Glaze

January is zooming down the road for me. It was weeks back when I was glazing to make sure we had Allison's tiles out of the kiln. Her presentation for her Senior project was due on the 4th of January and that meant we had to fill up the rest of the electric kiln. We wanted to try the white cone 6 clay from Takuro over at Star. Mark and I both made tiles with the clay, and I wanted to use the same glazes I have been using on Red Stone to see how they reacted with the white clay body. Some of them I really liked. And others I like better on the Red Stone. I thought the red stone adds a warmth, which I am sure comes from the iron in the clay body. The small flat tiles are out of the clay from Star and the edge of one of the pillow pots is out of the red stone. I also put some thin black over the red glaze to warm it up. I like the greens in the background on the white clay but thought the red a little washed out looking. A few years back I was teaching over at the Community College in Troy NC. I was working with 11 students. I use the term lightly because the youngest was 19, but the majority were closer to my age. They were all taking a special studies semester. Some were concentrating on throwing, some on Raku ( Tracey would have been a great help! ) And I had one who wanted to learn about glaze. I spent time with each person and talked about what and how we would proceed through the semester. I had them write up what they wanted to accomplish. The women who wanted to learn about glazes came to ask if she could just tell me. I really wanted her to write it down and the she pulled me aside and told me that she spoke good English, but her writing would be in Korean. A bit of a snag since I did not read Korean. She then pulled out a few photos of her work and I found out she had a degree in Ceramics. Her work was wonderful, and I was ready to become her student. But she needed to know how to mix a glaze, this was the one thing she had not learned. She had brought along her books for us to use on glazes which I took one look at and closed. Here again was the problem the books were in Korean as well. Do you read English I asked? Yes, she said. Here is the way to the library go and check out as many books as you like on glazes and let's start there. She and I were able to find a good footing on glazes and throwing skills. And the benefit was there was another teacher teaching the afternoon class who was teaching just glazing. The one thing I kept telling the students was to find a clay body first and glazes second. Testing on one body will and can give you entirely different results. How are you going to fire I would ask them; will you be using the school body? If not bring in the body you will be using. Are you going to fire gas, electric, wood? Low fire- high fire. These are all things I wished were presented to me when I was a student. I know I came out of school with recipes and little knowledge on glazes. They are still a bit of a mystery to me at times. For the electric work and the tile project I decided I would use ready mix bought glazes. I just did not feel I had the time for all the testing along with everything else I had going on. I have found that I like some of these premixed glazes. They are formulated to brush on well and are for the most part very stable. I don't think I would ever do this with my gas kiln, but I like the ease of this for the tiles. There are whole palettes of colors out there and I have begun to realize it is what you do with them and sometimes it is okay to "cheat" a little.

Allison's Tiles

Yesterday we had a great time hanging out with and enjoying the company of friends while eating good food for the New Year.
Of course we had our black eyed peas and greens.
What would a new year be without the great Southern tradition bringing luck and money.
I just would not miss them.
The added bonus is I like both.

While I was enjoying the conversation and food, Mark took it upon him self to make sure we had Allison's tiles fired for her to pick up tomorrow.
Did I tell you her deadline was Monday?
I was a little slack in my duties with picture sorting, blogs,Christmas, travel and such.
So between some food, conversation and a drink Mark went back to the shop to check the progress of the firing.
Now it is a computer kiln and if we wanted to we could have ignored it.
( like I was doing) but, we have not fired it but three times so far and we don't trust "all things which could start a fire while you are busy just plodding through life", since our fire in July 2008.
So Mark was able to finish up the kiln, catch a call from our daughter and come back and enjoy the rest of the afternoon.
I just love when someone else does the cooking.
Although I had a talk with myself the last time I grazed through the table.

So today we unloaded the first kiln of a new year and here are Allison's tiles.
She will pick them up tomorrow after taking her grandmother out to lunch.
I hope she is happy with the results.
I thought the two piece with the red,but I do love red, is pretty hot!





And please note I think I need to do a better job lining this one up. I can tell I have two of the tiles wrong.

Tiles and such

Tiles are in all stages of dry right now.
Allison's tiles are glazed and just waiting for Mark and me to finish up ours so we can fire.
I have done some of the pillow pots, from the nightgown series.
I was inspired by a nightgown which was hanging in my bathroom.
It is electric blue with these wild flowers all over it.
The flower got stuck in my head and needed to go somewhere.
They decided to come out on tiles and these pots to hang on the wall.
People keep asking what they are for.
I tell them just to look at- they have no use.
I think you need some pots that have no real purpose.
Just to add that splash to a room.
Mark had someone ask that other day and his response was, "to make you happy."
Nice- something to brighten the day.

While I am carving on my tiles Mark has picked up the brushes.
He had planned to carve the tiles below, but after laying down some red slip on the white clay body this is what came out.
How could you not like this?
It made me smile and think of how different we approach the tiles.
Me, I am all over them covering and carving.
I have plans for bright glaze.
Mark he takes his brush and with some well placed strokes......
Well- these tiles should make someone happy.


Allison's.......just waiting

I'll post some of the tiles finished but it is December.

Things move a lot slower here then other months.

A note on the white clay.

