My Clay Station Kitchen & Makin' Pots w/ Mom

Trying to get a little "umph" back for blogging. Sure, I've still been photo documenting this whole time... just have other things going on & blogging has been placed on the back burner. Like anything else, blogging takes time, and as of late, that is something I feel perpetually short of!  But, since I originally started this blog to document progress (or, at times, lack thereof) through my artistic journey, I figure I'd better make a more concerted effort to continue... though I have to admit, postings & visits to other blogs may be a bit sporadic.

I knew you'd understand.

:)

Someone had asked about my setting up a clay station in the Kitchen- well obviously it is not the best choice- It is quite messy & can be quite a pain in the **s if I decide to get hungry & try to do anything crazy... like, you know, cook in the kitchen. But, for now, my options are somewhat limited, so I do the best I can w/ what I've got.

Below~ settin' up the station & getting to work on Micaceous Pots. I don't have that particular class this semester, but I gotta make them!

I do love hand coiling pots- it's a lot of work for sure, but I always am amazed when it really starts to look pot-like.

:)

At the point it begins to have a decent shape (though I probably could have done a bit better job on this one) I let it set up a few hours before adding the rim so I don't end up squatting my pot down... which I have been know to do on several occasions.

I added several more coils, because knowing me, I'd have to cut the rim a few times to get it fairly straight. The rim is a huge challenge!

At this point- I called it good & set it off to dry as I was getting ready to head off to San Diego to see the family. It just so happens that it was my Mom's birthday when I was visiting in January, and you know that the perfect gift for anyone on my list is a little something clay related. :) Since mom is extra special & has taken quite a liking to clay, in addition to giving her one of my favorite bowls from my last class... I got her a turnstile, tools... and you guessed it... a big ol bag of clay. (Because, really, who doesn't want mud for their birthday?!)

She was able to get a couple of days off work, and we had a pot building extravaganza!

:)

Our first pots taking shape. Dang it- I forgot to take pics of them when the rim was added! Arrgh! Anyhow, looking at the mess we created below, you can certainly see how much more prudent it is to do in the garage rather than the kitchen, but I digress.

Below is our second set of pots. Mom's on the right (wow, way to go, Mom!)

& mine on the left. I was pretty excited about that one, mainly because I was using a Puki that I had made in my last wheel throwing class for the base.

Water scraping pots---

Pots in the sun after water scraping.

That's as far as we got, since my visit was a short one. I think this is kinda the ugliest stage of the process for the pots, but I love them anyway. Once they are sanded, slip is applied & they're polished, they will take on a whole new (& hopefully beautiful) look. I hope to get these finished in the next few weeks, as well as another casserole I'm working on, but in the meantime I've started a couple more classes- Wheel Throwing II & Glaze Formulation- pretty fun & challenging so far... but won't really have anything to show for quite some time and wouldn't ya know it, my beloved digital SLR just went on the blink & is expected to be at the camera doc's for the next several weeks... so no photography either... unless it is of the point & shoot low resolution variety... :(

Not looking forward to that bill! Especially since I have been trying to work less & clay more, which has been a tough balancing act, to say the least. I keep telling people, "Once I get caught up, then I can live paycheck to paycheck!" Ah, the price of pursuing my artistic dreams....

:)

The Sky's the Limit

Ah, it has been so long since I last posted! Since arriving back from visiting my family, my time has been pretty much consumed by work, clay classes and various other things that need my attention... not much time/energy left for blogging. But driving home from class tonight I caught sight of this huge Lenticular Cloud formation over the Mountains of Santa Fe, and I wanted to share it :). I didn't have my camera with me, but was hoping this formation would stick around long enough for me to get home to get it & luckily it did, though let me tell you, these pictures do not do justice the scene as I observed it.  This series was taken in a range of 25 minutes or so~ from blue skies, to sunset glow, to dusk. I so appreciate the beauty of nature.

:) 

Welcome 2012 (yes, it's all about the clay!)

I actually got these piece back in 2011- two days before Christmas, but am just getting around to posting! As usual, I got some pieces back that I really loved (some of which became last minute gifts to co-workers) and some total junkers. To be expected I suppose, with all the glaze testing & mixing/overlapping of glazes that I was doing... and I love to experiment! Here they are, the good, the bad & the ugly!

:)

I took good (albeit messy) glaze notes, so I should be able to replicate the ones that I liked should I take another clay class @ SF Clay in the future.

Here are some of my favorites from the final batch~

... and some close ups below.

It was fun playing w/ different styles, clays, & glazes. On some I went for smoothness & perfection, like the ones above... while in others I went for a rougher, more raw & funky look~ like the ones below.

I do like the funkiness of the handle on this one. I gave it to one of my O.T. friends, who commented on the ergonomic feel of the handle.

