Feel the Summer Energy Rising

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This Summer has started out auspiciously — with a rare “Strawberry Moon.”  A full moon shone on Summer Solstice (June 20) — the longest day of the year.  Hasn’t happened since 1967, and we all know what a great year that was!   Won’t happen again until 2062 — pending intervening unknowns.

So, I’m trying to make Summer plans that are equal to this auspicious start, involving heretofore unknown feats involving ceramics.  I was inspired by attending “Open Studios” last month, in particular one artist who recently switched from 2D (painting) to 3D (ceramics) and was cranking out some amazing work.  Since then, I have begun some cranking out of my own:

Fish Dishes — each one unique . . .

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Shallow Serving Bowls — with enough breadth (11”) to accommodate my propensity to carve carve carve.  The first pic reflects my favorite ceramic subject which is fish.  The second pic reflects another of my favorite things, words. The idea of carving words was inspired by an acquaintance who was spouting off about people really liking things (artwork) with sayings on them.  Plus, I was enamored with Ms. Bockle’s words in a recent MoveGirlGO post which I paraphrased . . .

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I’ve got loads more clay on hand to keep me busy for the rest of the Summer, and hopefully I’ll continue to “feel my energy rising.”

Glaze Craziness

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Glazing is my least-favorite part of the ceramics process.  I know I’m not alone in this.  Classmates of mine are always griping about not knowing what glazes/glazing techniques to use and being disappointed with the end results.  Also, googling “Hate Glazing” reveals a bonanza of complaints.

Of course, every step prior to glazing has ‘failure’ possibilities.  But, as a piece survives the gauntlet, your attachment grows. With glazing being the final creative step, and fraught with problems, there’s a good chance that all that hard work will be for naught, destined to be smashed to pieces and tossed in the garbage.

Some recent glazing disappointments include this set of plates to which jade green was applied — came out murky blue:

 

Blue 6" Plates w/ Sgraffito

 

This set of plates was underglazed with black — came out dark silvery blue:

Silvery Dark Blue 6" Plates w/ Sgraffito

This casserole was intended to have stripes of my favorite glazes — but, the colors ran together:striped_container_detail

This urchin bowl & spoon had a wash of green copper carbonate under a coat of clear — came out ochre (more aptly termed baby-poop brown):

Ochre Urchin Compote Bowl

Nevertheless, despite the prospect of more unpleasant surprises, I look forward to opening the kiln after my next glaze firing just as a child looks forward to opening Christmas gifts!

Square Plates Edged with Sgraffito

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I’m continuing to add sgraffito to some of my recent projects, including these two sets of square dessert plates.  On the 1st set of 4 plates, I applied 4 coats of jade underglaze and used sgraffito tools to incise a design of branches around the edge.  On the 2nd set of 4 plates, I applied 4 coats of black underglaze (4 coats) and increased the complexity of the carving.  These pictures were taken before firing (greenware stage).  The plates measure approx. 6″ x 6″, made of cone 10 stoneware.

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Vessel Vase with Sgraffito

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To make a large classically-shaped vase, an ancient technique is to use fat extruded coils, and flatten them out — making “slab coils”.  Two large bowl shapes were made from the slab coils being wound and stacked and smeared together.  After resting a bit, the two bowls were joined rim-to-rim into a roundish vessel.   A foot and neck/rim were added from more slab coils. A band of underglaze was applied to the belly of the vase, and I used “sgraffito” tools and a linoleum cutter to carve an abstract design into the underglaze. After bisque firing, an ivory underglaze was applied above and below the sgraffito area, and inside the vase. VA Clear glaze was used inside and outside, with a thick coat on the rim. The overall effect is pleasantly rustic.

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(Measurements 9-1/2″ tall, approx. 6-1/2″ diameter)

Tall Vase with Leaf Motif

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This recently-completed vase (measurements 9-1/2″ tall, 3-3/4″ diameter) was made from slabs, using a cylindrical form.  A half-dozen interesting autumn leaves were pressed into the damp clay, and 3 coats of black slip were applied.  After the bisque firing, the inside was coated with John’s Black glaze, and the outside was dipped in VA Clear glaze.  The imprinted leaves turned out speckled, and their stems and ‘veins’ show up nicely.  The overall effect on the outside is streaky and bark-like, enhancing the appearance of the leaves.

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