FINAL Preparations

How sad that it is almost the last week of this semester L  Never fear though!  I have big plans for my ceramic work this summer!  I plan on getting quite a few of the projects that have been back logging in my head completed.  From making a new set of dinnerware and beverage ware for my home, beginning my Honors Project endeavor, making long awaited gifts and plenty of experimentation are to be had. 

This past week was mandatory clean up in the school studio.  It went fairly well-however, I am not used to not cleaning up the whole area-guess Ian’s class gets to have fun with that partJ  I just hope they can do as good a job as we usually can.  No worries.  We did get to clean up our caged area, the annex and most of the kiln room. 

We also discussed the criteria for Finals and I must say it is going to be really sad to have to say goodbye to “Big Eddie.”  I did make a couple of homage sculptures to light up for the farewell ceremony (pictures below).  It would be nice if all the advanced students could get to keep a piece of “Big Eddie” for remembrance purposes in our own home studios J  Either way, it will be good to know that he will live on within other kilns in the college studio J

I also took the time to take some quick captures of my home studio so everyone could know where I spend a great deal of my time J  Be warned though-the pictures show that I really get into my artwork!  So messy!  However, the mess will be cleaned very soon to make way for my summer projects in there J

Until next week’s FINAL post-GET DIRTY and CREATE ART!!

Open House & Wood Fire

The past week was not as nice as I would have liked it to be.  However, the days roll by. 

The train kiln was unloaded on Tuesday and I must say that, at first, I was not too terribly impressed.  Then I looked again and seen some qualities that are appealing.  I am hoping that by learning from this first run-I will be able to better prep my pieces for full benefit firing.  That is-IF- we get to fire again.  I had heard that the first firing of a wood kiln are not as nice because the kiln needs to be seasoned.  I can see where this is true.  Either way, I am still loving the experience.

The Fine Arts Open House went as well as could be expected.  I know that the attendance was definitely down from previous years and I can only wonder if it is because it was held almost two weeks earlier or if the advertising of it was not sufficient enough?  Regardless, I think it went well overall and I heard many compliments for the Fine Arts department and the Dirt Bags J  Unfortunately, due to unexpected, nasty illness-I was not able to help with setup as much as I would have liked to and usually get to do L  No worries-they did an excellent job and I am very proud to be a part of the Dirt Bags!

PS: Only two weeks left of the semester-get dirty!

*Not sure why these didn't load the first time :( But here you go :)

WHEW!!! just WHEW!!!!

Boy, it sure has been a very busy and hectic couple of weeks with a not nearly long enough hiatus in the middle of it!!

First week (3/18-24) was fret with firing and glazing my show pieces.  Thankfully I got them all glazed and fired safely before my much needed hiatus in the mountains.  They patiently waited for my return for their final touches.

 I also had the privilege of attending an amazing workshop and lecture by visiting artist Mark Cole! He is such an amazing and funny artist.  I was pleasantly surprised to learn that I had already discovered some his master techniques on my own within my work, but I was super excited to learn new techniques from him as well!

Second week (3/31-4/8) I dove right into the finishing touches for my show pieces as soon as I returned from the mountainsJ  Doing the finishing touches was just as much fun as making the pieces themselves!!  I really liked how they turned out and I am very proud that I was able to make them 90% or better ceramic!  Setting up for the show proved to take longer than I had expected.  Thank fully, I was able to begin setup a day earlier than planned thanks to Ian J 

As for the show and the critique, I think they both went VERY well!!  So many good suggestions and positive energy during critique followed by a super packed attendance at the show opening!  I think it may have been all the food ;) Which, by the way, there wasn’t any food left by time the opening was over-sweet!

We also got to load and fire the awesome train kiln this weekend J Unfortunately, due to family obligations-I wasn’t able to take as much part in the firing process as I would have liked.  I can only hope that when we do the next fire, I can partake in the process more J  I cannot wait to see how the pieces came out (maybe by Wednesday). Too bad two of my pieces didn’t make it into the fire because of flashing slip issues. No worries though, I will get them in the next fire and make doubly sure the slip is thinner than last time J

Please enjoy the photos and HOPPY EASTER!!!

Well Underway

Yay!  I got the last pieces for my show built this past week!  Now, they are drying and will hopefully be ready for bisquing by Thursday or Friday.  My hope is to have the pieces glazed before Spring Break-wish me luck!  I will be working on flyers and other logistics in the meantime.

