Changing Seasons and Clay

I took this shot of the the evening sky just at sunset on Friday night looking towards the west. Autumn can make for the most beautiful and turbulent skies. It has been a bit turbulent inside the studio too. I have been spending every spare moment I can in there making, glazing and firing as much work as possible before the big sales at the end of November. There was some drama for a few weeks at the studio when our clay supply chain broke down for a while. I wont go into those details, but the end result was that the studio was without clay for about 3 weeks. Our clay supplier ended up getting some clay from out east to tide their customers over until they worked out their supply issues. I took a box of Tuckers Mid White and half a box of the Tucker's Bright White to test. I find it very gooey in comparison to Plainsman Clays and there really is no comparison to BMix. I don't use Plainsman much, but I spotted the differences right away. This clay sits right back down on the wheel and will slump very easily and any height is hard won. It will take me a while to get used to these differences and I think heavy trimming will be required to achieve the lightness I am used to. I'll know more when these pieces get fired. If they take the glazes well, if the body really is as white as they say, etc etc. for now, I am on the fence with it.
This pitcher was thrown from the Mid White.There was a lot of trimming involved with this one to achieve both a pleasing shape as well as to make it usable. It still has some heft, but not nearly what it was.

Mugs all trimmed and handled

Yikes, it was over a week ago that I was to have had these mugs trimmed. I did get them done last Tuesday, I just neglected to tie up the loose ends of the last post. Anyway, I did get the handles on, as you can see. I also trimmed all the other pots that I threw out of the 2 boxes of Polar Ice porcelain that I managed to get my hands on. Amazingly, Ceramics Canada is all sold out of that clay now. No more until the new year I guess. No biggy, I should probably get a handle on the glazing of this body before I commit more time and money to it. In addition to the pots I have posted from this new clay, I got a couple of teapots out of it, as well as a few smaller serving bowls. I am finding that it requires an insane amount of trimming and I have a full bag of trimmings already that I will hopefully be able to make useable again. The few extra days off from my real job(s) that the holidays create will be spent in the studio loading bisque kilns, mixing test glazes, glazing, loading glaze kilns and crossing fingers. I will try to get into the studio on the 24th, but there are people in my life that don't seem to share the same enthusiasm I have for clay and will probably complain. I won't go on the 25th, I think that would be pushing it a bit, but boxing day is a given, as is the weekend. I will have a whole 4.5 uninterrupted days over the New Year as well. I never do anything on New Years Eve that would require any recovery from the next day, so I am hoping for a lot of productivity. I never make New Year's resolutions, but I think I might cave just this once. I am going to resolve to enter a large craft show next year. I am in no position to think spring, but I should be able to pump enough clay through my hands to be able to have enough stock for a Christmas show. I know, I know, but If I don't start thinking about it now, it will never happen. The show I think I should enter makes their entry info and forms available in February and I think the deadline is in April. Between now and then I need to come up with a booth design, have enough representative ware to fill that booth to take photos of so they can assess the booth, as well as have pictures of individual pieces for the jury process. If all goes well and I get accepted, I will be a very busy beaver over the next 11 months. I think I have the booth mostly nailed down. A friend and fellow potter has a display system that is very portable and she has offered it to me for the sale. I also have some ideas for some wooden crates. My idea is to paint them in milk paint and distress them. The colours will be very pale and muted so as not to distract from the pottery, but they will be stackable which will allow me to create a nice table top display without too much hassle as well as act as carrying totes. So that's it for now, I will be up to my elbows in clay for the next couple of weeks. I will have one glass of nog (maybe, i really don't like that stuff), but other than that, I will be busy busy busy. I have a pile of podcasts downloaded that I need to catch up on/start and the studio is the perfect place to do that. There is also the added bonus of the studio actually being closed on the 26th and the 1st, but I have a key, so it should be JUST ME in there with nobody to else to take up table space. There might be one or 2 other key holders in there, but they don't really count, as they are probably just looking for some peace and quiet too. If I don't post before then, have a Merry Christmas, and a wonderful New Year and we'll see you in 2015. I will probably be putting pics up on Instagram (see link above), but mostly just throwing, glazing and firing. Cheers!

New porcelain

I was not in the studio much over the weekend. I had a wedding to attend and was staying at the bride's house overnight on Friday to help set up her back yard on Saturday before the wedding. So Sunday was my only day to get muddy. I picked up a box of the new Polar Ice that is still the first formulation that does not throw well. (the new and improved batch will be coming soon). Regardless, I was able to throw a few bowls of a reasonable size. The biggest is shown above and measures about 14.5 inches in diameter. It got a bit wonky when I accidentally stopped the wheel just a little too fast and it was jerked out of round. I managed to "correct" it so that at least visually, it does not appear to bad. The others were of varying sizes ad I attempted to trim a couple after they had stiffened up a bit. This clay is deceiving in that when you think it is dry, it is NOT. I will be letting the remainder dry very slowly and will try not to get too impatient and attempt any more trimming until they are just right. I was supposed to move back into my condo this week, but that did not happen. They were installing carpet in the common hallways and stairs and that took up 3 whole days. The kitchens for all 4 units are supposed to be going in this week starting today, so I really really hope that next week will be the week. My fingers are crossed, but I'm not holding my breath.

