Sunday Ceramics

It has finally warmed up enough to be able to work in my studio for more that thirty minutes at a time.  When I was up in New Hampshire in January, it was long enough without heat for the cement slab to cool way down!  Needless to say winter has gone for entirely too long.

I have a bunch of small clocks that I've been making.  I just barely sketched in the numbers; obviously they need better placement.  The flower design is waxed so I could do the background without smearing the colors.  I always enjoy getting back to painting and decorating.  After all, it is the reason why I work in majolica.

We actually have crocuses (crocusi?) in bloom!  A month late but finally here.  Hooray!

Proge put in the pond filter a couple of days ago, after five inches of rain in a day and a half!  Below is a rather blurry picture of one of the fish babies.  We've counted six so far.  They're just about the size of the photo.

This will be posted on Sunday Ceramics 13.  I'll also put a link up on Mud Colony on Facebook.

Have a great week ahead and as always....thanks for stopping by........*s*

Sweet Sunday

Sweet because we are finally getting some weather that at least slightly resembles spring.  Temps are still below normal, but at least we have sun and warmth in the middle of the day.

 Proge took the leaf net off and started the little waterfall because the fish were getting active.  The water is still clearing but fish are coming up to the surface.  

I got out the fish nonwhistles to prepare them for going outside.  It's still too cold to be messing around in water, but they will be ready to go out in a few weeks.  I call them nonwhistles because I screwed up when I was doing the whistle parts.  I forgot to check them before putting them in the kiln.  If they don't whistle when I bisque, I can usually correct them.  But not if I forget to test them!

I'm getting to the point where I want to start adding holes for ocarinas.  I have to look at relative hole sizes on my old recorder.  I find the book From Mud to Music by Barry Hall an invaluable resource for clay instruments.  What I remember is that the tones will stay relative to each other, although shrinkage will change the key.

After all that about clay fish I had to put in a photo of the real guys.  A couple of dollars worth of fingerlings has certainly paid off and brought us much enjoyment.  These were supposed to be the trial fish to see if we could manage them.  If they keep having babies we may have to give some away!  That's a far future worry!

This post will be on Sunday Ceramics #11 and Mud Colony and my own site (suzi caswell and, yes, someday I will put up a link) on Facebook.  Look around and see what's cooking in the world of clay!

Enjoy spring, or fall as the case may be.

 As always, thanks for stopping by............*s*

Planter

Two views of a planter I did last summer or so.  It's about 16 inches high and 6 & 1/2 inches across.  It's a ^04 white earth that I once fired.  I wanted to keep the decoration simple.  If things get too complicated it overwhelms the plants and flowers it's supposed to enhance.  I used yellow because it's a fairly neutral color for flowers.  This yellow is way too strong;  I wanted something much lighter.  The rims look pasted on (well, they are added, I just don't want them to look that way!) Some of the green vine on the yellow may have solved the problem.

I finally got around to firing this around Christmas.  The height always made it awkward to fit into my kiln.  I want to do more of these.  Next time I'll do enough to fill a kiln shelf.  That should give me about a half dozen to fool around with.

In a few more weeks I should be able to get some pansies to put in it.  I'm never really happy with planters until they are planted.

It's been in the high fifties and sunny today.  I even went so far as to clean the leaves out of the daffodils.  This may have been a mistake as the temps are supposed to drop tonight and possible snow on Monday.  At least we've had a great day today.

This will be on Sunday Ceramics #10 and on Mud Colony on Facebook.

Enjoy the coming week and, as always, thanks for stopping by.........*s*

Sunday Ceramics

Welcome to the new kid...well not really new.  Kim Foale is taking up where Adrianna left off on Mud Colony.  It's very nice indeed to again have a space where far flung potters can exchange ideas.

I've been working on the idea of handbuilding a teapot once a week.  I made this one last Monday but only just got the lid working so I like it.

The good thing about this series is that it does (should) not demand huge blocks of time.  Of course if I should come up with a form I really like I can repeat it.

Over the years I've made many bird whistles.  For some reason they have always been quite small....I think it has to do with being able to hold them easily.

