Finally

It feels like years since my last post. The truth is, I have been quite disappointed with the recent firings and just couldn't bring myself to bore you with the details (yet again). Alas! Good news is right around the corner. I think I've finally figured out the solution to the many glazing problems and the last batch out of kiln was not too shabby. Aside from glazing, I've also been busy throwing lots of earthenware pots. So hang tight, you'll be seeing more brightly colored pieces soon!

On another note, a very gifted ceramic artist and painter, Cynthia, crowned me with the "Rockin' Girl Blogger" award. I'm blushing as we speak. Thank you thank you Cynthia! You made my week. I will now pass the honor on to five other rockin' girl bloggers and here they are... drumroll please...


- Mette from Mettes Potteri
- Denise from Denise's World
- Sarah from Life is Beautiful
- Whitney from This Artist's Life
- Linda from Orange Cookie and Ambrosia Studio

Now, you may applause :o)

Fruit Bowl

It took three attempts for me to make the fruit bowl above. The first two times, I made huge dents while trying to get the batt off the pottery wheel. Does anyone else experience this problem? Needless to say, once I got the third bowl off the wheel, I immediately put it on the shelf and didn't dare touch it again. The vegetable designs were made from molds, which I bought off the internet. I then attached them to the bowl using a bit of slip.

Fruit bowl: Earthenware, 11" diameter

More Plump Birdies

I spent most of this weekend glazing away like a mad woman. Above are the latest birdie designs on bisques.

top: 3 mugs, porcelain, 5" height x 3.5" diameter
bottom: a set of 6 dessert plates, porcelain, 6" diameter

Busy as a Bee

It looks like my plate will be full for the next couple of months. We have three upcoming trips to the east coast, starting with NYC at the beginning of September. Later in October, we'll head over to Connecticut and then Washington DC. I really love these trips to New England in the Fall. Especially in late October when the leaves turn color and the air is so crisp. It provides the perfect opportunity to whisk out your favorite light jacket and be fashionable with a silk scarf. I also have a couple of 10K races, both of which have to do with running in the mud! They're called the "Mud Run" and the "Muddy Buddy". Have you heard of them? The first is a 10K run with hills, river crossings, various obstacles, and a final 30-foot mud pit! The second is very similar except you switch between mountain biking and running with a partner. These races are so much fun. At the finish line, every inch of your body will be covered with mud. People tend to wear their old running shoes for these events and then throw them away afterwards. Lastly, we've been doing a bit of home renovation, removing popcorn ceiling, repainting walls, and adding base boards to the bedrooms. All of these activities have been keeping me away from pottery. In fact, I am way behind in glazing. There are rows and rows of bisques collecting dust on the shelf. I better start glazing tonight.

Birdies

Lately, I've been a bit crazy about these plump black birds. As you can see below. More to come, please stay tune...

small porcelain bowl, fired at cone 10
4.5" diameter x 1.75" height

birds on clothesline (bisque)

Straight out of the Kiln

Do you remember the promegranate bowl I posted last week? Well, here it is, straight out of the kiln. I really like the smooth milky white quality of porcelain. That's why I just put on three coats of clear glaze and let the clay speaks for itself.

Bad, Worse, Disaster...

I posted a little blurb about this pitcher last week. Some of you expressed interest in it so I thought maybe you would like to see how it turned out. At first, it wasn't too bad when I glanced at it from across the room. The glazes weren't as bright as I had hoped, but at least, they didn't crack or bleed.


Then I walked over to the shelf for a closer look and turned the pitcher slightly. Well, bad turned into worse. One of the glazes I was testing melted right off the flower center. It was supposed to be marine blue in color, but now, more like a blend of burgundy and purple?

I then turned the pitcher some more. What I saw was a complete disaster! One of the balls literally slid down the body of the pitcher. Linda Aubry from Ambrosia Porcelain had wrote to me about this. Now I've experienced it first hand.


Oh well, what can I say, you win some, you loose some. This one will go in the trash bin. I can always make another...