Just a little snow

Well, I guess March decided to come in like a lion. This was the view outside the studio yesterday at around 11 am. I got up early and left my house at 8:00 to go pick up some stuff I had in the wee little test kiln at Ceramics Canada and the snow was not too bad. When I got to the studio at 9 I shoveled the entrance but within a few minutes you could not tell. I packed it in shortly after taking this picture and just went home and watched movies instead.

Wants, Wishes & Dreams

How does one achieve their dream(s)? I really have not got a clue. I have a vague, fluffy, romanticized dream which I can not see coming to reality. In this dream, I kinda know what I want, or sort of., these wants change regularly, but the core wants remain the same (mostly). The conflict within me is that the dream, to ever become a reality, does not dovetail well with my personality. I like the idea of the dream, but to get there I would need to change (I think). I think I need constancy and reliability (who doesn't?), but my dream, if it were to ever come to this side of the looking glass, would probably entail a certain element of uncertainty.

So let's lay it out.

My airy fairy, pie in the sky dream is this. I want to have my own personal studio (& show room?). I don't think I would want it in my home though. Right now, I couldn't do that due to space limitations. But I also know that if I did, I don't think I would have the self discipline to put the time in and not get distracted by household matters (ie: a good movie on tv, food, sleeping etc). So, this imaginary studio would have to be at least a few minutes away from my house where the temptations of being a sloth were not temptingly nearby. Once I get stuck in, I'm good to go as long as there is some music playing in the back ground. Often, as I drive around town, or walk around my neighbourhood, I try to envision myself in some of the retail spaces. I would need to be in a trendy part of town, not too industrial, and definitely not residential, unless there was some element of artsyness and had a good “cool” quotient. Also in this dream I would have a gas kiln dedicated to salt or soda firing (this would probably never happen what with the city bylaw restrictions on things like air pollution etc (I know city hall employees wouldn't understand the need to have one)) and at least 2 electric kilns (front loaders would be nice, but not necessary). I already own 1 electric wheel, but hey, I could always use another, or even 3. Maybe even a Leach treadle wheel for fun, but probably just a show room vase holder. This space would be (in my minds eye anyway) split front to back. The back would be the making area with a ground level loading door for easy unloading of clay and other materials. The front 1/3 to 1/2 would be a show room with a bit sectioned off for the packing etc, but there would be easy access to the back so that the “hoards” of customers would be able to watch me throw if they wanted. I have not cloned myself though, so this would require some thoughts on how to run a show room and an operating pottery by myself. I don't think I could deal with an assistant, that would require paying them and then all the associated headaches like payroll deductions etc. In the back there would be dedicated areas for wedging, throwing, glazing, glaze mixing & ware storage (ie pots waiting to bisque & glaze fire). The floors would be concrete, but sealed for easy clean up. Counter tops would be stainless steel and there would be a good sized sink with a clay trap. If enough room was available, then I could even think about a plaster room for mixing and making plaster molds, but I know nothing about mold making, so that would be a tentative want.

Now that I have laid bare my secret dream, the things holding me back are these:

I like a steady income – not so sure that a pottery in the inner city of Calgary would or could turn a profit, or even break even for that matter. My mortgage company also likes it if I have a steady income, not to mention the bank where my car loan is, my credit cards, and other things like that.

There is also the fear of failure and filing for bankruptcy. It is kind of funny though. I have known or heard of so many people who take the plunge into large projects or owning their own business without thinking farther than the end of next week and then of course fail when reality steps in and throws it's weight around. I on the other hand probably think too far into the future. All the “what if's” are imagined. Like “what if no one likes my work?”, or “What if I can't pay the bills?” etc.

It appears that I am an artist trapped in a practical person's body. I am fairly sure that this dream will never come to fruition unless I were to inherit gobs of money from a long lost relative (all the not lost relatives are poor), or win the lottery and my chances of that are less than being hit by lightning.

I could also look at it this way. I work so that I can pot. I pot in a place that is almost like a private studio except for the 50 or so people that also use the space and that I don't own it. I am there when I am not working or sleeping. In fact, I spend about 18 hours a week at the studio, 15 of which are dedicated to my own work. I would get a whole lot more done if I didn't also work 40 hours per week at my regular job. I might also get a bit more sleep, but probably not.
I know it's silly, but a dream is a dream, and if I can't dream, then what's the point? Also, if I don't put it out there, then how will my long lost relative with lots of spare cash know where I am and how to find me?

