Urns

Though their passing is not eminent (thankfully!) my brother and his wife have asked me to make funerary urns for both of them. This request has started me thinking about the size and shape and function of an urn and as a result I have made several pieces exploring this issue.

I have discovered that I perpetually underestimate the shrinkage that happens when clay dries and is fired. Even though I know to account for this 10-12% change in size, I continually underestimate the amount of clay needed. And as a result some of the urns should really be called "jars".

Because I'm very interested in texture, all of my jar/urns have some type of impressed design on them.

Summer Workshop with Vince Pitelka

This summer I attended a wonderful workshop given by Vince Pitelka. For a week we learned how to add colorants to clay and create "loaves" of different patterns with various colors. The colored clay usually was layered into different colors, then sliced and rearranged to make patterns. In this photo Vince is demonstrating how to make a basket weave loaf.

It was a particularly hot time in the Pacific Northwest with temperatures approaching 100 degrees and from this photo of Vince you can see that we were very warm inside the barn where we

met.

Vince, by the way, was a wonderful workshop presenter with lots of patience for those of us who kept slicing our clay in the wrong direction.

Here are a couple of photos of my first attempt at using the colored clay loaves made during the workshop. They have yet to be glaze fired so there is still room for failure - but I'm hopeful.

Lynnwood's 50th Celebration

The city of Lynnwood, located north of Seattle, is celebrating its 50th year as a city and asked for submissions for a show to commemorate the date. I'm pleased that my "Birthday Cake" made of clay and acrylic paint will be displayed with other artists' work.

The show, which runs from September 28th to November 12 with a reception October 3rd at 11 am, will be located at the Lynnwood Library on 44th Ave West.

On another topic, the sale at D Street was a splendid success. We had numerous folks drop by to visit and purchase pottery. Our seconds/old stock table in the backyard was very popular. The sale was so pleasant and profitable that we are already looking forward to our 4th annual sale in 2010.

Candleholders for a Wedding

Our younger daughter is getting married this fall and I volunteered to make votive candleholders for each of the approximately 120 guests.

Surprisingly this has been a fun opportunity to revisit some old glazes and try out new glaze combinations on different clays. 

I rummaged around in the buckets of test glazes from two years ago and found one particular glaze that may become my new favorite.

The first photo is of a batch of holders drying before the bisque firing.  The next two pictures are of a few of the finished pots. My new favorite glaze in on the left of the last photo. 

Island in the Sound

Anderson Island in south Puget Sound is a small, quiet place reached by a 52 car ferry.  Its history has been loving recorded by Hazel Heckman in her charming book "Island in the Sound" and in keeping with preserving the history of the island, the Anderson Island Historical Society maintains the old Johnson Farm and runs the Gift Shop to help support their efforts.

The Gift Shop, kept going by dedicated volunteers,  is located in a former chicken coop and carries an eclectic selection of merchandise which includes consignments from the islanders, typical gift shop fare and handmade crafts.  I feel pleased that some of my pottery is among the handmade items that can be found in the shop.

The Gift Shop is generally open Saturdays and Sundays, April to mid December.

Bowl Swap

As a member of the Etsy Mud Team (susanskiln.etsy.com) I participated in a bowl swap organized by the team and my swap partner in North Carolina mailed me this bowl. The bowl is unique in several ways. Barry Lockman, the potter,  digs and processes his own clay and most of his glazes. And another, daring, thing he does is single fire his pottery. Instead of bisque firing the dried pieces and then applying glaze, he glazes his pots when they are in the leather hard stage.  This is risky because if the temperature rises too quickly in the kiln during the firing, the water in the clay turns to steam and breaks the pot.

Barry's Etsy shop can be found at: lockmanpottery.etsy.com

This is the pot I sent Barry.

Crystalline Firing Results

I love my kiln, it performed perfectly but I'm not getting the results I want.  Some pots grew crystals, a little wimpy perhaps but crystals just the same, while others were covered with out-gassing pin holes.  At least that is what I'm calling them.  And they seem to be most prevalent in the copper carbonate green glaze. I think I will try a different firing schedule next try.

I Love My New Kiln

I love my new kiln.  At least, I'm ready to fall in love with it, though time will tell whether it's true love or not.  

After attending a crystalline glaze workshop I decided to try that specialized way of firing pottery.  However, it requires a kiln that is super insulated and can shoot up to high temperatures and stay there for hours while the zinc crystals grow in the glaze.  So after numerous emails full of advice from the workshop presenter, I settled on a double-insulated kiln with an element in the floor from Bailey Pottery in New York state.

