Shop Update

Saturday, March 20, at noon, I'm going to have a shop update--my first this year.  

I've been making a ton of new work.  Here's preview!

Hand drawn flower pieces...

Dogwood mug

Queen Anne's Lace vace

Some mug experiments...

Cinched-waist mugs

Always have to include cat heads!

Small and medium cat planters

Nubby planters for the upcoming plant season...

Nubby planters

And a new series, titled Cut and Push (CuPu for short) includes versatile vessels that can be used as vases, cups, or simply art pieces...I'll have a post about this process soon.

Turquoise CuPu vase

Large mouth CuPu vase

I will be sending out reminders all over social media, especially my Facebook and Instagram pages.  Let me know if you have questions about anything.  As always, thanks for your support.

Spring Ceramics, Drinking Vessel Edition

I continued working at the KC Clay Guild on handbuilt tumblers and mugs, even venturing into "pulled handle" territory, which is a fast way to knock you off any sort of "I'm getting the hang of this" high horse you might be riding on.  

When I was offered a copious amount of mason stain to use in my ceramic work from another artist, I took it, because I am a garbage disposal and waste is bad.  I mixed the stain in with slips and glazes to see what would happen, and I wasn't altogether disappointed! 

Yellow Ochre slip with white glaze on stoneware.
Available on Etsy.

These kitty stamped mugs are currently for sale at Purrfect Pets.

Pulled some handles on these and experimented with stains and stamping; white stoneware

Stained slip with a vinyl resist and white glaze, stoneware.

Sprayed glaze through a stencil I found in a Dumpster, stoneware.

Return of the Tab Tumblers!  I love how the cobalt runs with this clear glaze.

Beautiful nubs!  Made from a stamp made from a grate in my basement with
runny cobalt reactive clear and red glazes.
Available on Etsy.

More Cat Mugs

Still playing around with my digitally cut vinyl stamps.  I might have to (gasp!) go purchase some commercial glaze because I just don't love many of the colors the Clay Guild provides--that's why I do a lot of mixing mason stains and such. 

But these little guys are pretty cute, and once I get a large enough group I'm going to take them to Purrfect Pets in Overland Park--a wonderful cats only shelter that placed my foster kittens in a fabulous home last year.  They have a small boutique section where I have sold a few clocks as well.

cone 6 white stoneware, hand built, dipped antique green and purple with white inside and bottom

put some tea in this

or some coffee!

 INSTAGRAM IS MY FAVE!

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!

Ceramics: Everything Mugs

These are my "everything" mugs.  I also have "everything" vases.  I use my plethora of doodads to impress heavy designs into the clay while it's still a slab, then form it into a mug and add a handle.  Handles are difficult and I'm still working on my confidence making and attaching them, but these were a fun little run of mugs and I have a few left in my Etsy store if you're interested...

impressed with burlap, Mardi Gras beads, pipe, found ceramic insulator,some spring thing, and a wrench

hand for scale!

industrial hand file, wrench, conical gear, found ceramic insulator

found cabinet grate, stamp made from grate, popsicle stick, butt end of drill bit, pipe

mesh orange produce bag, typewriter hammers, found ceramic insulator, mysterious nut thing