Linda Starr, the soon to be traveling potter, living in an RV and getting ready to hit the blue highways and visit potters all over the USA, asked about colors on the two clay bodies.

The glaze colors are completely different.

The iron in the red body adds color to the glazes, where the white body does not interfere with the true color of the glaze.

For different reasons I like both.

I will do some side by sides of the colors after I fire again.

I told you it's December- things slow to a crawl in December.

Visions of sugarplums and all that stuff.

Cheers!

Hey- it's December!

After a day working at the computer and service people in and out. I moved around well enough not to need a cane to help me balance.
Maybe the low dose of meds is helping.
My plan is to run some blanks for tiles today.
I have too many that need to come out of my head and I still don't think throwing would be wise.
Too much spinning.

This afternoon Allison, you all remember Allison ,will come in to put glaze on her tile.
I need to have some work to go around her work so I can get it through the kiln in time for her to snatch up a grade on her project.
It has been fun and interesting to work with someone whom I have know since the day she was born.
In fact on the day she was born Whynot Pottery closed so we could go to the hospital and hold her.
She was so tiny.
Now, she will graduate from High School and go to college.
In the blink of an eye.

And thanks all for the well wishes and encouragement.
I am amazed at the blogging "community."
Friends in far places, and yet, we are all connected by clay and our lives which are intertwined with that clay.
M

Ain't no mountain high enough....

It's Sunday in November and while many folks go to church, eat a nice dinner with the family or watch football, we are in the studio working away.
Now don't get me wrong I am not complaining.
Well, maybe a little.
We did talk to both kids on the phone, who are doing great thanks for asking.
And I did go sit through a board meeting this afternoon at the North Carolina Pottery Center.
The good new from the center is it is stable for now.
the bad news from the center is we can not stop raising the money it takes to keep the place going.
The NCPC is a wonderful place.
The exhibitions are always worth the trip and the latest one opens this Friday.
So if you are coming our way be sure to stop in and see what this place is all about.
I only got a foothold on the mountain of pots today, but the plan is to get in there early tomorrow and knock them out!

So here's some of Allison's tiles.
Enjoy!

Pinch me, it's November!

Rode wet and put up hard.

Run over by a Mac Truck.

Dog tired.

Pick any of the expressions above and you will know how the time change, quick trip to VA. and right back to work have me feeling today.

Hit by a ton of bricks.

Too many nights up past my bedtime.

But- today is a new day and after dreaming about trying to get somewhere over and over we are heading back into the studio to glaze the mountain of pots.

We did get a good start the last two days and we are both excited about unloading the bisque with the variety of vases that Mark decorated.

I want to get as many as possible in this firing.

Making something new is always exciting.

Yet- putting it through all the stages is nerve wracking.

Will this work- but what if we did this.

Have you tried this- I wonder if........

Meanwhile sweet Allison was here yesterday to clean up her tiles and put some lines in the back to make them easier to set later.

Now it's all in the drying.

I like the slow method for tiles. Long and slow.

So back under the plastic.

Yesterday she hung out to watch us glaze and ask questions.

It is interested to see what you do through someone else.

We just go on automatic pilot and glaze.

Zipping through the production line but slow waltzing through the one of a kind works.

I find glazing one of the hardest things to teach.

Keep the glaze stirred, all the time, hold the pot in this glaze to the count of 3, but that one to the count of 6 and that one just in and out.

Don't over think it but don't under think it as well.

Other news in and around Seagrove.

Everyone here is gearing up for the Celebration of Seagrove Potters. The Friday night Gala is selling tickets and getting great response. We have our booth number and somehow picked the same number as last year.

B-12. We are on vitamin row.

We won't be hard to find if you remember where we were last year.

The building has some changes which will allow folks to stand inside to check in. Come on in out of the cold.

Also the NCPC's last fund raiser, "Craft in America", after expense was just over 20K.The house party which raised the most money was the one here in Seagrove.

The potters could buy a membership for 20.00 that night, but many went beyond the call and added money to their membership.

As I looked over the list of house parties and donors, again I am stuck by how supportive the potters are.

We don't make a ton of money and times are tight, but they reached in again and gave.

Thanks to all who attended a party to support the center.

I am off to climb that mountain of pots.

Cheers!

Saturday in Whynot

I was asked to be a mentor for a High School student.
I thought about this and it was just too good of a chance to pass up.
I would not only be working with someone in High School, but she is the daughter of my best and longest friends in Seagrove.

This week Allison and I meet to talk about her project.
We decided she would take two of her designs and interpret them into clay tiles.










The first one she did was cut to 7.7 inches.

The second to be 4 -4x4's.

Thursday we rolled clay to cut for tiles.

Then Allison set to work to draw out her designs to fit her tiles.
First on paper and then on plastic.

Today she used her plastic templates to transfer her design to the clay.
I gave her some carving tools and about a ten second explanation of how to use them and she was off!
I was amazed at her confidence with the clay and the tools.
After carving today- we have them wrapped up tight to dry slowly.

She will be back next week and I will keep you posted on how they come out.

Meanwhile; pots are in the finally stages of drying.... more bisque coming up and then glaze, glaze, glaze!