The Influence of Clays

It is so amazing to me how different something as basic as clay can be.

And just as amazing the kind of response I get and give when exploring it.

I've been making test tiles from three Laguna clays: Hawaiian Red, B3 Brown and Hagi porcelain.


I cut out 2" x 4" glaze tiles, smoothed them, cut hanging holes in the top and labeled the backs with the clay name and the cone temperature. And, since I hate monotony, after I've done those, I just HAVE to do something different with each clay sample.

So I listened.

With Hawaiian Red, a small constructed house was called for.

The black /brown B3 Brown demanded an oval cup.

The Hagi called for a medium sized free-form vessel. Very thin, very suave.


Humm,

I wonder. If we wrote about clay like we write about wine, what would we say?

Hawaiian Red: The very essence of earth. Rich, red, robust, Adam-esque and basic. Elemental and strong. Muscular, robust. Stands on it's own two feet. Get down and dirty with it, make it shout it's name.

B3 Brown: Warm, mailable, responds luxuriously to your hand--nearly purrs. Pliable, but shows bit of spirit. Virtuoso abilities, but handle with care, could be a flash of temperament. Sassy yet holds the promise of a soft, rich surface. May change in texture and pliability if overworked. Understand it and the rewards could be stunning.

Hagi porcelain: Schizophrenic aristocrat. Resistive and aloof at first, relaxes and offers incredible surfaces after worked for a while. Has the promise of elegance, but must be carefully handled. A mystery clay to be understood, handled gingerly, babied and respected or it will pout, then flounce out in a huff.

?????

Whoa! What happened to my visitor counter? It just disappeared.

Three Clays; Two Glazes

I picked up three different clays from the supplier when I got the kiln. They're all Laguna clays. One is porcelain, the other two a red and a very dark, nearly black clay. It will be interesting to see how they handle and fire.

I also got a couple of fairly neutral glazes to experiment with. And I'll include some underglazes into the mix to test how they perform.

Sounds fairly simple? I began brainstorming about how I can find out the most with just these elements.

I think best with a pen in my hand and a piece of paper. And this is what I came up with and this is what I came up with. I make test tiles that are curved on the bottom so I can see how the glaze pools. I use a bamboo skewer to impress two lines to see how the glaze breaks. Later I'll make a hanging board so I can see all the glazes at a glance.

I'll bisque 3 samples for clay reference: On to remain bisqued, one to fire to cone 5 and one burnished.

Three will be a sample of one glaze: All three dipped two times with one dipped a third time and held as an example of just that glaze. The other two will be held in reserve for further tests of that glaze.



These test tiles are 4 inches long and two inches wide. The clay and cone are incised on the backside of the clay.

The same applies for the other glaze. With the third set of tiles, I'll dip an over/under test with one glaze, then reverse the test for the other glaze. The 2nd and 3rd tiles will be held in reserve to use with a third glaze in the future.

And I'll make sure I label the backs of these tiles, take notes and photograph the results.

I will also make one 6" square tile of each clay and do an underglaze test plus an over/under glaze test.

I toyed with the idea of making a square vessel that could show the two glazes and how they reacted on a vertical surface with indentations and with relief elements, yet integrated enough to make an inti grated piece. After I roll out all that I need for test pieces, I'll see if I have enough room.

Always nice to have two references for any glaze.

A Minimal Studio

So, I was thinking about how I could find a place to work while in Arizona.

I "took a class" at the local county community recreation center last time. Independent work was allowed for advanced students during the session time, but I found it really didn't suit me.

Too frustrating. Limited access, limited time, no control over the rhythm of the work, cramped facilities, people with 'issues', noisy work area, finding my work moved, with finger pokes. It absolutely drove me crazy.

I know.

It's me; not them.

I like a quiet, peaceful workplace. I don't want conversation. Even though I LIKE people, I don't want them around while I'm working. I find I'll spend more time talking and joking than working and come away feeling like I haven't accomplished the goal I'd set up to achieve.

I want to concentrate on the work. Persnicity? YES!

I want to be able to work whenever I feel like it, not on a schedule.

Sometimes I like music, sometimes I like absolute silence, but I want to control it. I like classical music when I throw or build pieces and ZZ Top, Wagner, Rossini, Queen, the Beach Boys, or a mix I call 'Smokin" when I glaze.


Anyway

We went to the local clay company to check out the price of kilns and supplies.

The possibility of setting up a kiln in half the garage had been considered. Earlier that week, we had looked at a used kiln for sale and found that it had been stored outside, was partially dismantled and there was no way to plug it in to see if it functioned. The price was 50% of a new kiln. Iffy........

The supply place was having a sale. The 2009 prices hadn't kicked in yet and the model I was interested in was already discounted plus they were running a discount on top of that. I had a gift certificate. The stars were aligned.

The new kiln is now installed in my garage. Instead of a stationary kiln-stand, I was able to buy a steel one that is on rollers, so I can move the kiln against the wall when it's not in use. Sweet.




















I had brought my portable slab roller with me and had located a large folding table.

We checked out Craig's list and got a set of steel shelves from a company that was going out of business.












After running the kiln seasoning firing, I'm now happily putting kiln wash on my shelves.

Bliss awaits.

Leonardo

Leonardo da Vinci must have been a lot of laughs.

I read once that he loved to rig up mice and small animals in costumes or tiny kinetic harnesses. Can you imagine a mouse with working wings?




