First, hello! to everyone who is popping over from little elephants, and thanks, Veronique!
Yesterday was my college roommate's birthday. I made this teapot for her as a housewarming gift (for the house she and her husband bought a year and a half ago- I'm a little slow), but sent it for her birthday. She'd requested a bee teapot on one of her visits to Memphis several years ago when I first began making teapots.
I think I made this in November, but the glazing never was right, then my kiln decided to take a 4-month break. Kiln is now working properly again, and a fixative added to my glaze solved most of the streaking/ too thin spots that I had issues with, so after I fired it for the third time last weekend, I loved it up for a little bit then packed it up to send to Hester on Monday. I love the bees peeking through the glaze, I love how the handle fits right above the spout. Sometimes I have problems with handle placement, but this guy may be my archetypal teapot. Even the lid fits perfectly.
I made four honeypots that were fired in this load, but two of the lids broke (I dropped them on concrete) after firing. I hope I'll be able to make new ones, but the rate of shrinkage and the fact that I didn't note the dimensions of the wet pieces mean that making replacements might be difficult. I learn more about what I should be doing with my pottery every day, mostly through my mistakes.
Oh, and here's another fun tidbit. The "not picardie" tumbler may be a gift to the universe. Yesterday I was at a birthday party at the playground at my son's school. The tumbler was in my car, so I used it for water instead of using a disposable cup. Four year-old parties always seem to end in meltdown, so the tumbler was left on the playground. Gary dear went to see if it was still there on his way home. It was not. One of the teachers rescued it, took it home, and said that she'd bring it to school tomorrow. If she doesn't, that's okay. I'm releasing it. Sortof like the cake plates, warped during their glaze firing, that we left on a bridge over a creek in our neighborhood. I was distraught about their Dali-like forms, so Gary decided to gift them to anyone who wanted them. They were in the creek the next morning. I wonder how long it will take for them to be worn down into pebbles. . . .
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
bee love
Yesterday I brought in this pile of bee medallions to make into promo pieces for my etsy packages. I sat down to check email for a second before running up to the studio and was struck with the color and composition of the yellow and white forms on the blue gingham napkin*. The bee is made with my normal logo stamp- I was really happy with how they turned out and am considering making some mugs with this bee-oval on them. I've made vases and pitchers with a bee inside a circle, thinking of old french and italian wine carafes, but the oval really speaks to me.
These magnets are made with rare earth magnets. One 1/4" round magnet is strong enough to hold up a calendar. I don't think I'll be selling these (maybe at the farmers market in Memphis, but not on etsy), but they will be in every etsy package I send until I run out of the magnets. I always love getting a little unexpected happy, don't you?
*When Gary and I married, we had a huge shrimp boil and bbq -ribs and pulled pork, Memphis style- at a place called "the Gin," really a college-mixer type bar- that had a huge, shady patio, just off the square in Oxford, Miss. My dear mother in law bought yards and yards of cotton gingham to use as napkins for the event. The lady really knows how to throw a party- she is quite the hostess and sets a beautiful table. After the event, she washed all of the used napkins and gave them to me. I still have a pile of rolled napkins, tied with raffia from the dinner, in my china cabinet. We have about 20 of these in rotation for daily use. Every time I use them, I think about our rehearsal dinner. I love using them, and they are the hardest-wearing napkins ever!
These magnets are made with rare earth magnets. One 1/4" round magnet is strong enough to hold up a calendar. I don't think I'll be selling these (maybe at the farmers market in Memphis, but not on etsy), but they will be in every etsy package I send until I run out of the magnets. I always love getting a little unexpected happy, don't you?
