom floor with stacks of squishy pillows and a cat sounded more appealing.  And this was before I set my laptop next too me and put on the headphones.  I felt pretty smart.  I'm sure it was quite a sight.  I should have had someone snap a pic of me.  I do a lot of art work on my bedroom floor.  It is often my studio of choice.

Tiger says, "You gonna do some scratchin' on that thing?  I think I haz sharper tools.  You want some help?  Mebe I just supervise."

I rather like the way the back turned out.  Maybe I will make it the front next time.  I can't wait to see how it fires out.  I'm not sure if I want to put a gloss or satin glaze on.

Out of Round

I love the water towers around town and I have taken quite a few photos of them.  I had turned one of the images into a stamp so that I could make decals or photo litho transfers.  This image, however, was made using an EZ Screen.  This image was burned onto the screen and then I used a red Mudtool rib to squeegee some underglaze through.  I made the screen while I was in North Carolina and I have wanted to try it out again since I got back home.  I found a jar of underglaze that had conveniently dehydrated itself for me so that it was a good and gloppy thickness to print.  I've been needing a coaster so that is where I started.  This image came out great on the wet clay.

I tried it again on this leather hard piece and had a more difficult time. This is on the interior of a long, oval dish so there was a slight curvature and I was trying to figure out how to get the squeegee to get the whole thing at once.  I missed a few spots but I also think the print didn't work as well because of the dryer clay.

I've been trying to get out of the round mode of thinking that I get stuck in as a wheel throwing potter so I made this fun little cloud candy dish.  It looks flat in this picture but I actually draped the shape over a small oval plaster mold.  Super fun!

Shall we have a bit of sgraffito?  I free-handed my design with a pencil before I got started with the scritchy scratchin'.

I'm feeling like it is a bit too busy.  Next time I think I will have more contrast without quite so much pattern going on but I am enjoying it.  Uh, but I painted the back black also so I still have to do something with that side.  Hmmm...

Test Tile Madness!

First off, I don't feel like superwoman today.  Bummer, I know.  It's almost ten thirty in the morning and I am laying on an ice pack.  But hey, it gives me an excuse to update my blog.  No, I didn't get hurt, so to speak.  I keep forgetting that I have a tendency towards hyper mobile joints.  I have been doing a lot of stretching in the mornings to loosen up my back and my calfs. I also have been doing a lot of bike riding.  Well the stretching was working so well for a while that I think I have been over stretching without doing enough muscle strengthening exercises to compensate.  Combine that with my bicycle seat which I don't seem to be able to get the right shape, size, or comfort but I ride anyways and BAMB!  Yep, muscle spasms.

The upside?

Test Tiles!  Wait, did I say yesterday that I LOVE test tiles?  Oh yeah, but every time I make them I forget how LONG they take.  Of course, sometimes I do have a tendency to go overboard. Thank goodness I already had some color tests mixed up from about a year ago that I had never made tiles for.  So in between sessions of icing my back I kept myself pretty busy. This is Molly Hatch's vitreous engobe recipe that I got off Ceramic Arts Daily.  It is for use at cone 04-6 and I  have a bunch of different stains mixed in . I have used these to silkscreen directly onto leather hard clay and then fired to cone 04 and they looked great.  Now I will have test tiles of the engobe applied to leather hard and I will make some with the engobe applied as washes to bisque tiles.  I will fire them all in the cone 5-6 range.  

After finishing these tiles in the front I took some of the dry ones and applied terra sig which is normally used only in the low-fire range.  However, since I put it on my bowls and I decided I didn't want to sacrifice them as tests, tiles would be a good idea.  It will be interesting to see how they fire out at Cone 5-6.

And what post would be complete without out the kitty pics?  This girl is twelve years old and starting to slow down a little.  I've had her since she was three weeks old and I had to bottle feed her.  To say she is spoiled would be an understatement. She thinks the bed is hers and how can I blame her?  I spend maybe eight hours in it while she spends about twenty hours nested in blissful comfort, that is, when the light isn't too bright.  Yesterday, while I was laying on the ice, she kept kicking me with her back feet because there wasn't enough room for her to stretch out across the bed with me in her way.  Poor thing! Do you think I should upgrade to a queen or king size from the apparently tiny full size?

Having the bed right under the window does make for a perfect environment for a kitty.  All she needs to do is chill and watch the world go by.  Ah, sometimes that is a good philosophy to remind myself of from time to time.  So, peace be with you this weekend and remember to chill out. I know I certainly am, literally!

Sgraffito Madness!

