Glaze Tests

At the Clay Guild there is a Last Call shelf, where wayward bisqued pieces that haven't been picked up in a certain amount of time get set on their way to the Dumpster.  There's a myriad of reasons these are left behind, but mostly because they aren't "good enough" to be glazed by the original maker, they've been forgotten, or they were practice pieces.  Most of these are wonky and/or very thick and/or have cracks in the bottom.

We have 22 glazes made in-house, and combining them can result in some fantastic colors, but taking a piece you've put a lot of time into and possibly ruining it by glazing it with an experimental combination isn't the most fun.  So I took these orphan forms right before they landed in the garbage and started throwing everything on them.  And that lead me to a long project I'm doing for the Clay Guild of a large test tiles wall.

My work, as well as other members', has benefited from these pieces and tiles.  It's sad to see people use the same boring one-coat glazes over and over again... (It's okay if that's your thing.  No judgment.)

White on top of green equals purple?

Wow, I love this one.

That pink has made its way into many of my newer pieces.  Chun and Turquiose I think.

Drooollll.   This has some rutile wash striped over the top.

I added blue mason stain to shino for this one.  A beautiful metallic happened!

With all these glazes to keep straight, I made many, many notes. (#orphanforms on my Instagram)

I cannot stress enough how important glaze notes are for your everyday work!

And in the spring I was able to start making actual tiles that I have been installing in the Clay Guild glaze room for everyone to use.  I have been getting a lot of big THANK YOUs, but to be honest, you guys, I did this for me and decided to share.  Happily, I've been seeing the combos coming out of the kiln by members far and wide and love how it changes the attitudes around glazing.  It took me three years to get only marginally comfortable glazing my work.  And I have SO MUCH to learn.

I'm filling in those holes as time allows.

In just a couple days I'm opening up my studio (well...mostly my back yard) and having a huge sale.  Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (event page here).  Fun thing: four kittens and a mama (who is a kitten herself) showed up at my house last week and I've been trying to catch and tame them.  Three and mama are currently living in my studio (got mom fixed yesterday!) and they are a speed bump in my preparations.  These babes are about 10 weeks old and rambunctious in the cutest way.  So, if you're interested in a kitten, hit me up!  I'm looking for shelters that will take them because I'm in over my head a little.  

Anyhoo...see you this weekend?

Pecked: Winter 2018 and 2019

Over the cold winter months (and it was FREAKING COLD this winter) I started dreaming of spring very early.  I started making larger, more involved vessels...since I have literally dozens of vases, I decided to try out planters and sculptural pieces.  And then I became addicted to...pecking!

 I used all sorts of pointy-ended tools, including pencils, needles, porcupine quills, pens, and my fave...

 peach pits!

Spent the week of Thanksgiving working on this one.

The carving and pecking took a long time, but I listen to audio books and, as you've seen with my Orzos, enjoy repetition--nearly to the point of mania.

As most ceramic artists, especially the newbies, will tell you, glazing is hard and often the least fun step in the process.  It's "painting blind" as my friend and teacher Amy says.  Very true.

Because this...

Glazed up

Turns into this...

Basically what I wanted but it's still all a mystery to me.

More finished pieces...

detail

This one is NOT FOR SALE because it was the beginning of many good things.

See more from the Pecked collection on my website.

These are a natural step in the evolution of my work, using surface texture techniques from my Faces and moving into something else, because I don't stand still too long...

When you're stuck inside but still somehow have the itch to do something other than watch High Maintenance and Hoarders all day, good things can happen!

Contact me through my website if you're interested in purchasing anything.

And come see me Saturday night at the Kemper Museum for a Pop Up sale during their annual Block Party!  I'll have planters (other than these) and some other goodies...

Wake Up, Sleepyhead

So the blog has been quiet for a year now.  I've been lazy about writing.  I'm still making stuff, though!

Fast highlights I will elaborate on soon:

I've had many companies ask me to hang my work for the Now Showing program at ArtsKC.

I was in a group show at the KC Artists' Coalition.

I participated in Art Westport, the Plaza, and some smaller ceramics sales through the KC Clay Guild.

I've had some home projects, the biggest being completely gutting and remodeling my bathroom.

I've replaced my manic Dumpster diving with flower collecting (dubbed by a friend the Urban Flower Rescue Mission) both around empty lots in town and along country roads.

I've been making planters and larger vessels, and some cats!

Stay caught up on INSTAGRAM because that's my main show-off place right now...

And stay tuned.  Thanks for sticking by me.

Stoneware Cat Mug in Purple and White

Double dip with Copper Red on top and white on bottom.  Yes...Copper Red, depending on the oxygen in the kiln, goes blue or celedon.  We got a nice purply color here.  And I love where the glazes run together...yum yum.

stamped cone 10 half and half cat mug, recycled stoneware

stamped cone 10 half and half cat mug, recycled stoneware

stamped cone 10 half and half cat mug, recycled stoneware

stamped cone 10 half and half cat mug, recycled stoneware

Stoneware Cat Mug in Neutral

The next several posts share a series of mugs, pendants, vases, and tumblers that I made from cone 10 recycled stoneware that was put together at the KC Clay Guild.  Many of these are prototypes or test pieces (everything is a test piece for me!).  I'm still pretty unfamiliar with using cone 10 glazes--it is truly painting blind--because the high temperatures, amount of oxygen in certain parts of the kiln, and clay body makeup all react differently with every firing.  But that's what's fun about it! ...usually.

I made stamps with my digital vinyl cutter to impress cats into the clay and let the glaze fill in and highlight without any kind of wipe on/wipe off technique.

I really didn't know what I was going to be getting with this combo.  I think I was expecting a darker top half because the glaze is called "Carmel 14" but I'm quite pleased!

recycled cone 10 stoneware, half and half dip glaze

recycled cone 10 stoneware, half and half dip glaze

recycled cone 10 stoneware, half and half dip glaze

recycled cone 10 stoneware, half and half dip glaze

I'm putting stuff up on INSTAGRAM as I see fit and enjoy hearing from you!