Random

This picture is of one of my favorites from the soda kiln we fired at Medalta and it does not even come close to its amazingness in real life.

When I got home from Medicine Hat I was exhausted, but the brain has been busy imagining new forms. This pitcher, although definately not a new shape in the world of ceramics, is for me. I have altered pots before but they always looked clumsy to me so I never really moved in that direction. I have given it a try again and I think I like it...

These teapots are also a bit of a change in direction for me, and I have made a few more to potentially go into a couple of teapot shows coming up this fall.

Finally, I threw these large bowls on the weekend. I know the two on the right were thrown from 9lbs of clay, but I think the one on the left was from 6.5 or 7lbs.

What was old is new again

I used to make fancy teapots. This was back when the studio had a 40 cu.ft. gas kiln where size was not as much of an issue as firing in a 10 cu.ft. electric kiln. When we moved studios and changed how we fire, I stopped making these whimsical pots. Now I am booked for a 10 day atmospheric firing workshop at Medalta in July and that was the perfect opportunity for me to bust out the ^10 clay and make these forms again. I am, hopefully, a better potter than I was 8 years ago and I have been far enough removed from the form for a while now that it is almost new for me and I hope I am making better decisions regarding the assembly and perhaps not as constrained by what I thought I knew, or what I thought was "the right way" to do things. So there may be a lot more whimsy to come...

Whittling down my list of things to make

I spent the day in the studio on Sunday from 9am to 4pm and as you can see, it was a day spent assembling teapots and throwing cups, bowls, pitchers and platters. I also managed to get 3 other large platters trimmed. Because these platters are in the 16 - 18 inch range in diameter, I decided to punch holes in the foot ring to allow for a cord or wire loop to be added to allow the eventual owner to hang on their wall as ART as well as being a functional piece. Saturday was spent working at Ceramics Canada and I picked up 3 boxes of polar ice porcelain and a 44lb bag of Plainsman stoneware clear base. This is a new glaze product that Plainsman has developed and it is absolutely crystal clear. It works amazingly on the new polar ice body and it accepts mason stains really nice and will allow for a huge range of colours that I have not been able to use, until now. I am thinking tangerine, bright yellow, turquoise, red, purple, and then various concentrations of each one so that I have a nice range to choose from. The clear we have in the studio is a bit yellow, which is OK if you are only using stoneware bodies, but on a truly white porcelain, you don't want that, so I bit the bullet and will use Plainsman's clear base instead.
I am well on my way to my goal of 1200 pots before November this year. Since Dec 26, I have 105 pots thrown and in various stages of completion. That works out to 8.75 % of my goal.
I managed to pull a muscle in my back on the weekend, so I hope it resolves itself  before next weekend so I can plow ahead and maybe get 12 - 15 % of my goal achieved. If I can hit that 25% mark by the end of February, then it should be "easy" sailing from here on out. The true test will be in the glazing of course. This is the last stage where disaster can strike (unless you count packing breakage), so I am trying to count as few chickens as possible until they all hatch. It seems that I am focusing on those easy to knock out forms, like cups and bowls, but I know there are time sucking forms that I need to get making more of, like casseroles, more teapots, creamers and sugars (that match), etc that involve throwing multiple pots to make one pot (like the lids and spouts etc). Don't even get me started on handles, they are simple to make, but again, a time sucker when it comes to attaching them. 

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!

Reminder - Fairview Studios Spring Pottery Sale - May 31st, 2014

I just wanted to send out a reminder that the much anticipated Fairview Studios Spring Pottery sale is on May 31st this year. If you have never attended one of our sales, you should come and check it out.
The atmosphere at the spring sale is pretty laid back (in stark contrast to the organized chaos of our Christmas sale). There will be coffee and snacks for you to enjoy while you peruse the selection of pottery. We will also be drawing for 2 door prizes (gift certificates towards your next purchase)
So if you are looking for that one of a kind wedding or shower gift or just a little something for yourself like a fantastic teapot or a large coffee mug, you really should come by and have a look.

No entry fee, no pressure, just pots, lots and lots of pots.

It's that time of year again. The spring pottery sale is set for May 31st this year. As per usual, I don't think I have enough stuff, but as per usual, I will probably have way more than I anticipated. The email notices will go out at the end of April, so don't worry if you have not gotten your notice, it is coming...

