LaPella Art

Carved Mugs

2011-08-10T09:53:00.000-04:00

Butternut Gold and Cobalt Blue Mug, 18 ounces

On the Wheel Today

2011-03-08T13:13:00.000-05:00

We put handles on yesterday's mugs first thing and then decided to keep exploring faceting. Today we threw large bowls and then faceted them before bellying them out. There are a variety of shapes with a few standouts.

This one is nice and practical.

This one will really look nice when glazed.

This one aspired to be a pasta bowl.... a noble venture.

This one was the first of the day and is nice, but too conservative.

On the Wheel Today

2011-03-07T17:26:00.000-05:00

Today is the day for faceted cups. We worked through a number of styles and found some keepers.

Stopperless Salt and Pepper Shakers Revealed

2011-02-22T17:59:00.001-05:00

A little while back we showed some stopperless salt and peppershaker forms in a leatherhard state. Well, they are glazed and out of the kiln!


Big City Salt Shaker

Lotus Flower Salt Shaker

Dandelion Salt Shaker

Flasks and More Flasks

2011-02-13T10:10:00.000-05:00

For the past couple of weeks, we've been working on stoneware flasks. Alex made a few for Christmas and we fell in love with the form and flasks began to fill our shelves.

Bone and Iron Red Flask

The flasks are hand built with thrown tops. They are larger sized flasks - more for coat pockets than pants pockets, but Alex can fit one in the back pocket of his baggy jeans.

Butternut Flask

I like leaving the seams showing. It gives the flask a more touchable presence. Plus, I love rustic pottery.

Teal Flask

Most of the flasks are made from slabs cut with a wiggle wire, but this one was made with paddled slabs. We make our own clay paddles, which you can see here.

Cobalt Blue Flask

We fire the flasks on wads even though we are working in ∆6 oxidation. I like the look of the glazed bottoms and we can be sure they won't scratch your table top.

Wave Flask in Deep Lagoon

Stopperless Salt and Pepper Shakers

2011-01-28T19:12:00.000-05:00

Our friend, Keith Phillips, wrote a wonderful article about making stopperless salt shakers in the May/June 2010 issue of Pottery Making Illustrated. The article gave detailed instructions on making these and referred back to an Etsy Mud Team challenge from a couple of years ago. In that challenge, we entered a stopperless salt shaker that we carved with a detailed wave design.

Finally, we have come back to the form and have created a few more of these carved salt shakers. Here are three that will go into our next bisque firing. One has a dandelion design, one has a lotus design, and the third is carved with a funky cityscape.

Dropped Platter Video

2011-01-27T18:11:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago we posted a Dropped Platter tutorial. We got some great responses and several requests for a video. So, for y'all who requested to see it in action, here's the video!

Tapas Plate Demonstration

2011-01-16T18:04:00.004-05:00

This is a demonstration of our making tapas plates using slabs of clay and a foam cushion. We use this method to make a number of items we sell including olive trays, candle holders, prep bowls, and more.

Bamboo Brush Tutorial

2011-01-11T14:58:00.000-05:00

DIY Shrinkage Rule

2010-11-17T10:04:00.000-05:00

One of the tricky things about making pots is that clay shrinks as it dries and fires. It is not all that bothersome until you have a custom order for mugs that need to be a specific height and diameter or you drop a casserole lid while unloading a too hot kiln.

10% Shrinkage Rule next to a standard ruler

Whenever I have needed a pot of a specific size, I have sat done and done the math and then proceeded to make the pot to the size I computed. This works fine, but is time consuming when done over and over. Finally, as I walked out the door to go to Highwater Clays, Alex said, "Honey? Why don't you just buy a shrinkage ruler?" He's brilliant, I tell you!

But I got to Highwater and they were all out of shrinkage rulers. When I got home, I decided that since I could do the math, I should just sit down and make a shrinkage ruler specific to my clay.

We use Highwater's Speckled Brownstone, which has a shrinkage rate of 10%.

The first step is to subtract 10% from 100% giving us 90%. This means the size of a fired piece is 90% of the size of the thrown piece.
Convert 90% into decimal form, or .9.
Next we need to figure out what one fired inch equals in freshly thrown clay, so we'll divide 1 by .9, which equals 1.11. So, 1 fired inch equals 1.11 inches in wet clay.

Now we have enough information to create our ruler. I used a paint stick for my ruler. A) it is free. B) I have them laying around all over the studio. C) Did I mention free?

Now, I find it hard to figure out on a standard ruler exactly where 1.11 inches would fall, so I converted to centimeters. 1.11 inches equals 2.8cm. I marked my ruler down to quarter inch increments (every 7mm) using an ultra fine tip Sharpie marker.

I converted to metric to more easily mark my ruler.

Considering that most shrinkage rulers cost about $13 and this only took about 5 minutes to make, I think this was certainly worth my time.

Wabi-sabi Dishes

2010-10-22T10:44:00.000-04:00

We've been creating some dishes with the wabi-sabi philosophy in mind. While not letting go of our ideals of good craftsmanship, we have tried to let the beauty of imperfection remain in this line of work.

Wabi-sabi is often defined as "flawed beauty" or "wisdom in natural simplicity".

Lined up on ware boards.

Glazed in Deep Lagoon.

Glazed in moss green.

Dropped Platters

2010-10-16T15:37:00.000-04:00

Last month, we saw this article in Ceramic Arts Daily about making pottery using dropped slabs. We had done this sort of thing on a smaller scale (with shorter drops), but we wanted to try it as an alternative to pressing slabs into slump molds.

First, we created a variety of wooden frames.

This set creates a large platter, a dinner plate, and a salad plate.

We placed a frame on a ware board. Ours are smooth plywood covered in a fine canvas that would normally be used for stretching your own painting canvases.

We lay the slab into the frame, gently lifting the edges so it begins to slump into the frame.

We hold the board with frame and slab about chest height, take a big breath.....

...and let go!

When it lands, the clay slumps into the frame. If a section doesn't quite slump, we'll lightly sponge it to press it into the frame or we will drop the slab again. Dropping again can warp the sides a bit because the slump farther. It is really cool that the edges usually trim themselves in the process!

This one was wiped with a sponge to get it completely in contact with the frame.

This is a finished plate!

This method is loads of fun and we laugh a lot while we make these!

The plates are firing very flat and stacking very nicely. We are enjoying coming up with fun designs for the glazing.

Tree of Life

2010-10-07T17:30:00.007-04:00

We've been enjoying working on relief tiles and plaques. Here is one before and after firing.

Joy Ride

2010-09-23T12:25:00.004-04:00

Our work has suddenly veered off road! We are enjoying the ride with white knuckles and trying not to anticipate the road ahead beyond avoiding the next obstacle we see.

Work in progress:

Homemade Bat System

2010-02-18T13:49:00.009-05:00

We have been looking at several bat systems that use a main bat and inserts, but didn't want to spend the money with so few reviews to go on. So, we decided to create our own bat system using upcycled materials.

First we started with a plastic bat like this:

Then, we marked a square, drilled a hole in one corner, and used a router to cut out a square. The router leaves rounded corners. Rather than going in with a scroll or hand saw and squaring the corners, we decided to take care of it on the inserts.

Next, we cut the inserts. We used Corian™ counter top material that was left over from sink cutouts at our local counter top fabricators. It is smooth, non-absorbent, and durable. These were cut to the same measurement as our cut-out bat. We clipped the corners which was initially done to avoid messing with the square in the main bat, but ended up being better when throwing as well.

We originally thought we would use the wrong side of the Corian™ because it has a little tooth, but we found we preferred throwing on the right side. The wrong side is not planed perfectly smooth and the wobble transferred to the clay.

Alex quickly whipped out stacks of inserts and we made them in 6 inch and 8 inch sizes.

The inserts are easy to remove from the main bat using any number of tools. When we designed the system, we thought the hole drilled in the corner would aid in popping the insert out, but we found that with the corners clipped, we can pop a tool under any corner and lift the insert out.

FAQs

Corian™?
Yup. We chose it because it is durable and waterproof and there is a lot of it headed to dumpsters. Upcycling is the new black.

I notice the insert sits higher than the bat. Is this a problem?
It hasn't been for us. Before using this system, we frequently used small, square bats. As long as we are using the right size insert for our piece, there is plenty of room for our hands.

Is it really easier to clip the corners of each insert rather than square out the corners of the bat?
Um... I don't know. It happened by serendipity and turned out to be a good thing. Now there are no hard corners to catch tools or hands!

How do you get the cutout centered?
Well, with the plastic bats, you can see the pin holes through the top. So, We marked a straight line across the bat through the pin holes. We found the center of that. Then we marked a line perpendicular to the first through the center. From there, it is fairly straightforward to mark a square that is centered on the bat.

Are you going to make these to sell?
We are considering it. Because we make sure each insert fits the bat perfectly, we are concerned it would be hard to supply more inserts at a later date. However, about 20 inserts fit in a flat rate Priority Mail box with a plastic bat... at least in the 6 inch size.

2010-02-11T11:31:00.002-05:00

While the snow falls outside, it can become very difficult to motivate ourselves to throw at the wheel with cold, wet clay. On the coldest days, we crank up the kerosene heater and handbuild. This week, we spent some time with our extruder and created a shelf full of posey pillows.

Pen cushions or posey pillows are a bit of an indulgence in the studio. They are fun to make and invite us to explore new ideas. While they are labor intensive, they never seem to become a chore, probably because they end result is just fun!

Soon, the crocuses will begin peaking through the snow and we can fill our posey pillows up with the promise of spring! Here is a peek at some of the posey pillows to come:

If there is a better name for these, let us know. We have toyed with posey pillows, pen cushions, and pen-kebana. Many people use these on their desks to hold pens and pencils.

