good news and new handles

Well, I am saying goodbye to my little hatchback tonight. I have had it for 5 years now, but the lease is up and I needed to make a decision. Buy it out, refinance for another 2 years w/o a warranty, or trade it in. I opted to trade it in. So tonight I am picking up my new car. It is a compact SUV, but is definitely bigger than my little one. I should now have more cargo capacity to allow me to transport more pots. Who knows, maybe I will hit the road and do out of town summer craft fairs next year. I have always found it a struggle to fit both the pots and display materials (even as minimal  inside one vehicle comfortably and safely. I have often though that if I were to get in an accident, I could easily be killed by multiple pots being dislodged from their cartons and winging their way up towards my head.

Last year was a year of loss for me. I was forced to “let go” so speak of almost all that I owned. This year will be the year of renewal, I can only hope that the turmoil of the past 11.5 months will settle down and life can carry on at a more sedate pace. It is still looking good for a move in date somewhere in the 2^nd week of June, so I will be taking some much needed time off to calmly reorganize my life and get settled again.

In pottery news, I have been working on a new type of handle/knob for my casseroles. This is one area where I have always struggled to get something that looks good. My handles have either looked like they were an after thought, or were either too big or too small. I have thrown knobs, used strap handles, pulled and attached or pulled in place lugs, rolled lugs etc. Sometimes they come out nice, but usually they either look contrived, or tortured into submission. Then one day I was watching YouTube videos and came across a Bill Van Gilder video of how he makes a “shell” handle by gradually slapping and stretching a coil into a “shell” shape. I have played around with it on rims of batter bowls (see previous posts) and then I added a whole bunch of them to a rim to add some height and decorative interest. Then I had a thought that they would look good if they were more 3D. So I made 2 of equal size, bulged them out a bit and then attached them edge to edge to achieve a hollow yet full knob for the lid. I added 2 smaller “shells” to the side for lugs. I think this worked out fairly well. I will play around a bit more, but so far it’s looking good.

And last but definitely not least, I won the draw for the Michael Kline cup for the Christa Assad fundraiser and it arrived in the mail the other day. It is the sweetest little thing and drinks very well. It will find a nice home in my new condo with all the other pots from other potters that I already have.

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.

Go Go Gadget!

I have been compiling a list of the things I will need when I move back in to my condo and then slowly checking them off as I get them. So far, I have made all of the really big purchases and now I am left with the small items like kitchen utensils, bathroom accessories, area rugs, place mats etc. Once I started the list of these smaller items it started to feel like I was in a tornado of spatulas, potato peelers, toilet bowl brushes etc. The list just keeps getting bigger, because you never know when you might need a battery operated garlic press/lemon squeezer, or a deviled egg maker, or an ergonomic/wind powered melon baller. You just never know.

As it stands right now, I will have somewhere to sit, eat and sleep when I move in, if all deliveries occur when expected. I won’t be able to wash my clothes until mid June, but I can deal with that. I should also be able to cook, store food and wash dishes. So all in all, things are going well. I should be back in my place by June 11^th ( I hope). It might be sooner, but I’m not counting my deviled eggs until they hatch. 

Come on, who DOESN'T need a waffle maker that makes keyboard waffles, or one that does doll house furniture, or a wiener dicer, or even an alien inspired silicone egg basket? 

Paint!

I was up bright and early for our 7:30 am progress meeting for the condo restoration. This is what I was greeted with. Paint on the walls and cabinet bases waiting to be installed before the flooring goes down. There are a few details to be worked out, like how to finish/hide the gaps between the walls and the ceilings and the un paintable fire stop caulking that had to be installed to meet code requirements. The floors need to be polished/ground down where the leveling compound was troweled on and then the flooring can be installed. We asked for a move in date, and although a specific date was not given, he did say the second week of June, possibly as early as June 5th. Anyway, here is a blurry picture of one wall of my condo with it's new coat of "froufrou" yellow.

Bowl with scalloped rim

I spent a few hours in the studio over the weekend. I glazed a load of pots, loaded the kiln and fired it off on Sunday. I also messed around with a "fancy" rim on a rolled rim bowl. I made several batter bowls with the new curved handle and thought that it might be interesting to repeat these handles all the way around the bowl to add height and interest to an otherwise plain bowl. We will see how it does. The potential for failure increases dramatically with multiple attachments and the rim can warp, or crack with the stress of mucking about with it. Fingers are crossed that it makes it. I still need to clean it up, but it was way too floppy/fragile at that point.