Astronomical anomolies and fresh pots

What is that glowing orb in the sky? If my memory serves me correctly, I dimly recall seeing something like that back in October last year. I think it is called "the sun". It came out yesterday, but it was April 1st, so I thought it might be a joke, I guess not. I unloaded a glaze last night and was reasonably happy with the results. There was a very nice platter that I really liked at first glance, but when I flipped it over, a fairly big chunk of the foot was missing. Nothing to make it non functional, but it is now a second.

Here is the plate that became a second

This large plate is OK, but I had put some wax resist on it in a nice geometric design, but the glaze I sprayed over the top did not really create a nice contrast as seen in the one above...

This is a really nice plate, no issues, just perfect

I made this teapot to order, hopefully he likes it

I must have had birds on the brain, don't look if the Hitchcock movie "The Birds" freaked you out...

This is an example of the new "purple rain" glaze. I dipped it once, and then did a double dip on the rim that came down about 1 inch from the top. As you can see, that second dip sure did move.I especially like the pale iridescent blue halo that forms on the leading edge of the 2nd layer as it moves down. Must be all that rutile...I think I have at least a dozen or so of these.

It's a handle, but that is all I can say about it

Well, I thought I might try my hand at wrapping a reed handle instead of buying a bamboo handle to fit this teapot. I thought it would be simple I thought it would look really good In reality, it looks like someone with no thumbs did it...and to be honest, I did not enjoy doing it one bit. I am sure that with practice, I would get better, but the cost of the reed and cane is stupid, so I will stick with my regular clay handles. I like them just fine

Production Mode

My hands were wet all weekend. I now have a severe case of lizard skin. I spent about 3 hours on the wheel on Friday night, again on Saturday night and then a full 7 hours on Sunday. It felt like I got a lot more done than the picture says I got done. However, I threw all the mugs on Friday and Saturday, trimmed and handled them all on Sunday. The teapot is to go with the short mugs and was thrown on Saturday and then trimmed/assembled on Sunday (required a torch to get it stiff enough). This shot shows all that I made/completed over the weekend.

Here is a shot of all the mugs (19 in all). The short little guys are new for me and I am really liking their simplicity.

This bowl was thrown on Sunday and will have a few handles stuck on the rim.

Finally, this teapot is not my normal bulbous style. I figured I needed something that matched the mugs, so here it is.

I am focusing on resupplying one of the galleries I have neglected over the past while since the flood. I just never seemed to have the time or energy to devote to it. Next will be some more large bowls, serving platters, casseroles etc

Last Chance!

Friday, December 20^th from 7 – 10 pm will be your LAST* chance to get some of my HAND MADE pottery before Christmas. I will be showing my work at Brandy & Moe’s Christmas Market located at Brandy Leigh’s at 233 10^th Street N.W.

Along with my pottery there will be lots of other art and craft vendors to get that one of a kind and very unique gift that has eluded you this shopping season.

I will have a lot of my very new black and white sgraffito work, as well as some more colourful items. I will have tons of teapots, many mugs, copious casseroles, plenty of pitchers, bountiful bowls, you get the drift. If you want the alliteration to stop, come to the sale!

In fact, some of the items I will have on offer will be still warm (ish) from the kiln. I don’t even know what they look like yet!

So tie up your galoshes, put on your toque and come cheque it out. Oh ya, if you need more temptation, there will be bevies and snacks to munch on too!

It should be noted that part of the proceeds are being donated to charity. It’s like killing a whole bunch of birds with one stone. What more could you ask for?

* Technically it isn’t really your last chance, if you contact me at ashleymorrow@shaw.ca we can always work something out before it really is too late.  

These pics are some of the items that will be there, they are just in the kiln right now, so I can't give you a "finished" pic. You will just have to come check out the sale to see what they look like all shiny from the kiln.

More low fire porcelain

Before I left for Medalta I mixed up a 5lb batch of the 04 porcelain. This is what I did with some of it. I am going to fire a test with some different stains to see if I can get some colour on these pots. Otherwise they will just be white. Aside from the teapot, I threw a couple low wide bowls and a half a dozen tea bowls. I have another 5lb batch on the go right now too. It takes a while to get all the excess moisture out, so I will be wedging it on plaster for a while until it is workable.

