Archive for the “Kid's Clay Projects” Category

I use a banding wheel to construct my slab built pottery

Today’s post is down and dirty - lots of pictures, little text.  Why?  I’m working away in the studio and my in-laws are visiting which makes finding time for online activity a difficult.  I’m still hand building work and thought I’d show you  my set up.  I tend to work on 4-6 mugs at a time now because it’s more efficient and it allows the clay to rest a bit while I go through the assembly line.

My tools are pretty basic.  I use a drywall board, banding wheel, X-acto knife, sponge, water, paper clay slip, scoring tool, wooden kitchen spoons (both ends), mini Kemper extruder for coils that I force into the joints, along with beverage at the ready and music or favorite podcasts.  What you don’t see is my wheel that is acting as the base of my work table.  That’s going to change today though since I feel like throwing a bit.

Fat bottomed mug

A prerequisite for any mug that I buy nowadays is that it has to have at least a 10 oz.+ capacity and a very stable wide bottom, capable of sitting on the arm rest of my sofa without spilling because this is my favorite place to drink the first cup of coffee of the morning while I wake up.  Most likely, you’ll find me answering emails, blogging and otherwise engaging in online activities in this very same spot.  Sometimes I even read the newspaper, but I’m currently taking a news sabbatical for a bit for my mental sanity.

Bottom

I’ve also been playing around with making the bottom of my work as interesting as the visible portion of a piece.

Same linocut - different shape

Bottom

Linocut used to print my mugs

Kid's Mugs 2nd - 5th grade

I really love teaching kids - they’re a lot of fun and very high energy.  We recently made “soup can” mugs for a project.  They’re a way for the kids to make something functional just for themselves, though, some of the kids were also making presents for their parents.

Pinch pot covered jars

Here’s a recent project - everyone went with a Halloween theme.  They will be glaze fired tomorrow or Sunday and I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

Gotta run, have a great weekend!

~Cynthia

Clay harp cutting tool

While I love to use the potter’s wheel to make work, I have found an equal affinity and enjoyment for hand building in the last 6 months.  I once had the opportunity to try a clay tool called a “harp” that a potter had purchased in the U.K. and I have been looking for the tool locally as well as online from US outlets every since.  It’s pretty cool and makes precise cuts on either pugged clay or pre-bagged commercial clay.  I found the tool online from a ceramic supplier in the U.K. and at this point, I might have to go ahead and bite the bullet and pay to have it shipped across the pond that divides the two countries.  The clay harp is notched on the sides and has a tension wire that adjusts up the notches or down as clay is cut.  I could probably rig something similar, but would really like to find this tool for my handbuilding work.  I apologize for the low res photo; it’s the only one I found on the internet.  So if you know of any U.S. store that carries something similar, please let me know - I’d be much obliged.

Love these colors - just threw this one in for fun

Meanwhile, the Colorado Potter’s Guild is hosting our annual Fall sale November 6, 7 and 8th - exactly 32 days from now.  After taking a bit of a studio hiatus, I need a plan to crank out some work in the next month to have a decent showing.  We’re allowed to bring a maximum of 105 pots, 10 of which can be sets of any size or kind.  I have about 10 pieces bisque fired so far, and have a lot of work to make in the next couple of weeks!

This morning, I pulled out my calendar in an attempt to figure out how I can make the remaining 95 pots in the next 15 days of working with wet clay in order to allow enough time to bisque and glaze the pieces.  This works out to roughly 6.33 pots a day if I don’t make any sets.  That sounds doable don’t you think?    I’ve allowed myself roughly 6 hours a day in the studio Monday - Friday for the next 2 weeks which will break down to about 9.5 pots a day if I don’t work on weekends.  I am making a list of basic forms that I’d like to include such as mugs, tumblers, bowls, platters, vases, covered boxes etc. and will try to come up with some reasonable numbers of each that I’d like to make for the sale in the next couple of days.  Given our current economy, I tend to think that smaller items will be bigger sellers than larger ones.  What do you think?

Earthenware bird by Carter 2nd grade

Meanwhile, my after school clay classes are coming along terrifically.  I opened the kiln Sunday and just love this piece.  I wish I could keep it!  Carter made this by making hollow sections out of pinch pots for the body and head - the other bits are solid.  The bird stands about 7 - 8 inches tall.

That’s it for today.  Have a great week,

~Cynthia

Yesterday, I finally nailed down a schedule for my after school clay class that I have decided to teach again this year.  If you’ve read any of the past month’s posts, you’ll know I have been on the fence about it - so it’s a relief for me to finally make a decision.  Instead of teaching twice a week like I did last school year, I have decided to teach one day a week this fall partly to help with burn out and also because my daughter has a super busy schedule this year including soccer practice twice a week, my clay class and a music class.  It means less of an income, but it frees up more time for me to make my own work during school hours - which is a good compromise if you ask me.

I have also been working on my website the past few days and uploaded the current enrollment form for my after school clay class to my Teaching Schedule page, along with a gallery of children’s art work which is a sub page of the teaching page. I’d be glad to hear any feedback if you have any.  Next up on  my agenda is to flesh out the gallery page for my own work which still shows under construction. Also, I am not sold on the current header image and am continuing to work on the theme template I’ve settled on.  I would like to have the colors of the little graphic icons and the text (titles, links, etc.) be in the same color family. I will be working on my website a little bit at a time when I have a spare moment or two and definitely don’t feel the same urgency as I did a few weeks ago after breaking my site.

The bear is really called “I see what you mean” by Lawrence Argent

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, I pulled my daughter out of school (with her teacher’s blessing) and headed downtown to see some of the sights and sounds of the Democratic National Convention that has taken over Denver this week.  I figured it is educational and  who knows when we’ll ever be in a city again where either party will be holding their convention.  First we traveled by light rail and went to the non partisan “American Presidential Experience” at Invesco Field.  There is so much security in town right now that it was like planes, trains and automobiles just to get there.  We were on foot from the light rail and ran into swat teams, secret service and all kinds of blocked streets which added quite a bit of travel time to our journey.  The Presidential Experience was interesting, but it is a commercial enterprise which devalues it just a bit for me.  I’m not sure I’d do it again, but my daughter enjoyed the event (especially touring through Air Force One, seeing an exact replica of the Oval Office, and seeing some of Jackie O’s Clothing) so I guess that’s what counts.

A normal 20 minute walk from Invesco Field to downtown Denver took us an hour because of road closures and other obstacles.  We arrived at our chosen lunch destination, The Market, bedraggled, hot and hungry.  Luckily the food there is delish and after refueling and cooling off, we set off for Robischon Gallery to see a political exhibit as a part of “Dialog: City” during the DNC.  In between, we saw some celebrities and almost literally ran into Senator Tom Daschle, and got caught up in all kinds of protest and demonstrators,  which was interesting but just a little disconcerting for my daughter who sort of lives in a protective bubble (like most kids should).

After spending some time at the gallery, we headed towards the convention center where many of the caucuses are taking place.  Surprisingly, we were allowed to go in and watch the caucuses after going through a security check point.  We wandered around from meeting room to meeting room and eventually went to a “watch” party which sounds way more exciting than it actually is.  We had intended to head on over to Civic Center Park where many of the demonstrators where camped out, but when I finally looked at my watch, it was 5:00 pm, so we decided to skip the park and catch a train back home.

Things are returning to “normal”,

~Cynthia