A Spot of Tea

Just took this out of the kiln this morning--still naked clay--no glaze yet.
This baby is big. Fifteen inches tall; just under the lid on my shorty kiln.

Originally it had feet, but I had to take them off.

This is a new spout too. A bit more difficult to make, but I like it a lot. It's also hand formed, since I don't have a wheel here. Took much longer to make than a thrown one.

I worried that the handle might not make it, but it came through okay.
Several years ago, I cracked the code on how to make and dry these kinds of handles.

It's a secret not for sharing. It took a ton of blood, sweat and lots of smashed pots to get there.

The rest of the kiln contained lots of test tiles of terra cotta, B3 Brown and Hagi Porcelain. I made a tiny house of terra cotta, a small tumbler of the B3 Brown and a free-form vase of Hagi Porcelain.

The Hagi cracked on one end, but I'm going to test glaze it anyway. Very thin walls and a whole new handbuilt form for me and a radical departure from my previous work. The Terra cotta has a nice, interesting hand, but a bit sandy for me; the B3 Brown is lovely. Very responsive. I like it a lot. The Hagi is cranky, a bit short and completely different than the porcelain I've been using. But, oooh, what beauty when it is fired.

Taking a Breather

Just a quick note that I will be blogging again in about a week--I'm enjoying the luxury of a visit from my sister.

It's wonderful to spend time with someone who you shared a childhood with and know so very completely.

The Guardian's 1000 Novels

Recently, the UK Guardian newspaper published a list of "1000 Novels Everyone Must Read." (www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jan/23/bestbooks-fiction).

It's interesting to see what they suggest.

The list is broken down in categories: Comedy, Crime, Family and Self, Love, Science Fiction and Fantasy, State of the Nation, War and Travel. Each category is varied in the number of books selected.

Now granted, this is a heavily weighted English list, although American writers are also included. (I was happy to see Eric Ambler, Falkner, Updike, Hemingway etc. on the list.) And the categories are not broken down quite like I would have done it.

For instance, Kim by Kipling is listed as a crime book. And Gentlemen Prefer Blonds is listed as Love instead of Comedy. And War and Travel could have been separated. Crime and Mystery are two different categories to my mind as well as SciFi and Fantasy.

In some of the listings, I've read the author, but not the particular title selected. So, I didn't count those. (But it does give me new titles to look for.)

So I wanted to know:

1. The total number of list books I have read----215

2. The percentage of books I have chosen to read in each category.

23 per cent---------Comedy
36 per cent---------Crime
8 per cent----------Family and Self
40 per cent---------Love
8 per cent----------SciFi and Fantasy
9 per cent----------State of the Nation
32 per cent---------War and Travel

3. What different kinds of reading and new titles/authors I might look for when I go to the library, order new books, and download MP3 files from public domain sources like Librivox.

Segway
I do read a lot of books that are non-fiction also, usually choosing those above novels. Generally, I want to learn new things in order to add to general knowledge.

When I was in high school/college, I read everything I could get my hands on that would be put under the category of Self-Sufficiency and life skills.

I wanted to know as much as I could about making things; be able to walk into the woods and 'read' the vegetation like a book. I think I bought every Foxfire and Euell Gibbons book there was.

I was also big on medical books, First Aid and Emergency-type information. This led to serving some years on a volunteer emergency rescue and ambulance team plus good information when my children were small and we were living in other countries. I actually diagnosed my son's scarlet fever and was able to get him treatment quickly when we lived in the Middle East. Frustrated doctor, me.

Old Reminders

This is an old pitcher I threw very early in my clay-making.

There are lots of flaws, but I've kept it around because I just like it.
It is a large pitcher--holds about a half gallon of liquid, but it will never be used. It's too heavy. The bottom is thick. The walls are thicker than I would make today. And I'd use a different type of clay.

The handle, although strong enough, doesn't have a flowing curve. And the top and bottom of the handle seem blunt. I added clay to both ends when I attached it to the body of the pot--I've learned better since then.

I do like the spout. It pours without a drop. You probably can't see it in the photos, but there is an ice dam at the very top. The spout is hand built, nice and deep, fits the body of the vessel and balances the power of the handle. The whole relationship between the body, handle and spout "works".

But the best thing is, I love the glaze. It was a special one; a spin-off from another rutile glaze that I had requested from my clay supplier. He had come up with a weathered bronze that worked well with my square teapots and was experimenting with a variation of the glaze. The lines are the result of dipping the pot in spout-first, then rotating the pot when I glazed the back of it. The thicker drips were rolled around the pot and surprised me when the drips fired this lovely blue.



It's good to keep something around to remind yourself where you've been.

One day, I'll make another and improve on the flaws. The body walls will be thinner. The handle will 'grow' from the walls of the pot. The roundness of both will be exaggerated.

The spout will keep the dip between the ice dam and the tip. The bottom of the spout will be in line with the bottom of the handle.

Or maybe I will use this form as a springboard to repeat but elongate it into an oval pitcher.

I doubt I can duplicate that glaze, though.

Life's Little Irritations

Since I've been nailed to the couch hacking my brains out for a while, I've been bereft of quality entertainment like sitting in a lawn chair listening to golfers cuss, (the house is on a golf course--is there a house in Arizona NOT on a golf course?)

So, I've been restricted to watching TV. And, not feeling so well to boot, my irritation level has developed a trigger switch. Consequently, my sights have rested on weathermen, or "Weather Presenters", "Meteorologists" as they like to call themselves these days. And maybe they are meteorologists, but grammarians, they ain't.

Like Zeus, they take possession of the weather as if they have some control over it. "We're going to bring the temperature down to the lower 30's tonight." or "We'll be bringing in the damp air from an off-shore flow."
..........It seems to be a confusion between the actual weather and their visual toys.

AND who decided weather men should yell at you and act like buffoons? Feh!

It's the Weather, for pete's sake.


I used to be so amused at the British weather reports. Very low key. Very brief.

I mean, predict the weather in Britain? Britain? sitting up there above Europe? Adrift in the north sea? Riddled by mountain ranges? Hah

So, it would go something like this:
"It might be a bit breezy today and overcast with some sun-breaks and rain here and there."

No barometric pressure, dew point, isobar map, Doppler radar.

You could walk out the back door, sniff the air, squint at the sky and come up with an about the same thing.
No yelling. No fuss.

Meh

"Under the weather" would not describe it--more like "In a subterranean toilet" would be a better description of how I've felt for the past oh, 6-7 days.

It started with sneezing like a AK-47, then runny eyes and sinuses, morphing into a hacking cough that got nowhere, on to face-and-ear-aches which became full blown body aches and muscle spasms. A low fever developed and hung around for days. Appetite went out the window and I had to remember to drink liquids. Even tea tasted awful.

The next assault was a head that seemed to inflate and hurt every time I coughed which led to a burning, aching throat and the feeling that my sinuses had been peeled. I wanted to be able to reach down my throat and scratch my lungs. My whole upper body was sore from coughing.

After spending my days on the couch watching a marathon House Hunting Overseas and my evenings laying in a scalding tub with the bottom of my nose swabbed with Tiger Balm, I decided to break out the antibiotics I had been hoarding for something else. (since the low-grade fever was still hanging around.)

I will confess to my doctor of my sins when we return home, but drastic circumstances call for drastic measures, as they say. Better risk a doctor's scowl than pneumonia, I figure.

So.........

A wan, weak wave from me, finally vertical again and looking at climbing Everest to get to the grocery store and lay in some fresh veggies and fruit to go with my chicken soup.

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.