No melt down here

This is a Jack Jarvie pot that I selected and purchased from his home collection. It was done back in the day, when he did a lot of teaching demonstrations and very creative/experimental pottery. I think that paddled  area with the in-set  cat tail design is a very clever and beautiful detail. I am really enjoying the fact that he comes in regularly to my Thursday clay class. It is a great opportunity for me to chat-it-up about clay and glazes...especially about their chemical make-up and what ingredients to add to adjust their characteristics. How often does that usually happen?!  He has a wealth of knowledge and I am thrilled he is still able and interested in sharing it with me. A teacher for the teacher....how great is that!

Almost doesn't count

The vase above was made and glazed by my friend and master potter, Jack Jarvie. He has been making pottery almost all his life and he now comes to the senior center to impart some of his vast expertise and knowledge in the clay arts...hence my nickname for him "the professor". Well the professor has tons of clay he has dug from all around Utah. We tested a few batches to see if it would make it to cone 5/6 and we thought we were all set. Well, it almost had a melt down. It slumped and bubbled and buckled at cone 5/6. (I'm thinking we might have had a clay mix-up) Even though the glaze is quite blistered, and the firing actually immortalized some clay bubbles, it still holds water somehow and looks beautiful next to my petunias and dianthus. No shelf was harmed in this firing. As I like to say, "almost" doesn't count.

Summer Inspiration

This is the work of a potter I met at the Utah Arts Festival. Of all the pottery, his work caught my eye. Both eyes actually, lol, and I had to come back to his booth to buy a pot. The work had a lively, spontaneous look that I strive to have in my own work, colorful glaze combinations and a gloss/matte finish I really enjoy. I appreciate that he gave me permission to photograph his booth, which was lovely, I might add....booth set-up is an art in itself. Check out his website at www.bradhenrypottery.com  The pottery is his, the daisies are mine.

Utah Arts Festival

A few weeks ago, I enjoyed attending  this festival in downtown Salt Lake City with some friends. The high level of quality of the artwork was very impressive. I appreciate that the set-up did not focus on food vendors and that the art booths dominated the festival. Of course, I enjoyed focusing on the pottery. Some potters were local but many, to my surprise were from, Washington State, Oregon and California. All was very inspirational. Next year, I hope to attend in the evening when the temperature is cooler and catch some of the music at the same time.

A close up

A little gem

Believe it or not, this is the only piece I managed to get in the last glaze firing. I've got to do better next time. Anyway, this little pot exceeded my expectations and is, in my opinion, a little gem. Since I tend to over think the glazing process, I took a page from a friend of mine who likes to splash it on and let it fly. She's the one who needs to write it down because she comes up with some great combinations. With this pot and that in mind, I textured the clay, then layered on glazes (with a combination from a previous test in mind) to follow the pattern .....sort of. Just two Mayco glazes were used despite the variations in color and finish of matte and gloss. Check out this website for Mayco cone 6 glaze combinations.  http://maycocolors.com/index.php?option=com_igallery&view=igcategory&id=18

A little inspiration from mom nature

The photo doesn't reveal how intense and full it was. The best I've ever seen. I had to share.