I ordered the kiln in September. It was assembled, shipped cross country and arrived, after being "lost" by the freight company, in November.  And in the garage it sat and sat because it would not fit through the door into the studio without being disassembled.  Yikes!  All that expensive electronic stuff had to be disconnected before the kiln could come apart.  I was in over my head.

I mentioned my dilemma to a friend and she thought her husband would be willing to help me and sure enough, Jules came to the rescue. It took several hours in the cold garage, carefully reading the (not always clear) directions and finally it was disassembled, moved, and reassembled.  Without Jules' help, the kiln would still be in the garage.

It took me several more weeks to hook up the exhaust fan and run the ducting out of the basement under a crawl space, but finally - ta da! - the kiln was ready to fire.  

Unfortunately, the first firing was a disappointment because of operator error (that would be me) when I programed the kiln incorrectly and it shut off before the crystals could grow.

But right now I can hear the relay switches click on and off as the kiln works its way up to the target temperature.  I'm feeling hopeful that at this second firing I will have my long-awaited crystals.

Clay Club Pottery Sale

Twice a year the Clay Club of Tacoma Community College has a sale that raises funds for the potters, the club and art scholarships.  This year our sale took place during a Feminist focused art show (as you may be able see from the large work on the back wall) which added interesting color and themes to the sale.  Through the years we have been able to establish an extensive mailing list and have folks, who we deeply appreciate, who return sale after sale to see our work.

Above are some of the lidded jars I had for sale.

The other photo is work by Jill Rohrbaugh, a Clay Club member.

Our next sale will be a couple weeks before the winter break at TCC and we have found that some people like to buy handcrafted pottery for their gift giving.

Arfs & Craft Benefit Event

The Art Stop Gallery  in Tacoma, WA is having their 13th annual benefit auction which supports the Prison Pet Partnership and the Assistance Dog Club of Puget Sound. Potters make dishes for pets which are auctioned over a period of three days. 

This is the plate I donated. It has a white glaze that is over-sprayed with blue glaze.  A stencil I made creates the cat design.  

Arfs & Craft opens Thursday evening, April 16th, during Art Walk and the silent auction continues until Saturday, April 18th.  Stop by and look over all the original work made just for our four legged friends.

The Art Stop

940 Broadway

Tacoma, WA

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

Out of the last firing (see the former entry) there were numerous pieces that turned out well enough that I was pleased with them.  Unfortunately, there were a few pieces that were on the ugly side and one piece in particular that was bad, bad and bad!

Here are a couple pots that fall in the Good column.

Here are two for the Ugly column.

And here is a pot that is going make me get out the grinder.  I used a glaze (a fake ash glaze that isn't "fake" in that it contains actual ash as part of the ingredients) which runs off pots made with smoother clays.  This was a fact that I had forgotten and now the Bad pot is affixed onto the kiln shelf.  You can see how the glaze has pooled at the base of the urn.

Alas, the Bad.  Get out the electric grinder, respirator and eye protecting goggles and hope the shelf isn't ruined.

Baked Clay

The firing was finished at midnight when the number cone 10 "dropped" and the kiln was turned off.  This photo shows the glow that is created towards the end of the firing when the temperature is around 2300 degrees F.

After letting the kiln cool slowly all day - the results.

                                                                        

                                                                   

Loaded and Ready to Fire

I just finished glazing and loading the kiln yesterday and will fire it tomorrow when it can have all my attention since it doesn't have any electronic controls and must be checked every hour. During the first few hours of firing the damper is kept completely open and the temperature rises quickly.  But after several hours when the 08 cone melts (about 1730F), the damper is slid almost shut and reduction begins.  From this point on the temperature increase is much slower (the fire is being starved for oxygen) and care must be taken that the kiln does not stall.

Except for needing cone packs, the kiln is ready to fire.

Starting to Glaze

It is time to start glazing the ware from the last two bisque firings but so far I have made limited progress.  I don't yet have a spray booth set up in the studio so I must wait for dry and warmer weather when I can use the compressor and spray gun outside.

This is what I have accomplished so far. 

The pieces, mostly jars, have been wiped with a damp sponge to remove the clay dust and then the glaze poured inside, swished around for an even coating and then poured back into the bucket.  

This glaze is the celadon that I often use inside bowls and jars because it is food safe and a lovely celery green color.  The chemistry of glazing is interesting - this pink colored unfired glaze will become green after a reduction firing.