Semester Season Finale!! Last Bears of the Semester: 9 & 10 of the Polar Series

Thanks to all that stopped by our Ceramics Show! I think it was a successful event & so nice to see everyone's work displayed in such a professional manner. 

(Sorry I didn't take pics of the event- just the set up- but some other people did, so hopefully those will make their way around.)

Now I'm just tying up loose ends & wrapping up the end of the Semester~ here are number 9 & 10 of the Polar Series. 

(#11 didn't make it into the kiln due to spatial limitations at the end of the Semester... so it'll have to wait patiently til next time!)

#9 In the Polar Series
Ann's Soda Cone 10 Clay Body- Salt fired to Cone 11
Satin Mint Modified Glaze
Dimensions: H: 13.5"  W:13.5"  L:22"

This was one of the 3 that I built w/ the Ann's Soda Clay Body while I was waiting for results on the others.

I have to say, I do love the glaze effects on the Ann's Soda, & while the Soda Kiln can be very unpredictable, the 3 done w/ this clay body came out very similar.

The only problem, as you recall, is the tendency of this clay body to crack in the Soda Kiln. This one, #9, actually cracked during the drying phase, despite my longer than normal drying time. I had used the "Magic Mender" for bisqueware, which actually worked quite well & sealed the crack during the bisque. At least temporarily... until it went into the Soda. While it didn't crack wide completely open during the final firing, you can see where it looks like it may have opened during the fire,(diagonal line below & to the left of the neck) but settled back down. I had sprayed extra glaze on on that part hoping that would help... note the glaze drip coming down from the neck as well.

Signature Soda Kiss on the face...

and arctic feeling polar haunches.

I photo'd these straight out of the kiln in my improvised photo booth in my little studio space at school. The photos aren't the best, but it worked in a pinch to get them documented. 

Below is my Piece de la Resistance of the Semester!

When it first came out of the kiln, I was like "Whoa, that's intense," not sure if I was liking it or not... it was so different than the others! It only took me about 30 minutes to completely fall in love with it, and it is now my favorite piece! And YES, it is the same glaze as the one above! Amazing what a difference the clay bodies make!

I had tested several little bears with the dark brown clay body with this glaze last semester... the results came out very dark brown... almost black, so I was interested as to how it would work on a larger piece. Below are several views. It can appear grayish to black with brown highlights, depending on the lighting. I love how the darker areas shimmer when hit by sunlight.

#10 in the Polar Series
Laguna Dark Brown Cone 10 Clay Body, Salt Fired to Cone 11
Satin Mint Modified Glaze
Dimensions: H: 15"  W: 10"  L: 22"

So that wraps it up for now! Now I've got to get to studio cleaning & get ready for my more permanent move this week. I've got one more clay related post on a workshop I took last month... will try to get it posted next week.

See you soon!

:)

Fresh out of the Kiln~ 5 & 6 of the Polar Series

Things are moving along nicely & pieces have been getting fired on a regular basis this past month. This is super exciting for me to be able to see the results of work done over the course of a semester especially given all the different clay bodies I'm testing~ it gives me so much information as to what works & what doesn't! These two were actually built in February and given about 3 weeks to dry, then bisqued, glazed & fired in the soda kiln- I just got them out of the kiln last week. The entire process takes roughly 6-7 weeks start to finish. I was very happy with the way the glaze worked on this clay body! 

#6 Death Valley Red Cone 10 Clay Body; Salt Fired to Cone 11
Satin Mint Modified Glaze
Dimensions: H: 12.5"  W: 10"  L 18.5"

Aerial View :)

I love how this piece received just a kiss of crystallization on the nose & cheek.

:)

Closer detail of glaze on piece~ 

(click on any photo to enlarge to see greater detail.)

Below is number 5 in the series. And yes, it's the same glaze! While I am not as crazy about the colors in this finished piece, I do like all the tonal variation achieved, and I find it so interesting how using different clay bodies can dramatically change the effect of the same glaze.

#5 WH8 Rough Cone 6-10 Clay Body; Salt Fired to Cone 11
Satin Mint Modified Glaze
Dimensions: H: 15"  W: 15"  L 14.5"

Another angle & detail~

Now, let me tell you, I did have some lofty goals for this semester in terms of how many bears I wanted to create, but with the upcoming move I originally decided to stop at 10. That would give me time to pack up, look for a new place & such. But noooooo, being the clay obsessed student that I am, I decided to go for one more. For number eleven, I went back to the NM Clay Super Sculpt (the first clay body of this semester) as I really enjoyed the glaze effects on that one, and I also enjoyed building with that clay body. All went really well, and I was building at a pretty good pace... until I got to the neck & head.

I had gotten to the point where I was thinking all I needed to do was spend maybe four hours to put the neck & head on... though I wanted to try something a little different... maybe a little abstract-y.

*Note to self: when time is limited... do not try a new direction in clay!!

Over the course of 2 days... I probably built up & cut down the head & neck 6-7 times. Except for here (below) when I was getting frustrated... I just ripped it off!

And built it up again...

only to cut it down again...

and again!

After countless hours, I finally settled on this~

Though the back right shoulder is a little large (by the time I got the head right, I had let the lower portion of clay dry a bit too much to paddle in) I like the form alright.