I was sgraffito inspired by all of Kathy Kings work while at Penland so I decided to use this technique with some of my organic imagery.  I WAS originally going to use some of my silk screen slip images but those need to be transferred while the pieces are leather hard. These, I, um, forgot about and they were dry when I went to trim them.  Not wanting to have some boring bowls I decided to experiment with some colored terra sig.  I know, I know!  I should use test tiles first.  I am a bit worried that the sig will repel the glaze.  I did stick to the colors that I am fairly certain won't disappear at cone 6.  I will at least get these into the bisque and MAYBE, just maybe, I will make some test tiles before I glaze these.  I actually love test tiles but I get really excited about an idea and sometimes just go with it. That's the way I roll.  It's an adventure!

These tumblers where the very last pieces I made out at Penland but ran I out of time and couldn't get them into a glaze load.  I really wanted to see them fired out so I stuffed the bisqued pieces with socks, wrapped them in bubble wrap and gently nested them into my carry-on bag.  Success, they made it!  I took them over to the University and put them into the last cone 10 reduction of the semester.  Thanks peeps!  Pun intended:P   I  love the way they turned out.  I am addicted to tumblers, even more so than mugs. These have a great balance and feel awesome to hold.  I am drinking out of one of them as I write.  

It's warming up here in the interior valley of Northern California.  It is supposed to be 99 degrees today.  I'd better head out to the post office and get the last of my Kickstarter rewards shipped out before it gets too hot.  Then back to the real world of paperwork today.  Happy last day of May!

New Bowls on the Horizon

Before I tell you what I have been working on, doesn't my breakfast look absolutely scrumptious in this delightful Erin Paradis bowl?  

I am convinced that great food tastes even better when eaten out of great pottery.  I picked up this new bowl at Crimson Laurel Gallery while I was doing my studio assistantship this spring at Penland School of Crafts.  Erin's work is delightfully inspiring!

Working with Kathy King for two months inspired my use and love of black.  I forgot to take good pictures of the dinnerware set I made in black and white so now I am making some more pieces.  These will get a coat of satin matte glaze.  I can't wait to see how they turn out!

And here are a few more of my "Nirvana Bowls," as I called them on my Kickstarter project.  I didn't realize they would be so popular so I am trying out a few different bowl forms and a few different clays.  One is Cone 6 Porcelain from IMCO and the other is Icelia Porcelain from Clay Planet.  Both of these fire at cone 5-6 so I will be trying out some different celadon-like glazes.  My other bowls were fired in cone 10 reduction so I am looking to see what I can do with them at cone 6.  Fun stuff!  My progress has been a bit slow, but at least I am making things:)

Farmer's Market with My Son!

I love this guy!  I got to spend the evening at the farmer's market tonight with my son.  It was absolutely delightful.  We headed down just about the time when the sun begins to set and the changing light  starts to make all the colors pop.  It was the perfect temperature, warm but not hot with a very light breeze.

We shared this marion berry pie with vanilla bean ice cream.  I can't remember pie ever tasting as good as this one did.  My son had a blueberry lemonade and I had a lavender lemonade. 

And somehow he talked me into giving him my favorite new tumbler (the one on the right and the only one like it that I brought home) that I made while I was at Penland.  It was when he told me how much he loved me and thanked me for being a wonderful artistic influence for him.  I just kind of melted and handed it over.  Tears in both of our eyes!

 It was a sensory kind of evening.  Ahhh....

Back in the Saddle

Well, it may seem that my life is full of flowers and nature these days and that would be partially true.  I was extremely out of shape when I headed to Penland and felt like I had gotten in a little better shape by the time the eight weeks were done.  I wanted to keep that small edge and get in better shape when I got home so I have made my priority every day to get out for a hike, a walk, or a bike ride.  I can't help it if there are beautiful flowers all around.

On Friday I got back into the studio a little bit.  It was great to see all my Claymate friends and I had a number of pieces that needed to be glazed so that's what I focused on.  Now that I am home I am in the middle of apartment/house hunting so that is taking a little of my attention.  I am trying to figure out what my focus should be with clay for the next year or so before I head to grad school.  I feel like I want to get rid of most of the work that is starting to take over my space.  That would free up my mind to start on a whole new body of work inspired by my time at Penland.

While I am working all these ideas out I will continue taking hikes like this one scrambling down the path to a nice swimming hole.

The heading aroma of this scotch broom filled the canyon near the creek.

The swimming hole but oh was it cold!

And for your viewing pleasure, here are more images of work I made while at Penland.

 I made these in the first week when we were given a cup exchange assignment.  They have paper resist stencils with underglaze.  When Julie Guyot came to visit, she brought some commercial decals which I had never used before so on they went.  I really enjoy the transparency and how they layer over the stencil images and add another layer of depth and information to the mugs. Julie by the way is amazing, super nice, and a wonderful clay artist!

This is the first time I have made cruets and I enjoyed them.  Definitely going to make some more.

And, finally, I love, love, love these salt and pepper shakers.  Another first with more to follow.

That's all for now.  Have a delightful and creative week everyone!

