With one big “commission” batch of mugs finally done… I’m already working on the next batch! You know how much I LOVE making mugs. I’m going to try to rush these through the process a bit to get them done in time for my next art fair… The Glenview Summer Art Fair in a week and a half! Fingers crossed…

Last night during my Beginning & Advanced Beginning Wheelthrowing class, we tackled making a bowl on purpose… instead of a cylinder gone bad. We discussed the differences… and how I can see if it started out as a cylinder… tsk-tsk!

After doing a demo on a basic bowl, I explained how the wheel pretty much makes the plain bowl for you… but it’s up to YOU to decorate it and make it your own! So I threw a bunch of basic bowls during class for us to “play with” later!

And then we re-grouped when I was done throwing all of the bowls. We then went through a quick barrage of tricks & techniques for doing some surface decorations to their bowls. None of them are too difficult. It’s more about encouraging them to give it a try, commit to something, having fun… and i fit doesn’t work, we can always squish it up, re-wedge it and try again. IT’S JUST CLAY!!!

Bowl #1 – The “Control” Sample… this is what they all started out like…

Bowl #2 – a simple fluted edge in four places

Bowl #3 – a simple flared-out flange

Bowl #4 – A wider flared flange… more “canvas” for decorating!

Bowl #5 – a split rim with two side dents…
good potential for a basket handle to go up & over the top

Bowl #6 – Another split rim – this time with four dents making kind of a quatrefoil squared-off effect

Bowl #7 – Another split rim… this time with eight finger-pinched sections

Bowl #8 – another split rim with eight dented sections… four inwards & four outwards – creating a bit of a lotus effect

Bowl #9 – Thick white slip with a tight spiral dragged through using the rounded end of my wooden knife.

Bowl #10 – Thick white slip with some concentric banding.

Bowl #11 – Thick white slip with loose fingsr-painting squiggles.

Bow #12 – Thick white slip with groovy squiggle pattern using the rounded end of my wooden knife.

Bowl #13 – Chattering…. rhythmic tapping of a rubber rib through the thick white slip while the bowl was spinning on the wheel.

Bowl #14 – Another bowl with chattering….
this time a bit more angular & linear in the center… by request.

Bowl #15 – An ombre blended gradation of black & white slips… then a fun spiral dragged through both.

So for now they’re all under plastic up in my studio. The class demo was a lot of fun for everyone… just trying to show off some tricks & techniques for decorating basic bowls! I will continue to “detail” them… and possibly do a little stamping in the days to come!

And I think we’ve all waited long enough. Like a deserted tropical island wouldn’t have been the best location to shelter-in-place through the pandemic?! They could have filmed several seasons by now… bring it on Jeff Probst!!!

Greeting the day with some orange day lilies…
excited to see the sun again after several days of gray & rain.

Celebrating TEXTURE TUESDAY with a new batch of stamped discs… soon to be turned into ikebana vases. A perfect way to show-off some of your favorite summer blooms. Coming soon…

More colors. More textures. More raindrops.

For this week’s Summer Camp I’m back to Wheelthrowing!!! I have a great group of pre-teens getting all sloppy, messy & muddy… and having a great time on the wheel. Most of them have never thrown on the wheel before… so I’m trying to get them started with some good basic techniques that will stick with them for years to come!

So now that we’ve come to the end of the process, I’m excited to show some of the results. Nice colors, flashings & soda build-up. The randomness is great… similar enough, but each one of them is unique & one-of-a-kind! I’m sure the Groom is going to love these commissioned mugs for his bridal party & friends!

One of the coolest part of soda-firing is the randomness that happens during the firing. So anyone who is soda-firing needs to be aware of this before they expect “matched perfection”… ‘cuz that’s not gonna happen!

Here’s a great example…
As each of these mugs have the exact same glaze on the interior. All from the same bucket of glaze!!!

But notice the color variation that happened during the firing… based on shelf location, firing, atmosphere, reduction, oxidation & tons of possibilities!!! A wide range of unexpected colors…. all from one bucket of glaze!!!