This piece is drying away in the studio & will bisque soon. I also got 2 more finished pieces out of the soda kiln on monday, but I'm still working on editing the photos I took yesterday... will post soon! I'm currently in the midst of packing up in order to be out of my place by the 1st... but hope to catch up with you all soon!

:)

I Love This Glaze!!!!! And other Clay Updates :)

 Polar Bear Sculpture
Ann's Soda Clay Body~ Cone 11 Soda Fired~ Satin Mint Modified Glaze
Dimensions: H: 7.25" W: 9.25" L: 7.5"

Just got this little guy out of the kiln on monday, and boy am I pleased. I am so completely in love with this glaze, I can't even tell you! 

Below are a couple of different views... click twice on image to see detail in the glaze!

After finishing "The Beast" just over a month ago (he is still in queue for the soda kiln... but I promise I'll post just as soon as he gets fired!) I needed to take a break from larger works & play around w/ some smaller forms. While I was quite happy with the form on the one above, the one below fell short. So much so, that he almost ended up in the dumpster... but I figured what the heck... glaze it, fire him up & see what happens. While I am still not crazy about the form (part polar bear, part seal, part poodle???) I do enjoy the way the glaze melted & reacted with the texture in this piece.

Dimensions: H: 13" W: 7.5" L:13"

Once I finished relaxing over a couple of small pieces, I went back to the larger series.

I finished this one about 3 weeks ago & it just came out of the bisque kiln on monday. It had developed some hairline cracks during the drying phase, & I was worried about them cracking open during the bisque- it did just fine, though I do worry about it cracking in the high heat of the Soda Kiln. (fingers & toes crossed!!) I just mixed a new batch of my favorite glaze on monday, so I'll glaze him up today & anxiously await the final firing!

:)

Clay Updates...

Well, I'm officially on spring break for the semester... and I have to admit, it's nice to have a little down time.  Here's a little bit of what I've been up to in my clay classes~ last week in glaze calc we did tests via Triaxials, vs. the line blends we had been doing up until this point.

You start by mixing up a base glaze (I chose Satin Mint Green~ which in the glaze books looks a very pale green w/ some light caramel undertones~ I'm hoping to make a nice glaze for some projects I'm working on...) then you divide the glaze into 3 buckets- A, B, & C. A is your base glaze, and to C & B buckets, you add a percentage of other colors.

You then measure out in various percentages from each bucket to create 21 different variations & dip the tiles to test. Exciting stuff, no? 

Looking forward to seeing the results once they're fired, which should be some time next week.

Also still working on my throwing skills! Inconsistent, yes, but perhaps a bit better.

Trimming bowls, throwing cylinders, putting handles on mugs.

Also got about 6 pieces out of the kiln last week. About 1/2 were total junkers... but these combos I found interesting.

While the bowl itself is nothing special, I do love it as I used some of the glazes we mixed in glaze calc class on this one. It was from the "slop buckets," which are basically leftovers from our tests... but I had to try it on an actual piece, rather than just looking at test tiles. Kinda cool.

This one was from standard glazes we use in class. The dip on this one was a little sloppy, but I like the color combo, and I have to admit that the "sloppiness" of the piece is growing on me as I use it.

:)

This one is funny- it's not quite a plate, & not quite a bowl... I call it a "plowl." Ha ha! Experimenting w/ dipping & sponging on glaze to form a pattern, I thought this one turned out alright.

And, last but not least... the bears! It was crazy windy & blustery yesterday- too yucky to go out for a hike, so I stayed in & made bears most of the day. I do love making those little guys. :) In other clay news, the big bear made it out of the kiln intact (Yay!) & hopefully I'll get it glazed here in the next few weeks, depending on how the glaze testing goes. But in the meantime, I think I'll be taking a little well deserved clay break.

:)

Just a few pots from the end of the semester~ and in case you were wondering Potsplosions do happen!

Just showing a couple of finished pots from the end of the semester in my Micaceous Clay class~

Bean Pot

Large Salad Bowl

Salad Bowl~ Aerial View :)

Casserole Dish- Bisqued, but not Smoke Fired yet~ kinda funky handle!

And last but not least- just to show that Potsplosions do happen! And yes, that just happens to be my pot!  Now, I've seen pots crack... but I've never seen anything like this where the pot literally pulverizes... have you?!? I do have some theories (air bubble, clay not completely dry on the inside) but still I've never seen something quite like this. It made for some serious kiln vacuuming! All in all though, I've had a really good semester. There were a few issues with the commercial clay I was using (some trouble with the slip bubbling & popping off with testing the final pots on the stovetop, and some issues w/ fragility.) But the commercial clay company had switched the source & recipe... though I have heard they are switching back to the previous clay which I have used before without difficulty. Another remedy for next semester (YES! I am taking this class again!) is that I will try to use only natural clay, hand dug in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. It's a lot more pricey $100 per 50 pounds vs $16 for the commercial, but I think the pay off will be worth it! I do have one more project I was working on when the semester ended ( a larger wolf pup sculpture) but I didn't get a chance to fire it, though I am hoping to do so when the summer semester starts~ even though I won't be able to take classes this summer. Wish me luck & hope for no explosions~ I have had it sitting in my living room for the past week & have grown quite attached to it! Now that the semester has ended, I am back to working like crazy &  my family is visiting soon, so I'll be quite busy, but I'll post & visit when I can! Happy Summer, Everyone, & thanks for stopping by!

:)