Now just how cute could that be?



Did you know he made automatons and a robot? A Google search will turn up lots of U-tubes of antique models and a museum of Leonardo's models .


















He made a life-sized lion that walked into the room, sat on it's hind legs, reared up and his chest opened up to reveal lilies. It delighted the King of France, but it also probably cleared the room.

And speaking of rooms, he figured out a way to make a whole room explode in a ball of fire (without destroying anything--I'm assuming it was minus the furniture at the time).

He atomized a propellant into the sealed room and rigged up a sparking device--probably attached to the door.

Good thing most of the building were stone.


I'd be impressed.

Below: His drawing of an explosion.

Woo Hoo! Nice New Year's Gift

Well!

Let's start the new year right!

Got notice that my photo was accepted for the new Potter's Council calendar.









My pot is the Miss January.



Here's the link to order: www.cafepress.com/potterscouncil/6017452. The calendars are $19.00 and some each. There are two calendars available.

The Potter's Council is a group of volunteers that organize and provide professional level workshops in various areas around the country for artists. They also offer discount subscriptions and other benefits through their auspices. You can find their web page at: www.ceramicartsdaily.org/potterscouncil/index.aspx or google potters council. Ceramic Arts Daily is the home of Pottery Illustrated Magazine.

You've seen this pot before. And, true to style, I don't own it anymore. It was sold last year through a gallery and I've let the gallery owner know that it will be published (I still hold the rights to the image.) I want her to let the owner know.

The front cover of the calendar is a masterful job of layout. It's beautifully balanced to move your eye around the images. I learned this lesson from my mom many years ago about how to make images with extensions to point inward; to weight and balance them on the page and how to use color.

Great Job, Potter's Council print people.

Season's Greetings

We've escaped the ice and snow.

And just in the neck of time, it seems.






















Glass for ice; paper stars for snow. I like the trade-off.


Last year, we bought an artificial tree.

I miss the real kind, but it seems more responsible to have the other.

,,,,,,,,,Bought plastic--resulting in encouragement for the manufacture of more plastic.

.........Effect on reduction of live trees cut each year? Probably none, excess trees are cut each year. Would take years to make impact, if at all.

.........So possible reduction of one live tree into landfill for each year of plastic one used ? Iffy.

.........But since we didn't buy a live tree, possible excess of 6/8 live trees added to mulch or organic recycle?


.........Results in a chance of a plus to the environment BUT excess trees must be mulched using machine that either runs on electricity or fuel.

.........Landfill: Addition of one plastic tree in about 6/8 years.)

.........Balance of impact on affecting environment: ??


Message to brain: STOP THINKING!................

We hung a real evergreen wreath on the wall though, just to have the smell in the house.


.........Are we even on the environment thing?

.........Message to brain: SHUT UP!




Anyway, Best Wishes for the Holidays and Good Cheer for the New Year!

The Influence of the Things We See

It is amazing how we can be influenced by the things you see......
































The basic shape and balance of the Arab teapot of a previous post has influenced these hand-built pitcher forms: The cinched waist, the flaring spout and the balance of the handle.

It's funny how one thing influences another. It's true that artists are the reflection of their environment.
That is why it is important to seek out and look at good design.


(I have to confess, I cringe when I walk into a not-to-be-named-in-this-blog store with shelves of plastic flowers, feathery thingys hanging from the ceiling, end-of-aisle attack displays, Me-- with thought-bubble: "I'll just get in and get out and nobody gets hurt." And if I'm lucky, I can go to the place where whatever I need is, get it, go straight to the check-out, and LEAVE.)


These pitcher forms have been the subject of reoccurring constructions ever since I started making the square teapots.






They have developed alongside each other, but I didn't realize it for quite some time. It has a lot to do with the construction of the leaf-shaped spouts since I use the same paper pattern to make both, though I modify it a bit for each particular vessel.

And where did the form for the spout originate? It is a combination of thoughts about tropical plant leaves designed by nature to eliminate excess water and to carry it away from the plant. And the fact that, while working on a square teapot one day, a paper label attached to a plastic spray bottle caught my eye and I thought, "Nice. That would make a great spout shape." So I carefully peeled it off and made a paper pattern to cut a new spout shape.

This little pitcher is 'getting there'.





"Now stick out your tongue."










Ya never know where inspiration will strike if you keep your eyes open.

(Or closed, as in the case of disturbing stores.)

aaaah addendum

One thing you learn working in ceramics----

You learn how to deal with loss.

AAAaaagh!

Disaster!


Woe is me!


Ahem


I guess I was due.




For years I've fired my little shortie kiln with no mishaps, no glaze-running-down-the-side-of-the-pot, no blisters, no spitting glaze off the pots, no meltdowns, or whatever other problem you could possibly have within the power and mysteries of kiln goblins.

This time though, they got me.
All of them.

My lamp bases, (the white one was gorgeous, by the way) the three square teapots were cemented to the shelf and, of course, the lids were perfect. One glaze blistered and ran straight to the shelf and my shino glaze had gotten senile and developed a skin condition to boot.

Could I have used stilts? Set tiles? Nah, this time, there could be no remedy.

Okay, okay. My dues payment should now be marked "In Full". (Hah, brave front here, but I don't think they heard me, though.)

NOW what do I take to NCECA?


Photo: Nightmare by Fuseli