Ceramics, Odds and Ends Edition

I made some footed bowls for the first time that weren't too bad...I got some Mid-Century melamine bowls from my mom and used them as a form to push balls of clay onto the sides and played with different glazes.  And of course I used bits and pieces of clay to make some jewelry.

Fresh from the kiln!

Four bowls made the same way with different stonewares,
cone 6 and cone 10, and different glaze techniques.
I call them Cloud Bowls because they especially look cloudy from the top.

I made a boatload of pendants with my left over clay and tried out new stamps
and glazes.  Then I strung them on leather cord and learned a little about tying
decorative knots.

Slip experiments...

I wound a strip of vinyl around their little bodies (slip was applied before bisque) and
then dipped them in white glaze.  After the glaze dried I pulled off the vinyl to reveal the
raw clay beneath.

The stencil experience looked silly during the process.

See previous post for BEFORE photos on those last images.

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.

Astro

Astro
flooring, acrylic paint, spray paint, vinyl
33 x 33 inches

This is my show piece--I rescued this sub-flooring from a Dumpster at 36th and Cherry here in my neighborhood (they let me really get anything I wanted from it--thanks, guys!).  I painted it white and stared at it for months and months.  Then I painted it every other color, sanded it a lot, and decided to add the hearts (white and metallic) when I knew it was meant to have Spunky Siren on it.  Many more layers of paint and sandings later, I added her lines in vinyl in three parts and painted inside the lines (mostly).  I added the final bling of metallic stars all over to give her a story--a story different for every viewer.