Making connections
Handbuilt Bowl with text stamped glazed
Is it really Friday already? Time seems to be set on fast forward right now, ‘cuz it’s really flying! This bowl is from the archives [well sort of] - late January, I made some slab built projects inspired by a Bill Van Gilder video I watched. Simple projects that aren’t too difficult to reproduce.
Hand built bowl with text stamp
This bowl was basically constructed using a slab of clay which I draped over a wood block and allowed to set up before removing the block. Any type or shape of support could be used for different types of plates, bowls or platters – more infinite possibilities.
Side view of bowl
I was a little worried about the very wide rim slumping in the glaze fire, but was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t. I did use a ^6 white stoneware that I purchased from Mile Hi Ceramics called “Ash” that I like a lot. I use it for almost all my hand built work now a days. I don’t like to throw with Ash, however because of the extra grog. I suppose I’m spoiled by silky smooth porcelain clays I’ve been using.
Me on left and Deb Babcock in her studio/gallery
While I was in Steamboat Springs, CO last week, I arranged to catch up with Deb Babcock – fellow Etsy Mud Team Member and potter. Last Thursday, after skiing in the am and needing to rest my burning thighs thanks to 17″ of new powder, I took the afternoon off and went into town to meet Deb. She has a great studio space that also serves as gallery/shop space in a strip mall enroute to the ski hill. I was impressed with how bright and spacious her studio is compared to my dingy garagio. She works right in the middle of her shop, but keeps it very tidy due to the retail aspect of her studio. Very cool and creative use of space. It was interesting to learn that 33% of her income comes from Etsy sales and the rest from her shop and local shows. Her busy time is surprisingly Summer/Fall thanks to the enormous snow drifts piled high in front of the shop – but not so surprising since my favorite time to visit the mountains is in the summer!
I really enjoyed meeting a fellow potter and learning how Deb makes it work. And, I am enjoying my new hand built Blue Sky Pottery mug that I purchased from her shop – the photographs in her Etsy shop don’t do her work justice.
Have a great weekend,
~Cynthia
P.S. I’m not sure I like the new WordPress Theme or not – but I was getting bored of the old one. I’m still adding stuff to my side bars, including some music that I’m really groovin’ on right now (that’s coming, I have to reduce the file sizes – so nothing yet). It looks pretty good in Firefox (my browser of choice), but like crap in Internet Explorer. So, if you’re reading this in IE, my apologies – I need to get under the hood and mess with the coding a bit to clean it up. What the hell – why can’t code look the same accross all browsers? That’s hooey.
Slab Built Clay Projects
Lino-Cut Printed Covered Box
I finished the lino-cut printed box on Wednesday and sort of like how it turned out. When I make another, I plan on making the feet larger because I would like to see it raised up just a tad more. I also incorporated the printed flower motif into the knob which works – after bisque firing, it will be decision time in regards to glaze firing since this is always a stumper for me.
In the meantime, I borrowed a Bill van Gilder DVD from the Colorado Potters Guild library about a week ago. The video was produced in 2008 by the Jackson Pottery & Clay Guild and the Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History and is titled Bill van Gilder The Functional Pot: Tips, Tools & Techniques. I haven’t watched the entire video yet, but based on what I have watched, Bill has some excellent tips and techniques that he shares with viewers. I think I’d like him in real life – he seems genuine and down to earth.
Slab Bowl with Stamps
This shallow Square shaped bowl is one of the projects that he shares on the DVD – easy to make, and is endlessly customizable to suit one’s style. I just happened to have some rubber stamps sitting around to test adding texture to the project. I rolled out a slab about 8″ square and then centered the slab over a 2″ block of wood. Where it dried inverted until it was leather hard.
Side View of Slab Bowl
The side view of the bowl is pretty dramatic since I gave this a fairly wide rim. I did use stoneware clay in the hopes that the rim won’t slump during glaze firing – but I suppose the results of this experiment will dictate the rim size for future bowls. I also added feet to the base to raise it off the table top ever so slightly.
Oval Slab Bowl with Handles
This oval shaped bowl was also a project that he demoed in the video – and I just happened to have a form that I was able to use to mimic his project. I added hollow shaped slab handles to each end. I can’t remember if he added handles to his or not – he might have used coil handles since he demoed that technique quite a bit in the video.
Oval Slab Bowl with Handles Side View
After taking this photo, I adjusted the height of the left handle to match the right one which sits at a lower angle. Sometimes, my eyes don’t see what the camera does and vice versa. I debated whether to add feet, or a rolled foot to the base, but I knew that I wanted to raise it off the table surface for glazing purposes. When I’ve made slab bowls in the past, that’s one thing I’ve wanted to correct because when there’s a flat expanse in contact with a table top or kiln shelf, it makes glazing a pain in the behind.
Now, I really have to run. My daughter in interviewing at the Denver Center for International Studies this morning for middle school and we don’t want to be late….
Have a great weekend,
~Cynthia
Wiggle Wire Tool
Homemade Wiggle Wire Tool
I’ve noticed that quite a few people use a “wiggle wire” to cut their freshly thrown mugs off of the pottery wheel head which gives the bottom textural interest and also negates the need to trim a foot. I’ve wanted to try one for quite awhile and decided to attempt making a homemade one myself after I came up empty handed at my local ceramic supplier. I could order the Bill Van Gilder Wiggle Wire Tool online, but then I remembered that Emily writes a lot of tool reviews and “how to’s” so I went in search of a wiggle tool on her site. Lo and behold, I hit pay dirt!
I looked around my studio which also happens to be the woodworking/tool shop and gathered many of the tools and supplies I thought I might need to make one. The following images show how I made my wiggle wire tool – click on an image to enlarge.
Emily has a great list of resources of where to find wire to make a custom cut off wire tool on her blog. While making mine, I improvised and ended up using a fairly thick 19 gauge wire I had lying around the garage which makes it very sturdy – but after a quick web search, also found coiled springs at automotive shops online, hardware stores and other non-pottery general purpose shops. I tried using some thinner beading wire, but it was too fine and didn’t hold its shape. I also vaguely remember reading a tutorial in a clay magazine that suggested using piano wire – but since a piano shop is not on my regular route, I decided to skip this outlet.
Meanwhile, I did a little housekeeping yesterday – not actually cleaning my home, but rather straightening up all the files on my computer including documents, desktop, programs, email addresses, photos etc. I feel so much better now and can actually find what I’m looking for easily which should help me be more productive. I made & organized folders and deleted old files, duplicates, and addresses I don’t recognize and then did a complete maintenance clean up of my system.
This coming week, I have Monday – Friday, 9am – 3pm to work in the studio while my daughter is in school and I’m looking forward to getting back in the swing of things. I need to make work for 2 local Colorado galleries, and the Colorado Potters Guild Fall Sale is fast approaching – not to mention the holidays. I know I’ve written about Wholesalecrafts.com before, and this weekend I made the decision to drop this sales outlet. I took a hard look at my schedule & priorities and realize that at this point in my life, I just don’t have the time to devote to adding more obligations on top of everything else. It’s too much stress and that’s no way to live.
As my daughter grows older, needs me less, and eventually leaves home, I know there will be plenty of time to build a full time career out of clay. In the meantime, I’ll nurture my part time foray into clay and my patch work quilt of a life making ceramic work, being a mom, teaching, subbing and volunteering. Geez, in the past 2.75 years of blogging, I’ve learned so much about myself, my limitations, my inspiration and where I want to go and what I want to accomplish. It’s been a weird, exhilarating and humbling ride.
Have a great week,
~Cynthia
Coming soon to my website: glaze recipes, gallery images, how to’s!
