Thursday, May 9, 2013
New Babies In The Garden
Baby tomatoes. Aww... ain't they cute? First babies this year. They have their mothers skin and their daddy's wit.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Obvara Firing at Raku Rendezvous in Ardmore, Ok.
Pieces fired at Raku Rendezvous Ardmore, Ok.
Bisqued and ready to fire.
Obvara fired.
Obvara firing at Raku Rendezvous in Ardmore, Ok.
Obvara is an old eastern european technique involving scalding the finish on the pottery to seal the porous surface. The bisqued piece is heated to 1500 to 1650 F., removed from the kiln and dunked into the Obvara mixture and then dunked in water to rapidly cool the piece. The pieces range from tan to almost black with speckles. The mixture consists of approx 2 pounds flour, 2 packets of yeast about 1/4 cup of sugar and about 4 gallons of water.. It is mixed and allowed to ferment about 3 days before use. it smells like beer or sourdough to me. it fits well with the raku process most potters are familiar with. The obvara mixture provides the decoration as well as the reduction of the pot. it is almost smokeless, which can be a great advantage in a city or school situation.
Bisqued and ready to fire.
Obvara fired.
Obvara is an old eastern european technique involving scalding the finish on the pottery to seal the porous surface. The bisqued piece is heated to 1500 to 1650 F., removed from the kiln and dunked into the Obvara mixture and then dunked in water to rapidly cool the piece. The pieces range from tan to almost black with speckles. The mixture consists of approx 2 pounds flour, 2 packets of yeast about 1/4 cup of sugar and about 4 gallons of water.. It is mixed and allowed to ferment about 3 days before use. it smells like beer or sourdough to me. it fits well with the raku process most potters are familiar with. The obvara mixture provides the decoration as well as the reduction of the pot. it is almost smokeless, which can be a great advantage in a city or school situation.
Monday, March 11, 2013
New Pieces Completed
Thursday, February 28, 2013
WHAT AM I?
WHAT AM I ? Guess what it is and I will send you a small sculpture. Obviously, this is a large, thrown jug with a wild hog sculpted on it. What will it's function be? It has no bottom and the mouth is cut all the way through the jug wall. It has numerous holes and there is a rectangle cut out of the back. Be the first to guess what it is and I'll send you a small pig sculpture. It will be a week before it's finished so you have plenty of time to figure it out. ONLY TWO GUESSES PER PERSON.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Some Of My Pieces On Etsy
Swinging Cat Bird Feeder
https://www.etsy.com/listing/123703555/cat-bird-feeder-2
Black/blue and white striped Tabby sitting on a treated wooden swing. Curled tongue is a perfect bird rest. It is hand thrown, high-fired stoneware. There is a drain hole in the bottom so it won't fill with rain. Poly Rope won't rot in the weather . It is about 10 in. high and 6 in. wide. It holds about 4 cups of seed. It is signed on the bottom.
Medium Piggy Bank
https://www.etsy.com/listing/123682136/medium-pig-bank-2
THIS LITTLE PIGGY BANK is hand-thrown, high-fired stoneware.It started as a thrown shape that was dropped, paddled distorted and otherwise coaxed into it's present configuration. It is signed on the bottom and has a stopper.
Fill This little pig with quarters and he will
"Bring Home The Bacon".
He is about 7 1/2 in. tall and 51/2 in.wide. Drop your spare change in the mouth . It has a stopper in the bottom .
https://www.etsy.com/listing/123703555/cat-bird-feeder-2
Black/blue and white striped Tabby sitting on a treated wooden swing. Curled tongue is a perfect bird rest. It is hand thrown, high-fired stoneware. There is a drain hole in the bottom so it won't fill with rain. Poly Rope won't rot in the weather . It is about 10 in. high and 6 in. wide. It holds about 4 cups of seed. It is signed on the bottom.
Medium Piggy Bank
https://www.etsy.com/listing/123682136/medium-pig-bank-2
THIS LITTLE PIGGY BANK is hand-thrown, high-fired stoneware.It started as a thrown shape that was dropped, paddled distorted and otherwise coaxed into it's present configuration. It is signed on the bottom and has a stopper.
Fill This little pig with quarters and he will
"Bring Home The Bacon".
He is about 7 1/2 in. tall and 51/2 in.wide. Drop your spare change in the mouth . It has a stopper in the bottom .