Back to reality. I unloaded the kiln on Tuesday, took a bunch of pictures last night and took a few pots down the Centennial Gallery. I will take more pictures tonight and hopefully get some of the ones I kept out of Centennial onto Etsy as that particular shop is bare. So maybe some pictures tomorrow?

One more thing - As I wrote this, I envisioned my realtor/mother (one and the same) reading this. So before you ask Mum, no, I do not want to move.

doldrums and other stuff

I'm feeling like I'm at a creative loss right now (bored?). The summer is half over and I don't have any pending projects, except the redo of the 2 mugs for the custom order that did not turn out properly, and the fire bowl that is waiting for a bisque (plan is for this weekend). I'm not working on Saturdays, so that leaves a lot of extra time in the studio, but without a clear direction, I end up aimlessly puttering around. Perhaps I should use this “down” time to clean up my storage areas, wipe down shelves, throw crap out, reclaim clay....but it has been too hot to contemplate that kind of activity. The doors were all wide open on Friday night and all the fans were on full blast, but the kiln that was cooling off was impeding the cooling of the studio as well as my motivation level. I should note that the heat was last week and weekend, but this week is much cooler now, but still quite humid. Instead of 30 degrees (celcius) and feeling like 33 with the humidity, it is 23 and feels like 30. So a bit more bearable. It still feels like a pool locker room outside though. Just a bit moist out.


Things are changing a little at the studio. We finally got rid of the 40 cu.ft. gas kiln that had been hogging space at the front by the big loading door. When we moved to this new location, we had to give up high fired reduction :( and move to cone 6 electric. The cost of hooking up the gas in this location was insane, mostly due to the number of inspections required (civic, Provincial & Federal.due to the number of burners and the btu's involved) Anyway, for the past 3 years the “beast” has been sitting at the front of the shop waiting for someone to take it to a new home. Well, someone took it last week, and it is off to a better, more productive life. We will now have room to get the spray booth operational. We are going to vent it through a contraption that Dave put together consisting of a fan, a compressor and a block of a half dozen or so furnace filters. The filters will be removable so that as they begin to get clogged, they can be pulled out singly and replaced with fresh ones. It's not as “cool” as the waterfall booth at Medalta, but then for the amount of spraying we will be doing, this is more than adequate. What else am I up to? Well, I am cleaning my condo and then organizing my back bedroom/storage room/photography area/catch all room. I really really really need to get some photographs taken of my more recent work so that I can upload it to Etsy (currently the shelves are bare there). The cleaning bug was begun in response to the condo board needing access to my water shut off valves to ensure that they are up to code. This requires a plumber coming in to look at them. My momma done taught me to always have a clean home when there are visitors, and right now it is not fit for neither man nor beast, good thing I'm not a man, or a beast. It should be noted that my momma also done taught me how to clean, but I am never home very much and very lazy, so this is a sporadic, once in a blue moon thing for me. However, if you ever come to visit, rest assured that I will clean before you come, just give me a little notice ;). Mum, if you are reading this, just close your eyes and pretend you didn't.

I also read this today on Carole Epp's blog Musing About Mud
It is about a new venture that Feedlot Studios and Black Bird Studios are working on together. They want to start a ceramic decal printing business and are asking for donations to help get it underway. There is a Calgary connection with Feedlot and I might just give them a few bucks to help out.

Carole also posted this, and I might just have to buy it too. A book on ceramics design, perhaps it will help with my loss of the creative juicy stuff and help me focus my energy for good not evil.

Maybe I should stop reading blogs for a while, I seem to spend money when I do...But then, it is my birthday next week, and what better way to spend your money could there be than on yourself?
 
Enough, I am off to the studio to teach a class tonight, and then home to wash floors. Sounds like fun hey.

Many Hands Make Light Work

My Mum always said that many hands make light work (or something like that), turns out she was right. Yesterday was the Fairview Studios Semi Annual Scrub Down. 10-12 students showed up around 5:30 to scrub the floors until you could eat off them. OK, I wouldn’t eat off them, but they did get scrubbed, hosed and wet vac’d until you could see bare concrete.

On a side note: If you EVER want to build your own studio and decide to go the bare concrete floor route, I highly recommend sealing it. Concrete might be forgiving of spilled clay slop and other pottery studio messes, but it does not clean up well if it is not sealed. The previous tentant had used this space to park their vehicles in, so the floor was pretty well beyond sealing it when we moved in (residual oil drips, dirt, etc)

If you are a safety conscious person, this would probably make you cringe. We got the hose out and sprayed down the floor (after moving all the wheels and tables etc to one side), scrubbed with a deck brush and then sucked up the water with a shop vac. The cord for the vac did not reach far enough to get to all the nooks and crannies, so we plugged it into several long extension cords. The plug ends of said cords spent a lot of time in puddles of water. What’s wrong with a little full body electro shock treatment?