Finding Inspiration

2010-02-05T11:21:00.007-05:00

At times, inspiration can be found everywhere we look; yet there are those dark days when the muses become quite elusive. There are a number of ways to make the muses linger such as keeping a journal or sketchbook, researching historic design, and our favorite... tuning in to the children around us.

We have had a harsh winter here in Appalachia. Our kids have been home from school more than they have gone and our studio time has been frequently interrupted. However, having the boys home has meant a continuous stream of creative ideas expressed without reservation.

Last week, the boys announced that our fish needed houses in their fish tank. "Great idea!", I said, so down to the studio we headed. We grabbed the essentials: clay, fettling knives, needle tools, and 'stinky glue' (paper clay slip).

We used the extruder to create the bodies of our houses. The boys attached them to 'yards', cut doorways and windows, and added roofs and chimneys. Boo even boarded over his windows after cutting them out, "in case there is a storm".

After the bisque and glaze firings, the boys' fish houses settled nicely into our aquarium. We have since decided that we need more houses and our doorways need to be just a bit larger. They also said we needed working chimneys so we can put a bubble stone in the house and bubbles will come out of the chimney.

As for my part in this, I was inspired to make these:

Mine won't be landing in the fish tank, but instead will land in our etsy shop.

Since school was called off again today, I am hoping they'll come up with another cool idea so we can all work together in the studio while the storm blows through.

A Few New Things

2009-11-25T09:51:00.005-05:00

A stamped pedestal bowl, hand built and altered on the wheel.

Steamboat Rocking Bottle with Wave Pattern, hand built

Skully Mugs, wheel thrown with applique

Chicken Coop Construction!

2009-06-09T18:52:00.003-04:00

This slide show chronicles our chicken coop construction. The coop was built using recycled, upcycled, and salvaged materials and still looks great!

Because of the nature of upcycling, we had to spot engineer through most of the project. If anyone is interested, we will upload our initial plans and materials list. Essentially, we purchased fasteners, 4x4 posts, 2 sheets of plywood, and a handful of 2x4s. The rest of the wood was salvaged from pallets, a demoed pergola, and our old kitchen cabinets. The windows were pulled from the dump. The tin roof was taken from our old, giant doghouse, the body of which was recycled to become our compost bin.

Extruded Vases

2009-05-13T06:56:00.006-04:00

It's been a long time since we posted to our blog, but we promise we have been busy!

We've been making a large number of extruded vases lately. Square or round tubes are formed with our extruder. Then, we stamp the clay with hand-carved roulettes, or rolling stamps. For the square ones, we have cut some pieces of oak that just fit the interior contour so we can stamp them without altering their shape.

The finished vases hover between casual and elegant.
We keep them a bit loose as that suits our personalities.

We are hoping to complete a large number of these in the coming weeks to supply a couple of retailers and to prepare for an upcoming show.

Pen Cushions Complete

2009-04-04T07:21:00.006-04:00

Pen Cushions

2009-03-18T14:55:00.005-04:00

I started off the day thinking about Ikebana in a pillow form. I wanted the form to be multi-functional so folks could decide whether to use them for flowers, pens, toothbrushes, or paint brushes.

Once I finished a couple of forms, I realized there was no way to get a pin frog into them. Duh! I did manage to put little divots in the inside, but there is no way to know how they will work for flowers until they are glazed and fired.

So, in my mind I went from ikebana to pen-kebana. Yeah, the term leaves a lot to be desired. As I worked on different shapes, they became more pillow-like and hence, pen cushions they are! This last one really illustrates my love of puns.

When the tufting didn't meet on the bottom, I created a seam. Hopefully I didn't take the pun too far!

Carving Clay Stamps Tutorial

2009-02-15T14:21:00.019-05:00

We frequently use stamps in our work. There are many commercial stamps available to buy that are okay to use in your work. There are also quite a few that are not, so be sure to carefully check each maker's angel policies and copyright information. We personally feel that the only way to preserve our personal style is to create stamps ourselves or trade one-offs with other artists.

To make stamps, you'll need some scrap clay, not too wet. All sorts of tools can be used to carve and mark the clay. A set of small loop tools will come in handy. Our favorites include a dull pencil, a scrap of steel, needle tools, a double ball stylus, and a knife of some sort. The final tool is some canned air. This is not a must, but it is a lot better than blowing away bits of clay until you are dizzy!

We start with a ball of scrap clay. We shape the ball into a cylinder, cube, or mushroom shape. We create quite a few stamp cubes with designs on 6 sides. This helps to keep our collection compact.

After the base shape is created, we clean up the sides with a fettling knife. Cubes tend to have an indention in the center of each side, so it helps to shave off the high edges. Now leave your base alone until it is leather hard.

So now that your base is leather hard, it is time to create a pattern for your stamp. Of course, you can carve directly into the block without a sketch. If you are nervous, you can draw onto a small piece of paper with a washable marker. Then place your sketch face down on the clay and rub gently with your finger. When you pull the paper away, your design will be transferred to the clay!

You may also use your computer and ink jet printer to create your designs. We find the computer to be exceptionally helpful for complex designs or lettering. Use the same method to transfer your image to the block. Just remember, with both methods, your image will be reversed on your block, but then stamp true to your original.

Now it is time to begin carving. There are no rules here. Use whatever works the best for your design. Just make sure your clay is leather hard. If it is too soft, the base will warp as you try to carve and your design will not stamp well. You will also find the bits of clay you are carving away will stick themselves back to the stamp.

The canned air comes in handy now to blow away the bits of clay that have been carved away. The deeper the carving, the better the stamps will work. Just be sure not to undercut your design or it will hang up in your clay when you are using it.

If you are working on a cube, go ahead and carve the remaining 5 sides. Carve around a cylinder to create a roulette (a rolling stamp), or carve each end to make circular stamps. Carve the top of a mushroom shaped base to create an ergonomic stamp that will work particularly well in bowls. Once you have finished carving, gently test your stamps in soft clay. Do this only once or twice or the stamp may alter.

In a short time, you can carve quite a few stamps. Often, simple and even ugly stamps create patterns that are very appealing. Don't rule out a design until you have tested it. Once you have completed all of your stamps, allow them to dry completely. This may take weeks for cubes. We test for dryness by touching items to our lips. If they are still cool to the touch, they are not completely dry. When they are completely dry, bisque fire them. Now they are ready to help you create amazing works of art!

Speak Out Against CPSIA

2009-02-11T06:51:00.001-05:00

As of yesterday, millions of perfectly safe toys, books, and articles of clothing were removed from store shelves and sent to the landfill. The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is a piece of landmark legislation that was crafted after last year's influx of tainted toys from China.

So, whose interests does this law REALLY protect? I would expect to see that consumer advocate groups were on the forefront of lobbying for this bill. Well, they are not. It turns out that this bill was written in part by big toymakers. Mattel, whose tainted toys kicked off this issue, helped to write this bill and increased their lobbying budget by 442% in order to push this bill through. Hasbro, who had never even hired a lobbyist before, spent over $500,000 lobbying on behalf of this bill. http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/columns/TimothyCarney/Washington-toy-story-shows-why-regulation-helps-the-big-guys38690727.html

So why would these big toymakers take an interest in requiring costly testing of their own products? Simply, because they can afford to test their products while smaller companies and artisan toymakers cannot.

So, who is this law hurting? Your kids. My kids. Libraries. The environment. And the list goes on.

In spite of the fact that no child has ever been injured by licking the pages of a book, this law is declaring that all books printed before 1985 are considered unsafe. If you cannot afford to put vintage books through testing, it is legally safer to throw them away then test them. Even libraries are not exempt. Libraries could be forced to destroy a huge part of their collections as of February 10, 2009. Yes, as of yesterday. http://angiemedia.com/?p=925

Thrift and consignment shops have also been put in a compromising position. Initially, they were believed to be exempt, but this law is so broad, that they have now been swept into the fray. Any articles of clothing that have zippers, snaps, or plastic buttons are suspect. Also suspect are board games that contain ANY metal or plastic components. Add jigsaw puzzles printed before 1985 to the list. Of course, this law prohibits the reselling of bikes, trikes, backpacks, strollers, car seats, and anything else containing any metal or plastic that have not been individually tested.

The penalties for selling untested items are as high as $100,000 fine and jail time even if an item has not been deemed unsafe! The same toys that were perfectly safe and legal last week and now contraband.

http://overlawyered.com/2009/02/cpsia-what-will-be-enforced/

While the CPSA has declared it will not require testing for one year, other government agencies could step in and enforce this law. Please, call your representatives and let them know that this law hurts children more than it protects them. Soon we will have no choice in who to buy our children's clothing and toys from. The only ones who will be able to stay in business will be the biggest corporations. No wonder they lobbying so hard for this law. They were only interested in protecting themselves.

Waiting is so Hard

2009-02-05T07:21:00.006-05:00

The hardest part about making pots is waiting for the kiln to cool. The last 500˚ seem to take forever and the two year old inside just screams, "I want to see NOW!!"

We agonizingly check over and over and watch the number drop slowly - usually about one degree per minute. Finally, we get below 150˚ and open it up to find things like this and it is all worth it.

I'm almost Embarrassed!

2009-01-29T07:38:00.005-05:00

Seriously. It has been a long time since I added to this blog. I do have a good excuse, though. This year, the holidays season kicked our rumps and bled us dry! We are so grateful to all of our customers, but when New Years rolled around, we collapsed in two heaps.