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At any rate I have started making larger ones.  This first batch is made from white clay which I like because I can work directly on the surface of the bird.  However, I am really fond of the warmth terra cotta gives under a white glaze.  I guess some of each is in order!

This one is more than twice as big as the first two.  It's hard to see the design I've drawn but that is one of my fantasy fishes on its back.

I have not done a lot this week.  My studio was so cold in our cold snap that I could only work for short periods, even with the heater on.  Then too, we had to deal with the well pump which is too long and involved to go into here!

Hit the link and go over to Kim's Sunday Ceramics......see what is happening with other potter-bloggers. (Ploggers?)

Enjoy the day.  It's warmed up considerably since the beginning of the week.  This is typical for this area.

As always, thanks for stopping by.....*s*

Repurposing

I was decorating pots last nights and got to thinking about how often I repurpose stuff.

I rarely use hairspray but I find it invaluable in the studio.  I spray it on the raw glaze before I start painting to provide a stronger surface.  When I am mixing colors on the pot I use hairspray instead of water to move the color around.  I also spray lightly before I begin adding the black outlines.

Nylon coffee baskets are so useful for sieving small amounts of slip, clay, terra sig that I have at least six of them.  When I'm working I hate to stop and clean so they get dumped in a bucket of water until the end of the day.

And I can't forget popsicle sticks, I buy them by the thousand at craft stores when they go on sale.  They are strong enough to make small wooden tools, yet not so precious that I can't throw them out when they get worn.

When I was still teaching my students would often say that Benny's, the local hardware/auto supply store, was my favorite pottery supply.  Chamois and sea wool sponges, for example, are always much cheaper than ordering through a pottery supply place.

Here is our post Thanksgiving turkey hot off the grill.  I took this in the dark with my little fill flash.  I am always surprised that it's possible to stake photos at night.  Last night I made turkey lasagna with a sauce made from leftover creamed onions, mushrooms, ricotta with a layer of parmesian and cheddar on top.  I still think no boil lasagna noodles are one of the great gifts to the modern cook.

Sadly this is the last week of Mud Colony. Go over and see what we are up to in the world of clay.

 Kudos and thanks to Adriana for providing such a wonderful site......and we can still meet up on Facebook!

Enjoy the holidays you celebrate;  there seems to be something to celebrate every day.....Not least of which is clay buddies around the world.

As always, thanks for stopping by............*s*

Tis The Season

We opened our Holiday Sale today.  Turn out was good, very steady for the five hours I was there.  I'm very happy with the work that is being shown this year.

Jason's ship below is a real centerpiece....even more impressive in the flesh or rather the clay.  The photos below are a small representation of what we are selling.

I'm also posting this over on Mud Colony.  We're down to the last few weeks of the Mud Colony Blog
so everyone should take a look at what is going on.

We seem to be going through another cold spell.  It doesn't usually go down in the teens until January, but there you are!

An edit added on 11/30/13

I just found our yesterday that for a change Rhode Island is leading the way on something!  As of tomorrow with the proper registration with the state there will be no sales tax to collect on fine art and craft.  We have had tax free zones in various cities for years, but now the legislature has made it a state wide thing.

This also applies to liquor and wine but not beer.....Proge is sad that beer is not included.  But still, pots and a bottle of wine sounds pretty good to me.

I stopped at a local remnant shop this morning and bought fabric to make curtains around a small portion of my studio.  I am hopeful that with my little heater and the southern exposure, I'll be able to work there all winter, rather than moving everything upstairs to the living area after Christmas,

The cold weather has brought home to me how much I like being in my own space.

I'm beginning to sort out Christmas decorations.  We don't put out tree up until the Winter Solstice, but I like to get stuff up outside.

I also sorting my seasonal cd's and downloads.  My, I have accumulated a lot of stuff over the years .

Remember to visit Mud Colony; next week is the last one.  How we will miss our weekly get-togethers, but the Facebook page will stay on.

Thank you for all the kind Thanksgiving wishes and, as always, thanks for stopping by.......*s*

Woke Up

Got out of bed and....realized that I never did a post last night for Mud Colony!