*When Gary and I married, we had a huge shrimp boil and bbq -ribs and pulled pork, Memphis style- at a place called "the Gin," really a college-mixer type bar- that had a huge, shady patio, just off the square in Oxford, Miss. My dear mother in law bought yards and yards of cotton gingham to use as napkins for the event. The lady really knows how to throw a party- she is quite the hostess and sets a beautiful table. After the event, she washed all of the used napkins and gave them to me. I still have a pile of rolled napkins, tied with raffia from the dinner, in my china cabinet. We have about 20 of these in rotation for daily use. Every time I use them, I think about our rehearsal dinner. I love using them, and they are the hardest-wearing napkins ever!
spontaneous poetry
From little boy, tumbled in our bed on saturday morning:
the birds are chirping
the clock is ticking
let's have breakfast
not quite haiku. We had fun turning it into beat poetry by changing the last line over and over and over again as we headed out into the day. I had to record it before the lines slipped from my memory.
the birds are chirping
the clock is ticking
let's have breakfast
not quite haiku. We had fun turning it into beat poetry by changing the last line over and over and over again as we headed out into the day. I had to record it before the lines slipped from my memory.
Monday, April 28, 2008
molly's berry bowl
A friend requested this sweet little bowl from me maybe a month or so ago. I'm really pleased with it and am planning to make more of them.
When Gary and I married we got a little bowl like this as a wedding gift. We used it constantly- it was in the fridge, filled with grapes, strawberries, or wild blackberries more than it was in its cabinet. One day, it fell out and broke- cold pottery breaks really easily for some reason. The fall wasn't a large one, but it cracked in two almost even pieces. I was very sad and set about trying to duplicate it. I never did "get" it, but that was almost 7 years ago, and I'd like to think that I'm a better potter now.
My only problem with this edition of the berry bowl was glazing- Molly likes the white glaze, and it is one of my favorites, as well, but I have trouble getting it right. I glazed it once but the pigment had settled too much to coat the bowl properly. The second firing came out just about right, though, so this little guy is about to be packed up and shipped off to its new home. I hope it has a long, happy, and useful life!
When Gary and I married we got a little bowl like this as a wedding gift. We used it constantly- it was in the fridge, filled with grapes, strawberries, or wild blackberries more than it was in its cabinet. One day, it fell out and broke- cold pottery breaks really easily for some reason. The fall wasn't a large one, but it cracked in two almost even pieces. I was very sad and set about trying to duplicate it. I never did "get" it, but that was almost 7 years ago, and I'd like to think that I'm a better potter now.
My only problem with this edition of the berry bowl was glazing- Molly likes the white glaze, and it is one of my favorites, as well, but I have trouble getting it right. I glazed it once but the pigment had settled too much to coat the bowl properly. The second firing came out just about right, though, so this little guy is about to be packed up and shipped off to its new home. I hope it has a long, happy, and useful life!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
"not-picardie" tumbler
I've written before about my love for the duralex picardie tumbler. Many times, I think. I showed a picture of this tumbler just after I'd made it. When I was glazing on Thursday I really debated on its color. Almost all of my white glaze didn't get mixed well enough and/or didn't have enough pigment in the bucket, and half of my yellow had the same problem. I mixed new glaze and redid them yesterday, but old reliable blue turned out just fine. Ish.
I'm not sure what I was striving for - that's not true. I know exactly what I was striving for. A duplicate copy of the picardie. I wasn't really happy with this tumbler when I pulled it out, not really happy with it when I photographed it, but now that my Sunday morning coffee is in it, it may be growing on me. It feels good in my hand, the base is pretty well weighted yet it is lightweight (as lightweight as pottery can be, and the equivalent of my favorite bamboo tumblers).
Whether I'd make more or not is another question. It was fairly labor-intensive (see this post) and I haven't changed my mind about what it would cost ($15 range). I think I might like it better if it were colored inside with a white exterior. I'll have to play around with it a little more.
One possible way to make it more like I want it would be to make another, make a mold, and slip-cast the piece. I got a copy of Andrew Martin's revised slip casting and mold making book this week. It gave me new insight into how I could make some of the pieces that I love but are too tedious for production work.
So, what's the verdict on this? Should I try to make more? Thanks for any and all feedback.