Since we did not manage to electrocute ourselves, we got out of the studio around 7:15. Most of us headed over to the Dog & Duck for a couple of pints and some food. This was to also be the wind up party for the Water Valley Celtic Music Festival that Dave has been putting on for the past 14 years. The music was good, the food was good and the Guinness was great. They even go to the effort of putting the shamrock on the head. Most places don’t as it is too much of a bother to pull a pint of G, much less decorate it.

Spring Blizzard = Good Pottery Sales

I was participating in the Fairview Studios Pottery Sale this past Saturday. When I left my house at 7:00 it was sprinkling lightly, but not very cold out, so I decided against a jacket and wore runners without socks. By the time I got to the hall where the sale was being held (7:30), it had started to snow and was beginning to accumulate. I parked my car, got out, opened the hatch and immediately stepped into an ice cold puddle of melty slush (BTW, runners with mesh tops are not water proof). There were not many customers waiting for the sale to start, maybe 10 or 12, but by 9:30 it was packed and people were shopping. For a spring sale, I did reasonably well. My gross sales were on par with a slow Christmas sale. I ended up having to re-sticker all my pots as the ones I had used were not coming off very well. As I was standing at my table madly redoing everything, there were a couple of women looking at some of my stuff. The words coming out of their mouth sounded like “this is just beautiful, I love it”, and then they put it back and walked away. Perhaps I misunderstood them? Maybe they were looking for the same thing, but in blue? Actually, I think they were looking for the same thing, but in “Cheaper”. I do tend to price myself out of sales, but my thoughts are that why should someone else get it for $20, when it cost a minimum of $30 in materials and time to make it. I would rather wait a little longer to make the sale than give it up for a quick buck now.
I have the Mad Potters sale in 3 weeks on May 26th, and it will be curious to see how this one goes. I have been involved with them only for 2 previous sales and so far my earnings from them have been about half of what I can do at the Fairview sale, but then I am spoiled. The Fairview Sale, which has been running for over 30 years, has all the kinks ironed out and it practically runs itself. The Fairview customers are extremely loyal and it always amazes me how much money they spend. I will give this sale one more shot, and if the numbers remain the same, I will have to reconsider if I participate in it next year or not. You never know, this could be the year that everyone wants cone 6 electric instead of cone 10 reduction. At least I am not competing with salt/soda or wood fired work


I should note that the snow did not stick around. It stopped snowing around noon, continued to sprinkle on and off for the rest of the day, and then on Sunday the temperature was ~12 degrees celcius, and today, it is forecasted to be a beautiful 19 degree day, and tomorrow is supposed to be even nicer at 23 degrees. In saying this, I am looking at the weather forecast right now, and I see snow and rain on Thursday…oh well, that is what you get for living nestled up against the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Southern Alberta. No two days are ever quite the same and you can always count on a snowstorm in May.

Late onset ADD?

I meant to post this on Friday, but as the tittle suggests, I have been a bit scattered lately. My fingers are getting itchy. I was in the studio almost every day over the holidays, but now I am back to my regular schedule of Tuesday teaching, Friday night , Saturday after working at Ceramics Canada (maybe) and early morning Sundays. It seems I always go through a bit of withdrawal after having been in the studio so much, my brain just won’t shut up. Today is proving difficult. I will just have to think of what I need to work on over the weekend and what I could begin working on more long term. Perhaps I will see if there is interest in putting together a small group of people to do a salt firing this summer if we can get some kiln space. I would go back to Medalta, but they don’t have a lot of time in the summer due to their workshops and residencies. I understand that they also raised the cost of renting their soda and salt kilns, which makes it a little out of my budget. I will  probably look into North Mount Pleasant and see what they have to offer in terms of renting the kiln. I hear it is very inexpensive and If it is really cheap, I may just go by myself (I tend to overproduce and then never get it all in the kiln when I share). The plus for this option is that I can sleep in my own bed. Medicine Hat is a 3 hour drive and would require at least 3 or 4 days in a hotel to finish the firing (load on day one, fire on day 2, cool down day 3 and then unload on day 4). I also need to go on a wood hunting trip (just a walk along the river will do). I am looking for some pieces of driftwood about 6 inches long that I can use as handles for a few stretched out platters and more of a unique piece of wood for a smoke fired jar (Mum, if you are reading this, if you see anything while beachcombing in Hawaii…). I pierced the lid of the jar during construction to accept wire or leather cord to attach the wood, and it has been sitting on a shelf unfinished since the summer, just waiting for its handle. Perhaps I will do that this weekend. I need to go by my parent’s house, and they live near the Bow River with lots of pathways and wood strewn river banks…

I also need to revisit the glazes I was testing over the holidays. Although the “frontal lobe” reticulated glaze is interesting, I was really looking for a snowflake crackle glaze (see Nov 2011 issue of Ceramics Monthly, I used the original snowflake crackle recipe). The glaze had less than 5% Magnesium Carbonate, but apparently that was enough to cause the insane reticulation. I have used other glazes that have way more Mag. Carb and have not had this degree of reticulation before. I did omit the 2% bentonite as I thought it was more for suspension, but perhaps it had another function? I will try mixing a 100 g batch including the bentonite, as well as 100g batches of other snowflake crackle glazes.  I also want to look at the matte lavender glaze. I want to know how it looks as a white glaze, but I also want to revisit the lavender, so perhaps a 1000g batch split into 2 parts (1 white, 1 lavender). What I am really looking for is a microcrystalline white with a smooth, waxy matte surface that appears frosty and thick (if that makes any sense at all). Describing glazes is like describing wine….Notes of honey, plum & leather with a smoky, earthy finish…blah blah blah.

