Getting It Done

I am so jazzed!

It's been a very busy 2 weeks since the last post and lots of stuff has come and gone since the last post... I had work accepted into PBS's local on air Art auction (it's the big faceted canister that took out 2 kiln shelves in the process 4 weeks ago). This show was a big tado this year... the event organizers turned away lots of great artists this year so I'm feeling pretty good.

I made a huge mess in the studio over the past 2 weeks cutting a dozen billetts of stencils for 25 plus large and medium canisters for my local markets and a good number went twords creating yunomi for FetishGhost's BoneOrchard collection this fall too. This is going tobe the best load yet! (my wife just reminded me that I say that every single kiln load... yeah well.. but it is true!) Over 40 peices are being set aside the soda kiln (BIG, big mojo!) and another 30 are going to be glazed with this springs experimental cone 6 slips and glazes.

NEXT was the juring of art work for the local "Hands in Clay" exhibit. That was this Sunday and I am SO happy to have this behind me! Nearly everyone involved in this project has been really great to work with, but there have been a very small handful of people who seem to feel that this needed to be more difficult than it was. (I think it's a chemical thing...) Needless to say, it has been a learning experiace and I can't wait to do it again, (with out all of the speedbumps).

The show's jurors, Tom Collins and Bruno Kark, seemed to have alot of fun selecting the awards for the show. ( They were great sports and insparational optimists! THANKS GUYS!!! I can't wait for the workshop August 1st!)

My submission for the show, an urn titled "Winds of Icarus", took 3rd in the functional catagory. (that scores another Happy Dance). We even got the entire show installed before the end of the day. Still have to take down and move the art work on the walls, but hey. DONE IS DONE!

For a quick hoot, check out the time laps video of us setting up the show.

A Quick Look in the Box

I'm still sorting through and cleaning up works from the latest soda firing while I get caught-up with all of the gardening. There's a good amount of sell-able works, a few racers that I'll pull aside for summer exhibitions, and there is a fairly sizable number of losses. It's a fair trade for a first attempt at soda.

I can only hope the kiln gods are appeased for the next few loads. Matt and I are already anxious planning the next.

Secret Studio Sale

Ok ok... it's time to get around to doing this. I've been digging through my limited storage area looking for one particular canister and I've realized that I'm begining to have an inventory control problem.

I have little or no control, that's the problem.

At the bottom of the pile I had 2 crates of ware that hadn't seen the light of day for 3 years or more. I'm not hording work, I just forgot I had it.

Well... I really need to make room for this spring's new works, so it's Secret Studio Sale time! Stop by my RedGate site on Etsy and find a great deal in time for Mothers Day.

Ok ok... this is the last posting showing new works with the crawling glaze...
yeah right...

I just had to share these two small gift canisters really quickly. I traditionally offer this size locally as a "small nut jar". These just happen to be amazing! The crawling glaze separates and sinks in and fuses to the underlying glaze and body. They are beautiful in pictures, but they are luscious in your hand.

2-27 Kiln Load

Before I share what came out of this kiln load I really need to say something... Most people don’t realize how much risk is involved with creating studio ceramics. It’s really all old school alchemy. I stead of lead to gold, it’s clay to sellable work. (It really doesn’t sound as cool, I know, but still, it still takes a huge amount of study, confedence, and work.) I really felt that this was my riskiest kiln load of work to go through the studio in a good while. I loved all of the forms, and the slip stenciled designs were fantastic. It would have been so easy to push everything though with my “I pretty much know what I’m going to get” glazes that I’ve been working with over the past 9 months. But… I have a new glaze that I’ve been playing with. It's a generally untested glaze, but it’s proven to be an amazing glaze that breaks and crawls at cone 6. This load of work was designed to test this glaze’s interactions with most of my studio glazes. this is the point where I point out all of the beads of sweat, lots by the way, over this load of work. It's over 50 peices that will live or die when I open the kiln.

In a situation like this I quite honestly I would have been happy with a 50% loss ratio with this experiment. Hell, I’d have been happy with a 90% loss ratio. I had already seen what this glaze could produce and it would be worth loss just to get a handful of racers with it. I just didn’t know whether the racers I had made before were accidents of application and atmosphere, or whether my assumptions with this gaze were correct. Luckily I hit my marks with 6 out of 10 assumptions. There will be a few refires, but the bulk of this load is going up for sale. First come first serve, these really are amazing yunomi. A local venue has already laid claim to work that’s unsold by the 15th of March.

The first works I want to quickly note are the results of the Agate ware. These have been fired with a clear glaze. WoW! They really look great. The form’s true profile is pleasantly hidden by the marbling effect.
Love it! More in the next few day's...

Mixing Up a Simple Slip

Making a super simple slip starts with collecting up some of your trimming scraps from your current white bodied clay. You don't really need much... 300 grams is a good single batch amount to play with for starters. Multiply that by whatever number you might have in mind to experiment with other oxides and stain mixes.

Here comes the fun part... my kids joyously referred to this particular chore as "let's whack Daddy!" They volunteer for it every time and quite frankly, it's got me rather nervous, but it's got to be done so get whackn!

For this chore I use an old pair of blue jeans, (I know you were saving a pair for something like this). Just load up a leg with a manageable amount. You'll figure out how much is enough pretty quick. Special note, if you pack it too full your crotch will pop... really messy.
Now grab your trusty small hand sledge and just lightly pound the hell out of it. Like I said, my kids think this is hilarious.

This is still pretty chunky, but it'll work just fine.

At this point I feel I should point out another advantage of using crushed clay to make your mix... it's a lot easier to get an accurate weight ratio of clay to colorant you'll need.

I like strong colors, so I multiply the weight of my crushed clay by 5% to 10% to get the weight needed for my oxide colorant. Commercial stains seem to like the 10% to 15% ranges. It's really up to you how strong you like your colors. This is where you get out those test tiles and experiment.

Slowly add your crushed clay and oxide mix to the water. Keep at it, slowly building up an island in the center. The island will subside below the waterline as it pulls water into the mix. Keep adding your crushed clay mix until it all in there. Kind of give the tub a small shake to collapse the island one last time, and let the mix slake overnight. In the morning, just pour off the excess water and stir well and "Voila!" A simple slip.

Bronze Pour

Gosh I love bronze pours! I've done literally thousands of them and I still get all giddy just hearing the rumble and smell of a furnace. There's something that makes me feel all warm and fuzzy about pulling a 1900 degree pot of molten bronze out of the furnace.

High octane liquid potential.

I have to thank Sculptor and professor Gary Carlos for letting me help with these pours at Delta Community College in Stockton.
I had done a pretty good job putting out of my mind how much I enjoy the experience, but I think that's been blown... I'm hooked again. Damn!

the San Joaquin Potters Guild

This is a shout out to all my Guild friends here at home in Stockton. They are some of the most supportive friends an artist could have. Thanks everybody!

Check out their new blog! SJPottersGuild.blogspot.com