Choose.....

.......an identity.  I always look at the posting info and think how interesting it would be to slip on an identity the way we dress.  With the choice would come the ability to see through different eyes, by a different light.

Ahem....I have just come through a major migraine.  Everything always seems a little wonky after what feels like a long siege.

The fish and the poppy are two more views from the test bowl I did.  The colors are stronger than in the photo.  I cropped a lot, no sense in looking at cracks.  The crawl is more evidence of an unclean surface when I glazed.  Majolica does have its quirks!

A sunny day, but a little cooler compared to the weather we have had lately.  At least most of the wind has died down.  Yesterday was not pleasant even though it was sunny.  Tomorrow I am going to put the pool pump and filter in.  I won't be swimming for a while, but I don't want to end up with a swamp!

Hope sales and life are going well for everyone.

Thanks for stopping by...............*s*

More

About majolica.  Carole Epp has a great post today about all sorts of pottery......teapots....and an excellent little article on Italian Maiolica.  And yes, I spell it majolica but pronounce it either way.  Walter Ostrom always said it was maiolica to differentiate from English majolica.  Linda Arbuckle said either way, as I recall.  (Ah the plight of the art historian!)

The really neat thing is that this is the same process I use.  My glazes are probably a little harder, and I have different degrees of shiny, but the process is the same.  I don't do a final clear overcoat and I NEVER use lead in any way, shape or form.  I do size my glazes before I start to decorate, but it's still  a what you put down is what you have proposition.

The fish is a test design, done on a cracked bowl.  This one will get added to my repertoire!

And last, what would a day be without a picture of one of the four legged residents?  This is Aloysius, the stretchable cat (Spike's skinny cousin) contemplating the best way to open the door to escape.  I wasn't fast enough the get him actually pushing the handle.  He does not know the door is locked, leading to much crying frustration.  There are too many bad critters in the woods these days to let the menagerie out.

Happy Week End!

Thanks for stopping by...............*s*

Another Thing

I like about majolica is that it's fixable....to some extent  The pot below has a major glaze crawl.  I will lay some glaze in the space and repaint the area and refire.  The rest of the pot will be fine due to the facts that I am firing to the same temp (^04) and majolica glazes don't move.

By the way I am sure that the crawl happened because I did not clean the bowl very well before glazing.  I generally spray with a good jet of vinegar and water and dry under a heat lamp.  A little time consuming, but worth the effort.  Another reason for glazing soon after the bisque firing.

 Here's another view of the teapot I finished last week.  I am most pleased that it got into a small regional show that my old pottery coop/art association sponsors every year.  Majolica is an iffy prospect in this area of the world.  Comparatively few people work in it.

And Last, but by no means Least!  Many Thanks to GARY for the fact/dream award.  I shall do my best to live up to the high standards that have been set by previous winner(s)!


Thanks for stopping by............*s*

Tea Time

Happily my tea order arrived yesterday.  I just love strong China teas.  

Too early to wax poetic, but.........

Silk road camel train,
Eastern world meets western.
Russian Caravan.

Thanks for stopping by...............-s-

Fired!

All in all a pretty good firing...successful tests and some pots I'm pleased with.

Below is the teapot.  This is an Amoco glaze which comes out with a slightly pebbly surface on my clay body.  It almost looks over fired, but isn't. I should have wiped the background blue off the lid a bit more, but other than that it looks pretty much the way I expected it to.  Still working on the handle.  Am currently doing several of the same type to give me space to experiment. 

The platter looks the way I wanted it to.  This one was an experiment as I generally outline in black.  This is first time I have used a dark blue to outline.  It's informed by or an homage to Delft pottery.

Back to making more and more.......the more I work the more paths open up.

Thanks for stopping by.........*s*

And So It Goes.....

I finished decorating the teapot I posted earlier......thought it would be interesting to post the last photos in the series before I fire it...hopefully tonight or tomorrow.

Firing is the crap shoot.....as there is always that element of the unknown,  but that is part of what makes it all so interesting.

We'll see, grasshopper, we'll see......

Thanks for stopping by..............~s~

Happy Day

Joy and happiness to all in this earliest of springs.

Thanks for stopping by............~s~

Teapot Evolution

Well, it's really decoration evolution.  I like to use a soft pencil to draw out the basic design.  Linda Arbuckle uses brush and diluted food coloring, but I like pencil because I can rub it out easily.  This is Amoco's ^04 Opaque White so it has a lot of sizing in it.  When I use glazes I have mixed myself I use a lot of unscented hair spray as a fixative.

Below, I've laid down the main colors in the design.  Because of the sizing the colors stay on the surface.  When I lay in the highlights I will blend them after they dry.

The process is time consuming but I enjoy doing it.  If you don't enjoy the making you should be in another field.  (That nugget of wisdom is courtesy of an art instructor when a student was complaining about the medium he was using.)

I usually work on one piece at a time.  I tend to lose the focus of the design if I glaze in multiples.  My trusty hair dryer speeds things up considerably.  And I can always go make tiles or whistles or something.

Looks like it will be up in the 60's today.....which means I can actually work in my real studio this afternoon.

Thanks for stopping by............~s~