Sorry for the slightly scattered thoughts here. Like the title suggests, perhaps I need to take Ritalin?

catching up on all things pottery and other stuff

It sure has been a while since I last posted anything on this blog. But I have been very busy. I believe the last time I posted, I had just finished up the last of the 150 bottle vases for my sister’s wedding.  Well, that has passed us by, and we are all relatively unscathed by the event. Nobody got too lubricated, well, maybe a few, but nothing out of control. My sister didn’t want people to come to the microphone and make speeches unless they were a bit wobbly anyway. Something about “every good wedding needs a scandal”.

I have a couple of Christmas sales coming up this holiday season, the first of which is this coming Saturday. I believe I have mentioned this before, but it is the busiest, and most financially rewarding sale I have ever been a part of. This would be the Fairview Studios Pottery Sale. It always amazes me how many loyal customers we have. The sale has been going on for probably 25 or more years, and there are probably people coming that have been doing so since the very beginning.

My next sale is the very next weekend (Nov 26^th and 27^th), and is the Calgary Clay Arts Association’s 2^nd annual Christmas Pottery sale. Although last year was not as well attended as I would have hoped, I am giving it a 2^nd chance. I only participated in the Sunday last year, so I thought I would go all in and give both days a shot. I will be at Mount Royal Station on Saturday and Sunday from 10-4pm. So if you are reading this, and live in Calgary, you should come on down and check us out. Sunday is the Grey Cup, so all the non football fans will need an escape, and there is no better way than going to a pottery sale where you can meet the artist that made the work, and hopefully picking something very special up.

Anyway, enough about that…

I have been working, working, working, hence the lack of blogging and will be working even more for the next 4 months. I am picking up a Thursday night class at the studio, as the instructor that does it now is flying south for the winter for 4 months (Phoenix I think).

Funny thing happened to me on the weekend. I was franticly trying to get a bisque fired on Friday. It was Remembrance day here in Canada, so I had the day off from working for the man, and was working for me instead. The kilns at the studio are going full bore right now getting all the student work done for the upcoming sale, so I thought I would take advantage of the kiln at Ceramics Canada. I left home early (9am), went to Tim’s for an extra large double double and got to the studio by about 9:30 or so. I packed up my green work, carefully wrapping it in paper, loaded the car and drove off to Ceramics Canada. At the first intersection I think to myself, hey, where’s my coffee?  As I thought that, I also wondered why there was liquid rolling off my roof onto my windshield (wasn’t raining or snowing out). Ok, so I put my coffee on the roof of the car before I got in, it sprayed all over the rear side windows and all down the sides of my car…needless to say, I lost my coffee to gravity and centripetal forces beyond my control. I did get the bisque loaded and out by Saturday Morning, glazed all day Saturday (10-6), and then went back and loaded up a glaze on Sunday at around noon. The results were pretty nice. I am playing with some high temp wire, using it as accents pushed into the sides of the leather hard ware and loops for lid handles etc and it came out all nice and oxidized, not too shiny, just right. It works really well with the glazes I am using. One fluted jar is a nice sea foamy green (faux ^6 celadon), and another jar has our studios ^6 take on a tea dust glaze, but as it isn’t really a tea dust, we call it coffee dust (ha ha). This really dark brown glossy glaze is on the bottom ¾’s of the jar, and then the top 1/3^rd was dipped into 2 commercial glazes, that when overlapped, produce a very nice gun metal metallic, lustrous surface, and then when they run over the “coffee dust”, they produce creams, mauves, blues etc. very interesting.

So, busy me for a bit, but I will try to  blog a bit more as time permits, and if I have anything of interest to share.

Oh Ya, one last note, there was a death in our family. Ginger, our family dog of 13+ years left us just before my Sister’s wedding by a week or so. Very sad, and she will be missed.

 

The Weather Outside is Frightful...

