Ceramic Slip Ware

It's always fun to find a new direction or revisit a forgotten/abandoned/neglected one. Sandstone buff clay body, layer of white slip and glazed with a celadon; I am happy. The one on top is the same but with a glaze called Archies Base and it is best combined with other glazes I think. The pink cast sort of "gets" me, in a less than happy way. So, I'll carry on with my Honest Functional Ware Quest.

Craigslist Weirdos and Heros

It's supposed to kind of rhyme; weirdos, heros...

I posted something recently and here come the weirdos...blah.

BUT

I responded to a listing...in Colorado (beware of scams, do not etc., etc.).

JACKPOT GIRLS AND BOYS!

These are so fun, they're textile blocks used for printing on fabric usually, but, wait, they work on clay too and I have been lurking and searching around for them (I don't do that Bay website) so it was not easy to find them. Just as a lark I tried craigslist, I didn't really hold out much hope.

BUT, there they were! The woman I purchased them from was super patient with me as I made decisions and she was generous too, anyway, I am now the proud owner of a nice selection of textile blocks. I bought them their own container so they won't get lost.

I plan to send her one of my first experiments; I do like the one in the photo, I hope she will too!

California Advancement for the Ceramic Arts

Well, the show is over folks...actually it was over a few weeks back! Here are some pictures I took of things that caught my attention. The colorful upright vessel is one made by Anna in my class. The others...I didn't catch their names.

They Come In Peace

It's a spacecraft people, no need to panic. First I threw 2 bowl shapes, let 'em dry a bit, smacked 'em together rim to rim and viola a space ship. Very crazy and fun. This is the mother ship, she'll be blue--ish.

I was encouraged to explore throwing large forms and combining them for even larger forms. I didn't know this would happen but it did.

Absolved of Sloth

Believe it or not, this is progress, slowly I am making headwayon the studio scene.

All is forgiven, it was a mistake, I am not guilty of sloth, LifeLoomsLarge has heard my confession and counseled me. Thank you! It's just time to get to work out there in the greenhouse. Neglect over several years and one big project on top of that left it a mess.

SO!

I wanted a ton of pea gravel; 1.25 c/y (engineer talk from my hubby), he helped me understand how much pea gravel that is. I want it anyway, a person can't have too much pea gravel can they? Instead I got a couple of 75#-ers and will spread it to see if my space needs a ton.

What do I want? A studio that doesn't leak (hahaha) - I can work on that, my nephew has offered to help me. A studio large enough to do wheel work, handbuilding, etc. with enough shelves - Lowes or Home Depot or Craigslist or even Freecycle can help. The space is sufficient but more shelves would be great. Water - have that but it needs some fine tuning.

Do I want to mix my own glazes? ????I don't know. It sure saves money...I was sort of trying to go the earthenware route for a while though...well, I'd just need the right frit I suppose.

It's vintage, can I sell it on E Bay??? Out it goes, last week my garbage can weighed a LOT, I put many bags of dried out clay into it as well as lots of other stuff like this E Bay vintage lot.

My girly basket from JoAnn, I think I can rinse my tools off and it will drain!

A girl needs some music, it looks funny I know. I'm going to see if I can find a decent station and just push the off or on button thru the paper. I have trashed 3 radios so far, this one is four. I saw a nice one with an ipod deck - there would go my ipod probably...

More 50/50 Tiles

These were fun, I am sort of getting into doors. The one of the left doesn't look like it does in person...

The one with the moon is a sort of mystery, the door stands alone seemingly without a structure behind it. I wonder what is on the other side. That's the whole idea in my head about doors, yeah, like that never occured to anyone else! A friend named Mary loaned me a book titled "Doors". Eye candy to a new door freak.

The Kimomo, The Heart and The Geometric

As day 50 approaches I find myself almost caught up. There are at least 10 tiles to go into a glaze firing and another 10 to be bisque fired. I continue to pray over the kilns when I start them!

