The class demo four-pound plate…

And now for the six-pound platter…

Plus, we have new clay at Lillstreet Art Center. For years we’ve had the same selections
of stoneware, B-Clay and porcelain. We’re now trying something new from Continental Clay.
It’s Stoneware with Ochre… which from what we’ve seen turns out to be a dark chocolate
brown after firing in a cone 10 reduction kiln. This is my first time trying the new clay…
hence the slight “greenish” hue in the clay. It was fun to throw with… although the color
was a little off-putting.

This time they’re slightly smaller – not so much a casserole, but more of a bud vase or
tchotchke keeper! I was pretty pleased with today’s “production” mode. Throwing them all,
stamping them all and ovaling them all in one afternoon! Okay, so I “pushed it” a bit.
The ovals were a little wetter than I would like them to be… in fact, I had one casualty while
stamping when the clay was to wet, stuck to the stamp & wouldn’t release! It ripped instead!

They’re wrapped up overnight and tomorrow I’ll add the bottoms, as well as some
colored slip accents! Finish these off… and then it’s another batch of… something?!

With my next soda kiln less than two weeks away, it’s time to start making some of the taller
pieces that will go on the top shelves… and follow the curve of the roof quite nicely. These
large slab vases are a lot of fun to make with different textures on each side of each vase.

Now that they’re all stamped and ready to start drying, I just need to add some colored
slip details on them. Good thing Flat Stanley stopped by to help!

Yep, my first grade niece Taylor read one of the “Flat Stanley” books and is now watching
Stanley travel around. I received Flat Stanley in the mail yesterday and have about a week
to capture his travels and exploits around the city. I thought it only fitting that Flat Stanley’s
first stop would have to be the studio where Taylor loves to play in the mud!
Apparently Flat Stanley like to play in the mud too!

Bowl #2 – Flanged… and now stamped!

Bowl #3 – Flanged, Fluted & Flopped… and now stamped!

Bowl #4 – Wide Flange… and now stamped!

Bowl #6 – Divided, Pinched, Squared… and now stamped!
Once this one gets trimmed, I’m also planning on adding some little “balls” on top
of the four pinch points. I’m not really a fan of the “pinch marks.” So I think they’ll
need some “creative camouflage.”

Next up?… trimming, handles and some colored flashing slips.
Looks like tomorrow might need to be another productive day?!!!

And then, when their mugs were completed, we sat down for an interactive,
and somewhat chatty, demonstration on making clay stamps. We discussed how to
make them, fire them and use them. I tried to explain how they need to think about
their designs in reverse. How the high points on the stamps make the low points in
the impressions. And visa versa. How letters and symbols need to be carved in reverse.
That they just need to make a LOT of stamps and find the ones they love to use…
and then make more! Once these are fired, my class will have their own stamps to use!

Next up… looks like I need to make a few handles for the mugs, huh?!
As well as punching drainage holes to make these into berry bowls.
Oh, and then they need small drip plates too… always more work to do!!!

We always start with a plain platter and a smooth flange waiting for texture!
Then I root through my tool boxes full of stamps to find the one I want to use.

Some simple repetitive stamping with the same stamp creates a nice border.

And if one row of stamps is good, would more stamps be even better?!

And then, to accentuate the pointed design, I used a smaller stamp to make a tiny
indentation at the bottom of each point.

All the way around to make a nice repetitive pattern. A little fluting around the edge
and the platter is done for now. Now it needs to stiffen up a bit and dry enough to be
considered leatherhard – ready to trim! And there’s another platter done!