I've been working on some cupcake stands with different feet.  This came from making a cupcake stand. for someone to give to her husband on his birthday.  They aren't big cake eaters, but one cupcake seems so mingy, so we came up with the idea of presentation being the big deal.

I decorate them to look like a circus wagon.  Cupcakes need color!

There is just time for me to get this over to Mud Colony!  Take a look...it ends December 5.

Enjoy the day, and, as always, thanks for stopping by...........*s*

Time Fugits....

After the earlier in the week anxiety of the missing Aloysius, this is a small sampling of the pot painting I have been doing.  Some are finished; some are in progress.

This will also be over on Mud Colony.  Go take a look; it will all end soon!

Enjoy your day, and, as always, thanks for stopping by.............*s*

I Almost FORGOT!

But then I remembered.......

I said I would post photos of the whistles as I finished them; the rest are in the kiln waiting to be fired.  

As I mentioned in my previous post They can assume many forms.  The mouse and the penguin are easy to see how I make them.  The pig gets turned on its side and trimmed and paddles into a rounded end.  There's a tail back there too.  I make the snout by carefully pushing the tip onto a flat surface.  The mouse and penguin have their whistles at the base; pig has its at the snout and becomes part of the mouth.

Because they are whistles I use commercial glazes on them and once fire them.  I don't once fire functional stuff a.) I think the clay is stronger if it goes through separate bisque and glaze firings, b.) I generally use my own glazes.  This is from my observation.  Some of the clay gurus out there may be able to tell me the more scientific reasons.  It might all be a figment of my imagination.

These are obviously still in progress.  If I keep my wits about me I may even post more photos before and after firing.

Aloysious has managed to pull one of his charge out the door acts.  That cat is fast!  It's a beautiful sunny day out so he's out having fun and we're searching!

This is late for Mud Colony, but I am going to email Adriana and see if she can put it up for me. At any rate go take a look at all the cool stuff that goes on in the world of clay.

Enjoy the day, and, as always, thanks for stopping by............*s*

Presence of Mind

OR.........

Remember to cover the clay at night that you have been drying outside all day......or it may rain and you will have mud again.

Can you see the puddles in the clay?

I was asked for some mugs that are smaller than what I generally make.  They hold ten ounces.  These are the first ones I made when I was considering handles.....and believe me, I spend a lot of time thinking about handles.  The originals were too sharp on the edges.  They wouldn't actually cut the hand but the possibility was there.  Satanic mugs for Halloween! 

Due to our continuing warm weather we are finally getting morning glories and moon flowers beyond the one or two blooms we've had.  I love it when it stays warm enough for them to completely bloom out!

This was a particularly nice moon flower, starting to sag in the rain.  For some reason wilting moon flowers always make me thing of drooping ballerinas......Swan Lake perhaps?

Autumn is showing up even with the warm weather.  There has been enough rain for the swamp maples to show some wonderful color.  I love the way they look like watercolor washes.

Mist and rain today, gentle but definitely putting a damper on doing much outside today.  The colors really pop in the soft gray.

We have been watching The Hollow Crown on PBS, Great Performances. It's Richard II, Henry IV Parts One and Two, and HenryV, by the Bard of Avon himself.  Beautifully acted and filmed, it's well worth watching.

Have an enjoyable Sunday.  This post will also be over on Mud Colony.  Take a look at clay around the world.

As always, thanks for stopping by..............*s*

Sunday

We had a successful opening Thursday night.  There was a pretty good turn out and many nice things said about my work.  The hit of the evening was Humpty Dumpty.

The turtle below was originally intended for the show but his bottom detached in front during the bisque firing. I have never had this problem before so why this happened is one of life's little mysteries.   I've come up with a couple of ways to work with the break.  We'll see, grasshopper....we'll see.....

Can you see the split ?

Nina Hope Pfanstiehl, the other clay person in the show did wonderful buildings.  The Edward King House, the former Newport Library, was a great favorite by her.  For many of her historic interpretations she does photos of the original building.  I couldn't quite manage to get her photos in my pictures.  I'll get more sorted and posted over the next week.

