Weekend open house

This past weekend went well. About 50 people came through on Saturday, but only six came through on Sunday. It was raining all day, and the Packer game was on. Overall, I call it a success.

On Saturday, a neighbor came by with her son and daughter, and a bucket of clay that the little girl had dug from a creek bank in Monroe. The mother said, "She needs to talk to someone about clay." I let her throw a lump of it on the wheel, and she made a little cup. She is going to bring it back when it dries. Hopefully, when I fire it, it doesn't melt completely.

Ups and downs

My excitement when I opened the kiln was short-lived. When I got the front stacks unloaded, I found that most of the back was bloated badly. Pretty frustrating. I'm not sure why it happened, either. I may have not burned the carbon and/or the sulfur out completely, or I overfired. If anyone has expertise, please take a look and tell me what you think.

I did get some really nice stuff out of the kiln, though, and I really like how the test glazes turned out. The Shaner Oribe has especially caught my fancy. Half a success is better than none.

Recipes

I tested some glazes in my kiln this firing:

Shaner Turquoise Oribe (from Sam Hoffman's June/July/August 2005 Ceramic Monthly article):
Strontium Carbonate ... 9
Talc ... 4
Whiting ... 19
Custer Feldspar ... 28
EPK ... 3
Silica ... 37
___
100%
Add: Copper Carbonate 3%
Bentonite 2%

Euan Craig/Lee Love/my variation Oribe (from a ClayCraft post July 13, 2005):
Feldspar, NC-4 (Soda) ... 6
Nepheline Syenite ... 6
Calcium Carbonate ... 3
Kaolin ... 5
Woodash (from fireplace, mixed wood, unwashed, 30 mesh) ... 50
Silica ... 30
___
100%
Add: Copper Carbonate 5%

Rob's Green
Cornwall Stone ... 75
Whiting ... 18
Gerstley Borate ... 5
Copper Carbonate ... 10
Strontium Carbonate ... 7
Bentonite ... 2

Second firing done.

We fired the kiln again this past weekend. It is still cooling down, but we should be able to open it tomorrow evening. All are welcome to come to the opening and feel the still warm pots. I just peaked in and things look good. Many thanks to those who came and helped.

I picked up the new sign for Elemental Pottery today, just in time for the 14 South Artist Tour this weekend. Saturday and Sunday I will be giving demonstrations and tours, and the new pottery will be available for purchase. Even though I am the only artist involved in the tour in Brodhead, there are dozens of other artists within 30 miles of here. Visit www.14southartists.com for more information.

Hope to see you all this weekend!

I've been published!

This is from the Brodhead Independent Register, Sept. 14, 2005. Click on the picture for a larger version.

All covered

I put together the second firebox cover today. These should make closing up the kiln much easier. Hopefully the heat isn't too much for the cement. I also pulled out the grate bars, cleaned them up, and moved the better ones toward the back. I still have to get more wood, cut it, load the kiln, and brick the door before Friday. No problem!


Here's a picture of the glazed pots. Most of these are for Brady Lueck to pay him for building the frame for the kiln. The extras will be for sale during the 14 South Fall Tour coming up on Sept. 24th and 25th.

New workspace

I rearranged the greenhouse this week so I have a little more space to work. I will use this space mainly for storage, but will glaze in here, and in the cooler months, I may move the wheel out and throw here, too.

A week from now I should be ready to fire again. Wish me luck!

Mystery book

My Mom found this book in her church basement and gave it to me for my birthday. I have no idea what it says, but the pictures/plates are beautiful. There are 25 color plates and 12 black and white plates and there is a hand-stitched book included, all in a box with bone clasps. If anyone knows what this is or can translate it, leave a comment or email me. I can scan more pages if need be.

Click on the picture and then click the arrows to go through the seven pages.

Handles

Here are some scans of The Complete Potter's Companion (revised ed.) - Tony Birk. Click on the picture and then click the arrows to go through the four pages.