We are just now recovered from the mass shippings and rushed custom orders. Did I say how grateful we are? Before we get back to REAL WORK (not that doing what you love to make a living is ever REAL WORK), we decided to revisit some old haunts.

Ten years ago, I did a series of rocking bottles. I only stopped because my exploration of them was interrupted by a wedding (ours), a house buying, moving, and shop opening. This year, we decided we really needed to go back and explore this form again while we have the time. The first in the series has come out of the kiln and we are in love. There are many more to follow - the next glaze firing is being loaded as I type!

If you love this, please give it a vote at the Etsy Mud Team Sweetheart Challenge. Please look at all the wonderful entries!

First Snow!

2008-11-18T06:56:00.004-05:00

Last night brought our first snow of the season! It was light, but beautiful. Snow is the perfect excuse to keep a roaring fire going all day long and to sip hot cocoa with the kids while we make pots.

We've been busy getting ready for the holiday season. We have been busy, but our lists have kept us from getting too far off track. I keep a list of custom requests taped to my throwing mirror. I keep a grocery list by the coffee pot. I keep a To Do list taped the the cabinets about the coffee pot. Do you see where I spend my day? I'm either at the wheel, or at the coffee pot. But first, hot cocoa by the fire with the kiddos!

Craptastic Blogger

2008-11-16T20:25:00.007-05:00

I have been a craptastic blogger. I got going well for a while, then I tripped and fell into my busy life again. I intended to write daily. I suppose weekly would have been pretty good, but monthly? Nope.

Let's see.... well, we have really gotten into stamped work. We have been making loads of stamped platters and plates and they sell as fast as we can make them. We are sill trying to make each one unique, but if this keeps up, we'll have to make some repeats.

We have also been making quite a few soap dishes. We are still playing with the design. We love the two piece concept, but we are playing with developing a squared version. It may never come to be officially, but the prototypes are being worked on.

Overwhelmed

2008-10-28T07:07:00.003-04:00

This time of year always leaves me a little overwhelmed. Packing orders, parenting, keeping house, getting ready for the final shows of the year, keeping production high in the studio.... it all gets to be a bit much.

And then there are those items that come out of the kiln that I don't want to let go. Usually I go ahead and list them and hope they go to a good home. But these bowls.... well, I'm not ready to let them go yet.

New Mugs for a New Era

2008-10-21T07:04:00.002-04:00

I said I wouldn't be political on this blog, and I'm not.
The mugs just have something to say.

What Happened to Compassion?

2008-10-18T08:31:00.003-04:00

I haven't been a good blogger lately, but I have a good excuse. I've had a lot on my mind.

So.... I've been thinking about compassion. It seems that a lot of people are lacking it.

How do you get compassion? Is it only through hardship? Or does it come hand in hand with gratitude? Or is it an act of love? Or a combination of all of the above?

I suppose it is comforting to believe that we are blessed because we deserve it and others suffer because they deserve it, but I'm not comfortable putting others down in order to raise myself up.

"If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." The Dalai Lama.

That's my random, pre-coffee thought of the day.

Potato Bread Croissants

2008-08-08T06:27:00.004-04:00

These Potato Bread Croissants feature an easy, make-ahead dough that can be used for dinner rolls, hamburger and hot dog buns, and sandwich bread. The bread is tender, airy and delicious.

1 cup prepared mashed potatoes, unsalted
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm (110˚F, 45˚C) water
2/3 cup turbinado (raw sugar)
2/3 cup shortening (or 3/4 cup softened butter)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
6 cups all purpose flour
melted butter

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Let stand until foamy - usually about 10 minutes.

2. Add potatoes, turbinado, shortening, eggs, salt, and half of the flour. Mix well. Gradually stir in remaining flour until dough pulls from the side of the bowl. Knead briefly by hand, or use the dough hook on your mixer to knead it. This dough is quite sticky at this stage, so machine kneading is much easier and keeps the dough tender by not adding more flour.

3. Oil a large bowl. Place dough in the bowl and turn it to coat it in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 8 hours and up to 3 days. The dough will rise in the refrigerator.

4. Remove dough from the refrigerator and punch down. Divide in half. For croissants, divide again and roll out each into a large round - about 8-12 inches. Cut with a pizza cutter into 8 wedges. Roll each triangle form the outer edge in and curve into a crescent. Place on lightly greased baking sheets, cover, and let rise for one hour in a warm place.

5. Bake in a preheated 400˚F (205˚C) oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted butter as they come out of the oven, if desired. Yield: about 32 croissants.

This recipe can also be used to make 2 loaves of bread, 16 hamburger buns, or 16-20 large hot dog buns. You can also shape into about 5 dozen dinner rolls and bake in a 9x13 pans. Wheat flour can be substituted for up to half of the flour without changing the texture too much.

These are a family favorite! I have to watch the LaPella guys or they will sneak away with croissants all day long. We enjoy them for breakfast, serve sandwiches on them at lunch, and mop our plates with them at dinner.

Getting Clean

2008-08-07T07:34:00.005-04:00

We've been working on a few soap dish designs and are pleased with several of them. Our main considerations are that they must look good, they must be functional and the soap must be able to dry out between uses.

My favorite design in the two part soap dish. It is elegant and very functional. The water drains off of the soap and through the upper dish into a reservoir. The reservoir is easily emptied. When it is time to clean the soap dish, it can go into the dishwasher.

The other dish I like very well is a simple slab formed dish. It is deeply impressed with stamps to draw the water away from the soap. The glaze pools in the stamps accentuating the texture beautifully.

These dishes are fun to make and the process gives me a lot of wiggle room design wise. They are created with a simple curved slab, but my favorite detail is the little feet they sit up on. On most of the dishes, even the feet are stamped, adding a nice finishing detail.

Steampunk Double Shot

2008-08-06T07:05:00.005-04:00

Etsy has such a wonderful array of steampunk inspired items and we have definitely been inspired. We have had loads of custom work to complete, but could not help but sneak this pair of cups through the kilns! But before we get into that, you ask, "What is steampunk?"

Steampunk is a literary genre in which works are set in a time when steam power is still the norm. Some works are set in Victorian England and others are alternate history works set in the present. Yeah, we haven't read any of it either, except for some who inspired steampunk like Jules Vern. Still, it sounds like something I'd like. (I haven't found much I don't like to read.)

We have called these cups "Double Shots" because they are four ounce cups... two shots. Yes, shots are typically 2 ounces. Is college now beginning to come into focus?

Now that we are grown up, they also make good demitasse cups or juice cups. They are sequentially numbered, so as long as you have enough brain cells left to recall which number was yours, you won't mix up your cup with someone else's.

Serving Dish Challenge

2008-07-28T08:40:00.004-04:00

Join the Etsy Mud Team for our SERVING DISH CHALLENGE
July 27 - August 3 ▪ ● ▪

Participating Etsy Mud Team members have been busy creating serving dishes! Please visit our website http://etsymudteam.craft-sense.com to view all entries and vote for your favorite. In return for your vote, you will receive a discount coupon code via e-mail. This coupon will entitle you to a 10% discount on all merchandise listed in the Mud Shop www.etsymudteam.etsy.com

Another Sweet Gift

2008-07-24T09:26:00.005-04:00

Yesterday, we received the sweetest gift from another talented potter! I was having a bluesy day and moping around when we got an email saying to look on our front porch. I ran to the door and there was a box from Judy B Freeman. Inside was this beauty:

Isn't is lovely? Monarchs are my favorite butterflies. Each butterfly represents a member of our family. It is so touching that Judy B Freeman put so much thought into this gift! We have been blessed by such wonderful friends on Etsy and through the Etsy Mud Team.

Sweet Thank Yous!

2008-07-23T07:40:00.005-04:00

I'm not sure how it all happened, but after sharing a little bit of my experience with Vana of Le Papier Studio, I received a lovely package in the mail as a little thank you from her - these great LaPella Pottery note cards! We are so touched and grateful! These kind of experiences make selling on Etsy so much fun.

We are going to use these note cards in our packages to say thank you to our customers. I hope they will turn these wonderful cards over, see the designer, and take a look at what else Le Papier Studio has to offer.

In the meantime, I am looking through our photos to see if we have a good shot of our boys so we can have some beach note cards made in this style:

Isn't it sweet?

Baking Bread

2008-07-09T07:14:00.003-04:00

I used to bake all of our bread. But when things at the shop got busy, I'd give up baking and cooking and, well, cleaning, too! Lately the grocery prices have been rising and that motivated me to begin baking again. Also, I discovered the bread at the store contains high fructose corn syrup! Blech!

So, in honor of my refound joy in homemade bread, I'm going to be sharing some of my favorite recipes. I don't often photo my food, so there are no pictures of today's loaf. I'll try to do better with the upcoming recipes.

Dutch Apple Bread

1 envelope yeast
2 cups warm (110˚) milk
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 TBSP vegetable oil
2 TBSP honey or sugar
3 eggs, room temperature and lightly beaten
2 apples, peeled and finely chopped (approx. 1cm cubes)
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch allspice
1tsp salt

In a 6 quart mixing bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add 2.5 cups flour and mix well. Allow to ferment for 30 minutes in a warm place. Then add remaining ingredients, mixing the salt with the flour, and work into a dough.

Knead for 6 to 7 minutes on a lightly floured surface until smooth and somewhat glossy. Return to mixing bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Divide dough in half and shape each half into a round loaf. Set loaves on a lightly greased baking sheet. Spray with oil and let rise 50 minutes.

Bake in a preheated 350˚ oven for 50 minutes or until golden brown. Remove loaves from sheet immediately and let cool on wire racks.

Yield: two medium sized round loaves.