Edward King House.....Exterior 

Edward King House........Interior

I had wanted to do a long post on Friday but woke up with a wicked migraine; I finally got rid of it last night.  It's goldenrod season;  I love autumn but not many of the pollens that abound.  Ahh country living.

I'm going to try to get this over to Mud Colony to add to clay happenings around the world.

Enjoy the day and, as always, thanks for stopping by...........*s*

Sometimes The Magic Works.....

In this case the kiln gods worked overtime.  I am really pleased with the entire firing.

I am particularly happy with the fish platter.  In the bisque I had some strange white chunks of frit rise to the surface.  I can only think that I did not reprocess the clay enough.  The frit make an amazingly strong body but it can be problematic if not recycled carefully.

I took my dremel drill and drilled out all the white chunks I then mixed frit 3124 to a paste with the Spectrum commercial white glaze that I use and filled all the holes, then sanded them smooth.  I then used the same glaze on the platter. 

 I have done this successfully in the distant past, but only with commercial glazes.  Someday I may experiment on test pieces using my studio glazes.  I always say I'll use test bowls or plates, but I often end up experimenting on whatever pots I have at hand.

This is a new handbuilt mug form.  It holds about 14 oz. or a bottle of beer.  I am trying different lip angles.  I like the look, but am not sure if buyers would take to it.

I think these would also be a good tumbler shape.  I find that with the glazes and designs that I use simple forms work best for me.

This is my Humpty Dumpty cookie jar.  It's probably not terrific to laugh at my own work but this one makes me smile.

Wynken, Blynken and Nod has been a favorite children's poem since I was a little girl.  I love children's   poems and stories.  They provide such great opportunities for illustrations.

These are some of the pieces that are going in the show that am in.  It opens this coming Thursday, May 27 I'm not sure where the time has gone, but for a change I feel ready.

This post will also be over on Mud Colony.  Take a look at what is going on world wide in clay.

AND.......

An early Saturday morning addition.  I was out with Winter as the sun was just coming up (a rosy fingered dawn indeed) when I saw that a moon flower had finally bloomed.  I am always thrilled when I see their ghostly white flowers floating in the night, or in this case, dawn!

Here's hoping for a long, mild fall!

Don't forget Mud Colony!

Enjoy the week end, and, as always, thanks for stopping by...........*s*

And So It Goes.....

I'm glazing, well....in reality painting....hopefully this will be my last firing on Tuesday, although I will have time to do a refire if I absolutely have too.

Once I start painting the ideas seem to crowd in.  This is what I love in pottery process.  I find keeping my notebook with me at all times helps immeasurably.

There will be many opportunities to use new ideas, I'm sure.

The color on the teapots looks strange because the designs are waxed to make doing the background easier.  Waxing is time consuming but not as bad as having to try to correct mistakes.

This will also be over on  Mud Colony.  Take a look at the world of clay!

Just a short post, with toes crossed for a good firing.  We'll see, grasshopper......we'll see....

Enjoy what seems to be a chilly but sunny Sunday here in Southern New England.

 As always, thanks for stopping by.......*s*

Waiting

I find the hardest part of firing my kiln is waiting for it to cool.  For some reason I generally fire at night, then have to torment myself waiting for the kiln to cool enough to open it.  Yesterday I did some work outside, but spent most of my afternoon watching Game of Thrones and the evening watching Argo.....a nail biter even though we knew the ending! 

I am, as of now, changing my habits and firing early in the day.  Then when it turns off I can wait late afternoon and all night without peeking.  Sometimes the small, obvious changes are the hardest to put into practice.

I have only opened a few shelves but so far so good.  I finally managed to find space for the dragon and the sea horse.  They've been sitting on my shelves for ages saying, "What about us?"

This firing was a little odd as I didn't discover that the bottom switch was off until the kiln had been going for two hours.  It's all bisque on the bottom so everything should be fine.

This is a short post as I want to get it onto Mud Colony.  Take a look and see what is going on around the world in clay.

