Ooops!

Somehow, this lidded jar managed to get itself into a bisque firing when it really needed to be glaze fired. Colors are interesting; almost similar to red earthenware but nothing like I had imagined. That lower firing for a cone5/6 glaze tends to mess with the original look I was after which would have given me more glaze interaction and dripping with creams and blues. 

Here is the re-fired results. I did add more glaze to it before the re-fire. The very glossy black with just a touch of rim color is a very attractive look. All new pieces sit on my coffee table in the living room for awhile. This helps me evaluate it and learn from it. Every pot is a lesson. This pot makes me notice all the blacks and dark browns in the room and instead of blending in, it stands out. A little bit of a lesson in decorating too.

Pot belly pot

When I brought this bisque-fired lidded pot to my pottery workshop to glaze, a very nice lady, whose work I admire, said, "Can you make the handles any smaller?" I laughed and said, "No, I tried, but I couldn't!" There is something about a large pot with a nice "pot" belly with the littlest handles  adorning its sides. Like a pair of ears, it gives it a little character, almost a personality.  Being that  pots are described as having a foot, shoulders, necks, lips,...why not ears! My husband liked the pot but thought that the handles were useless and hence, pointless. The pot and I beg to differ. "The better to hear you with my dear!", replied the lidded pot. Maybe I've been in the"momcave" too long. Have a good weekend.

Rough stuff and glistening glass

I used my nutmeg glaze on this mug. Love the color, not the finish. The exterior was very rough as if the glaze had not matured. It is a matte glaze, and I think more for cone 6 than 5/6 or possibly it wasn't a thick enough coat of glaze. On a vase, the rough exterior could be an advantage giving it a rustic look but for a mug?...not very pleasant to hold. Still working on that, but I did re-fire it with another coat of a creamy satin finish glaze which, as I had hoped, smoothed it out.

The color is a little lighter than I personally like, but it was not made for me. I sometimes forget that a piece of pottery that may be a disappointment in my eyes, may be a picture of perfection for someone else. Note to self: it's not all about me!

And here is a little dish that was fired with a cream glaze with glass on the bottom. The glass looks dark in regular light, but in the sunlight it glistens with a nice depth. Dark and light green glass pieces were used. The lighter colored glass, I'm finding, is the most attractive especially when it is not in the sunlight. I've been saving a few clear glass jars that I will take a hammer to. I'd like to see what clear glass will do over a glaze or colored slip. Lately, I'm feeling a bit unfocused since there are so many different techniques to try. If I put 10 pieces of pottery on a shelf, it looks like 10 different people made them. Not good if I want to create a cohesive look to my work, but since I never studied pottery/ceramic arts in a formal setting, this exploration may be necessary to achieve that. Maybe "Cohesive" work comes later.

Medium cork

I have had this lidded pot sitting on my coffee table for about two weeks now. I am not wowed by it so I wonder, as I eat a bowl of cereal while watching television, whether I should do something else to it. The glaze has a pleasant satin surface with subtle mottling and being that it has a lid, could be quite useful for someone. It would probably compliment a home's decor nicely as it might sit on someone else's coffee table someday. When I get a chance,which I hope is sooner than later because I am in deep need of some really intense air-conditioning for a few hours, I like to go to the library and peruse through some decorator magazines looking for pottery. Mostly, they aren't featured, but are a complimentary piece of a room's total look. Like links in a bracelet, it pulls things together but is hardly noticed by the casual looker. It seems to me that this is one of those pots. I believe I have answered my own question. It is a done deal.

Time to make some egg cups

My husband found our first, though small, egg from one of our chickens. A day, anyone who has raised chicks into full grown chickens, eagerly awaits. I remember the day when "the incredible edible egg" was good for you. Then, later, it was reported to be bad for you ... something about cholesterol. Then, they were good for you again ... something about omega 3. I like eggs, more so now than when I was younger, so I am looking forward to many more eggs from our variety pack of chickens...2 Rhode Island Reds, 2 Barred Rocks, 2 Americanas, and 2 Brown Speckled Sussexs, one of which turned into a rooster! So, naturally I thought I should make a set of egg cups. That got me to thinking back to about 30 years ago, (that sounds so old) when traveling in the Alsace region of France (that sounds so rich), I bought several slipware decorated stoneware egg cups. Before I even knew what stoneware or slipware or for that matter, an egg cup was, I just knew I wanted to take them home. Like most souvenirs, I briefly used them before making room for them in my china cabinet. Wasn't much of an egg eater back then but they made great souvenirs, evoking great memories of that trip. Now I look at them with a different set of eyes, wondering how they were thrown and fired and turning them upside down looking at the color of the bare clay bottom and the absence of a foot ring. These will go back in the china cabinet soon, but the ones I make will be for the new eggs. They say not to count your chickens...etc but I haven't heard anything about not counting on eggs.

Critter and ferns

Took a ride to Little Cottonwood Canyon to see if there was any relief to be had from the heat. It was a little cooler in the mountains but not as much as I had hoped. This little critter was peaking out of his burrow right off the parking lot to the trail head. Looking for snacks I imagine.

I've started collecting fern leaves for use as a resist for pottery again. Since it is so easy to google a plumber or a business phone number, lets say, this is the only reason I keep phone books around these days. .

Back at it

A few pieces to get started after being away.

I have been slow to get back into blogging since I've returned from my travels but I'm finally back at it. My plan to share some of my photos is delayed due to the lack of a "back-up" plan. About 2 years ago, when my computer's hard drive suddenly failed, there was good news and bad news. The bad news was that I lost about 100 photos :<  The good news was that about 2000 photos that I also lost on that computer were backed up on another hard drive. That was a close one! So before I upload, I need to immediately back them up. I don't have a good procedure for that though. Is a thumb drive a good enough back-up? Photos are coming, but so is Christmas. Just kidding. It shouldn't take that long! (With this heat wave and fire danger, winter is sounding real good right now.)

Alpine, Utah fire. Winter can't come soon enough for me.