This bread is delicious straight from the oven spread with butter. We sometimes make this bread in loaf pans; it is really good for chicken salad sandwiches. I love to use Granny Smith of Gala apples in the Dutch apple bread. This is not a sweet bread, rather it is pretty hearty. You could up the honey, cinnamon, and allspice to make it more of a breakfast bread.

Enjoy!

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-07T07:24:00.004-04:00

We celebrated Independence Day all weekend long with swimming and parties, but our favorite part is always the fireworks! Keeping 2 kids confined to a blanket for 2 hours is all worth it once the show begins.

Vacation Sale!

2008-07-06T10:09:00.004-04:00

July 6th - 10th we are having a vacation sale!

All purchases will be 10% off until midnight EST on July 10th. Etsy Mud Team members can take off an extra 5%!

We will ship out everything by the 11th and then no more shipping until the 21st of July.

Just put the discount code VACATION in the "Notes to Seller" upon check out to receive your discount!
Thank you!

Turkey Talk

2008-07-02T07:08:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I took the kids to the WNC Nature Center in Asheville to see the butterfly exhibit. The volunteers sprayed the kids with sugar water and the butterflies flocked to them!

The Nature Center has a lot of native animals and a petting farm as well. My oldest wants one of everything we saw: goats, chickens, turkeys, donkeys, bunnies, and more!

He had a tender moment with a big tom turkey. They were nose to snood. Free was gobbling softly and the tom just eyed him and gobbled back. It was sweet!

As we walked away, I was feeling so touched by that tender moment when Free said, "Mom, boy turkeys just have that floppy thing instead of a pecker."

Mugs, Mugs, Mugs

2008-06-20T07:06:00.003-04:00

I'm drowning in over-sized mugs! We had a big custom order for large mugs come in and we are just plugging away at it. The other day I threw the mugs. Yesterday I trimmed the mugs. It was late in the day when I finished and I was too tired to start adding handles, so I went to bed.

Today the handles will all get attached as well as some sort of decoration. I have a ware board covered with handles that are still a bit too wet to attach. Now I just need to keep the bodies of the mugs damp long enough to get the handles on! As for the decoration... well, there is a loose nature theme and other than that I guess I'll wing it. Every mug should be just a little bit different. It would be nice if I had some sprig molds prepared, but there is no time to do that before the mug order is due.

Look Out for Carnivores!

2008-06-16T07:01:00.008-04:00

Last weekend, we had a booth at a local arts, crafts, and music festival. This festival also leaves room for some vendors of a different sort. There are vendors selling locally handcrafted foods, such as artisan breads or local jams. There are also a few plant vendors. There is an amazing daylily hybridizer, a old man with gorgeous, affordable bonzais, and a couple that specializes in carnivorous plants.

I return to the carnivorous plant dealer every year and buy something new. They always remember me, too, and remember which plant I bought the year before and ask about its progress!

So this year I bought a pitcher plant. They seem so exotic and primitive. However, my dear plant friends tell me that they are actually native to this area and can survive the winter outside! These pitcher plants don't need to be fed like a Venus fly trap. They look innocent, but they really work.

Last night some ants found an in, through my kitchen window where the pitcher plant sits. The pitcher plant has a sweet nectar that attracts bugs, so the ants made a bee line for the plant. They marched right into the pitchers and could not get out! Amazing! The plant is beautiful and effective - I think the pitchers look like little heads all craning their necks in the same direction.

Last year I bought a Venus fly trap from the couple. We've all had one at times, right? And we killed them. Well, I have learned from my friends that often our little friends don't die, they go dormant. If you give them some time, they come back out again. What will kill them is chlorinated water, so give them bottled water or water that has been sitting out for 24 or more hours.

So what about the first photo of the flowers? What does that have to do with any of this? Well, my yuccas are in bloom and they are gorgeous. Are they carnivorous? Technically, no. But they will gouge your eyes out when you try to weed around them and slice the kids legs as they run by. They seem to like to make people bleed. Does that count?

Skully Love

2008-06-15T06:44:00.004-04:00

We made these skully guys for a craft and music festival last weekend and they sold like mad! Some were back with high powered rare earth magnets and some were given aanraku bails so they could be worn as pendants. We did manage to come home with a few and they are slowly being listed in our Etsy shop.

As for the festival, it was loads of fun. The first person to enter the tent for the day was quite rude and insulting, and frankly my confidence was a bit shaken. However, for the rest of the two day festival there was nothing but sales and praise. I had to massage my cheeks at night because they ached from grinning!

A Day Off

2008-06-11T07:25:00.006-04:00

This is really what it's all about. We took an afternoon and walked along the Nolichuckey River. The ducks and geese all had their babies out on parade. The boys slowly walked toward the water and three young ducks came toward them. I think the ducklings were just as curious about the little boys as the boys were about them.

We got our feet wet and flipped rocks looking for wildlife. We found salamanders, crawdads, freshwater mussels, a bristle worm, mudpuppies, and a strange aquatic nymph most likely of a dragonfly or damselfly.

The mussels were very active. Once a rock was flipped and they were exposed, they immediately began to open up and use their foot to wedge themselves under the sediment. Some of the crawdads we found were around a quarter of an inch long, though we found one large on with a missing claw. The salamanders were probably mole salamanders, though there are several possible species. They were young and only about 2 inches long.

This tributary was too calm to house the larger creatures. Just once I'd like to see a hellbender, but we'll have to find a rushing stream in SW Virginia before I can see one of those. Imagine coming face to face with a 2 foot long giant salamander! Supposedly hellbenders can be found in streams in our area, but I haven't heard of anyone seeing one in a long time.

Mad About Texture

2008-06-10T07:17:00.012-04:00

There is a trend right now of using commercial stamps on slabs of clay, adding some stain and clear glaze and VOILA! You have a cutesy little ceramic dish. These dishes are everywhere! And the makers are accusing each other of copying constantly. Not every cutesy dish maker uses commercial stamps, but a fair number do.

12 inch Platter

Well, the danger in not using your own artwork is that anyone can come along behind you, buy the exact same stamp, and suddenly you are not an original anymore. Of course, you have to consider that the artwork on the stamps actually belongs to someone else... often big companies like Stampin' Up. Many companies forbid using their stamps commercially and some, like Stampin' Up, have Angel policies in place that require acknowledgment within listings of the use of their stamps and the use of a special licensing stamp on each piece.

Side View of Feet

Although I've been a bit sidetracked, the purpose of this post is that sometimes the unexpected inspires you. Sometimes the muses will put something in front of me that makes me think, "Oh wow! That's great! Except I would....." Other times the muses put something in front of me that rather than pushing me in a parallel direction I am shoved perpendicularly.

12 inch Oval Platter with Wave Design

These stamped platters and dishes are my reaction to the overwhelming cuteness. They begin with slab of clay and a stamp or ten. (We have bins of stamps that we have carved. We carve stamps when there is nothing else to do. They fill the small spaces of our kiln and are used for years and years. ) We roll out our slabs and cut them to shape. Then we stamp them. Sometimes we stamp in an allover pattern. Some are stamped in quilt-like designs or stripes.

The Underside

After bisque firing, we prepare them for glazing. Because many of these dishes are not footed, we decided to fire them on wadding, so each dish is dotted with wax on the bottom. We dip or brush on the glazes - again we make our own glazes - and then clean them up and fire them. We don't have anything against commercial glazes... except for the price. There are a lot of great commercial glazes out there, but we would have to raise our prices if we relied on them!

Perhaps it is a Soap Dish

We are very happy with our new dishes. The glazes break beautifully over the texture and they are a joy to touch. We nearly sold out of them at last weekend's show! I think we brought home four - one round, one oval, and two square dishes. The ovals sold quickest and we have more in production already. Each is one of a kind!

Hot From The Kiln

2008-06-05T06:51:00.005-04:00

Last night, the kiln was hovering at about 200ºF and we just couldn't stand it anymore! With gloved hands we reached in and snatched out a few things from the top shelf. After I downloaded (uploaded?) my photos from the camera, we went ahead and unloaded the entire kiln. I'll have to photograph everything today because it is all getting packed up to take to an art and music festival this weekend.

This dish turned out exactly as we wanted. The glazes break beautifully and work so well with the design. Our rolling bamboo stamp was the perfect focal point.

These were the first four pieces from the kiln. They are a reaction to a trend I have been watching using commercial stamps. We hand carve all of our stamps - it is really the only way to be sure the mark we make is our own.

We love the detail of this little dish. Being occasional quilters, we love that this piece echoes the piecing of a quilt. I have made series of quilted dishes in the past, but it has been a long time. This one is far less cutesy than the ones I used to make for bridal parties!

The rest of the kiln had some great pieces, too. We have a couple of duds and one gorgeous piece that had odd bits growing out of the side of it - sort of like clay crystals. I'll have to do some research and figure out what happened.

I'm Not Sure We Can Sell These

2008-05-29T07:54:00.007-04:00

I know I can make more, but pulling these bowls out of the kiln was like falling in love. I just want to hang on to them for a while. I may enlarge a print of one of these to hang in the studio for the days we need inspiration.

Totally Offensive!

2008-05-28T08:22:00.004-04:00

We made these at the request of some friends following a hilarious conversation. The response has been overwhelming! We have had orders pour in - some asked for PG 13 versions and others gave suggestions for other saying for non-morning people. I have to get to work and throw mugs and stamp sayings! If you want some, too, please contact us through our Etsy shop and we'll add you to the queue.

Better Photos

2008-05-22T15:06:00.008-04:00

Well, finally we took pictures of our new necklaces. I have a huge stash of handmade, ceramic pendants and now I feel like I know what I want to do with them. We have offered them for sale loose with little interest so we decided to string some and see how it goes.

