Bears & Pots~ Works in Progress...

Thought I'd squeeze out a quick update for friends who have been asking why I haven't been updating my blog. Well... you know... the usual~ I've been busy! In between clay classes & work, I really haven't had time for much else. Still working on that "balance" thing, & have to admit I'm not even close to mastering it. Lately it seems I am anything but balanced & my current obsession with clay is taking any spare time I might have. It's just that I feel this hunger to learn as much as I can as quickly as I can, and to do this, I feel I really need to put in hours. So, any time I am not at work, I am either in the clay studio, or working on clay at home. Things like blogging, grocery shopping, even my beloved hiking has been placed on the back burner. Anyhow, this is what I've been up to in my hand building class~

Project #1

22 inch coiled vase, using the template I made as guide. It was a fairly rough start...

but it shaped up nicely. It has since been bisqued & is waiting for me to glaze it.

Project #2~

Self-Directed Coil Project

(You knew I'd make a bear, didn't you?) There are things I liked & things I didn't like about this one, but overall I'm pretty happy with it. I haven't gone quite this large with a coiled piece before, so there is definitely a learning curve. This one has been bisqued & glazed & is now in the Soda Kiln... anxious to see how it turns out next week! 

(Fingers Crossed!)

Project #3~ 

Another Coiled Bear. (My plan is to keep working on these until I can reach some level of consistency & mastery on how I want them to look with different postures & poses.)

I really wanted the head to be turning to look behind him... and that proved to be quite a challenge on a larger piece!

While it turned out differently that what I had envisioned,

I am pretty much in love with the curves & lines on this piece. It just went in the bisque kiln today... again, fingers crossed!

(Project #4 is still in progress & will likely have a post all it's own. Challenge is an understatement: think 100 pounds of solid clay. I have already put in somewhere around 20+ hours & not even close to finished- Good grief!)

In addition to my hand building class, I have been hard at work in my latest Micaceous class as well.

Various Pots in Progress~

Water scraping~

Sanding~

Polished Pots~

And bisqued pots awaiting either Pit fire or Raku... I'm not sure yet how the firing schedule will go, but am hoping to get at least a few pots in the Raku Kiln.

I've only got about 9 pots finished this term... not a lot considering I started 3 of them before the semester started. This class is only once a week for 8 weeks & there are only 2 classes remaining, so I won't really have time to start any more this time around, so I've just got to be happy with what I've got.

:)

Hoping to get some actual finished work posted in the next week or two.

Until next time...

Belated Mica Clay Class Results :)

I know... Finally!!

Though my class ended in July...  I'm just getting around to posting my pots from the Micaceous Clay class I took this Spring/Summer at my instructor's studio. (What can I say... it's been a busy summer!)

There were only a couple of us in class, so I really feel I learned a lot this time around & I was really pleased with the way this group of pots turned out. I'm not going to post all the pics of process & production (though I am all about process... it would just make for too many photographs... you'll just have to trust my words... these hand coiled pots are extremely labor intensive!) I am settling instead for showing you some of the pots as they are coming out of the fire, during testing & a few "studio' shots at the end.

:)

Pots being fired above, and fresh out of the fire below.

Above, most of the fired pots, though a couple were still in reduction. (To reduce the pot, you take it out of the fire & place in a closed receptacle like a metal trash can, along with sawdust & newspaper. It ignites immediately & when the lid is closed it starves the air of oxygen, and the result is a blackened pot.)

Once my pots are home, I test them all to make sure they all hold & boil water. I have to admit, I am kind of in love with these pots! First off, in my humble opinion, they are just gorgeous! Secondly they are a highly functional piece of fine art. And thirdly, cooking in a pot you made yourself is just, well... cool, let's face it.

...

As you know I like to document, so I wanted to "professionally" photograph each pot, as it helps me keep a visual log from where I started in clay, to where I'm at skill wise, as well as to identify areas in which I need improvement. Problem is, I don't have the proper lighting set up, so this can be a challenge. 

The traditional orangish pots w/ the smoke clouds photographed alright, but I had trouble getting the color & focus right on the blackened pots. They do look much more beautiful in person, and my photographs don't do them justice, but at least you get the gist of them.

 I was unable to get them all photographed in this fashion, as I left for California soon after these pots were fired, and I took several with me to be given as gifts to friends & family.

...

On a side note, yes, I am enrolled in another Micaceous Class this fall. This will be my 4th class in Micaceous... so I think it is fair to say that I am in love with this clay. While the labor intensity is beyond what I've experienced using other types of clays & other methods... I'm telling you, it all becomes worth it when you see the pots come out of the fire.