:)

Experimenting w/ stamping & oxide stains above.

This bowl was a total experiment using several different glazes... I love how it turned out!

:)

It makes me think of a waterfall leading into a high alpine lake.

:)

Glazing in earth & sky.

:)

Even this one has an earthy feel to me. Reminds me of dark, wet granite covered in lichen.

On the inside I sponged on a different glaze~ I totally dig they way the two glazes blended & dripped down.

These two I'm keeping! I borrowed this glaze combo from one of the potters in the studio & I absolutely love it.

:)

Oh, and of course the bears~

Meh~ I think the glaze turned out o.k, but not one of my favorites pieces.

And the rough bear from many posts ago. The general shape & style of this one I like, but the glaze I think turned out so- so.

So that brings us up to date! My class ended several weeks ago... and I have been working like crazy ever since! (though I did squeeze in one Micaceous pot that I made in my "kitchen studio" but it is still in the very rough stage- so I'll save that for another post.)

Wishing you all the best in 2012!!

As for myself, I don't often make "resolutions" per se, but I would like to sit down & write out some goals for 2012.... and you can be sure they are going to include figuring out how to work less & do clay more! If you have any brilliant ideas on the subject, please share! Now, I'm off the computer to pack up- I'm headed west this morning! I'm off to see my family & dear friends, as I was unable to get out there during the Holidays...

Here's hoping your New Year is off to a wonderful start!

:)

Silent Night

It's always so festive in the Plaza at Christmas time! I hadn't yet been out walking the Plaza at night this December... it's been a little chilly for an evening stroll and I have to admit I've been a little partial to staying home in the evenings with a cup of hot chocolate! But after a bit of snow yesterday, I figured it would be the perfect time to get out for a little photography. So glad I did!

Wishing you all a very, very

Merry Christmas!!!

:)

Dreaming of a White Christmas...

Well, according to the weather forecast, it won't likely be snowing here on Christmas... but we did finally get a little snow this week! Not the 4-6 inches that was predicted (we started the week off with rain!) but enough to dust everything in a wintery white... a beautiful day to go out walking... and as luck would have it, I had the day off to do just that! 

 I walked around town for quite some time, in awe at the beauty of it all... smiling a goofy smile. It was one of those days where you just feel happy to be alive... and thankful to have the leisure time to enjoy it!

:)

It's Beginning to look a lot like Christmas... :)

Ok, perhaps this doesn't look like Christmas to most people, but to a clay loving Chica such as myself... it looks a whole lot like Christmas to me! Not to mention the fact that when you've been waiting in anticipation for weeks to see how your crazy glaze-dipping concoctions have turned out... well, It's kinda like that feeling the kids get waiting for Santa... hoping they get something from their Christmas list, and not for example, a lump of coal. Metaphorically speaking, I got both.

:)

I experimented with 4 different clay bodies and numerous glazes, which resulted in a large range of results, from super cool, to so ugly I'm glad I took good glaze notes so I'll know never to do that again!

Above~ a random sampling, and below, some of my favorites pieces.

This mug was my # 1 fave. I love the shape, size & glaze, but I especially love the handle. Have you ever notice how mugs fit in your hand? Some handles are two finger holds, some three, some four. The handle to hand fit often determines my favorite mugs.

The mug on the left was hand built & funky & I love it. The mug on the right was wheel thrown, way too small to be a proper coffee mug, but I totally dig the glaze combo.

Two of my favorite bowls.

:)

These? Well, I'm not the craziest about them. I've found with all the pieces I've gotten out of the kiln so far, the ones I like the best were made with darker clay bodies. These were done w/ a white clay, & I'm just not super excited about the way the lighter clay bodies interact w/ the glazes, and I tried a lot of different glaze combos! The feel to me is just not as earthy & natural as the effects achieved with the darker clays.

Above, a darker clay with a couple of different glazes works for me... a much more earthy feel.

And the finished bears~ I totally love them! 

:) 

 I tested different glazes on each one & came up w/ about 3 combos that I would definitely use again. 

My favorite!

:)

I've still got 2 larger bears & about 12 or so pieces (both white & dark clays) yet to glaze, which I'll get in to finish later during the week~ though those likely won't be out of the kiln 'til 2012! That's fine though, because I've got plenty to get started on for gifts... and have been as busy as a Christmas elf packing them up w/ goodies to ship "home" for Christmas!

Hope you're all having a wonderful December!

:)

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Well, not quite the Winter Wonderland that was predicted by the weather service, but enough to give us a fresh dusting of snow, and w/ temps in the low 30's today... perfect hiking weather! I took these while out hiking Picacho Peak today with a friend... it was a beautiful day to be out & about. Thankful for heat right about now, as our lows by monday night are predicted to be in the single digits & more snow on the way!

Hope you're all staying warm out there!

:)