2018-03-23 - Friday - Empty Bowls!

Friday we attended the Empty Bowls event for Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina. It gets bigger every year and we are always glad to be there. I'm honored to be asked to do wheel demos at the event.

Bowls!

More and more bowls!

Kimberly and Susan at lunch.

After the event was over we took the equipment back to Clayworks and I ran into Lee Zimmerley glazing her pots.

Gorgeous painting.

Lots of work to glaze.

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2018-02-06 - Tuesday - Slip transfer painting

Tuesday I did some more painting of slip transfer designs in underglaze. I will use slip to transfer the design to my Empty Bowls.

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2018-01-31 - Wednesday - Slip transfer

Wednesday I worked on some more slip transfer designs for Empty Bowls using underglazes. I am really enjoying the slip transfer process.

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2018-01-21 - Sunday - Slip transfers

Sunday I went in to work on more Empty Bowls and start playing with slip transfers. I've watched Greg Scott work with the process for quite a while and decided to try out what I'd learned from him.

There was a whole lot of glazing going on when I got there.

Students glazing their work.

I settled into the third classroom to try out some slip transfers with underglaze designs I made. I was immediately taken with the process as the designs really popped when I applied them to the bowls.

Let me back up and give you a bit of the process.

First I paint designs on newsprint paper. I start with the black as an outline and apply color afterwards. Since the images will be reversed, the black is on top when applied to the bowl.

Next I cut the designs into strips and apply slip to the bowl and the strip of paper. I then place the paper, slip-side-down on the slip that's on the bowl, and burnish it with a soft rib.

 Finally, I peel the paper off the bowl and the underglaze design is transferred with the slip. As you can see, I played with applying the design to raw clay, to a fully-slipped bowl, and to a half-slipped bowl, using the transferred design to delineate the sections.

I see more experimentation in my future...

Speaking of Empty Bowls, tickets are on sale NOW. If you'd like to attend this wonderful event, please hurry to the website and get your tickets before they are sold out. I'll be there, and you should, too.


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2016-09-29 - Thursday - Raku glazing

Thursday I glazed a bunch of raku pots. As usual, I tried out a bunch of new ideas using some of my underglazes and different types of brushes. I do really enjoy glazing.

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2016-02-20 - Saturday - Computers, Lunch, and Pottery

Today I helped some friends with their computer. Afterwards they treated me to a wonderful lunch and we chatted for a while. It's nice to spend time with nice people and catch up a bit.

Next, it was on to Clayworks to look at a new router and make some pots. Since I got a later start than I had planned I tentatively connected the router and then finished glazing the last six Empty Bowls. They only needed some clear glaze over the underglaze designs and a small spray of cobalt to finish them, so it was quick work.

I talked to a few people at the studio and then it was off again home to wait for Karen and have supper.

Nothing monumental, but like so many days it was a full one.

I'm thankful.


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2016-02-06 - Saturday - Glazing like a crazy man

Saturday was a marathon.

I started out with one of my new favorite breakfasts.

Took some photos of the flowers blooming in the front yard.

Went to the farmers market with Karen and Stephanie.

Went to Clayworks and helped Kimberly remove some stuck fuses from a misfiring kiln. Re-slaked some of my clay. Did a little housekeeping on my shelves. Talked to a few people for a while...

...and THEN the real day started.

Eggs and oatmeal and sriracha.

Daffodils.

Vinca Minor.

Remember all of those Empty Bowls I've been making? This year I decided to glaze them all at once instead of doing them in small batches.

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

I had to wax all the bottoms and after that I started experimenting with painting underglaze as a wash and using my squeeze bottle as a pen to fill in details. Suddenly I realized it was 7:00 pm. I dropped everything and ran to the grocery store. I bought some food for supper, went home and fed us, and then back to Clayworks to finish the glazing. I left Stephanie making a batch of fudge while her boyfriend, Brett was on Skype with her. Crazy kids.

Everything was where I left it (I left a note saying I'd be back after supper) and I was alone. I turned the music up and got back to it.

While I was having a lot of fun trying new things, I had to keep a pretty good amount of pressure on the squeeze bottle to keep the flow going and after a couple of hours of it I realized I was hunched over and my mid-back was killing me. I stretched my back out on one of the tables for a few minutes before continuing the process.

I finally got finished with the underglaze at about 11:00 pm. Next I had to paint clear over all the paintings. After that I painted wax resist over the clear. I dipped the bowls in the main color glaze for the non-painted areas. Finally, I wiped all the excess glaze off the feet of the bowls and took them to the kiln room.

By the time I finished cleaning up my mess it was almost 2:00 am and every joint hurt from standing on the concrete floors for so long. I'm almost 58 now, and these marathons are not getting easier.

Next year I'm going back to glazing small batches.

Stack 'o bowls.

Waxing the bottoms.

Having fun with underglazes. These are just some of them.

Stephanie making fudge with Brett's support.

Finished the underglaze.

Almost finished the glazing.
I still have to finish the six in the foreground.

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2015-05-28 - Thursday - New pots

Thursday was a big day as I got lots of work out of the cone 10 and cone 5 kilns. I was very pleased with the results from the different types of firings.

My favorite method is cone 10 reduction firing and I am very pleased with my pots from this firing. The shinos have a nice variation in hues with lots of carbon-trapping. There was also a lot of crazing on some of them and I'm not sure why. Perhaps it's a heating/cooling rate issue, but I'm not complaining as it adds another layer to these forms which are not meant for food anyway.

Good firing.

Shino w/crazing.

A closer look.

More shino crazing.

 

Another closer look.

Another batch of bowls with graphic designs came out too. I am enjoying these as I get to play by doodling in them with underglaze using different applicator and brush techniques.

Bowls w/cobalt.

Inside one.

The last group of bowls I retrieved was a commission from my high school friend, Stan Godlewski. He requested a large bowl and I ended up making three just in case one didn't come out the way I wanted it to. The orange color is not one I normally use, but it was his choice and I like the way it works.

Attention!

At ease.

I just had to include a close-up of
Eddie. He was waiting for it.

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2015-03-17 - Tuesday - Spring & glazing

Spring is coming in this week. The trees are budding and the weather is warming. It's like an old friend is back to visit for a while. Familiar and warm with lots of surprises popping up out of the ground.

Unfortunately it brings it's annoying cousin: pollen.

Tuesday night I went to Clayworks to finish glazing. I wanted to put some underglaze on some of the pots I didn't finish the other day. I am starting to bring some of the elements I used on my Empty Bowls into my cone 10 work. I'm not sure where it's going to go from here, but it'll turn up here eventually.

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2015-01-22 - Thursday - Glazing bowls

Thursday I glazed another batch of bowls for the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina's Empty Bowls event. I played with slip, underglaze, wax resist, and glazes on the surfaces again. I'm really getting into my surfaces these days.

Before.

After.

I'm looking forward to seeing these finished. If you are too, please check back.

You know I'll post photos. :8^)


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2015-01-17- Saturday - Empty bowls glazed

Saturday I checked on my next batch of empty bowls. I used slip and underglazes on these and was very pleased with the outcome. I like the way the playfulness I used in decorating these comes through in the finished product.

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