Well, maybe not frightful, but it is a bit chilly (-13 C with light snow). I was walking the pooper again last night, and we walked and walked until my fingers were about frozen off. Then this morning, she decided that she wanted to go for a long walk. I said NO to that idea. My hair was still wet or rather frozen, and I was not having any of that foolishness, plus I had to go to work, and if I am not out that door by 7:30, then I am late. It doesn't matter what rout I take, it is always the slowest one. It's like picking which line up to get into at the grocery store. You could pick the shortest one there, but then it will screech to a halt as the cashier needs a price check and the 15 yr old kid that comes to see what they need a price on doesn't know where to look and so it goes...the long line up has put twice as many people through as the line you are now in, but you dare not move, 'cause as soon as you do, the line you were just in will fly on through and the one you moved to will stop. My fingers are itchin to get back at some serious studio time. I will probably be in the studio on Christmas eve, Boxing day, and then every day after that right up to and including Jan 3^rd. I think I am going to need to get some clay though. I'm thinking 200lbs or so should just about cover my needs, maybe 250.

This is why I make pottery, and other ramblings...

I stopped by the studio yesterday after work. I was on my way out with a few friends, but I needed to kill a few minutes, and I needed to let the air get to a few pieces that I had sitting under plastic. Anyway, as I was coming in the door, one of my new students was coming out and she had a huge grin on her face. She had just popped in to pick up her very first pieces to come out of the kiln. She was soooo pleased with them and with herself. I am pretty sure that if she had just popped into Walmart to pick up some bowls, she wouldn’t be as happy!

The act of making something yourself is very fulfilling, and helping people learn to make their own is also quite enjoyable. I like to know that the pieces I make are going to be used and enjoyed and not stuck in a cabinet behind glass, only to be admired from afar. I am a self diagnosed pot fondler, and there is no cure. I need to use the pots I make and the pots I buy from others. One of the things I look for in a pot (esp mugs and cups) is not just how it looks, but how it feels in my hand. What does the glaze feel like on my skin, and is the shape conducive to snuggling up in an afghan while reading a book? I like cups that fit the shape of my hand so that I don’t have to use the handle if I don’t want to, and I want the surface to be soft but somewhat textural to provide a pleasant tactile experience.

Teaching people to throw pottery can be frustrating. It is not that I get frustrated with the students, I get frustrated with the fact that the English language was not designed to verbalize what is a very tactile process, and the fact that there isn’t just one way to do it.  That said, I really enjoy teaching and witnessing that “AHA/eureka!” moment that students have when the planets align just so and everything clicks into place and they just get it.

When worlds collide....you get messy hair

I am going to get a haircut tonight. I also got a phone call from Dave this morning asking if I could teach tonight. So I will be in the salon at 5pm, and then I will be off to the studio with my new coif. I am sure I will get clay in it. Kinda like when you wear white to the office, you just know that you will spill coffee on it right away so that you have to go the whole day looking like you can’t feed yourself.

Gobble Gobble!

It’s Turkey day on Sunday!  My family will be gathering at my parent’s house this Sunday for Thanks Giving (above the 49^th parallel here). I have been tasked to bring a vegetable dish (after I made gagging sounds when asked to bring the tomato aspic). I am trying to think of something interesting that doesn’t come out of a can or bag and that I can make really quickly, or even just throw together once I get there. I will of course be at the studio right up until 3pm, so I need to think ahead. Maybe I could turn the kiln on low and cook up some veg there (just kidding...maybe). I only have one day to get what I need once I figure it out, and that would be today, after work. I will be gettin a hair cut on Thursday and I don’t want to muss my new do peeling yams or something (nah, just lazy). Although, now that I think about it, Ceramics Canada is closed this weekend, so I will not be workin and I could procrastinate ‘til then.

Some of you (if anyone other than my parents reads this) may be wondering what the heck tomato aspic is. Others of you will know, and agree with my extreme reaction. A very small number of you will say yum, who doesn’t like aspic?

Tomato aspic is a 1950’s jellied salad made from canned tomato soup, lemon jello, assorted savoury ingredients like cheese, celery, peas, carrots etc...and then chilled in a fancy mould or a nice bowl. If you are feeling elegant, you can decorate it with a dollop of mayonnaise and chives....every child’s nightmare. I learned at an early age how to suppress my gag reflex and swallow it without chewing (or hopefully tasting). I adapted this technique for lima beans too..., but alas, brussel sprouts are too big to swallow whole.

I hope all you Canadians out there have a good Turkey Day too! I am going to try and fire off a bisque this weekend, and maybe a glaze if I am feeling really ambitious, and I will have more pics this weekend if I can remember to take a moment and shoot some.

Getting to know your new co-workers and friends thru acts of humiliation

I wrote this post, e-mailed it to blogger, and then forgot to post it. Here it is, a little late, but better than never. I have updated it at the bottom.

I signed up for the company golf tournament. Most people wouldn’t have a problem with this. I on the other hand am widely known for my lack of coordination and really bizarre acts of klutziness. In fact, my friend Christy (whom I only ever get to see once or twice a year now), instead of a normal greeting of hi, hello, how ya doing, usually just starts laughing when she sees me as she is probably remembering some of my more memorable moments of ego bruising.