We're having a clear, dry, sunny sunday.  Nice for hanging laundry out to dry.  I have my toes crossed for this weather to continue well into October.

Enjoy the day, and, as always, thanks for stopping by.......*s*

Glaze

I've been glazing and painting a few pots to go in the firing I'm planning to do Tuesday night.

It's difficult to see my very light sketch lines but this one is an amalgam of two childhood poems:  The Gingham Dog and Calico Cat and The Sugarplum Tree.

I  may have mentioned that I only use a few glazes....Linda Arbuckle Majolica, Andrea Gill's WOM, Ian Symons Clear.  I also use several Spectrum glazes, Majolica white, Clear, White Matte.  I add a little rutile to all my white glazes to give them a more mellow look.  The clears I use over white earthenware.  I don't do a lot of white work so the clears last a long time.  All my glazes are mature at ^04.

Commercial glazes have a lot of sizing in them; I use super hold hair spray on my studio glazes to give me a sturdy surface to work on.  I used to put acrylic medium in the glaze which gave a great surface but left too many bubbles when mixing.

Once pots are glazed they have to be completely dry before I start working on them.

I use Mason Stains for all my colors.  I mix them 50-50 with frit 3124.  Sometimes I mix them with paste (50% 3124; 50% Gerstley Borate...I usually keep a mixed pot of it around)  Mixed with frit the stains are more like water colors, mixed with paste, again 50:50, they are more like gouache.

I am a true brush freak.  I'm always buying them.  I use only natural bristle; synthetic is not as responsive.  Liners, sumi brushes, and mops are among my favorites.

For the first time in ages I threw some small kitty and dog bowls.  It was kind of pleasant to sit at the wheel and throw the same thing ten times.  It's been gray and dank lately so these are taking forever to get to a trimming stage.

There are thunderstorms and rain in the forecast, but the weather does not preclude have a great Labor Day celebration.

I'm putting this over on Mud Colony.  Take a look; there's always something new.

Enjoy the holiday or if you are not in the U.S.A. have a good week end.

As always, thanks for stopping by............*s*

In Progress

I've been making some more of my large platters or bird baths.  I've been trying to make these a little thicker so they come through the firings in one piece.  I've been making the bodies too thin and the rims too thick which seems to lead to stress cracking.  This old/new method seems to have solved the problem.

I have several ideas for decorating them.  With these larger pieces I think of them more as a canvas than a bowl.  The tradition of round paintings is an old one.  The Della Robbias did many of them so I feel I am echoing an old tradition.

I've been making bigger, more one of a kind pieces for the show I have coming up at the end of September.  I have a teapot and a bird to finish and the finishing touches on a few glazed pieces.  One of the great benefits of working at ^04 is that I fire glaze and bisque in the same kiln.

There are many other things happening out and around the house.  I'll try to post more in the coming week.

Meanwhile take a look at Mud Colony and see what is happening around the world in clay.

Enjoy what is left of the weekend and as always, thanks for stopping by.........*s*

Turtle and.....

Now I remember why I don't do large (for me) animals.  They're a complete b#tch to do.  I start with a slab of clay over a bowl that is approximately to shape and size of the shell.  It has to be soft enough to drape easily but dry enough to hold its shape.  The first step of drying has to be watched carefully as the whole thing will crack if it dries to much. Sometimes I take it off the form and place a smaller bowl under the curve.  Once the clay has set up enough I reverse it into a shallow bowl lined with several layers of a towel.  I rough in the head, legs and tail and wait for it to set up a bit.  The hardest part is finding the patience to let it set properly.  I've been going out to work in the yard in short bursts.  I set a timer so I won't lose track of what is going on with drying.  Once it's set up enough I add the bottom shell and make sure it's well attached all around.

I turned it right side up so I could work on the feet and head  with eyes.  Later I will work on the bottom and post a photo of it.  The main thing is go slowly without losing the gesture of the turtle.

Below is a photo of the way not to do it.  I started building one the inside of the bowl.....well, it has been a while since I've done one of these.  Needless to say, it was a disaster.....and I couldn't find my notes on making a turtle.  As I started, it didn't feel right......so I broke it down and started over, more successfully this time.  Sometimes the memory is in our hands not our brains.

