July 21 - Muddy Fun, pots, and a former crab

Saturday was Muddy Fun day and the place was hopping.  Angela did her usual fine job of leading the class.

I worked on my lump of Allison McGowan porcelain again and came up with a new form (for me).  I also made a two piece pot from recycled clay and attached them.  I will have to pull the neck up a bit more since it is rather thick near the top, but I have to wait for it to stiffen up a bit first.

Someone brought in a bag of shells to use for textures on the clay and I noticed something rattling around inside one of the shells.  It was a former hermit crab, completely dried out.  That's something you don't see every day.

.

June 20 - Oh Well

Remember this pot?

It was featured in my post here.

It was made from the Allison McGowan porcelain mix and I really liked it.  Unfortunately I spent so much time on the walls that I didn't notice that the bottom was too thin.  When I cut it off the bat there was no bottom. [sigh.] 

I have re-slaked the clay for a third time and am looking forward to throwing it again.


.

June 6 - Working

Last year Allison McGowan taught a workshop for the Carolina Clay Matters Pottery Guild that I attended.  When it was over I helped her clean up and load out and she gave me some of her special porcelain mix.  She told me it's plasticity would make it throw nicely and I have been looking forward to trying it for quite a while.  I have had to re-slake it twice since it's slept on my shelf for so long.  During that time it has grown what several of us think is algae since it seems too green to be mold.  Allison was absolutely correct, it was wonderful to throw compared to regular helios.  I made a taller pot than I normally can make with porcelain.

I added a large scarab beetle to the simple pot with vermiculite and used nickel chromium wire for the legs and antennae.  I have plans for it later...

Beautiful green porcelain.

Large porcelain piece made from the green clay.

Scarab beetle added.

Still waiting for the "castle" piece to dry.

I have to have music.

Hubert watches the proceedings from his shelf
but chooses not to comment.

.

November 13 - Side Note

I was running late to the Allison McGowan workshop and Guild meeting so I couldn't stop, but on the way I saw the sweetest kid-painted sign in a front yard.  It said:

Candy 10 cents
Origami 10 cents

Under the sign was the required cute little girl sitting behind a table patiently waiting for a car to stop.

I SO wanted to stop and buy some origami, but I was already late and was only halfway to the meeting.  I really hope she is going to be back out there sometime in the future so I can make a purchase and take a photo of the sign.

It really was hard to keep my foot on the gas pedal because I hate to skip moments like that.  It's those little moments that make your day.

Sometimes you gotta' stop and buy the origami...

.

November 13 - Allison McGowan workshop

Sunday was the Carolina Clay Matters Pottery Guild meeting with the usual covered dish gathering and we were treated to a workshop with Allison McGowan.  She makes beautiful hand-built pieces using lots of great texture and nice, full forms.  She slams all her own slabs instead of using a slab roller and makes her own forms.  We were amazed at the plasticity of her custom porcelain blend, it just stretches on forever.

You can check out her work on her website.

President Judy addresses the guild.

Allison's work.

Bag pot.

Slamming a slab.

That is actually a slab of porcelain that she's
slamming from over her head to the table!

Blam!

Draping it over her soft "bag" form.

.