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Kiln Loaded
Joe and I loaded the kiln this afternoon for a bisque firing. Once this firing is finished, I will have forty new pieces to glaze including cereal bowls, serving bowls, a large plate, several pitchers, a variety of other small pieces and several handfuls of herb pendants. I am nervous and excited about the upcoming glazing because I have one glaze I have not yet tried and am hoping to improve my use of the other two which had mixed…
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Handprints and Pendants
Last night, Joe and I played with my new letter and number stamps, and I made herb pendants by pressing herbs from my garden into the clay. I am thinking of using these for necklaces and as tags for herb pots. This craft smells absolutely wonderful as the pressing releases the beautiful aromas of oregano, thyme and rosemary. This morning, I had Scooby do a handprint. He wanted to do more, so as soon as this one is dry enough…
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Class Update
My Wednesday night class with Julie Olson has been getting my creative juices flowing and reminding me of tricks of the craft. So far, getting back into throwing is not unlike getting back on a bike after not riding for awhile. My hands seem to know what to do, and I love it. Julie has demonstrated three-pull cylinders, handles, mixing bowls, batter bowls, pasta bowls and plates. My favorite has been the wide-rimmed pasta bowls. It makes so much sense…
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Changing Seasons
Scooby and I have really enjoyed our local public pool this summer. It took him a week or so to warm up to playing, but this afternoon he was taking a running (think toddling) jump into my arms in the adult pool. He’s really kicking his legs, blowing bubbles and is just a little too brave for my liking. I think if the summer were a couple months longer, I’d have that kid doggy paddling laps, maybe even doing the…
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Day 1 Back at the Wheel
Today wasn’t as rocky as I was expecting. I managed to squeeze in enough time in between grocery shopping and feeding Scooby lunch to throw two pieces. The first is a small mug; the second is a serving dish. I’m not sure yet if the leaf fits, but it was fun to play.
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Working Form
I took two classes from Julie Olson while at the NCSU Crafts Center. This artist is full of great ideas and is amazing at challenging students to pursue excellence. The first time we threw something decent looking, she’d have us slice it in two to look at the evenness and irregularity of the cross section to help us find our weak points. Once piece of advice she gave me was to develop a working form – a shape from which…