Below is a long ago calamari platter that I made on commission. I found it when I was cleaning some unused shelves.  A nice little surprise to put out as a bird bath.  Actually this is a glaze failure.  I made two and fortunately the octopus was defined and clear on the second one.  For more thoughts on the perils of commissions read Gary's post for today.  He sums it up very nicely.

Now if a customer wants something, if it's at all feasible, I make a bunch of stuff and invite the customer to have first choice.

Does anyone out there do commissions?  If you do, what are your criteria for accepting and how do your arrive at a price?

This post will also be over on Mud Colony.  Everyone should click the link and see what is happening world wide in clay.

It looks like a real summer week end ahead.  I doesn't seem possible that we are halfway though August.

Enjoy the sun, moon and stars.  As always, thanks for stopping by...........*s*

Look What I Got!

When I went to the Post Office today there was a package/present waiting for me.  My mug from Lori Watts's Kickstarter Campaign had arrived.  The blue is so beautiful.....design, decoration, and handle all add up to the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.

The little stars are reflections from my flash......but are well deserved.

See how prettily my tea contrasts with the blue.  In the afternoon I drink it plain.

In the morning I always drink it with milk....no sugar please.

I like the way the blue changes depending on what is next to it.  It sound odd, but blue can give many colors an extra zing.  Perhaps that's why it's such a popular color.

Well done Lori!  Thank you.

The photos below in my last post are pieces I bought at the League of NH Craftsmens Fair.  I ate my cereal out of Jeff's bowl this morning.

It was great seeing Michele and others.  No, I have no photos of the actual fair as I forgot my camera. Michele has some good ones on her blog.

I'm going to put this over on Mud Colony  I may do some edits, but I wanted to get in early this week.

Enjoy your week end, and as always, thanks for stopping by..........*s*

Good and Bad.....

The bad, or sad, is that my majolica workshop did not get enough people signed up for it, so we had to cancel it.  This did not surprise me as summer is hard time to get workshops going.  We'll  offer it again in january when everyone seems to need something to get them out of the doldrums.

The good thing is that I have been invited to participate in one of the co-op type shows that the Art Association periodically does to get members work into public awareness.  We all contribute a small fee to help offset the cost of the show and the Art Association covers the rest.  I need to start getting my work out into the world again; this seems like a good place to start.  I think the next step is to learn how to take photos that are something more than what I do for my own records.

Meanwhile back at the zoo....I finally finished the hippo whistle.  I need a better wax resist....one that will not peel off so easily when it dries.  Years ago we had a great resist at a Linda Arbuckle workshop.  It took no more than half an hour to dry and when I painted the background the wax did not come up in chunks if I hit the design with my brush.   Anybody?

This is a new type of decoration for me.  I'm doing the design in resist then laying in the color.  It's based on a printed fabric I saw from the early fifties.  I'll have to do several and think about the results before I go further.  Jeez, I can be such a stick in the mud!

The day lilies are having a wonderful season.  I think all the June rain got them going like gangbusters.  Below is a double orange.  This one showed up unannounced in my garden when I still lived in the back house. (To quote Monte Python....seeds are carried in the guts of birds.) I have only rarely seen doubles and never in anything but orange.  If I knew more about plant breeding I might try crossing it with some of my other plants.  Zette on her blog, (Picture a Day) posted one on July 25.  I think I've seen one garden with doubles.  Has any one seen these?

I want to thank everyone for all the comments made on my little rant about workshops and arts education.  This is a subject we need to think and talk about every now and then.  I would love to see a balance between sports and art.  Contrary to some belief it is not  Clean Mind, Clean Body: Take your Pick!  As I said in one of my comment replies, have you ever noticed that the kids who need sports the most are the ones who are left behind or left out completely.

The sun has just come out when it was supposed to stay hidden until early afternoon.  Another afternoon spent lolling by the pool is in order.

This post will also be over on Mud Colony.  Take a look; there is always something interesting to be found there.

Enjoy the day, and, as always.........thanks for stopping by..........*s*