2008-05-16T05:48:00.007-04:00

We have been making pendants for a long time, but we finish them, smile, and say, "Now what?!" We have sold them loose, but not very well. I think customers must have the same it's-lovely-but-what-do-I-do-with-it response.

We have tried stinging them on ribbon or leather or silk cord. They seem at home, but undone. After a visit to a great bead shop, I felt inspired and sat down to take on the challenge. This is my result.

Aside from the photo being bad, I am pleased and I think it will help people visualize what can be done with earthy ceramic pendants. The beading was tedious but satisfying. I used the Fibonacci number sequence to decide the bead pattern, starting with the number 5.

The Fibonacci number sequence is a string of numbers in which the sum of the last two numbers determines the next. In other words (or numbers) it goes like this: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, and so on. It is a soothing sequence that appears often in nature. The most notable example is the spiral of the nautilus.

There are lots of fun scientific articles out there regarding the Fibonacci numbers in nature, the golder ratio, and the Pheidian spiral. While you may not like looking at the algebra, it is nice to the the sequence applied to images and to understand why certain compositions are comforting and others are jarring. Check out Spira Solaris Archyta-Miribilis, Souls of Distortion, and this blog post on Values Australia which charts art, beauty, and more using Fibonacci numbers.

A New Line?

2008-05-13T07:45:00.005-04:00

This bowl came out of the last kiln load and as we unloaded I heard Alex behind me saying, "Oh, HELL yes!" I'm seeing this as a whole new line of work. I have never wanted to be too matchy, but I really love this look. I know in order to be more marketable as a functional potter, we need to have some standard lines and this on I think I can live with for a while. What do you think?

Big Changes

2008-05-08T06:34:00.002-04:00

Last night, the dragonfly dishes came out of the glaze firing. We are very pleased with the results! The matte brown glaze spread a little and turned purple and blue. The result is a much more organic look and feel which is what we were hoping for.

The rest of the pieces in the firing were all worth getting weak kneed over, too! More photos of it all to come!

Dragonfly Dishes

2008-05-06T07:13:00.004-04:00

We were up late with a marathon glazing session last night. We had a big dinnerware order to complete with no real instructions for decoration. It was one of those well-you-know-what-I-like jobs.

So, after staring at the pasta bowls and plates for what seemed like an eternity, this is what we came up with!

It felt right when it was all done, so I am sure the recipient will be pleased. The colors will be jade green and matte brown that has cobalt and eggplant accents like this piece below. The kiln is firing now and it is going to be hard to be patient for the results.

Progress!

2008-05-01T19:55:00.005-04:00

Today, while Alex was out of the house, I used the power tools! I broke out the circular saw, the jig saw, and the chain saw! When he got home, the floor of the treehouse was done.

The tree comes up through the floor in two places.

Here you can see the triangular shape of the floor from the top side.

Now that we are up in the tree, I can see loads of patterns on the bark. I hear the little guy who makes these holes every morning. I never manage to catch sight of him, but at our bird feeder we get downy woodpeckers, yellow bellied sapsuckers, and red headed woodpeckers so I'm assuming they are all pecking away out here.

How Potters Procrastinate

2008-05-01T07:15:00.005-04:00

There is so much to do right now to get ready for summer shows, but instead of sitting at the wheel, we have been climbing up and down trees. Yes, after a short conversation on a Sunday morning and a trip to the lumber yard, we are building a tree house!

We are building in a mature apple tree. We started to build a series of small platforms, but we decided instead to build a large, triangular platform with the point in the enter of the tree and two stilt legs about 10 feet out in the yard.

We spend a lot of time figuring out angles and discussing the next step. Gran'daddy has been a big help and I suspect he's having a lot of fun.

We've got three planks of decking up so the boys have to try it out. They said they'll come back up when we have the walls up!

A Few Things from a Hot Kiln

2008-04-17T07:28:00.007-04:00

Jade pitcher - small and sweet but perfectly balanced.

One of a series of studies for making wine glasses thrown in one piece.

Crock? Vase? Utensil caddy?

Rounded mug with perfect form and gorgeous glazing!

I am still in the process of unloading and photographing this load. Yesterday I shot 150 photos and it was only a small portion of what came out of this last kiln load. We re throwing like mad to get ready for summer shows, so more is coming along quickly!

My Favorite Glazing Tools

2008-04-15T07:56:00.009-04:00

Every potter has their own way of doing things. I am no exception. These are my favorite tools for glaze mixing, minus the bucket. Well, and the scale. They include my Hanson Mixer, a cordless drill, shelving supports from a Closetmaid kit, a large sieve, and a bunch of cheap bristle brushes I have epoxied together.

This is how I set it up. I have a collection of old, oak school chairs that I use around the studio as bucket perches. I place my bucket on them, then shelf supports, my sieve and my brushy thing I made.

I use the shelf supports for a couple of reasons. They are triangular and coated metal, so the glaze just slides off of them and into a bucket and they are easy to wash. Since they are V shaped and upside down, I can use a knife to cut a couple of shallow notches in the rim of my bucket and everything is locked in place.

My test batch glaze set up is similar and shows off my brushy thing in action, sort of. Notice, my test sieve fits into the lid of a plastic container that we cut. Our test batches of glaze all go into these containers, so the sieve and altered lid can fit on any test container.

I use the brush when I am sieving because it makes quicker work. I have tried scrapers and stirrers and more, but the bristle brushes all epoxied together just scrub the glaze through the screen much faster.

Of course, the most important tool for mixing glazes is an accurate scale. I have mine thanks to Jorgensen Studio. When I was shopping for a scale, she had an extra one and sent it to me. She said it had been given to her by another potter and she wanted to pay it forward. I am so grateful! She makes amazing things, so please check her out if you are looking for amazing jewelry or one of a kind pottery.

Down With Disposable

2008-04-10T07:04:00.006-04:00

For some time, we have been wanting to plant bamboo in our yard. We like the idea of having a living fence rather than a constructed one. We also want to harvest bamboo in order to make our own teapot handles. We know it might take over, but I'd rather have more trees than grass any day.

On the drive over, I spent a lot of time thinking about why it was important for us to get these plants. I didn't have great answer except they are pretty, green, and it is one less thing I'd have to order and have shipped.

I drove through mile after mile of mountainsides covered with apple orchards and thought about the environmental impact of making pottery. We strive to be as environmentally friendly as possible with the way we run our studio. We use as little water as possible, never waste clay, avoid glazes with heavy metals and so on. We currently fire in an efficient electric kiln - the most energy efficient kiln on the market.

But even if we didn't do all of that, I feel that creating pottery is a good environmental choice. We are not contributing to the disposable attitude. Instead, we are striving to create heirlooms and treasures. Rather than another plastic dish that will crack in a few years, we are creating pieces that can last centuries. Our pieces come from a small studio concerned with the environment while store bought mugs are produced in huge factories concerned only with their profit margins. Is it worth it to consumers to spend a little more on something they will treasure for a lifetime or would they rather spend less on next year's garage sale fodder?

Serendipity

2008-04-08T07:11:00.005-04:00

I like big coffee mugs. This one pictured is not one of those, though. It is a dainty little 8 ounce mug, but I love it anyway. While I prefer a mug about double this size, I'll take any mug that has a glaze this gorgeous!

So much of a potter's life is determined by serendipity. I know in theory what should happen if I fire this glaze at a certain speed or make it hover at a certain temperature, but until the lid of the kiln opens I am at the mercy of the kiln gods.

This little mug's glaze is serendipitous perfection! The glaze formed microcrystals as the kiln slowly cooled and they really make the piece for me. They are like frost trapped within a glassy olive green. I just want to run my hands over the mug - it begs to be touched! This pleasure, the joy of a piece wanting to be held, is what makes me return to the wheel day after day.

It's Spring in Tennessee!

2008-04-04T06:21:00.004-04:00

After a few false starts and a disappointing winter, spring has finally arrived in the Appalachians. Up on the mountains, there is still cold and frost, but down in our valley the cherry trees and daffodils are in full bloom. The candytuft has made a white carpet along my front walk and the birds are dripping off the bird feeders.

What does spring mean to a potter? It can bring about an over whelming urge to create pots that don't get made any other time of year. My kiln is being visited by things like bird feeders and slug traps. Yes, that's right - slug traps. Even the occasional toad house finds its way to our kiln in spring.

I never do too many of these types of pots. The lull between the holidays and summer shows passes quickly. The orders for plates, bowls, serving pieces, and cups will soon take back over but while my yard is filled with the first music and movements of spring, we'll enjoy the small signs of spring that visit our kiln.

Finally! New work!

2008-03-25T07:11:00.005-04:00

All of this change has really put a damper on our creative output.We waited more than a month for our new kiln, the studio has been being rebuilt, and glazes have been mixed. On top of that, we have had illness and Alex hurt his back and can barely walk.

So, finally, we unloaded an actual load of glazed ware. There were a number of pieces that were disappointing but what did turn out was spectacular. The good new is that the glazes I mixed were fabulous and it was the commercial glazes I was disappointed in. We had lovely crystallization in our new glazes and I am excited to see what the next load of ware does.

Twice the Work

2008-03-14T07:13:00.006-04:00

So I got my studio space painted in a nice yellow, but once I stepped back to admire the wall, I decided it was hideous. So I broke out the paint chips and started digging. I wanted something bright and clean, but I didn't want anything too pastel. I chose the two colors pictured here. I am a long way from finished - the space is about 800 square feet. The green is painted on a huge column that comes down in the center of the space and divides it in two. I think my hot water heater ties in nicely with the decorating scheme - don't you? My first classes here begin in two weeks, so I have to get tables set up, painting to a stopping point, and everything in its place... and quickly!