I'm not sure what I was striving for - that's not true. I know exactly what I was striving for. A duplicate copy of the picardie. I wasn't really happy with this tumbler when I pulled it out, not really happy with it when I photographed it, but now that my Sunday morning coffee is in it, it may be growing on me. It feels good in my hand, the base is pretty well weighted yet it is lightweight (as lightweight as pottery can be, and the equivalent of my favorite bamboo tumblers). Whether I'd make more or not is another question. It was fairly labor-intensive (see this post) and I haven't changed my mind about what it would cost ($15 range). I think I might like it better if it were colored inside with a white exterior. I'll have to play around with it a little more.
One possible way to make it more like I want it would be to make another, make a mold, and slip-cast the piece. I got a copy of Andrew Martin's revised slip casting and mold making book this week. It gave me new insight into how I could make some of the pieces that I love but are too tedious for production work.
So, what's the verdict on this? Should I try to make more? Thanks for any and all feedback.
Friday, April 25, 2008
archive friday
This morning after my run* I opened my blogroll and clicked on Loobylu, where I saw "archive friday," where she showcased some of her older work. While I've unofficially been revisiting some of my older work, I thought follow her lead and delve into my sketchbook today. This little image, drawn with a superfine pen on crepe paper (I think) and glued to a small white card, was the basis for my 2004 Christmas card. The bird was not so hard, but the nest was trying. I don't think you can tell, but I drew them separately and layered the images. When I was happy with the image, I did nothing more than take it to kinko's to have it printed and sent them out as postcards. I made my own christmas cards for years and years. Every year I consider buying cards and every year I bail on that idea. This year I embellished plain cards with snowflake cutouts.Sorry, off topic. This little bird theme keeps showing up in my pottery. Hopefully, after the kiln cools (now, at 8 am, 12 hours after firing ended, everything is still too hot to touch), I'll be able to show you more little birds in my work!
Happy weekend!
*This is strange. This has always happened, and maybe other runners can explain it. I ran more distance today than Weds, which was more than Monday- breaking in the new shoes slowly. This morning I ran all the way around an additional block (yeah, sounds wimpy, I ran an extra block, but our neighborhood blocks are about 20 houses long, then skinny just-backyards on the other sides), plus my usual takes-30-minutes route. I got in the door and was shocked (SHOCKED, I tell you) to see that it took less time today than it did the rest of the week. What gives? Anybody know? I don't think I'm running faster- I did run more, but. . . .
Thursday, April 24, 2008
fini
For now. There's another load to go. At 1pm, I was still glazing. I am weary of it. I am very dirty. It's been 3 days I've been working on glazing while little boy is at school. I have a largeish kiln and 70+ pieces, which explains some of the time it is taking, but I'm also trying some new things. This means that there is some new work I'll be excited to show on Friday or Saturday. There is another full load that has yet to be glazed.
Object lesson: be neater with new pottery- less finishing work. Glaze as I go to avoid 3-day marathon glazing sessions.
I spoke with my friend and coworker Deirdre right before I finished. She agreed that you have to get into a "glazing mindset" and that three straight days of it was probably no good. Now her work is infinitely more detailed than mine is, and I'd hate to have to be as careful in glazing as she has to. My fingers are crossed that everything will turn out well, because there are a few gifts in this load, and if the experimental pieces turn out well, I think that they could become a new line for me. Pictures soon.
Object lesson: be neater with new pottery- less finishing work. Glaze as I go to avoid 3-day marathon glazing sessions.
I spoke with my friend and coworker Deirdre right before I finished. She agreed that you have to get into a "glazing mindset" and that three straight days of it was probably no good. Now her work is infinitely more detailed than mine is, and I'd hate to have to be as careful in glazing as she has to. My fingers are crossed that everything will turn out well, because there are a few gifts in this load, and if the experimental pieces turn out well, I think that they could become a new line for me. Pictures soon.
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