Expecting the Unexpected

Another kilnload of question marks was fired off Saturday night. Sunday was spent pulling out the work and looking at it without expectation. Not always an easy thing to do, but after last weeks jaw drop, I'm at least expecting the unexpected.

Whoa!

Ahhh, I meant to do that...

That different...

Didn't mean to do that...

Lumpy bumpy...

Subtly cool

Glossy Clear Liner

20 G-200 Feldspar
20 Ferro Frit 3134
15 Wollastonite
20 EPK
6 Talc
19 Silica

The sample picture is of an agateware with the clear over it.

This is the simple Cone 6 clear liner base recipe that I've been using in my studio since 2005.

Very stable from cone 5 to cone 7.

To create my creamy white liner, I add 4% Tin Oxide.

Creating a Paper Stencil Part 1

Alright... I know I've shown the process before, but shooting the pictures for these stop motion "how to" videos are how my kids are earning their allowance at the moment and I'm still learning how to put it all together.

This demo is divided into 2 parts. I know I have a hard time sitting still longer than 4 minutes, so I've tried to keep each clip relatively short.

I've got lots of question marks with these videos, but my big question right now is... Does it need sound? I have my stereo blasting Miles Davis and Trombone Shorty while I'm sitting around slapping these videos together, so I assume that everyone else sitting at their computer has their own trax playing in the background.

Self doubt and second guessing always seems to lurk in the shadows, luckily it rarely keeps me from having fun!

Throwing AgateWare Yunomi

This is a short stop motion animation video the kids and I shot last weekend demonstrating the throwing of an "agateware" yunomi. This is a simple process of throwing two contrasting clays together to create a marvelously swirled effect directly in the clay body. I finally got around to pasting together a first draft to share....

Raku with Bruce

Another fun day spent with Bruce Cadman.

Man... I think that this guy really needs to wear a cape and mask, he seems to have way too much fun!

He did let me put in a piece in the raku kiln to see what might come out. I just sat back and took pictures…

Ahhhhh this is the good life! Where’s my whiskey and cigar?

Crawl and Soda

The morning was spent finally posting a handful of canisters into my Etsy shop.

A little cone 6 crawl...

and a spot of cone 10 soda...

Now I just wish I could find my stride on writing those darn descriptions.

BoneOrchard TeaWare

The studio has been a flurry of activity over the past 3 weeks. Between all of the hours and hours spent blissfully gardening, 28 cubic feet of bisque has been put through the kiln and 17 cubic feet of glaze has gone through as well. Well over half of that work was in prep for an experimental soda firing this weekend at Clay Planet in Santa Rosa, CA. with Matt Brown from Moss Beach Ceramics, (more on that in a later post). Finished works are finally beginning to flow out of the studio again. Most joyously, I’ve been very happy with the new works coming out of the kiln for my BoneOrchard collection of teaware. Here are a few works selected from the last firing that will be available at FetishGhost’s Etsy storefront.

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.

March Cairn

I've been patiently letting this winters cairns dry over the past 2 months. Three of Decembers cairns were dry enough to begin working their way though the kiln earlier this week. Even with long slow bisque, I was waiting to hear the "PoP!" in the middle of the night. The bisque was Wednesday, and I fired off the second leg of the project last night. This was the first glazing for the 3 works. One was designed as a multi-fired piece, needing at least one more trip through. Another has options... involving decals and a re-fire. The 3rd is what's shown here and might stop at this point, or I might try a low-fired blob of lipstick red crowning it's top. That's the problem with sculptural works... lots of fidget room.

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...

EMT Stamp Exchange part 2

Yeah! I got my stamps today! They are beautiful... Thank you Charan!

If you are not familiar with Charan's work you should check out his website at http://www.creativewithclay.com/
or his blog at http://www.creativewithclay.blogspot.com/

His craftmanship is impeccable and his designs are top notch!

I've set them by my computer so I can look at them and plot how I'm going to begin making use of these little wonders. I can feel my world shifting with all of the possibilities! Just another hour or 2 until it's studio time. I can hardly wait...

These are what I got in the mail. The results of a group stamp swap for the Etsy Mud Team. I sent out mine just the other day...
If you would like to see the photos of everyone's stamps, just give this a click.

Experessions

After 5 days of Ibuprofen & Hydrocodone to help with a hurt back, I’ve got to celebrate this small victory by saying “Yes!” The 2 vases submitted for the “Expressions” show in Tracy, CA. sold last week! Happy dance! Doh! Ouch…

Secret Studio Sale

Scorpio's LateNight Static Sale priced at $18

I’m starting the Secret Studio Sale project to highlight some of my personal favorite works from my studios inventories. I’m offering to share a few of these selected racers one at a time at a price temporally set to get them in your hands. These pieces really need to be handled to be appreciated. They are top quality examples of my pursuit of excellence and craftsmanship.

Click the photo for the link to my Etsy shop. Check back here over the next few weeks for a link to the current Secret Studio Sale item.

Your purchases goes towards helping fund my community activities that promote the Studio Arts in Northern California's central valley.

Thanks!
-Zygote-

EMT Stamp exchange

I love the Etsy Mud Team! This team has been one of my studios’ best sources for information, inspiration, and friendship. That’s a lot to get out of a group!

I really should save this rave for a different soapbox moment though…

This is a quick posting showing what the studio is throwing on the pile for this season’s group exchange. They’ve decided to make and exchange bisque stamps this time; I love stamps, so naturally I wanted in on this project. I guess mine are should be considered sprigg moulds rather than stamps, but hey… I’ve always been difficult.
If you would like to see how I commonly use a sprigg mould in my work check out this past post. Click Here.

If you'd like to see what everyone elce is throwing on the pile, click this.

If you would like to see a really great stamp making tutorial by LaPellaPottery Click Here.

Other wise…

Licks, Love, & Luck…
-Zygote-

Struggles of Love

This series was done in all playfulness mixed with a dash of beaming Love… we live to create.

Oh yeah... they aren't poly wogs.

Expressions -- Tracy Art League's Annual Juried Art Show

The spring shows are getting into gear here in Northern Cali. They are popping up like winter Hyacinths. I know technically its still winter somewhere else… but hey, the trees are budding to bloom in a week so it’s spring for me! I got a little thrown off my step two weeks ago with a surprise call to travel back home for a family funeral and missed the shipping dates for 3 major shows in one swoop. Doh!
Ever onward… Still recovering from last night’s gala fundraiser for the TideWater Gallery, I drove down to Tracy to submit 2 budvases to the Tracey Art League Spring Annual. I’m not hoping to win any prizes, but I did price to sell. I’d be nice to cover the cost of the entry fee and gas to get there. Still, it’s fun to play in someone else’s sandbox.

I Love a Great Racer!

“Racers” are my top-shelf items. These are what I consider to be either exceptional gallery quality work or work that I consider pivotal for my studio. The latter usually means making a leap of faith combined with a touch of experience to steer the results to a dramatic finish. This is generally how I make head way. It’s usually rather self indulgent I admit… but it is what I live for.

These are experiments using a new crawl and texture glaze. When this glaze works, it’s amazing! But it doesn't always work.

Here are 3 racers from this week's firings.