We haven't had loads of time for new work, but we've been turning out a bunch of prototypes for stemless wine goblets. I'm hoping to settle on a design I just love. Also in the works are some espresso cups and saucer sets, a whole slew of mugs, and a lot of small bowls with a few big ones thrown in. I have returned for the first time in ages to making pitchers and have been surprised at how easy they are. I did an entire semester of pitchers in school once, and my hands seem to remember the dance well.

Perfect

2008-03-12T07:03:00.003-04:00

I love mixing my own glazes. I like the freedom it gives me to experiment. The knowledge of ingredients lets me know what know what to expect as I make changes or layer glazes. Truthfully, I love donning my nerdy mask and eying my scales critically. It fulfills the mad scientist in me.

I also like knowing I can mix glazes and get unique look. However, this glaze, Xavier's Warm Green Jade, is mixed by a huge number of potters. It is a favorite because it is gorgeous and it performs every time! I love the crystallization that occurs on the bottoms of pots with Xavier's. The multiple glassy layers that form in the cooling are always exquisite. And the color! Who can resist jade green and cobalt blue?

The Rolled Foot

2008-03-11T09:46:00.005-04:00

Here is some video of the creation of a rolled foot. We did not invent this technique, but cannot remember where we came across it. We typically use a pony roller or brayer but in later clips, Alex shows several other methods using tools commonly in a potter's possession.

This is a better shot of the finished foot.

The Rolled Foot

2008-03-10T22:18:00.005-04:00

A New Baby

2008-03-10T06:55:00.004-04:00

We have welcomed a new baby into the family. She is big, weighing in at 500 pounds! Meet Bertha, our new Shimpo Cone Art 2827 kiln. She is 10 cubic feet with double wall insulation and a Bartlett controller. She has the amazing quality of heating up fast and cooling down slowly - we love her!

I felt so bad about her space being incomplete that as soon as we reassembled her and took this photo, I decided to finish painting the wall behind her. Now I hate the color and I'm going to get something else. I want something that will look clean and crisp. Maybe a blue or celadon color.

Yesterday we did our first test firing of Bertha. Today, I'll check the cone packs and decide whether or not she needs calibration. I am hoping we will be on steady ground. I will probably run her empty one more time before I put her to work.

I love this groovy unintentional self portrait by Alex.

Little Clay, Much Philosophy

2008-03-05T07:10:00.007-05:00

I have been carrying Life of Pi by Yann Martel around for over a year now, hoping to read while in waiting rooms and sitting in car line to pick the kids up from school. Instead I always end up chatting with someone or spotting a magazine that begs reading. I finally got a chance to start it and Life of Pi has my wheels turning. This quote about a developing friendship with an atheist professor made me stop and reread it several times:

I felt a kinship with him. It was my first clue that atheists are my brothers and sisters of a different faith, and every word they speak speaks of faith. Like me, they go as far as the legs of reason will carry them - and then they leap.

I'll be honest about it. It is not atheists who get stuck in my craw, but agnostics. Doubt is useful for a while. We all must pass through the garden at Gethsemane. If Christ played with doubt, so must we. If Christ spent an anguished night in prayer, if He burst out from the Cross, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?" then surely we are also permitted with doubt. But we must move on. To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.

My mind has hardly stopped chewing on this for two days. I have always felt there has to be room for the doubter - that true faith has to ask to hard, niggling questions and find a satisfactory answer. I believe that we learn and grow by questioning, but you have to seek and find the answers to those questions. In choosing doubt as a philosophy of life, you essentially choose to not seek answers.

Religion and faith of all kinds intrigue me, but also what really struck me was the idea of the artist choosing doubt. This is the artist who links the value of their art with the number of sales. This is the artist who spends their days at the easel yet turns their paintings to the wall when company arrives.

Is my art valuable because someone wants to buy it? Or, is it valuable because I feel compelled to create it? If no one else loves what I make, should that cause me to stop creating? I believe the satisfaction to my spiritual need to create is in seeing my vision fulfilled, not in seeing cash exchanged for that small reflection of my soul.

We are driven to create. Whether we show in upscale galleries or hide our work in closets, the need to see our visions come to life is ingrained. The desire to create is instilled in us at our creation, when we are made in the image of the Creator - the greatest of all artists. My work... your work.... it is valuable because it is love. It is a sharing of the secret places in our souls and that is more valuable than money, prestige, or fame.

Work in Progress

2008-02-27T09:24:00.002-05:00

It's Awesome, Isn't it?

2008-02-25T06:38:00.002-05:00

Alex made this 2.5 quart pitcher and it is awesome! The body was wheel thrown and then pressed into an oval shape. The spout was a thrown cylinder that was carved and attached to the body. The handle was made from slabs as was the bottom of the pitcher.
I had very little input in this process, so you can see he really is my better half. We both sketched handles, but I can't remember whose he chose and Alex hates choosing glazes so that was my job. The color is good, but this pitcher is all about form. The only bad thing about this pitcher is it is so big that shipping costs will be outrageous!

Getting Organized

2008-02-23T16:24:00.008-05:00

I operate pretty well in a cluttered, disorganized space for a while. Then, all of a sudden, I have an overwhelming urge to give everything a home. During this studio rebuild, we are moving everything a dozen times it seems. In stead of moving piles, I want to figure out where everything is going to live and then PUT IT THERE!

We spent the morning building this awesome work table. AND, we earned loads of good karma for upcycling! The table top is an old piece of formica counter top that was used on a kitchen island so both sides are rounded. We covered it in canvas which took Forever. Eternity. Tedious. But it is perfect! The canvas will keep the clay from sticking and the formica won't suck moisture out of the clay - it is a perfect marriage! A lot of the wood was actually 2x4 studs from a wall we took out in the studio. The shelf is made from the door that was in the wall we knocked down.

Once the table was complete, I painted for a while... or until I ran out of paint. Then I made my way to the glaze ingredients shelves. There are a lot of dangerous chemicals on these shelves and the plastic bags are hard to see. They fall over and off the shelves and when I am mixing glazes they are a pain in the rump to get in and out of. I decided to transfer my materials to airtight plastic storage and labeled everything with my P-touch. It is so much easier to see what I have and I feel like it is so much more secure. I discovered during this process that I had double bought several chemicals because I couldn't find anything before.

BEFORE

AFTER

Finally, I'll show something that is almost embarrassing. As I said before, I am happy in clutter a long time, but when I decide to get organized, I tend to go a little overboard... hence the P-touch labeler. On all of my glaze buckets, I have a huge label. I type up the formula in Word and create a table. The first two columns are the glaze formula. The next column is what is takes to make 5 gallons, then 1/2 a bucket, and finally a test batch. This label goes on test batches of glaze, full buckets, and anything else glaze lands in. I know it is a little bit crazy, but I always know where my glaze formulas are!

Studio Changes

2008-02-21T06:40:00.007-05:00

Since the sale of our studio and retail shop, we have been tirelessly working to build our studio at home. We decided the guts of the studio will be in our basement while our potter's wheels will be on our sun porch through three seasons and in one end of our kitchen in the winter.

Alex was lucky enough to come across an incredible sink and counter top that was bound for the trash, so that amazing part of the project was free! We built a rustic cabinet for it and it is awesome! Under the sink is our amazing sink trap. We will do a thorough post on that since so many potter's might find instructions and photos helpful.

I have a glaze mixing work bench that I love even though it is very low tech. It is made from big plastic modular shelving and a piece of finished plywood lays across the top. I am still organizing my glaze materials, so my chemical shelves look a little haphazard.

We still have loads of work to do. This weekend the electrician comes to overhaul our wiring and next week the new kiln should arrive! We are still painting wall and hanging lights, installing shelving and more. I know it doesn't look like much, but we are so excited!

Creating an Etsy Banner in Photoshop

2008-02-13T09:49:00.012-05:00

An Etsy banner is always 760 pixels wide and 100 pixels high, so the first step is to create a new Image in Photoshop with the dimensions as 760x100 pixels in 72dpi. Next, under the image menu, choose "Image Size" and change the dpi to 300. Now your image is 3167x417. Why did we do that? Well, 300dpi will keep out banner sharp while we are making it and we didn't have to do any math. When we save the final version it will be 760x100 and 72dpi.

The next step is to decide on a background color. I am going to choose black. I click the foreground color box and then select the color from the color picker. I have selected web only colors. I can change that later if I want to alter a color slightly. I then go under the Edit menu and choose "Fill" and fill with the foreground color.

Now it is time to paste in my images. First, I need to be sure to put them in 300dpi as well. I then change the image size to get them in scale with the banner. For instance, the photo of the platter I chose to use was 18 inches high. Since I only wanted the rim, I cropped the photo and reduced it to only 4 inches high. Finally, I just selected the photo, and chose copy under the Edit menu, and then pasted into my banner. In Photoshop, the photo and background are now in separate layers and independently manipulatable. I want this platter to sit off kilter, so I rotate it using the Transform option under the Edit menu.

Now it is time for text. Choose the text tool and click on the banner where you want your cursor to appear. I usually start in the center of my text area. Choosing the font is the most time consuming part for me. Notice the text is in its own layer. This is helpful because I can create multiple layers of text and turn them on and off, allowing me to try out a number of fonts without losing the previous ones. I turn the layers off and on by clicking the eye that is next to the layer. If the eye is beside the layer, that layer is visible. Note: I chose a photo with a black background and made sure is was a true black like the banner background for seamless pasting.