Monday, February 11, 2013
Weighty Issues Farewell
After 41 years. Sorry baby, it's the end.
This old Ohaus scale was one of the first pieces of equipment I purchased when I started my own studio (1972). I bought it from Leslie Ceramic Supply in Berkeley Ca. It has weighed every bucket of glaze that I have ever mixed. Literally tons of ingredients have been weighed on it in the past 41 years. Obsolete ingredients such as Colemanite, Gerstley Borate, Kingman Feldspar, Albany Slip, Etc. have been balanced on this scale many times. It was expensive when purchased (about $100 dollars). It has always been a bitch to use. You first have to set the tare weight of the container you are using to weigh the ingredients then swap out weights and slide weights up and down the beams to get the proper balance. Then repeat for each ingredient. The maximum it will weigh is 2610gr at one time.
Today I started using this $20.00 little honey. She weighs 5000gr at one time. The tare weight is set with the push of a button and she will weigh in ounces or grams. She cleans up really easy and stores in a fraction of the space. I'm in love again!
This old Ohaus scale was one of the first pieces of equipment I purchased when I started my own studio (1972). I bought it from Leslie Ceramic Supply in Berkeley Ca. It has weighed every bucket of glaze that I have ever mixed. Literally tons of ingredients have been weighed on it in the past 41 years. Obsolete ingredients such as Colemanite, Gerstley Borate, Kingman Feldspar, Albany Slip, Etc. have been balanced on this scale many times. It was expensive when purchased (about $100 dollars). It has always been a bitch to use. You first have to set the tare weight of the container you are using to weigh the ingredients then swap out weights and slide weights up and down the beams to get the proper balance. Then repeat for each ingredient. The maximum it will weigh is 2610gr at one time.
Today I started using this $20.00 little honey. She weighs 5000gr at one time. The tare weight is set with the push of a button and she will weigh in ounces or grams. She cleans up really easy and stores in a fraction of the space. I'm in love again!
Oh the old scale will stay right here. You never know when technology will let you down and a manual alternative will be necessary.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Revolting Pigs
Revolting pigs in progress. No matter how much they complain they will still be fired. Fired twice, actually, once for bisque then again for glaze.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Cat, Cats And Pigs
The Princess surveys the new bird feeders and pig banks drying on the work bench.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Both Hands Working Again.
If you have been patiently waiting for a cat bird feeder. Your patience will soon be rewarded. I threw 5 yesterday and will be finishing them this week.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
2013 So Far It Sucks
DON'T AXE ME!
Tip: when splitting kindling with an axe the sequence is...move hand, chop...move hand, chop... chop, DOH!
Spent the morning at the E.R being stitched back together. Then on to the Health Department for a Tetanus shot. Then to the Court House to pay the property tax.
2013 so far: I have been hacked, stitched, shot (inoculated) and robbed (taxes).
It's got to improve from here.
Tip: when splitting kindling with an axe the sequence is...move hand, chop...move hand, chop... chop, DOH!
Spent the morning at the E.R being stitched back together. Then on to the Health Department for a Tetanus shot. Then to the Court House to pay the property tax.
2013 so far: I have been hacked, stitched, shot (inoculated) and robbed (taxes).
It's got to improve from here.
Monday, December 10, 2012
Tesla's Toy (unplugged)
Steampunk Robot
Another jug in my "Steampunk" series.
#155 of the last 1000 Major Jugs By a lifetime Potter/Sculptor.
FOR SALE on Ebay
Nikola Tesla was an electrical genius., inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electrical supply system. He made countless discoveries and performed thousands of experiments with electricity. His experiments were pretty spectacular and were the basis for the "Mad Scientist" laboratories seen in early movies. Imagine Frankenstein's lab without all the scary sparks from a Tesla Coil.
This jug is my salute to a great scientist. I love all the mysterious gadgets associated with Tesla.
Another jug in my "Steampunk" series.
#155 of the last 1000 Major Jugs By a lifetime Potter/Sculptor.
FOR SALE on Ebay
Nikola Tesla was an electrical genius., inventor, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, physicist, and futurist best known for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electrical supply system. He made countless discoveries and performed thousands of experiments with electricity. His experiments were pretty spectacular and were the basis for the "Mad Scientist" laboratories seen in early movies. Imagine Frankenstein's lab without all the scary sparks from a Tesla Coil.
This jug is my salute to a great scientist. I love all the mysterious gadgets associated with Tesla.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
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