I have been watching the forecast, and I am pretty sure it is gonna be cold and wet tomorrow. This will greatly increase the rate at which I humiliate myself (slipping in mud while thrashing away in a sand bunker or the rough will be a foregone conclusion). I guess it is a good thing that only 4 people make up a group of golfers. I don’t need a bigger audience. I will just have to think of something really good to explain why my A?@#$ is all muddy etcetera.

 

This golfing thing is going to impinge on my studio time though. I really need to get the 100 pounds of pots that I threw last weekend trimmed, dried and bisque fired so that I can finish my tea service that is on order.

 

I have mentioned before that I will be trekking down to Medalta to fire up the salt kiln in November, and in preparation for that, I picked up 100 pounds of ^10 BMix throw. I managed to throw it all this past long weekend (except for the little lump left over that I will use to handle 2 small teapots). Several small bowls (300g) perfect for ice cream, nuts, fruit etc, a dozen or so small mugs (200g), 8 tall 800g mugs(attempting to recreate some of the wonderfulness that was my favourite mug from another potter that I broke, doh!), Several square plate/bowls graduated in size from small to large, tea bowls of varying sizes, shapes and textures. I can’t seem to remember what else there was. There must be more, it was 100 lbs, and I am sure that what I have listed does not equal 100 lbs. Anyway, I should have enough green ware dried and ready to bisque by next weekend at the very latest. I need to get that tea set glazed and shipped out of here by the 20^th or so, just to give it enough time to get there in one piece (crossing fingers and toes).

 

Just looked at a calendar, and guess what, the 20^th is only 11 days away. I might be shipping warm pots :) That reminds me, I once received something in the mail at the last office I worked at that was burnt. It was a large package of paperwork, and the envelope and the top right hand corner of every page was burnt to a crisp. I wonder if some other last minute potter unloaded a kiln and wrapped their pots up and mailed them before they cooled
Here is a picture of one of the pieces I am taking to Medalta if all goes well.

I am hoping that all of the angles, texture and additions pick up all that salty goodness...

Golfing update:
It was nice before we started, it got windier and started to rain by the 4th hole. As we started the last 9 the weather was perfect. Not too much sun, and no wind or rain. I did manage to trip over a very low rope fence, right in front of all the golfers....see, I told you so. I managed to wrench all the muscles on the left side of my ribs, and I came down pretty hard on my right knee, but my pride was the most burised.

Yikes!!

I was just thinking about everything that I have coming up deadline wise. I might be making a mountain out of this molehill, but given that I cannot dedicate every waking moment to the kiln and clay gods, I think I might be biting off more than I can stuff into my mouth and chew.

First – Must get all the dinnerware fired for the “Turning the Tables” show. Think this is now complete, as I just fired it last night...Now I must fire the lustre. I need to have it completed this weekend coming up (Thank goodness it is a long weekend) so that I can take some good pics and get my submission in for the show/sale. The deadline for this is looming...September 13^th me thinks. I should probably check, just in case I have it wrong, wouldn’t it suck if I missed the deadline by a day.

Second – I really need to get the tea set that was ordered done. The teapot has been glaze fired, but the cups, saucers, creamer and sugar are all in various stages of incompleteness (either just thrown, green and untrimmed, or trimmed and handled but not dry yet.) I am crossing my fingers for the teapot, I am worried about the spout, as lately I have had nothing but glaze crawls just inside my spout openings (glaze too thick?, spout too thin?) This set needs to be completed by the middle of September, as I need to get it shipped out in time for a Sept 25^th wedding.

Third – I have 3, count ‘em Three, winter sales this year, and not a whole lot of anything really nice. The first show is November 7^th, and I don’t know what to expect. It is at Mount Royal Station (??) and is being put on by the CCAA.

The next 2 shows are on the same date, November 13^th. The Fairview Studios Pottery sale is in the morning from 9-12, and then the Turning the Tables show (if I get selected via the jury) will be opening that day as well. I have most of everything needed for this, except for most of the dinner plates and cups. I have enough for the photo shoot, but not enough for sale if I actually get selected.

The studio sale is a bit different, I will probably put most of my “seconds” in, and by second, I mean the stuff I don’t especially like that much, not stuff with defects. The defects go in the circular file.

Fourthly – I need to get cracking on my cone 10 stuff so that I can have a nice selection to take down to Medicine Hat for the salt firing on November 18, just a few short days after the Studio Sale. I think that by the time Christmas hits, I will be exhausted, and looking forward to a little break.

On top of all this, I will probably be teaching for 2 weeks straight sometime in the next month, as Dave is driving down to Kansas to take care of some family stuff (He just hasn’t said when). I will surely be dragging my butt by the time he gets back.