Once I settle on a font and everything is perfect, it is time to flatten the image. Once you flatten the image, the layers are fused and editing becomes horrid so save a working copy before flattening. Click the little triangle icon on your Layers window and choose Flatten Image. This will merge all the layers into your background leaving only one layer. If you have invisible layers, Photoshop will ask if it is okay to discard them; the answer is yes.

Now under the file menu choose Save for Web. In the window that opens, in the Image section, now change your banner to 760x100 pixels. It will save your banner in a jpeg format perfect for the web and to Etsy's size specifications. Ta da! You are ready to upload to Etsy!

As a final aside, there are a hundred ways to get from point A to point B with Photoshop. This is by no means the only way and certainly not the correct way to make a banner. It is just the way that works for me. Have fun!

It just keeps spinning.

2008-02-06T07:28:00.000-05:00

The world, that is. Everything is moving so fast and there is no time for anything right now. Not even creating.

Last week we sold our studio and retail space. It was a good thing - I was feeling overwhelmed and getting further from my dreams. Having retail hours made me feel trapped. We have been unable to to shows or travel. We have not been away for a weekend in a long, long time.

So, we decided to sell and it was so much work! But finally, we made it to closing and kissed our kiln goodbye. We went to buy a new kiln and GASP!! It takes 4-6 weeks to arrive! Now we are fixing up our home studio space and waiting.

In the mean time, we have entered the Etsy Mud Team's Salt Shaker Challenge. As with all EMT challenges, it was pretty open ended and the entries came in the form of salt cellars and salt pigs, stopperless salt shakers, and traditional salt and pepper shaker sets. Our entry is above. It is a stopperless shaker that was thrown on the wheel by me, carved by Alex, and then glazed by me. I love it! Below are all the entries.

To vote, click on the picture to be taken to the voting page. Your vote will automatically enter you in a drawing for free pottery. If you do not have an Etsy user name, just put NONE in the field for Etsy ID. Good luck! To all of us!

Love and Chocolate

2008-01-24T07:55:00.000-05:00

The only thing better than being in love is when the person you're in love with brings you chocolate! Love can be intoxicating or stabilizing. It can make you fly or give a firm foundation. Love is the best gift, and often the only gift, we can offer. Chocolate is a close second.

This handmade tumbler, sadly, is not made of chocolate. It is, however, created with love in our studio; it is wheel thrown and glazed in a chocolate brown with a sweet red heart.

New items are still being added to the Etsy Love Challenge. Here a a few more favorites. You can click the photos for more information or to visit their stores.

Jim Bridgeman of Bridgeman Studios has a whole line of these amazing ceramic balloon hearts.

This cut paper art from Crafterall is so sweet.

Everything Lesperance Tile does is worthy of talking about.
This tile is no exception!

Just a quick peek!

2008-01-23T07:58:00.000-05:00

Not much to say today, except that I love this!

Etsy Love Challenge

2008-01-22T06:33:00.000-05:00

Love is in the air with Valentine's Day around the corner and Etsy is having an Etsy Love Challenge. We are challenged to make items that tell a story and here is my entry.
Young Henry was quite taken with sweet Emily, but he was too shy to approach her. Emily had noticed Henry, but she had never even held hands with a boy and she could not meet his gaze.

Henry was convinced that Emily wanted nothing to do with him, so he tried hard to ignore her and when his friends were around he laughed and joked a little too loudly.

Emily's friends told her that Henry had a crush on her, but she was afraid that all those jokes that kept him laughing were about her. She plucked her mother's flowers when ever she walked past, asking each bloom whether or not he loved her, dropping petals like Hansel and Gretel's trail everywhere she went.

Mother was getting quite upset that her garden was looking so bare. She had a local potter make these cups and instructed Emily to reach into the cupboard with her eyes closed each day and she would know how he felt by the cup she chose.

Emily's mother was a smart one, so after a few days she removed the LOVES ME NOT cup from the cupboard. After three days of choosing LOVES ME, Emily believed it. She found the courage to meet Henry's gaze and he knew in one look that she LOVES ME.

Now here are some of my favorites from the challenge so far. Click on the photos to find out more about each entry.

This Valentine's Day card from Gigi Phillips is too cute! She makes the little figures in the cards and them creates the scenes to photograph them in.

This original drawing from the Pairabirds says so much with the minimum of lines.

Studio Elan always impresses me with her perfection of form and gorgeous glazing.
This cup is no exception.

This original painting from TP Design, an artist from my home town of Dallas, is all about love... love for your fellow human beings and love for your planet. It is painted on repurposed wood and reads, "The greatest of these is love."

I think I'm in love!

2008-01-17T07:04:00.000-05:00

I posted this dish a week or two ago in the leather hard stage. Often, this is the romantic stage with pottery. Either you are in love with your piece - it is smooth, dark, and cool but still flexible enough to bend to your will; or you hate it. Occasionally you might let the hated ones grow on you, but by the time they are bone dry, you should know whether or not the relationship will work.So, this little guy passed the love test and went on to be bisque fired and then glazed and fired again. Sometimes, at this stage, you fall right back out of love. Some pieces go bad in the glaze firing and disappoint you with blisters or pinholes or even (gasp) cracking. I always wonder what I did to make them hurt me so. But this little guy was true to my heart and came out perfect!

Neti (Snot) Pots

2008-01-14T17:52:00.000-05:00

So, neti pots have been around forever. I mean, a thousand years or more. So why is it that some corporation feels that they should be able to trademark the term "Neti Pot"? The trademark has been applied for and is temporarily live, but the government has not determined that the term is trademarkable. (I might have made that word up.) Still, the company is putting Neti Pot™ on all their boxes.

In the meantime, I have to figure out what to call my pots used for the practice of Jala Neti, also known as nasal irrigation or sinus cleansing. Right now I am happy with the term "Snot Pot" and my first Snot Pots are out of the kiln!

Challenges

2008-01-10T07:12:00.000-05:00

The Etsy Mud Team has regular challenges that encourage members to try new things and step outside their comfort zone. The January challenge is a salt and pepper shaker challenge and members have been trying all sorts of designs.

Antonia turned many of us on to a stopperless salt shaker design that dispenses salt from the bottom. (Note the suggestive last image in her listing.) The shaker is thrown in one piece with a funnel going up the center. The shaker is filled and emptied through this funnel.

I decided to try throwing a stopperless shaker and had a good time with it. I wanted the sides of the shaker to be carved, using our wave stamp as inspiration. When I shared this with Alex, he wanted to do the carving. We decided by collaborating on this project, we could both participate in the challenge. So... here is our entry! It is ready to go into the kiln for the bisque firing and then we'll pray the glazing is spectacular.

We've Been Picassoed

2008-01-09T07:10:00.000-05:00

Cynthia of Colorado Art Studio, a friend of ours in our blog ring and on the Etsy Mud Team, had a fun blog post this week with a self portrait, Picasso style. She had created it at Mr. Picassohead - a fun web site where you can make your own Picassohead painting. Of course I was distracted by the opportunity to play there! Here are the results - mine looks far more sophisticated than I ever do and Alex's looks a little scary.

Truthfully, the last thing I should be doing this morning is creating portraits with this website. My to do list is continually growing and while I tick off things constantly, it feels like things are getting added faster than I can get them done. I had a very unsuccessful day at the wheel yesterday and tossed more than I kept. I suppose days of experimentation are like that, but it got frustrating quickly. Today I will try again and hopefully work out the kinks.

I played on my new felting machine yesterday. I have nothing worth bragging about to show, but it was fun. I made a new felt doll and clothes to give to our preschool music teacher. She sings a song about getting dressed for winter and her felt board doll was beginning to look a little ragged. It's no wonder my to do list keeps growing when I stay sidetracked with little projects. I suppose it is the curse of the creative mind - I am easily distracted.

A Perfect Pair

2008-01-03T07:46:00.000-05:00

We call these mugs "The Perfect Pair" not because the mugs themselves are perfect, but the pairing of the glazes is. These glazes work together and highlight each other so well. They even bring out aspects in each other that could not be seen before - intense halos on each side of the drip line.

We also think of our marriage as a perfect pairing. Alex and I bring out the best in each other and uncover beauty in each other that was not known before. We have survived grad school, self-employment, kids, and more, but we have remained the best of friends through it all. I love working alongside Alex in the studio. We support, inspire, and critique each other's work. We actually promised to do that in our wedding vows! Anyway, in a not very eloquent way, I am using these mugs as a way to say I am so grateful to have Alex as my partner in life and in the studio.

And remember - this week everything in our Etsy shop is 10% off!

Do you Neti?

2008-01-02T08:15:00.000-05:00

My first introduction to Neti was while spending a weekend at our cabin with friends a few years ago. In the morning, Brandon and Misty strolled into the kitchen with matching little teapot looking things and started pouring salt water up their noses. We were shocked and a little grossed out. I mean, we always knew they were a little weird...

Fast forward three years. My mom, who suffers from all sorts of sinus issues, started telling me I needed to do a regular sinus cleansing. Uh-uh. No way. I mean, it hurts so bad to get water up your nose at the pool, right? But this year, in the midst of the Christmas rush, I began to come down with a cold. I could not afford to get sick. We work seven days a week beginning after Thanksgiving and keep going until Christmas Eve.

"Sinus cleansing," Mom said on the phone. Fine. I went to the store and got an ugly plastic bottle that shoots water up my nose. So what happened? I didn't get sick and it didn't hurt. Maybe Misty and Brandon aren't weird, but geniuses! If I had listened three years ago, my winters may have been very different.

Fast forward to two days ago. In the Etsy forums there was a discussion on sinus cleansing. Someone said, "Why to Neti pots have to be so ugly? A good potter could fix this." I smelled a challenge and got started right away. So I made three prototype neti cleansing pots. Of course, I expect them to become even more beautiful after a glaze firing. For now, they look like awkward tea pots that are missing lids.

