Finding a Trend in Your Own Work

Recently while going through some work digitals, I discovered a lot of tubular handles on my work.

They are are so ubiquitous, I didn't see the trend until the images were opened up as a group on my computer desktop.

Most of these handles were made of solid clay.

The two teapots below are the same form, but the handles are entirely different.

I thought about a tubular clay handle for "Texas Tea" but decided on a cane handle instead. (That was before I discovered a technique for drying large handles that won't crack.)

When I attached the cane one to the pot, it didn't seem to work visually. I thought about painting it black, but decided that wouldn't work well because of the chance the paint would flake off, if not immediately, eventually.

It pays to be a pack-rat. I had a stash of black leather cording and wrapped it around the cane. It worked. The black leather reduces the importance of the handle's image, and fits well with the eccentricity of the pot.

"China Tea's" handle looks as if it has been threaded through the supports, but of course, this is a fool the eye kind of thing. The connection "hooks" were added on the outside of the ends. The top section of the handle is really not that heavy--it's hollow.

And this last pot is an out-of-the-box (What box?) kind of thing.

Taking the handle and pushing it into a different element on the pot, as if the handle had split and slipped down the sides of the form, it is a playful variation of the idea of a handle.

So, think about analyzing your work by taking a good look at what could be your own trends.

Then, think about taking that element and interpreting it in a new way.

Ravens & Crows

Those smart birds who patrol the lawns, flipping leaves and twigs, making comments about each one. Talk about multi-tasking. They can inspect, walk, rearrange their feathers, and watch everything around them at the same time.

This is a great sculpture/dish shown at the Phoenix NCECA convention early this year. I wish I knew who made it. It was in a student? group? satellite show in one of the hotels, I believe.

Maybe this person has listened to ravens or crows just a bit too long. Or is it a dish for serving humble pie?

In any case, it is certainly engaging work and a nice piece.

We don't have ravens, but we certainly have crows. Big ones.

Just for laughs, they land on top the ducks bobbing in the bay, they dive-bomb any eagle who shows up. They try to drive away the squirrels with noise and make nasty comments about my husband when he's in the yard. You'd think they owned the place.

But there's always a flip-side. Right now, the local crows are being nagged by their adolescent children. The offspring are nearly as big as their parents and can now only be distinguished by the 'feed me' squawk and trembling wings posture.

"Gimme, Gimme, Gimme." There is no rest. "Dad, can I have the car? Oh, pleeeeese."

Ah, it's always the same.......

Teapot Spouts

One of the problems with teapot spouts is dribble. The spout angle, the throat, the belly of the pot - all have an influence on how well the pot pours.

This little guy does a fine job. The open spout is more like one found on a coffee pot, but no matter. I'm a firm believer in doing what works. I have a German coffee pot with a spout much like this one, but it has the added feature of a fine groove just under the lip and a tiny hole drilled near the tip. Has something to do with allowing air to catch that last drop and it works well. One day, I may try it.

And, of course, the stands are fun. Protects surfaces from the heat of the pot and they are easy to throw. Just make them upside down. I let mine dry on smooth batts so little finish work is needed.

Maybe a slight upturned lip on the stand and a bit more extension out past the base of the teapot would excuse a dribble here or there from a faulty spout.......but then, that would have to be done by throwing the stand right side up, but that's do-able.

Table Tiles

This is a table top interlocking tile project made to fit an antique D-leaf table. The glaze resilts were a bit of a surprise, but you can see my continued fascination with wings, flying etc. in the pattern. The glaze was a matt white applied onto a light clay in thick strokes to give the impression of feathers without being too uneven to support hot dishes.

Each tile was backed with a solid piece of dark green felt much like the kind of backing found on table pads.

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest 2009 Results

"Folks say that if you listen real close at the height of the full moon, when the wind is blowin' off Nantucket Sound from the nor'east and the dogs are howlin' for no earthly reason, you can hear the awful screams of the crew of the "Ellie May", a sturdy whaler Captained by John McTavish' for it was on just such a night when the rum was flowin' and, Davey Jones be damned, big John brought his men on deck for the first of several screaming contests."