I'm 1/4 Scottish, spending money is hard for me...

I was out spending money last night. I had to select, at minimum, a fridge and a stove. The kitchen cabinets are going in pretty quick and they needed the dimensions of the appliances before installation. So I bought the fridge & the stove, then I got a table and 4 chairs. The table is pretty much what I have been looking for, but had not been able to find anywhere until now. It will be tall enough to act as a counter as well as comfortably seat 4 people. It has two 13” leaves, so the table will be short for the most part, but if I want to have a dinner for more than just me, I can. Before, If I wanted to have guests over we would have had to eat in shifts. While I was there, I tried out some living room furniture. I did not think I would buy anything, but there was a leather sale going on. I have not paid for it in full, but have put a down payment on it and will clear up the rest in a couple of days. My bank card just can’t handle that much activity in one day. I got a leather sofa, large leather chair and an ottoman. I may change my mind on the ottoman, we’ll see. Next up, a mattress, bed frame, side table, floor lamps, area rug, etc etc.

Batter Bowl in the hen house

Nothing special today, just a view of a trimmed bowl with a pouring spout and a somewhat different handle. It has a bit of a chickenish look to it.

The doofer attachments to the side of the actual handle appear to be a bit cockeyed. Will have to do better next time.
Definition: Doofer - Term used locally (Fairview Studios, originated by Dave Settles) to describe the little clay wads that are pressed out with a finger or thumb to decorate pots.

New ideas brewing...

I recently purchased a product from EZScreenprint that will allow anyone, and I mean anyone (even a monkey like me), to create a silk screen of any black and white image to transfer onto pretty much any surface. All you need is a nice sunny day to develop your stencil.

They are marketed mostly to fabric people who want to print on their fabric creations, but they can apparently be used on POTTERY.

I splurged and bought the starter kit, but as shipping costs were ridiculous, I got an additional pack of 3 sheets to make the shipping cost worth it.

Anyway, I have been scrounging the internet for good designs, patterns images as well as drawing my own. I think I have come up with some really good ideas, but needed to know how much detail would be captured, how bold the lines need to be etc so I used the test piece provided in the kit and one of my own little drawings and this is what I got. Now I need to see if it actually works with the underglazes I have and will give it a shot tonight.

Serendipity in Colour

This is it. This is the colour I am putting in my condo. No more second guessing myself. I was only looking at the colours when I was picking my short list and not the names. To my surprise, when I looked at the names after my top 3 were selected, the one colour that was in the lead, choice wise, had the same name as a musical group that I like too. Was it meant to be? Anyway, if you are interested in the music, the group is no longer around, but it was called Frou Frou. One of the members of this duo is Imogen Heap, who is one of my favorite musicians and now works solo.

Interesting

I have noticed an intriguing trend in my blog statistics lately. My stats have shot up a lot. Like, a whole lot. I can only attribute this spike to one thing (sunspots and lunar eclipses aside). I joined Instagram on April 3^rd, and ever since then, the daily visits have been in the 30-50 range. Normally it’s is more like 10. I know that 1 month does not make a trend, so next month might tell the true story.

Whenever I look at my stats I am always a little shocked to see that there are “people” out there that actively seek out my page. Now, I say “people”, because I only know of 9 actual humans that follow my blog. I know that there are non human entities out there that troll the internet and it makes it look like people are reading my ramblings, but in truth, they are probably just algorithms made to appear human. Previous to my joining Instagram, I could easily pick out the “robots”. There would be that one day where I would get 50 – 100 page views, but the rest of the month would be the regular 10 or so. Now, it is 30-50 every single day. So this can only lead me to believe that actual people are looking at my profile on instagram and going to my blog from there. Not sure, can’t tell, and in the end, does it really actually matter?

The other strange thing about the whole social media thing to me is that potters generally fall into the introverted category. I know, broad strokes, and maybe it is just me, but we spend a LOT of time in the studio alone making work, not pushing our product, marketing our brand, selling our stuff, or just generally tooting our horns. So it feels like I have a bit of a split personality. I still don’t make a lot of time for self promo on line, but perhaps that will change if this trend continues.

