Let the Beauty of what you Love be what you Do...
~Rumi

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Raku Results & other Clay Stuff... it's a Potzapalooza!

Just wanted to share the results of the finished pots I started while back home this summer & catch y'all up on what I've been up to claywise. We Raku fired these pots in class a couple of weeks ago, but I just got around to photographing them today~ so, without further ado...
The Bear Pot!


Bear Pot~ Aerial View :)


My other pot~ really digging the round form, but the rim... not super crazy about it.


Mom's Pot, taking in the Fall Colors! (yes, amazingly... after the snow & wind we received last week- we've still got a fair amount of color on the hill... I was pleasantly surprised.)


Another view of Mom's Pot. I find the effect of the Raku firing interesting... it reflects the shadows & highlights & the finish can actually look quite different depending on how the light hits it and/or how it is photographed.

Raku'd Black Polar Bear in the Snow

In other clay news- I have taken the "Bean Pot Challenge" this semester... no cups, no bowls~ just pots! The pots below I started the first week of September when I was staying at the Sublet.

Wet Clay Bean Pots

Dry Pot- needs Scraping & Sanding

Sanded Pot, needs Slip & Burnishing

Polished Pots~ Ready to Bisque

Closer view of the pot on the left/ above. I really like this one.


Above a bunch of my classmates Pots, getting ready to go into the kiln. Below, various classmate's PIPs (pots in progress.) It's right about now that I am thinking, (o.k, really I am saying it out loud,) "It's a potzapalooza!!" Well it really is, dontcha think?


Below is the 2nd to the last pot I made. I was having some trouble w/ the rim (for me, it's one of the harder parts of making the Bean Pot) and I had to cut it down & build it back up several times.


Finally, I just had to leave it at that~


 There it is below on the left in it's drier state, next to my last pot on the right.
(It seems to have shrunk quite a bit & looks kinda squatted down... but so it goes.) Perhaps after sanding & polishing it'll be a decent pot.

"Raw Pots." Still need waterscraping, sanding, slip, burnishing!

Oh, and for those of you that have asked, Yes, I am getting settled into my new place, thank you. And nope, I did not find the perfect little inexpensive Casita I was looking for... and thus I am an ... I hate to say it... an Apartment Dweller. It was the best I could do given I was running out of time on my sublet. I try not to dwell on the lack of privacy (people walk by my front window,) or the fact that I can hear my neighbors when they take a shower, or cook, or shut doors. Whatever~ it is quieter than my last place, which says a lot. On a positive note, I can see the mountains & the sunrise, AND it does have a little more space... here you can see I set up a little space in my kitchen to water scrape my pots yesterday.


I also had a bit of good fortune come my way after pot scraping as I scored a few more items to complete my kitchen "clay station." Being the helpful person I am, :) I responded to an S.O.S for cleaning help for one of my friends that is moving out of town. It was a lot of work... cleaning fridges & stoves & so forth... and without expecting anything in return, he gave me that little blue work bench & baker's rack! Cool.

Kitchen Clay Station

So that's about it for now... my "weekend" is over & it's back to work tamale. I'll also be trying to get 3 more pots sanded & polished by the end of class on friday for the Final Pit Firing on Saturday, followed by too much work, and then a family visit! So, please do not hold your breath, anxiously awaiting the final results... I will get around to posting them once they're finished, but I honestly could not tell you when that will be!
:)

14 comments:

Wanda..... said...

Settled, busy and happy it seems! Glad you have a clay station kitchen to work in!
Enjoy the family visit!

TrevorW�� said...

Great pots...I love them..!

-Trevor

Kate said...

Your kitchen looks nice and roomy! Glad your friend was generous and gave you some items of utilitarian use!! But, you're a great friend for helping when you are so busy! Love the bear pot!!

Randy said...

Dibs on the bear pot! That really is awesome Becky. I wait with excitement to see what comes from your next firing. Oh and that Blue table rocks!
So happy to hear your settled. We on the other hand lost the house so it's back to weekends of house hunting and homework. Mid-terms are over thank goodness so I can catch my breath until Monday and then it's back to the grind until the end of the semester. Try not to work too hard this weekend and try to have some fun. This weekend is the Galisteo Art Studio tour. We probably won't make that one but the Dixon tour is coming in November. There will also be a great art event on Canyon Road this Saturday. I should have pictures of it through out the week. Happy Saturday.

Pat said...

I love your bear pot! I like seeing all the pots in different stages.

Do you not EAT in your kitchen or it is really large? Just wondering where the table is?

I thought of you the other day....my daughter gave me a hand made clay tea cup that had a little "pocket" attached to the side of the cup for the tea bag. She bought it on Etsy. If you are interested in seeing it send me an email.

Barb said...

Gosh - you've been a busy pot-making gal! That bear pot is extra-special. I bet your Mom will be pleased with her pot, too. Love the way the snow and leaves cooperated for your shots! Glad to hear you're settled in a new place. That little blue bench is perfect. Have fun with Family! Don't work too hard.

Tammie Lee said...

wow wow wow gorgeous!

Annie said...

Becky, your pots are wonderful and they look so perfect! You are really coming along. Glad you have a clay station and more room, that is something to be thankful for.
You will find your dream house, don't give up. xoxo

Brian Grossnickle said...

gorgeous pots

clairz said...

Hope you have a great visit with your family. I just love the color and the "glow" that your pots have.

Paul Baxendale said...

Your pots look fantastic! It was great fun reading about your experiences making them, and I look forward to reading more! I hope Santa Fe is good to you! I miss it dearly and do so wish I could have stayed longer... what a magical place!
All the best,

Paul

Linda Starr said...

The pots are wonderful especially the bear one, but I also like the wavy topped pot because it's not the usual.

hannah said...

Bernard Leach would have been proud of you!
Such solid, comforting and uplifting pots. Love the gunmetal steel impression they give.

BrandNewStudio said...

Excellent Pictures
Thank you for sharing