:)

I also wanted to give another special thanks to my Micaceous Clay Instructor/Mentor Brian Grossnickle, who won't be teaching at SFCC this time around. Thanks so much for sharing all your knowledge & expertise so openly with your students... and for firing our pots so beautifully. I always will keep in mind that "Symmetry is overrated," (though I am sure I will still strive for it!) and will try my best not to be a limp wristed potter :)

You will be missed!

High Sierra Solo~ Part 3 of 3: Over Donohue Pass & into Lyell Canyon

"I thank you God for this most amazing day,  for the leaping greenly spirits of trees, and for the blue dream of sky and for everything which is natural, which is infinite, which is yes."     

  ~e.e. cummings

The perfect quote for my 3rd day of hiking in the Sierra! I have to admit, this is my favorite section of the trail... I'm hiking through trees & meadows, and then gradually higher into the wide expanse of granite that reaches up to touch the pure blue sky. The following pictures were taken as I left my campsite & began hiking towards Donohue Pass. Gorgeous beyond gorgeous these views are, and while the pictures never do it justice, try clicking twice on any image for greater detail.
:)

Above, the clouds appear to be converging over the pass itself.

Climbing the pass, I look into the immense basin below, dotted with trees, streams & rock.

Higher still, everything below becomes "miniature," except the looming mountain ranges.

These views feed my soul, I stop often to breathe it all in.

Donohue Pass~ Elev. 11,056

Reaching the crest of Donohue Pass- it's a big pile of Granite & I love it!

The view to the left...

and to the right... simply awe-inspiring!

Looking to the valley below, I see how far I have to go to my next camp way off in the distance. I also have to descend 2,500 ft or so... a fair amount of down hill.

But that's not a worry... I have miles & miles of spectacular scenery along the way.

:)

Eventually I finish my descent from high & lofty places,

 and walk along Lyell Canyon for the last few miles before setting up camp.

Looking back over the mountains I've travelled, I am glad I am now lower as a quick storm passes through at higher elevations,

while I am settling in for the evening.

When morning comes I am treated to watching the sun come over the mountains to illuminate the day.

:)

My hike out was an easy & flat 6 miles, which gave my body a rest from the previous days of higher mileage with some major climbs & descents. I didn't take any pictures on the hike out, but if you'd like, you can see Lyell Canyon here, as my nephew & I used this trail as a starting point for our backpacking trip last year.

...

On a side note~

I am now back home & have started new clay classes already! I hope to get something clay related posted soon, but I'll also be daydreaming of a really BIG hike I'd like to do next year.

Stay tuned...

:)

High Sierra Solo~ Part 2 of 3: Alger Lakes past Waugh Lake

"Wilderness is not only a haven for native plants and animals but it is also a refuge from society. Its a place to go to hear the wind and little else, see the stars and the galaxies, smell the pine trees, feel the cold water, touch the sky and the ground at the same time." 

~John Muir

After a rather sleepless night (the full moon shone on my tent like a floodlight!) I pack up my gear & hit the trail. I do not see another soul until I reach Gem Lake. 

Leaving Alger Lakes.

I was really amazed at how many wildflowers there were along the trail, especially considering the low snow pack this season. I have no idea what this flower is, but I loved the Dr Suessy look of it.

:)

I paused often to check them out, though regretfully did not take many photos of them. I love how tiny & precious this group was.

The high point of the days hike took me through a stand of downed trees...

and then gently back down into tree line as I approached Gem Lake. In the distance, I get my first glimpse of Banner Peak- in the Ritter Range...

and a lovely view of Gem Lake, where I would later stop for lunch as well as fill up on water.

It's also where I would change out of my hiking shoes, & into my Chacos. (I had developed a couple of nice blisters from the inserts I had put in the shoes... I was tempted to show them to you... but figured I'd save you from the gross-out factor) I have nothing but good things to say about Chacos- my feet always feel so much better in them than boots & they have come with me on just about every backpacking trip I have ever done. They are surprisingly stable with an awesome Vibram hiking sole. As it turns out, I would finish the hike in these, as my hiking shoes which were secured to my pack turned out to be not so secure... at some point during one of my many breaks they seem to have jumped off my pack. Dang it!

Trail signs- I love them almost as much as I love maps!

Hiking along Waugh Lake for a few miles,

I meet & cross Rush Creek.

10 or so miles later, I reach my next camp. My campsite for night 2 was just perfect, really~ nestled in the trees just off the main trail... and not far beyond that, a perfect little creek for purifying water. Once again, I am tired from the days hike, but thankful my legs are still capable of carrying me over mountains & through valleys... I am always struck with a profound gratitude when I am out in the backcountry.

:)