The winner of 2009 Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is David McKenzie, a 55-year- old Quality Systems consultant and writer from Federal Way, Washington. ...


For more hilarity, go to http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/2009.htm

Blown Away

The first time I saw an Andrew Wyeth painting, I wanted to go home and throw away all my paints and just hang it up.

I knew I could never paint that well.

And to make it even worse, the show combined TWO masters: Wyeth and Winslow Homer. It was equal to two body blows.......but to the mind.

It was a wonderful show; one that you could walk right up to the paintings and nearly stick your nose into it. No guards to speak to you, no alarms going off. Everything was covered with protective glass, of course, but these days, you cannot get that close to a painting, unfortunately.

Anyway, I just discovered a sculptor whose work has had a similar effect on me. Her name is Tricia Cline.

I found her work through an incredibly deep art/museum site called The Curated Object. Ever so often I return to this page to mine it a bit more. Wandering through the indexes is always intriguing.

Not only is Tricia Cline an accomplished artist she is Self-Taught. So forget about a long string of art schools, degree initials, and everything else recommended to assure artists their worthiness to exhibit.

Just take a look.

Her website is: www.triciacline.com

Curated Object: www.curatedobject.us

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Worth Repeating

Yesterday, I was transferring jpegs from my old computer to my laptop. And I ran across this tray I did a couple of years ago. It is a variation of several trays of this design. I find it to be very satisfying to make. The glaze technique always gives good results.

Here's how you do it:

Dip a piece into the base color. In this case, it is white. Use wax resist and a fine brush to block out leaf/branch forms or whatever you desire. You can roll the brush in your hand while to paint to produce a lovely variation in the line.

Load up a pitcher with contrast glaze and, holding the piece at an angle over a catch bucket, pour the darker glaze over the white undercoat. Voila! Something like the example.

A couple of times, I've splashed dots of an even darker glaze over the top. One day, I'll try blocking out a second area with resist and applying a third glaze just to see what happens.

Bye, bye

The kickwheel sold. Yeah

Couldn't have gone to a better home.


Now, do I contribute to Public Television or the Federation for the Blind?
I give to both.

1. Public Television because I think education and information is important and it's the only outlet that is still providing the programing that was the "great promise of television".

2. The Federation for the Blind because, as children, my sister and I would play the endless argument game: "If you had to choose, would you rather be deaf or blind?"

I finally decided I would rather be deaf.
Although giving up music forever would be endlessly painful, I could still remember it. Losing my sight would be devastating.

Brent Kickwheel

This Brent kickwheel is in my studio, eating up space that I need.

The one pictured is a nice, natural wood-colored one; the one I've got is red, blue, green --like a child's toy colors. (I try not to look at it.)

A lady who was moving to China wanted me to sell it and I said 'okay'. Why do I say 'okay'? I'll send whatever I get for it to charity.

Anyway

It's a nice wheel. ( There's a larger wheelhead on the one I have.) I've used it for trimming and it has a really good feel. Very sensitive and well-balanced. The flywheel is made of two large plywood discs with an open space between to insert regular building bricks. You could move them around if you felt the wheel wasn't balanced, but the wheel gives an even spin.

The whole thing comes apart and breaks down for easy moving, but re-attaching the wheelhead and the balance wheel is a bear. I'd recommend moving it in toto.

I have it posted on Craig's List for $100.00, so if any of you are in the NW corner of the NW ie Western Pinninsula of Washington near Seattle and need a wheel, send me a comment and we can arrange a deal.

P.S. I also have a 4 harness full-sized folding loom in my storage building.

Don't Let This Happen to You

Some years ago, I tried wrapping a small jar with copper wire.

I dutifully placed the piece on a set tile to guard against any drips on the kiln shelf. I used very thin wire.......This came out of the kiln.

I loved the result of the wire melt. Fortunately, it didn't drip too much and there was no sticking to the shelf.

.......But.........

I couldn't get the lid off.

I tapped.

I sawed.

I even bought a Dremel diamond bit. But to no avail.

It makes a nice paperweight. Or doorstop.

I must try it again, but the next time, design a catchment for the copper pooling.

Of course, if you ever wanted to seal something up permanently, this would be just the ticket.