The community college is in session once more so I have fired a kiln load there. My kiln is small, theirs is BIG. It's so much easier and Tiffany, the instructor is very understanding about my time frame urgency!

Shino Glazed Vessel

Today was a kiln opening and this is one of my favorite pots right now. I used a Shino glaze, the inside is all Shino-ey, the glaze developed a real alligator surface but pleasant. Tiffany says, "Shino first or pay the curse". So the first layer is Shino and I don't remember what the other glaze is that I put on over top, since I rarely have my notebook with me to record anything. In this case I am very sad that I didn't record it but Shino went on first....
I had a horrid week; bad deck (termites), someone swiped the side of my car as I drove south on 101 toward Redwood City (60+ mph), bad hair cut, so-so color, the dryer plug is wonky (won't run hot all the time), I was supposed to get the key for a meeting for a group of people and I forgot the key, it was the kind of week that I kept thinking that it can't get any worse BUT IT DID. Oh, yes, there was more. Muttering to myself, "This too shall pass"...

Las Vegas is Hot..What Else is New?

Gripe, gripe, gripe, too cold here, too hot there! Now it's hot here too, back home at the beach...September and October are the best times of the year here in case anyone is interested.

I made a jade green matte glaze, hmmm, it isn't so matte, it's kind of shiny. Never mind, it's not an ugly color and I kind of like it.

Green, Irish, frogs, they just seem to go together so nice so I put them all together. This is one jar...urn...container...lidded vessel that I'm very happy with. The lid fits like a dream and it's just a good size and everything. Can't resist playing with it, hence the frog, beach glass and Irish pendant!

Let The Journey Begin

More boats of course. Because who can make just one? I have this armada in mind. How many is an armada? One more thing to look up. We have to pick out the boat for our journey, which one fits us best? And off we go, no oars or rudder, just shove off into the deep water and let our boat take us where it will. The little turquoise one has a heart glued into it. Now I can't get it off; E6000 is a better glue when I don't want it to be...

Big Little Boat

Big Little Boat
Originally uploaded by sheilasthings

Well, I sanded this big little boat to make it distressed and old looking. There is a SKULL under the prow. It doesn't look like a pirate boat at all but I couldn't resist the skull. The little white beads just make it So Special!
I'm not sure if the fish is protecting the boat or if it's like the whale in the story of Jonah and the Whale....about to swallow it up.

Let's Fire Up Our Mazda's

I had this book/magazine once. Once is the operative word. Wish I could see that photo again. Filled with pots this group of wild?, crazy?, fun?, dangerous?, subversive?, drunk?, stoned?, sober?, pyromaniac? potters lit fire to a Mazda. Ya, ya, you heard me, used it like a kiln, fired the pots right inside the Mazda. It was a sight to behold.
I kind of like the idea of doing things like that, me, a grandma and everything.

I looked for the event recorded someplace on the Internet but found only this photo of a burnt Mazda, I don't think it's the same one but I wonder if that's what it looked like after the firing was complete.

This wasn't a Ceramics Monthly story, no, they don't look kindly upon that kind of behavior in Ceramics Monthly. You must have a studio and be serious about your "work".

How About a Nice Boat Ride?

I found a boat in my hand the other day. How did this happen? So I made a few more. Then after they were glazed I took one and played with it. My husband asked, "Does it float?" Filled the sink and yes, it floats, "It floats a little heavy," I said.

The symbolism of a boat is quite open to interpretation. Following is a list of interpretations; mainly from Internet information.
The boat:
Female
Transition from the material world to the spiritual world.
Holy Island
(Ocean being the unconscious)
Ship of the soul
A life saving shelter
Beatus (bateau): word meaning happy? Boat derived from beatus?
A divine being
Christian symbol of the church
Instrument for the souls exploration
Safe passage
Transition from one phase to another phase
Leaving safety of the known into the mystery of water
preceptors who help us to cross the ocean of Knowledge and to achieve our targets.

