09.02.2017
There’s something so satisfying about trimming pots. I LOVE TRIMMING!!!
Especially when using my Giffin Grip which take the “fun” of re-centering your pot out of the equation.
08.24.2017
After another fun day at summer camp, I spent the afternoon wedging & bagging up
my latest batch of reclaimed clay. A little “muscle” and now I’ve got a LOT of free clay!!!
Another good day.
08.21.2017
With another art fair in the books, it’s time to clean my studio, pull out a big batch of clay to reclaim… and start back in on production for my next big art fair!
08.17.2017
There’s been a LOT of glazing going on in my studio lately.
Getting ready to load my next soda kiln. Getting ready for ART IN THE GARDEN.
Lots of liner glazes. Lots of glaze inlay. Lots of wiping clean.
Lots of “tricks” to help make the textures pop more after soda firing!
08.14.2017
The “original plan” was to make 30 shakers each. But have you met me? I just couldn’t help myself. Once I got started I was kinda on a roll. One more lead to another… and soon enough I had NINETY!!!
07.09.2017
Holy balls of wedged potential Batman!
06.30.2017
After scooping out another huge batch of hydrated reclaim clay, I just finished pulverizing another batch of dry clay to start the process all over again!
06.28.2017
So tonight when I came back to my studio, I noticed some sort of random “fuzz” growing on my plaster bat. I use the bat to lay out my sloppy reclaimed clay. It sits on the bat for about a week before it is dried up enough to roll off and wedge up. I took my latest batch of reclaim clay off the bat about five days ago. I decided to leave my plaster bat sitting out so it could dry up a bit before laying out another batch of reclaimed clay slop. The bat is “elevated” on a couple commercial tiles so there is air circulation below it as well. I didn’t notice before… but I assume the fuzz has been “growing” since I took the clay off the plaster bat. I’ve seen little crystal-like build-up before, but NEVER this thick & furry!!!
Any thoughts of what’s going on here?
Should I be worried? Should I be concerned?
How do I fix the situation?… or is it too far gone? And time for a new plaster bat?!!!
06.18.2017
A few weeks back when I was in Minneapolis for the St. Croix River Pottery Tour, I finally got a chance to see Sarah Chapman’s new studio space. She’s in the same building as before where she was renting a small space within Quench Jewelry Arts. It was a great place, nice studio and easy access to teaching classes there. But when the opportunity presented itself to move to a larger space with Quench owner Sarah Sitarz, the two of them moved upstairs to a bigger & better space!!! The Quench studio & classroom stayed downstairs… it’s just the two Sarah’s that made the big move upstairs!
QUITE POSSIBLY THE COOLEST & CLEANEST STUDIO EVER!!!
A beautiful display of some of Sarah’s wall pieces… and look…
just a few “unlidded” jars that are part of our collaboration challenge.
Let me just say… I am SO JEALOUS of Sarah’s space.
Makes my dirty little cubicle of a space seem SO small.
Sarah’s studio is groovy cool, with exposed brick walls, great natural light, wood floors and incredible tools everywhere you look. If only I was a metalsmith… and knew how to use any of these tools… and this could be the BEST STUDIO EVER!!!
Until then, I’ll continue to love my own little space… with pegboard, shelves & tools everywhere you look. And a seemingly never-ending layer of clay & trimmings on the floor. Ahhhh… the life of a potter.
06.13.2017
After two recent art fairs, it’s time to start up the process again. I’d love to start throwing… but first things first. A little housekeeping with a pile of goopy & gooey reclaimed clay setting up on my plaster bat. A couple days there, a lot of wedging and soon enough I’ll have a LOT of free clay to play with again!!!