I absolutely adore Ryan McKerley's work so I was delighted when our Penland class took a field trip to Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville and realized the he had a show up.  I snagged this tumbler which has a slight pink blushing on the inside.  Perhaps this could be considered a flaw as none of the other work showed any flashing but I wanted it because this made it doubly unique.  What really caught my eye, however,  was the richness of the carving techniques, variety of shapes, and the composition of the organic forms contrasted with geometric elements which flow so beautifully across the surface. The attention to detail is impeccable and the piece has a well balanced feel in the hand. I also must say that John Lara and David Trophia are wonderful hosts at the gallery and I look forward to visiting more in the future.

So here I am today enjoy lunch in my bowl and a cool beverage in Ryan's tumbler which just arrived in the mail.  I was a tad bit worried that it wouldn't get here.  I shipped out nine boxes and only eight arrived yesterday.  I was biting my nails until today's box arrived with my treasures which also included a beautiful Erin Paradis bowl.

Today I am going to try to stay off the computer.  I have been slipping into old habits the last couple of days and it is too gorgeous outside that I need to enjoy it.  Besides I have errands to run and I am ready to get my fingers in some clay after my wee break.  I have so many inspirations and ideas in my head I must strike while the iron is hot!

Luscious Lichen

As some of you may know, I love lichen! So here is some eye candy from Monday's hike.  I especially love the chartreuse green contrasted with the orange that's going on here.  I don't make work that calls for the use of lichen glazes but I am tempted to with inspiration like this.  And if I had any idea what to do with felting or textile media I would somehow incorporate this.  Hmmm, maybe I should go back to Penland for a textiles class.  Just sayin'.

All the textures here are just so incredible!

I was feeling quite nostalgic for all the flowers that are planted around the Penland campus, especially outside Lily Loom.  Then I took a morning walk and found all of these beauties right in my own neighborhood.  Too bad pictures can't convey the smell of all the flowers that are in bloom right now!

Ah, but lest you think that the last few days have been all fun and games, I have been knee deep in the shipping and receiving department, otherwise known as the spare room.  Today I got eight of the nine boxes I shipped from Penland.  I'm going to have to research that ninth one.  Now I have about 50 items to ship out that are rewards for my Kickstarter project.  Let the fun commence:)

Goodbye Penland

Well, it finally happened.  Two months flew by in a whirlwind of clay activity.  This is the last sunrise I saw on Saturday morning from my bedroom window in the Craft House at Penland School of Crafts.  On Sunday I woke up at 2:30 am and was in the car by 3:30 headed for the Asheville airport.  I left with many mixed emotions.  There was sadness to be leaving such a beautiful place where I had many wonderful experiences and met tons of great people.  But there was also relief.  Being away from home for two months is quite an experience and I was feeling ready to get back.  Of course now that I am home, I miss Penland!

I wasn't quite ready for the flat landscape of home.  It seemed rather foreign after all the verdant rolling hills of North Carolina.  It is also drier than I remember and I think we are in for an early, hot, long summer.  After traveling all day yesterday I felt pretty cramped up and sore.  This first morning home I decided I should go for a hike in the park where there are actually some hills to keep my muscles active on and work out some kinks.

And here are some of the last photos I took of work I made with Helios porcelain.  Right after this pic they were bubble wrapped and packed for shipping.  I shipped home nine boxes of work and could have shipped home twelve if I hadn't run out of time.  I did all the packing on the last Friday and most of the work had just come out of the kilns a day or two before.  I did pack some stuff in my backpack and carry-on and dragged them through the airport and on and off the planes with no breakage, yay!

I had a lot of fun with these.  I was working on refining this tumbler form and incorporated three different techniques for the surface decoration.  I have silk screened slip transfers, ez-screen print transfers (which are essentially unmounted silkscreens with wider mesh) and sgraffito.  The botanical imagery was created from my own drawings and the water tower image is from a photo that I took here in Chico of one of the downtown water towers.  These are probably my favorite pieces from the concentration and I am looking forward to exploring this some more now that I am home.

I really enjoy the simplicity of these bowls.  I didn't have time to do anything decorative before they went into the bisque.  Then when they came out we were all in a rush to get everything glazed and into the final firings.  I quickly drew some lines and circles with black underglaze in a slip trailer and filled them in with tinted glazes.  Then I waxed them out and dipped into a fantastic clear glaze.  Viola, I love how they came out!

I wish I had more time to test glazes while I was there.  I am a total glazeaholic!  These dots were created by layering Steven Hill's cone 6 Strontium Crystal Magic (from the March 2012 Issue of Ceramics Monthly) with a copper tinted transparent glaze.  From tests that I had done, I figured the combo would run a bit and pull some of the black underglaze and it did not disappoint. 

It is only 9pm, but my body thinks it is midnight so I will get some shut eye soon.  Sleep well everyone:)