Hope…life of Pi; the boat being hope.

Well, isn't that nice, I think I'm going to like boat building.

My Minigama Continues

My Minigama Continues
Originally uploaded by sheilasthings

The walls are still growing. I've decided that I am making the walls too thick. What made me think they should be super thick? So, I am thinning them out as much as I can. My progress is so slow, the weather is chilly and overcast. It feels like a supreme effort to go outside and work in the cold. Oh, to have a studio. Wait a minute, I do have one it just looks like a greenhouse and the heat isn't turned on....
I am thinking about how I'll finish the outside, this should be fun!

The teapot exhibit at the de Young Museum was outstanding, outstanding, outstanding!!! What talent; I was in awe. One process I am always drawn to is unglazed porcelain decorated with black underglazes; as if it was used as a sheet of paper and the black looks like charcoal....there was a teapot there that had been decorated like that. Mmmm, nice. And I am a real sucker for the workhorse type of teapot, big and sturdy, no nonsense kind of guys. There were a couple of them too.

Telemarketers Nightmare

I wonder how that telemarketer I just talked to will tell the story. He asked, "Is Mr. So and So home" - my husband, I said, "No, he isn't here". So then he says, "Is this Mrs. So and So?" and I said, "No, I'm not home either". We hung up. I have been cracking myself up over that one.

Hey, I am sure having fun playing around with making these ceramic rattles! I fired it in a primitive sawdust firing after decorating it and bisque firing...Looks kind of mysterious and old I think. I had a hard time decorating it since I didn't have the perfect beads. I don't even know what the perfect beads are, but I will know once I see them.

Christmas is sneaking up on me.

Here I Go Again - Teapot 2

Attempt two. I have thrown 2 lids; even though they are both capable of fitting this pot I think that the larger one is the right one for this vessel. The spout is kind of "iffy" I think. Tiffany suggested that I make one side of the spout smoother for pouring. Well, not smoother, I can't explain. After this has dried a little more I can trim the bottom of the body and attach the spout and the handle and set the lid into place to dry. When I set the lid into place the pot and the lid dry together and make for a better fit. I guess that the spouts have excellent memories and like to "unwind" from their throwing so we'll see. Once into the fire any number of surprising things can happen!
There are such a number of elements that go into a teapot that it makes for an excellent test; not only of throwing ability but design and lastly; creativity. I have teapots in my head now that are not entirely functional but that are just plain fun!

Caution, Teapot in Progress

Yesterday I started my teapot journey. I am so happy with my first attempt. I threw it kind of like the man, Tim, in the Utube video. First the lid (which is backward from the way I usually make lids)...then the spout and then the body. I must apply the handle today. I couldn't leave it alone this morning; as I removed the plastic from it I bumped the handle on the lid and made a boo-boo. I get angry at my own impatience! Now it will be ugly and all of that. Well, that's not so, it is a perfectly fine teapot so far....

More Fish at The Beach

Ok, this is the only other fish that I have taken to the beach. I am happy with the way that they look there though so it may become a habit. Nothing surprises the locals and tourists will have a story about a strange woman at the beach with ceramic fish I suppose.

A request has been made for "stripers" - not strippers; the stripers are striped bass that fishermen and women catch here at the beach. So eventually I hope to have a few to show here.

Life is good. More to come.

Fish 101

Hi,
Welcome to my new blog, if you are wondering what the fish are all about, well, I make these fish out of clay and I took these two to the beach to have their photos taken.

Each fish is rolled out of a slab of clay and I cut them out freehand which keeps each one unique. The red ones are low fired, some are raku fired and some are stoneware. I incise lines into many of them to represent scales and some of them have scales applied one at a time. I sell them at local art and craft fairs usually in the fall. The men always come to look and want to talk about fish, but the women are the buyers!!!
Thanks for looking and I will add more fish or other creations as time goes along.