pottery

Vinyl Decals

February 23, 2023

I'm continuing to prep stuff for the next glaze firing. I made a dozen blank white mugs to use vinyl decals with. I cut the vinyl decals on my cricut. When I'm trying out something new I'll usually only cut 1, but for something that I know works I'll cut multiples at a time.

Vinyl Decals


When I'm preparing I'll put the decals in each mug so I know what my plan is and then I'll start applying them. Even when I've done multiples before it, sometimes one just won't behave at first. After I get the decal in place I use a yellow rib to smooth it down. What's great about doing this on the mug is that it's just there to tell the glaze where to go (or not to go depending on the decal) so bubbles and creases don't matter all that much. As long as the glaze can't get under the decal, that's what's important.

Vinyl Decals


I was doing all of this while watching the 2023 ClayShareCon. You can see Paula McCoy's demo up on my TV. The demos from the first night were for Clayshare members only, but the rest of the conference is free to the public and will be recorded.

Vinyl Decals


I didn't see the issue until I put the underglaze in. One of these things is not like the others...ooops!

Vinyl Decals




pottery

Getting Ready to Glaze

February 22, 2023

I have my first show of the year coming up in less than two weeks. I will be at the Maryland Home and Garden Craft Show March 4th, 5th, 11th, and 12th. I am mostly ready for the show. At this point it's unlikely that anything I'd make right now would be ready for the first weekend, but as you can see I have a ton of bisque to glaze. This isn't even all of it - this is just what would comfortably fit on the tables.

I think it's at least 2 kiln loads, possibly more as there are a few large items to glaze as well. Getting Ready to Glaze




Getting Ready to Glaze




Chaumont

Winter Trip to Chaumont

February 20, 2023

We took our annual trip up to Chaumont during the winter this weekend. At first I thought we weren't going to get any snow because it had been so warm there last week, but they got a little bit of snow on Friday so we were able to see just a bit.

There were a ton of geese on the water, more than we've ever seen. They were up and down the river as far as we could see. Winter Trip to Chaumont


The gazebo is holding up through the winter. We took a chance not taking the screens down, but all is well. There was a dusting of snow inside that the puppies were eating for a quick drink.

Winter Trip to Chaumont


The wind must have blown over the canoe at some point. It was too heavy for us to flip back over. It didn't seem like the ice was breaking the hull so hopefully it survives until spring.

Winter Trip to Chaumont


When we came back on Sunday there were 4 swans on the river. We've never seen swans up there before! Of course the geese proceeded to be jerks and scared them away after a couple of minutes.

Winter Trip to Chaumont


After much running and chasing the pups passed out at the hotel.

Winter Trip to Chaumont




clay

Trying out some carving

February 18, 2023

I have a friend who wanted to do a commissioned piece for his sister. The parameters were completely wide open. She came back and said she wanted a large platter with sunflowers and lemons that has a blue background. First thing I had to get my head around was combining lemons and sunflowers on the same plate. I did some sketches to figure out what the design would look like.

The next I had to think through is how I would have a blue background with the sunflowers and lemons. In normal life when you mix blue and yellow you get green. In pottery you could get any color, but it's also very likely that you'll get running.

I needed a way for there to be a bit of a barrier between the two colors. I came up with two primary options. The first was that I could use designer liner around the lemons and the sunflowers as a sort of barrier between the glazes. The second was to put the blue down as an underglaze and carve the sunflowers and lemons out.

Rather than start with a giant platter and cross my fingers, I decided to start with smaller items to give it a go. Trying out some carving


I can pick the definition of the leaves of the sunflower back up when I glaze. I decided to carve the different areas with different textures so that it's clear what is petal and what is center.

Trying out some carving


Once I got the sunflowers down I decided to try lemons and add in some leaves as well. I'm not as happy with the sunflower leaves as I am with the lemon leaves. I think I can pull that back in when I add the glaze though.

Trying out some carving


This last one I was just having fun and decided to try some conflowers. This was already an experiement with a block of wood I found at the craft store. It dried too fast so instead of a shallow plate it has become a cheese board. I need to find a way that I can carve while sitting, or at least not hunch as much, but the actual act of carving was really soothing.

clay

Butterfly Feeders

February 16, 2023

Spring is coming! I have been watching the crocus bloom in my front yard the last week and the daffodils just starting to come up. I was in the mood for flowers and decided to make some butterfly feeders. These will get mounted onto sticks after the firing that can go out in the garden. They're pretty, but also they gather just a bit of water for butterflies and bids. Butterfly Feeders




Butterfly Feeders




pottery

Vase Bisque Fail

February 14, 2023

One of my two large vases did not make it out of the bisque. There is a J crack that starts at the seam, goes down to the bottom, and then comes up on the other side. I noticed it when I was showing a few people at the chocolate party. They had asked - can't you just glaze fire it and hope it doesn't get bigger? My answer is a solid no. Let's say it does get bigger - and not just bigger but that side piece falls off in some way. Now you have this giant vase with one corner missing and then it falls into other pieces destroying them, falls onto the sidewall of the kiln causing a mess there, or BOTH! So yeah while it is a very pretty vase otherwise it is now garbage and I can make another one.

Vase Bisque Fail


This vase is the bmix one, but the other one I did in laguna 60 has no cracks. My guess is that it originates on the seam and I didn't compress enough. Next one I make with bmix I'll make sure to compress better.

Vase Bisque Fail


From a foot back you can't even see it! I didn't even notice when I first took it out of the bisque kiln.

Vase Bisque Fail




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