The retest of my ^6 glaze experiment is complete and like I said before-kiln 3 at school really needs to be retired.  No complications came out of the redo in kiln 1.J  I will be analyzing the results further this week and will determine second stage testing for ^6.

My second stage testing for ^10 should be ready by Tuesday and I am excited to see the results!  I wonder if my calculations will have the desired effect on the experiments’ results?  We shall see J

I have also begun again on my train kiln slab pieces.  However, I am dismayed at the fact that I missed an opportunity to work on the kiln this past Friday L  I would have enjoyed building on it more. L  This week calls for really beautiful weather, so I hope that we will get even more opportunity to make the train kiln as awesome as it can be!

On a separate note, I was able to secure a venue and date for my Honors show this past week.  Very exciting, but I now feel the anxiety setting in.  It will be great!!

Just a few snapshots of the week to review (can’t show all pics because you have to come to the show!)

In Like a Lion

This week we found out that the train kiln is starting to sink in one corner L I took a measurement of the gap so far and we will measure it again next week to see if the gap has gotten any larger.  I hope it hasn’t, but I am a realist and I know that with the storms we have had just in the past few days and flash flooding too, there is a very good chance the gap will widen.  Here’s hoping that that will not be the case.

Nevertheless, we continued with the build.  We got the fire box finished and the chimney mostly finished.  We have begun the red brick layer too.  I hope Brian has plenty of gas money because it seems that it will take many loads of red brick to get this part done J No worries-I will spot him some gas money if need be!  I really can’t wait until this kiln is done and we start firing!

Cone 10 glaze results came in this week and for the most part and pretty happy with mason stain/clear glaze test.  There are a few of the mixes that I will perform a few more tests on to see if I can get the colors to come out a little more. I have one that has a very nice break pattern and tonal flashing-I would like to see if I can get this mix to perform the same over the entire surface.

I have continued building the last pieces for my show.  Now I just hope they will dry quickly (even too) enough to get another bisque going pretty soon!  I am bisquing first set of show pieces and some more glaze patties right now.  The latest show piece is a claw foot bathtub which I think has come out nicely so far.

Enjoy a few photos for this week!

CHOO CHOO!!!

This week has been fairly productive in the life of this ceramic artist J  Kiln building, slip making and show piece creating are just a few of the endeavors I took on this week. 

The train kiln is coming along nicely.  We got to build the chamber walls up more and we even got to build the arch!  Now I can really see why it is called a “train kiln.”  I can only hope that maybe we will be able to use both class days next week for working on the kiln.  I am so anxious to get it finished and ready for its inaugural firing!  I do wonder how we will be able to get enough of the wood required for its firing?  No worries, we will make it work-like we always do J

Also in preparation for the kiln’s inaugural firing, I was given the privilege of making two flashing slips for the amazing pieces that will go in.  Contrary to other beliefs-hand sieving is not that bad and actually quiet relaxing and therapeutic!  I made 3000g of an EPK flashing slip and 3000g of a Sagger flashing slip, and hand sieved it all J  I will be doing some application experiments this coming week to see how well the slips due on different wares and thickness applications. Can’t wait!

Due to some technical issues with the electric kiln at school-I will be retesting my cone 6 glaze experiment in my home kiln or possibly a different school kiln.  Hopefully, retesting will give me some understanding as to what went wrong in the first firing.

I have also continued in my show building endeavor and currently have two pieces underwayJ  I have also been researching for additional materials for my show pieces so that I will have them handy when the pieces are ready for those materials. (mysterious, eh?)

Here is just a little of the photographic evidence of this week-ENJOY!!

Not enough snow :(

So, this week was not as fruitful as I would have liked.  Mother Nature interfered with being able to continue building on the train kiln.  However, she did not interfere enough to cancel classes at the college L  Oh well.

I was able to help load a cone 6 firing.  Which means, I will get to see my cone 6 glaze test results soon!  So excited!  Hopefully we will be loading the cone 10 this coming week so that I can see the results for that part of my glaze experiment.

This week was also busy with a complete reorganization of my house, including my home studio!!  I am not sure why I insist on piling even more work on myself during a semester-I guess that I am just crazy that way! J  Needless to say, doing that project allowed me the ability to make my home studio more conducive to work and I was able to make my own wedging desk (thanks to my hubby’s help).  Good times.

I have also been working on more pieces for my upcoming Spacelab show.  Only a few more to go J Beyond making show pieces, I will begin my personal project of making new dishware for my home.  However, I am not quite sure what I will do with the set I will be replacing?  Kind of sentimental since it is the set we got when we got married-hmm…