 

The last few days

I have actually been a bit more productive lately. I guess with the heat starting to become more bearable and less humidity in the air I have more energy. I was able to load a bisque on Friday night, in anticipation of being able to fire a glaze load this week, but the last element in the kiln that had not been replaced yet, finally shuffled off it's mortal coil (pun intended) last week, the element is on order, but did not arrive on Friday, so hopefully tomorrow (fingers crossed). I also threw a bunch of the square plates, and trimmed them up. They have all had the slip/shellac treatment and are now drying under wraps. There were a couple squared off teapots. They are actually quite round, but the bottom comes out quite square and then I cut out feet at each corner. I should record the process and post it one of these days. I also took a few pictures, and will take more, of finished work and posted to Etsy (see last post). I updated my facebook account finally. I think I was the last person in the FB universe to update the new (to me) settings. It seems I am an antisocial networker.

I glazed the fire bowl and am again, just waiting for the element so that I can fire it. My fingers are really crossed with this one as there are a few things that could go wrong, and as it is a custom piece, it is marked for death by that fact alone. I just have to take deep breaths and pray to the kiln gods. I should have made 2 to be on the safe side, but I did not.

Here are a few pics of some of the pots that went into the bisque, including some of the square shellacked plates with various designs. I am especially fond of the leaf pattern and have begun working more along that line. It takes way less time to do than the trees, as the spirals take a really steady hand and a lot of patience. I also like the 1 big spirally thing with the stripes running behind it. It kind of reminds me of a seedling just poking it's head out of the ground. Apparently I am thinking of all things natural and organic when I am doing these. I don't really start with anything particular in mind, but I always seem to end up with these kinds of designs.

Just a couple of teapots

working on some new pots

I had an unexpected day off from work today. I normally work 10-3 at Ceramics Canada, but the construction that is going on in the bay next door required that they turn the power off today, so no work. I went into the studio around 11 and left at about 4:30. In that time, I didn't throw a lot, but I got a faceted teapot trimmed and assembled, as well as 8 small mugs handled. I know, slowest potter in the world. 

pots in progress

Except for those pitchers, it has been a while since I have posted any pictures. This is some of what I have been up to lately

This is one of the 4 large plates I threw this weekend with a lot of slipped dots etc. This was the 2nd reincarnation of this pattern as the first time was obliterated by the plastic when I was loosely draping it. After I got the slip on again, I concocted an elaborate tent for it to rest under over night.

This is a funky little butter dish I was working on last week

A tea pot from last week as well

A vase from last week too

A funky tray

More teapots in progress. I trimmed and assembled these on Sunday, and then I threw a couple more.

On the road...

At least my pots are on the road and on the way to Comox. I finally got the glaze loaded and fired on Friday night. I was able to unload Saturday evening as it was not packed very tight.

I have mixed feelings about this last glaze.  The tea set worked out, but I am personally not happy with the glaze. It looks fine to the casual observer, but to me, knowing what I was going for, it gets a passing grade, but no gold stars...

I was however pleasantly surprised by the tall handled urn that I threw a while back in 2 parts for a demo. I was not sure if I was going to keep it, but I bisqued it and finally managed to fit it into a glaze firing. I just did some wax resist stripes over a clear glaze, and scratched lines through the wax and then dipped it again in a blue hares fur glaze . The result is quite funky (in a good way).

On Sunday, I went for brunch with the parental units and my sister and her fiancé (man it sounds weird saying that) at Diner Deluxe (excellent food btw). After brunch, mum and dad were off to the coast with my fresh out of the fire tea set, and I was back to the studio for more throwing. I am currently working with Dove porcelain, and I gotta say (again), I don’t like working with it. It does some specific things really well, but the sound of dinner plates flopping was deafening. I did manage to get 4 proper plates thrown, and then a large plate that flopped, I just flipped it upside down between 2 buckets and let it dry all wobbly.

I also began investigating a new form for me. I give 100% of the credit for this form to Mandy Parslow, an Irish salt firer. I was looking at her website and at her new work and this elongated form filled 2 gallery pages on her site. I love them. I love them so much that I am going to see what I can do with it. Essentially it is a collar of clay opened clear down to the wheel head and then smooshed together to make an oval boat shape. The rim must be narrower than the base so that when you smoosh, the rim doesn’t take a nose dive and hit the deck.

