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.
Back to the studio
I ain't rolling no pie crust – excuse my poor grammar
We’re back home from our mini ski vacation and I am back in the studio in a last minute attempt to crank out work for the Colorado Potters Guild show opening April 30th. I’m starting with the more labor intensive, but popular hand-built items like mugs and boxes and will follow up with wheel thrown work next week – this should allow me enough time to bisque and glaze fire everything in time for the opening. Last fall, visitors were very sad that I didn’t bring more covered boxes. I guess that’s a good thing. 
Hand-building square bottomed mugs
I haven’t made any hand-built mugs in awhile, and decided to ease into production by making two mugs yesterday afternoon. I’m using lino-cuts that I fashioned in the shape of my paper templates to make these mugs. I have some ideas for more lino-cuts to expand the line a bit, but I’m not sure that I’ll have time this go around. That activity might have to wait till after the show. I do have 4 lino-cuts though and several soft textures to work with – what do you think – should I make 4-6 of each?
I worked on two at a time to get back into the swing of things
One of the tricky things (for me) in regards to hand-building mugs is to get nice almost seamless interiors and a smooth rim. I used a bit of plastic from a dry cleaning bag and some water to smooth the rim like I do when I throw in an attempt to compress and round the edges of the mugs so that they will be unobtrusive to the user. I also weight the mugs down with some wood boards to keep them from warping while they dry.
Mugs are finished
Voilá, handles are attached and the mugs are ready to begin the drying process. I used the exact same texture for the handles, just with different orientations – I’m not sure which one I like better. There are infinite possibilities just using the same template and textures depending on orientation for a mug or anything else for that matter.
View from the condo where we stayed in Steamboat
After an incredibly mild and fairly warm winter, Colorado has fortunately been graced with snow and lots of it these past 7 days which should help ease the impending summer drought fears just a little bit. While we were in Steamboat Springs for vacation last week, we experienced snowy gray days for all but our last day. Imagine our surprise when we woke up our final day and actually saw the view outside the condo we were staying at – gorgeous! Up until then, we hadn’t been able to see much past the cabin in the foreground. If you click on the enlarged photo,you can even get a peak of a hot air balloon in the distance that was making its way across the valley. We had a great time and the snow was terrific for skiing, but alas, there’s no place like home.
I’ve been on the computer way too long this morning after waking to snow again – but the sky is blue which means that it’s time for me to head to the garagio for the day.
Glad to be back,
~Cynthia
Posting from Steamboat Springs, CO
Me skiing in Steamboat – photo courtesy of my hubby
It’s spring break for Denver Public School families, so my family and I decided to take a trip into the heart of the Rocky Mountains to do a little skiing. Originally, I was going to attempt snow boarding, but chickened out at the last minute…maybe next time. I decided to err on the side of safety this time around and am using a helmet for the first time ever – and yes my actions are inspired by the recent tragic death of actress, Nastasha Richardson. I wear a seat belt in my car and a helmet when I ride my bike, so it makes sense to wear one on the slopes as well. I sort of like it. I’m not a huge fan of skiing in inclement conditions, but with the helmet on I feel drier and much more comfortable.
Gotta run, we’re headed out for the day,
~Cynthia
Steamboat Springs Trip
We’re back from our quick trip to Steamboat Springs, CO. My husband’s job interview went well. He’s one of 5 candidates for the position and will find out tomorrow one way or the other whether he will be offered the job. We’ve decided that if the job is his then it was meant to be. We have mixed feelings about moving, so either way it will be okay. My biggest concern is the price of homes up there and being able to find a large enough one to house a studio for me!
We were there during one of the coldest weather snaps of the year. It never got above 8 degrees during the day and in the am it was as low as -24°, yes that is a big negative 24°! Needless to say, we didn’t ski. It was just too cold and I am a fair weather skier. We did go ice skating at an indoor rink…that was a blast. I don’t think I’ve been skating since we lived in Maine. We also hot tubbed it at the pool, so all in all a nice little weekend trip. After a weekend of snow and overcast skies, we woke up Monday morning to clear skies and I was able to snap a few shots of the surrounding area and our drive back to Denver.
Meanwhile, my new art supplies arrived from Dick Blick! I ordered Shiva Paintsticks, some water soluble oil paints and 10 – 22 x 30″ sheets of Fabriano 140# watercolor paper. Must get working now….