Getting stuff done

I was teaching class last night and had a couple of new students to indoctrinate. I could see the fire in their eyes. They really, really wanted to make stuff. By the end of class, I don't think the fire had been extinguished, just smoored. There was the inevitable struggle as they tried to do battle with the clay instead of working with it, but first night was fairly successfull. They both made a few pots, and that is the only goal on night one. Make at least one pot that you will be able to trim next week. That's it, the rest is all play/mud wrestle etc. Here are some pictures of a few pots from the glaze load I fired on Sunday, as well as 2 of the very wide platters I made on the weekend that I trimmed and then slathered with underglaze and then attacked with a rubber tipped clean up tool.

Long weekend

Well, it wasn't long enough in my opinion. I did however make time to throw 3 large platters that range from 18 - 21 inches in diameter (wet), I fired a bisque as well as a glaze (out tomorrow).

I also went for a walk with my mum and Lucy the poodle along the ridge. It was a very bright and sunny day with the ever present wind. We met a couple walking their 1 yr old dog and they had a little dog wrestle. In this picture, Lucy can be seen wistfully contemplating how much fun it would be to be in the river as opposed to just looking at it from afar.

New jug

Not much to report today, just a picture of a very different style of handle for this very large pitcher.Each section is actually made of 2 pulled handles. The pulled handles were made with a very deep channel so the profile of each pulled section was "U" shaped. They were then laid edge to edge to create a hollow handle, shaped into "doughnuts" and cut to fit. This pitcher is definitely not truly functional, as it is way too large and the handle(s) will probably not be very ergonomic. But it will make a great vase...

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...

appliances for the condo

This is only interesting to people who are in the middle of trying to find appliances. Even then, I am sure it is mind numbing. However, just in case you are looking for a stackable, front loading washer and dryer, I was able to find these GE units at Home Depot. They are on sale right now and they are only 24" wide, so they will fit in my little laundry room/closet. I bought them last night and if all goes well with the construction timeline, they will be delivered on the 14th of June.

If you came here for pottery, I don't have any new pics, but here is a mug that goes back to my salt/soda firings at Medalta and a cute little piggy bank to hold my coins.

8 more weeks

I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning to attend a weekly progress meeting for the condo rebuild. Apparently they are on schedule and the completion date is estimated to be 8 weeks. So I might be back in on June 3rd??? This pic shows my living room looking towards the patio window that has yet to be installed as one of them had been damaged during the manufacturing process and they are redoing it right now. Not sure when that will be installed.

What goes agound, sometimes comes right back at ya

I just got some good news. I donated a few bucks a couple of months ago to help out Christa Asaad after she was forced to leap from her 2nd story window when her house caught fire and ended up fracturing her spine etc. The fundraising campaign came with the added incentive of possibly being drawn to receive a pot by one of many potters that had donated their work for this purpose. I never thought I would be drawn, there were so many that helped out. Well, I got an email this morning from one Mr. Michael Kline (keeper of the Sawdust and Dirt blog)  to let me know that my name had been drawn to receive his pot that he had donated. I will be adding his sweet cup to my slowly growing collection of pots by potters other than me.
On a sort of tangentially related note: After the flood of 2013, I took stock of what I was left with when the waters receded and most of the pottery that was salvaged were the pots made by others. In fact, ALL of the pots I had bought from others managed to survive, even a paper thin, egg shell porcelain vase my grandparents gave to me from their travels in China.

Sprung?

My weekend was pretty productive. I sold a lot of pots on Saturday after work, that was nice. Sunday however was where the pedal met the metal. It did not hurt that the day was like this first picture all day long until the later afternoon when the clouds started getting a bit pushy and obscured the sun. Today is going to be +17 C, so I guess spring is finally here at long long last.

So while the sun was shining outside, I was cruising along at the wheel.

I trimmed up these little "chilli" bowls...I guess there is an unintentional double entendre here...I made an impression of a limpet shell and thought it might look interesting as a press mold. Well, they certainly are eye catching.
 

I threw 3 of these 5 lb bowls


I then wedged up 9 600g balls and threw these ...

These pots that follow were thrown a few weeks ago and were dry enough to begin scratching yesterday...

How many ways?

If you are looking for new ways to follow me (doubtful, I know), I am now on Instagram. I am always a late adopter it seems. I must get that from my family. We were the last people I knew to get a microwave, the last to get a VCR, I still don't have Netflix (perhaps soon), I joined Facebook fairly late, I have a twitter account, but have never tweeted anything. So ya, I am always a little late to the party. Anyhoo, I can now be found at Crackedpotceramics on Instagram. I am terrible at remembering to take pictures, so posts might be few and far between to begin with.

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.