One time only please

I taught a beginners throwing class on Saturday evening. “Saturday evening?” you say. “But the studio doesn’t offer weekend classes, let alone evening weekend classes!” you exclaim. Well, I got an e-mail from Dave (studio owner), asking if I would like to teach a beginners class for 2, and if I wanted to, to contact the lady herself and work out the details etc... Not being one to turn down a possible money making venture, I said yes. Well, about a month goes by between my initial e-mail to her, and our finally managing to work a date out that worked for all of us.
Turns out that it was something she wanted to do with her husband for their wedding anniversary. I guess the traditional gift you give for a 9th wedding anniversary is pottery. Both she and her husband thought up this idea independently and searched out where to do pottery classes (neither knew what the other was doing I guess). They actually both called Dave asking about one time only classes. It seems they ran the gamut of places that they thought would offer classes, called everyone they could think of looking for this type of thing, as it turns out one or both of them even called Ceramics Canada, who in turn (I think) referred them to Fairview Studios. Personally, I would have bought a mug and called it a day.
Anyway, I guess the point to all this verbage is this. Why would you torture yourself and your mate with learning how to throw pottery, to commemorate what was supposed to have been the “happiest day of your life”? Don’t get me wrong, I love throwing on the wheel. It is quite soothing and meditative. However, the soothing and the meditative doesn’t come the first time you sit down to a lump of clay on the wheel. I could see the frustration building with the husband. He was good natured about it all, but he just wasn’t getting it. The wife on the other hand had done this before (albeit a long time ago), and so already had a bit of a feel for it. They did manage to get 3 or 4 small pots off the wheel (with some help from me), and I offered to finish them up and let them know when they were ready. We usually don’t do that for a one off type class, it is just a make it and trash it kind of class to get the feel of what wheel throwing is like without committing to a full 4 weeks of classes. When they left, they were still smiling, so I guess this didn’t break up the marriage (would have made for a more interesting story if there had been a potential divorce), so I guess all’s well that ends well.
Tonight I teach my regular class, and hopefully I will come up with something more inspiring than a bowl to throw.
I will be waxing (not poetically or lyrically) feet tonight, when not instructing, as my tea set is waiting for glazing and the clients are getting anxious. I too am anxious, I may have thrown the mugs “too well”. They are very light and thin walled, so I hope the glaze sticks. Sometimes I have crawling issues with things that are too thin as the glaze does not dry properly and can sometimes start to slide/fold over on itself down the pot. It’s that darn Bmix, it is so good, you can throw things super thin and before you know it you have thrown it tooooo thin.

another video

random

Ok, so I have not finished the teapots with infusers yet, or the chicken cooker, or the cups, or the mugs etc.... They are sitting waiting to be glazed. I will be teaching a lot this week with not much hope of getting them done during those classes either. I taught on Tuesday night, and it was a busy night, very full of questions and "can you show me?", not that I mind, I am not there to work on my own stuff anyway. I will be teaching again on Thursday night and It might be busy, but it is full of long time students, so they usually don't require as much hands on attention, just the demo. It looks like I will also be teaching on Saturday night. This is not normal, as the studio is usually only open until 5:30 on Saturday nights and then it is only open studio time. This will be a bachelorette party for somewhere between 6-8 people. Not sure if they have ever done this before, or if this will be their first kick at the can. They will not be taking anything home, and nothing will be fired, so I guess it is just a night to get muddy for them. I have not been to many bachelorette parties, but I thought it always involved making idiots of yourselves at a dance club, or bar. Anyway, I will be the one teaching, and Dave will be there to "help".
On another note, I asked Dave if it would be alright if I started firing lustres. I was actually prepared for him to come up with every reason why I couldn't, and would then just take the work over to Ceramics Canada to fire there. But, he said, along with the suggestion that I should probably start firing my own kiln loads. So, I am going to get a section of shelving that will house my work that is waiting to fire, and then I will fire it myself. I imagine it will be loading Fridays, firing over night, and unloading on Sundays.I am looking forward to the lustres. I don't want a gold, lustre, I am looking for a silver or palladium lustre to just run around the rims of some of the white and blue bowls and cups to enhance the undulations. In order to not screw them up, I will be buying a book on how to use them as well. Just to make my life a little more frustrating though, I thought I would try a lithography method in order to transfer prints onto clay. I saw the technique on Ceramic Arts Daily, and it looks very simple (ya right, I am sure it just looks that way). I read up a bit on true lithography to better understand why the process works, and we will see what happens. I might even try to incorporate the lithography AND the lustres....sooo many ideas, not enough time...