Moving along

I think I have enough pottery thrown to fill the kiln now. I threw some small cups today just to fill in the spaces and to do some test glazes on. Maybe one of the oribe glazes I've been thinking about.

This past weekend I helped Tony Winchester pack up his stuff. He is moving back to Iowa to be closer to his family. He gave me a bunch of stuff, including buckets, bricks, kiln shelf chunks, an old kiln that he got from Tom Hubbel (I may turn it into a bisque kiln one day), some clay, and a table. Man, does that guy know how to party! It was a little hard for me to keep up. I'm gonna miss driving out there.

Tomorrow, I think I am going to work on the collection box and the damper. Make it a little more airtight. I might start getting my glazing station ready, too.

Sore.

This past weekend went well. Click on the picture to see more.

I finally got most of my glaze materials from Laguna this week. Yesterday, I picked up two loads of wood from Sugar River Hardwoods, and today (my birthday) I'm pretty sore. I didn't realize how much work I was doing until I was done.

Well, before I can enjoy my delicious carrot cake, I have some work to do.

Busy weekend ahead

I'll be demonstrating at the Brodhead Covered Bridge Days tomorrow from 9am to about 1pm in front of the Artisans on the Square gallery. Then, it's back home to unload the wheel and load up the pottery and tent for the Tallman Art Festival. I've never even been to the Tallman House, so we will see how it goes.

I spent the day trimming plates and putting handles on mugs today. I want to throw enough stuff to fill the kiln by the end of the month. It would be nice to have a couple weeks to glaze and fix up the kiln some before the next planned firing of September 16-17.

Busy, busy, busy!

First firing

Well, the kiln has been fired, and was mostly a success. There were some problems - stalling, no draft, exploding pots, exhaustion - but we got through it. I have pictures up for all to see:

Firing:















Results:


























I need to make some changes for the next firing, and hopefully it doesn't take 34 hours again, but all-in-all I am happy.

Nearly ready to fire

Everything for my first firing is in the mail! I ordered my pyrometer and thermocouple from Omega Engineering and my posts and cones from Laguna last week. My shelves finally came last week too, so, unless something happens (knock on wood) the firing is still scheduled for the 29th through the 30th.

This picture shows one of the vases I made for this firing, and a little of what my small studio looks like. I had this shape in my head for a while, and I finally figured out how to make them. I'm not going to glaze them; rather, I am going to let the texture of the clay show, and will see what the ash will do to the raw surfaces. I also made a couple dozen small teabowls to spread throughout the kiln to see what effects the different areas of the kiln produce.

One more load of wood (just to be safe), a little more glazing, plus some minor work on the kiln is what I can do while I'm waiting for my deliveries. Check back - I will be updating!

Artist statement

I received by BFA in Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design from Dana College in 2001. While there I took two semesters of ceramics with Tom Hubbel and fell in love with the process of turning earth into form and beauty. After pursuing a career in Graphic Design, I decided a desk job wasn't for me. I needed to express my ideas in more active, "hands-on" ways. I took a job as a letterpress printer, which I still have and enjoy because of its tactile qualities, but it still wasn't enough of a creative outlet.

I had met Tony Winchester at the Cambridge Pottery Festival in 2002, and I knew he lived close, so I asked him if he needed an apprentice. He said yes, and I worked for him for six months. I now work out of my home, and having recently completed my wood-fired kiln, I am now a self-sustained potter.

The work I do is an extension of my fascination with the process of pottery. I embrace the unexpected. Simplicity of form and decoration is important to me. I create one-of-a-kind functional and non-functional pieces designed to be both visually pleasing and useful in daily life, while creating a cohesive body of work. I also try to be as environmentally responsible as possible, using waste-wood for fuel, and a minimal amount of electricity in the studio.

When I called Tony three years ago, I wasn't sure if the draw I felt toward pottery was anything more than a passing phase, but I still find my thirst for the pottery process continues to grow. I don't know where it's taking me, but I hope my pottery reflects my enjoyment of the ride.