Yesterday I rescued some “slightly-used” flowers from the “glitter gig.” I brought them into the studio to spruce up the place. I love the textures & colors of my new studio still-life.

Studios are open & my shelves are stocked for the Ravenswood Artwalk. Go for a stroll up and down Ravenswood for lots of art, studios, galleries, shops, demos & fun. Be sure to come up to the second floor of Lillstreet Art Center to say hello in Studio 205 West.

I’ll be in my studio all day long… not so sure about tomorrow’s schedule yet.
But even if I’m not there, my studio will still be open and one of my studio neighbors
can help you out. There’s a lot to see all around the building… and all over Ravenswood!

Ravenswood Artwalk
Saturday, October 5th – 11:00am-7:00pm
Sunday, October 6ht – 11:00am-6:00pm

More glazing… and now the second side of my studio cart is full. Just a few more filler pieces and I should be ready to start loading.

And I must admit… I’m kind of excited about my new teapots! I haven’t made any for far too long. I just hope that they turn out as well after the firing. They’re too much work for them to get “ruined” with a bad glaze job!

It was a long & productive evening in the studio. I’m loading the soda kiln tomorrow night… and I still have a LOT of glazing & wadding to do. Tonight I filled the front half of my studio cart… tomorrow I tackle the other side. When the cart is full, I know I’m pretty close to a full soda kiln!

Gotta start glazing. I’m loading another soda kiln Friday night, and I’ve got a LOT of blank bisque waiting for some color… no such thing as too many mugs, right?!

So I unloaded my bisque kiln… and it covered most of my studio work surfaces.
Problem being that I’m still trying to finish some more pieces for another bisque kiln tomorrow. And I am quickly running out of room to work. So… necessity was the mother of invention… and now I’m stacking my work in progress! Yes, it’s come to this. Yikes!

My studio was more than full of stuff today. Wet pieces here. Drying pieces there. Stamping going on at the table. Things stacked on the floor. As usual, I was stuck looking for more space to work. Lucky for me, my studio neighbor Karen Patinkin has a large table that she wasn’t using… and I knew she was gone for the afternoon. And when opportunity knocks… I’m more than willing to answer. And more than willing to take over her studio too!!!

As part of my “big” production day in the studio, I threw five more serving bowls with soda clay. I let them set-up for awhile and had the opportunity to stamp them today. Usually I do it the next day, or even two days later. But since I was cranking things out today… it was great to be able to stamp them today!!! I’m kind of rushing to fill a kiln next weekend. The “faster” I can get things done, dried and into a bisque kiln the more time I’ll have to glaze & wad.

Bowl #1 –

Bowl #2 –

Bowl #3 –

Bowl #4 –

Bowl #5 –

So now they’re loosely wrapped up for the night… and I hope to trim them tomorrow.

All assembled. Moisture levels evened out. Colored slip accents painted. Done. Drying.
One more thing… err, a dozen things..  checked off today’s “to do” list…

I was painting some colored slip accents on pieces today. And found myself struggling to see the difference between the clay color and where I had already painted the slip. Then I remembered the “food coloring trick.” Luckily, I had a couple bottles of food coloring in my studio from the last time I did this. The flashing slip I was working with was Nichols Blue… but it looked very close to my clay color. So I added blue food coloring! Knowing that the coloring will burn out of the slip when it goes into the kiln. A quick trick to make my life easier! And it’s fun to watch…

In fact, I had already done it once to this batch of slip which is why it’s already a light blue tint. But I wanted more. I wanted to play. I wanted it bluer than blue. I wanted to do it again. And I knew if I did, I could take pictures and share with you!

The fun part is when the food coloring spreads over the “water surface” of the slip… emanating from the dark center where the drop landed. So I let it spread… loving the tie-dyed effect until it stops. Then, and only then, it’s time to stir it all up!

Special thanks to my pottery friend Emily Murphy who showed me this trick years ago when she used to be my studio neighbor. She may not be right across the hall any more, but obviously the tricks she shared still influence my work!