Update

A little while ago I had mentioned that I was going to be teaching 12 newbies this past Friday night in a one off pottery class for Dave at Fairview. Well, I got an e-mail on Thursday from Dave telling me I was off the hook for teaching that night, as the class had been scheduled for 9:30 AM on Friday, and he just either forgot, or didn’t pay attention to the time when setting up the class. That’s Dave for you, just a little scattered. So no, I did not teach the newbies, I had the night off to do as I pleased. However, I am teaching tonight, and will be again tomorrow night. So, a busy week ahead, I am going to work on my place setting for the “Turning the Tables” show coming up in September. I know what I am going to do, my vision is clear, but my execution might take some tweaking. I am trying to make a place setting consisting of a charger, dinner plate, salad plate, soup/dessert bowl, coffee cup and saucer, and a drinking cup. I am attempting to design this setting after my blue and white “Mountain Bowls”(see “New Pots” April 14), and everything will have a wavy rim, and be blue and white. I have wanted to incorporate lustres with this design for a while, and this is the perfect opportunity. I just want to highlight the rims of the wavy bowls and plates with palladium lustre, so I am bringing some in at Ceramics Canada, and will need to experiment, as I have never used it before. Anyway, the chargers will be my demo tonight, and the dinner plates tomorrow. I am not a production potter by any means, so this will be a bit of a challenge for me. Not the place setting by itself, but the fact that we have to have multiple sets available for the show to sell during the show and to fill orders that might be placed. I just hope I am not stuck with 16 place settings at the end. I would also not be garuanteed to get in the show either, but I would want to have the extras ready just in case. It might seem a bit early to be getting ready for a show that doesn't start until November, but the deadline is September and I am a HUGE procrastinator.

Teapots

I spent the entire Victoria Day long weekend at the studio and came up with a way to build a tea strainer into the lid. I have tried this before and have never been successfull. I was inspired by an article in Ceramics Monthly about a year and a half ago. The potter (her name escapes me ) threw a tea strainer shaped somewhat like a cocoon and keyed it into the lid, so it was thrown as a seperate entity. I found it almost impossible to make this work, so I abandoned this and have let the idea steep so to speak, in the back of my mind. I kept thinking that the best way would be to throw the lid upside down as I normally would, but exagerate the flange of the lid in order to form the tea strainer from it by closing it in. The difficulty with this was how to open it up to be able to get the tea inside, but also have it act like a lid to keep the heat in. Well, I managed to come up with a solution yesterday. After the lid is trimmed and the knob established ( I trim my knobs from the excess clay left from throwing), I cut into the lid with a pin tool on a 45 around the knob to open it up. I save the knob and set aside. I then trim out the opening so the knob will sit into the central hole. Now the tricky bit. Invert the knob in the hole and push a ball of clay into it that will be large enough to throw into an upside down tear drop. When done, it looks kind of like a long skinny pacifier. The reason for this is to weight the knob so that it doesn't fall out when the pot is in use. Finally, I use a small drill bit to drill out the strainer holes. The holes can't be too large or the tea will go through them. I will take a picture tomorrow, I completely forgot to today.

2 upcoming sales - gotta get cracking

Well, it is that time of year again, and I find myself faced with 2 spring sales this year, and am running out of time to get ready for them (nothing new there).
My first spring sale is the Mad Potters Sale, and is at the Hillhurst-Sunnyside Community Centre on April 17th. The 2nd sale is the Fairview Studio Spring Sale, and is at the Canyon Meadows Community Centre on May 1st. I have never participated in the Mad Potters Sale, but they have been in operation for a while, so hopefully the turnout will be good. Fairview is always a good sale. The students get together twice a year and offer up their work for sale to help off set the cost of classes and firing. You can usually get a good deal on all kinds of pottery.
Oh ya, I have glazed the new "mountain" pots I was working a couple of weeks ago, and as of Tuesday, they were waiting to get fired. I will be in the studo tomorrow, and hopefully they were fired, but I am not sure there will have been a full load ready. Chances are they will still be in the kiln (if at all) tomorrow, and I wont be able to get at them until Saturday. If they are ready, I will take some pictures and post asap. I am eager to see how they turned out. I am worried that the rims will be too fragile (they were very delicate in the bisque state), but my hope is that the porcelain will yeild some strength. I have had a lot of comments on them. Some people were confused by the delicate nature of the pots rims, but others were very enthusiastic about them and thought they exuded a certain "Zenness". I glazed them with a commercial glaze on the lower half of each pot (Mayco "stoned denim"), and then the entire piece is glazed in the studio clear glaze. The commercial glaze turns a smokey blue under the clear, and I am hoping will accent these pots nicely. I wish I could afford to do some lusters on these pots. I think they would look very nice with a little platinum around the rims.

Thank you!!

Ok, so I absolutely hate shopping for clothes. Knowing this, my mother took it upon herself to arrange a day of shopping with her friend Linda in order to get my wardrobe renewed for interviews (I have one tomorrow afternoon). Linda has a good eye, and I really appreciate the help with this chore.
No pots today, but will be in the studio on Friday night. I will be at the fairview sale meeting tomorrow night and then refreshing centennial gallery as the ccaa "out of the box" show is over.