As for Neti, it originates as the Ayurvedic practice of Jala Neti - a ritual nasal cleansing. It uses a saline solution that closely matches the make up of your tears which is why it doesn't burn. There are many reputed benefits including a reduction of allergy problems, more effective tears, reducing cough and post nasal drip, and more.

Pottery Squared

2008-01-01T08:27:00.000-05:00

We are starting off the new year with new work. While I have always loved hand building, we have concentrated on wheel thrown work. At least partly, this is because hand built work can be so time consuming and I tend to think people won't pay what the labor requires.

I am trying to let go of preconceived notions and realize that what we believe is true is not always actually so. So, on that note, we are exploring new ideas and allowing ourselves some time to stray from the bread and butter of wheel thrown work.

Our first wanderings are a line of square dishes. These are not as time consuming as other hand built work and should be reasonably priced. We are using slabs of clay and slumping those slabs into molds. When they are not quite leather hard, we are stamping the rims with our hand carved stamps. I had fun figuring out if Alex's cylindrical wave stamp could make the turn on the rim of a square bowl. It worked out so perfectly you might think I was confident it would work. After the pieces are leather hard, we are adding rather tall feet.

Also coming - perhaps photos tomorrow - are a line of Neti Pottery. If you are not familiar, they are used for the Hindu practice of sinus cleansing. I have recently begun this practice and I am a huge believer... Alex is not so enthusiastic. Our journey into sinus cleansing pots began because another enthusiast remarked, "Why can't Neti Pots look nice? A good potter should work on this." I took it as a challenge and went straight to the wheel.

Etsy Mud Team Post Holiday Sale!

2007-12-31T06:40:00.000-05:00

We can't have an after Christmas Sale because the Etsy Mud Team is a diverse group of potters who are Pagan, Jewish, Christian, Ba'hai, and more. So, we are having a Post Holiday Sale, instead. A lot of shops a participating, but check out ours first!

We planned this sale earlier in the year, but most of us had such great holiday sales, we were left with empty etsy shops. So instead of getting the left behinds, the forgotten, or the sub par, you can find newly listed, fresh from the kiln pottery! Lucky you!

Anyone who buys from a participating shop will be entered into a drawing for more free pottery! You can look over the raffle pieces on the Etsy Mud Team web site.

Val's Turquoise

2007-12-21T07:05:00.000-05:00

I found the formula for this glaze in a Clay Times forum archive. I believe it is probably a Val Cushing glaze, but I am not sure. I made a test batch and tested the glaze on a buff stoneware and a darker speckled stoneware from Midsouth Ceramics. I was not crazy about the test on the buff clay, but the darker clay showed promise. The formula is available by clicking the test tile photo.
This mug does a better job showing off the glaze. It is a rich turquoise, but it has a lot of interest. Where it is thick, it is prone to blistering, so take care to finger sand any drips well. Hopefully, you can see this glaze is glossy and smooth. The turquoise color ranges from pale to almost teal in places. Even where the glaze breaks over the rim and handle, the surface remakes silky.

Love is...

2007-12-14T07:00:00.000-05:00

I am in love... with my latest glaze formula! I have been mixing and testing new batches of glaze in order to expand the look of our line. The process is loads of fun, if you happen to love meticulously measuring hazardous chemicals with your triple beam scale. Of course, I happen to get all kinds of giddy when the needle on the scale finally settles on the mark!

The process is slow, but I get so excited. Measure, mix in water, a little more water... a little more... and let it rest. Then, mix and run the glaze through a sieve twice. I create a little tool that makes short work of this - I epoxied four cheap bristle brushes together to push the glaze through the sieve - works like a charm and is so much faster than a scraper.

Finally it is time for a test tile. this is the hardest part. I hate to wait for the test tile and want to jump right to trying the glaze on some pieces. However, after ruining some lovely work by jumping the gun, I am trying to maintain some sort of self control.

If the results are pleasing and seem predictable, it is time to try it on a pot of two. And here is the latest love of my life - Xavier's Warm Green Jade revised. It's got a catchy name, doesn't it? I am thinking I need to call it something else for my item descriptions, so if you think of anything better, let me know!

Bad Blogger

2007-12-13T07:24:00.000-05:00

I have been a bad, bad blogger! But honestly, this holiday season has kicked my butt! From family issues to a slammed business, I am not sure what day it is or who I am.

One thing that has kept me busy is a custom tea set that I just shipped off the Canada. I love doing custom work. The idea that someone has enough confidence in my work to ask me to create something completely new is an amazing boost. However, while we work on that project, it consumes me. As for this order, Alex was the work horse! He started with the creamer and sugar bowl and when he unveiled the creamer after attaching the handle, I shed a tear it was so beautiful! Seriously.

Getting ready for the holidays always seems to catch me by surprise. It's as if I don't know that Christmas follows Thanksgiving by a mere month. Every year, I wake up around the first of December and think, "OMG! I have 3 weeks left!" To make matters worse, our studio is overwhelmed and we work 7 days a week from Thanksgiving until Christmas Eve. No time to do laundry, shop, wrap presents... what?! A Christmas Tree? We need a Christmas tree, too?! *sigh*

I really do love the holidays and every year I say, "Next year I will be better prepared." It never seems to happen. In July I say, "Next month I'll start gearing up for Christmas." But by August I think, "Oooh, the last days of summer... I'd better drink them up!" Then school starts and my world begins spinning way too fast.

Packaging Tutorial

2007-11-27T09:55:00.001-05:00

During a discussion between potters about the percentage of breakage when shipping pottery, I discovered there is a real need for a packaging tutorial. We have been shipping pottery for years and have yet to have a buyer report breakage. I know our time is coming, but in the mean time, I want to share my method for shipping fragile items.

The first step is to wrap my items in bubble wrap and the box pack them in a small box. I want to be sure that they fit this small box securely and fill in with packing materials so the pieces cannot shift in the box.

Then, I find a box that is larger than the small box by at least 4 inches in each direction.

I put at least 2 inches of polystyrene peanuts in the bottom of my outer box. The inner box is then placed inside the larger box with an equal clearance on each side.

When I am sure the inner box is well packed, I seal it and then fill around the box with peanuts. Notice that the inner box is cradled all around by at least a two inch cushion.

I tuck the receipt, thank you card, or extra something on top of the inner box so it won't get lost in the sea of peanuts.

Almost done! At this point I fill the box with peanuts. I press around the sides of the inner box to be sure there are no air pockets where peanuts can settle in shipping. I mound the peanuts up so the box will be over filled.

Now it is time to ask for help. I usually have someone hold the box closed and I tack the flaps shut with some tape. Then I really work to squeeze the flaps together and tape like mad! I want to be sure there are no areas poking out that can catch on the machinery and cause the box to fail.

Finally, the address is added and the box is covered in the word FRAGILE. I don't buy stickers, but the box pictured is a recycled box and came with the lovely FRAGILE sticker, which I always read as fra-GEE-lay.

I know some people have issues with polystyrene peanuts. I do, too. I cannot in good conscience throw them away. I receive mounds of peanuts in my other business and I reuse every one. If you get peanuts in a package, you can always take them to a local independent mail shop and they will reuse them. When I get an excess, I call my local Pack and Mail and they will come pick them up. Be on the lookout for a new product - bubble paper! I am beginning to receive shipments packed in bubble paper and it seems as effective as polystyrene peanuts.

Feeling Selfish

2007-11-27T07:10:00.000-05:00

These tumblers were only in our etsy shop for a couple of hours before they sold. Stamped "MINE" and "NOT YOURS", they bring out the toddler in all of us! Now I am feeling selfish and sad to let them go. Goodbye selfish cups! I'd really like to keep you! I know I'll make some more, but you will always be my first.

Mystery!

2007-11-20T15:48:00.002-05:00

These tiles are tests of the same glaze - Xavier's Warm Green Jade - on two clay bodies - a buff and a brownstone.

Last month, I mixed up a round of new glazes to test and possibly add to our studio line. One of the glazes I mixed was Xavier's Warm Green Jade. Initially, I added too much water and the glaze was very thin. I did my first test tile on a buff clay, which resulted in the tile on the left. It suits the name - a warm green glaze.

After the glaze settled out, I poured some of the water off of the top. I mixed it again and dipped a second test tile, this time a brownstone clay which is my preferred clay body. The glaze went on much thicker this time, resulting in the tile on the right.

So, the mystery is... is the difference due solely to the thickness of the glaze, or it is due to something settling out? Was it not settled enough when I poured off the water? I plan to make a large bucket of this glaze, since I love it, but I want to continue to get the results on the right.

Xavier's Warm Green Jade
Custer Feldspar 22
Ferro Frit 3134 16
Whiting 12
EPK-Kaolin 20
Talc 9
Silica 21
ADD
Copper Carbonate 3
Rutile 5

Shopping Spree!

2007-11-14T07:42:00.000-05:00

A girlfriend called to see what I was going to be up to while the kids were in school - my so called "day off". "I'm going shopping in Ashville!" I replied. She regretted she couldn't go and I thought she probably didn't have in mind what I did.

I hopped in the car and headed over the mountain into North Carolina. An hour later I pulled up in front of Highwater Clays. I was giddy! I got a squeaky shopping cart and perused the aisles for over an hour! I bought EPK! Rutile! Gerstley borate! Red Iron Oxide! Talc! It went on an on and I was so happy. I restocked my glaze supply shelves and got the supply run buzz!

I have been doing some more typical shopping, too. Christmas shopping! Here are a couple of things I have bought on etsy. Click the pictures to visit the seller's stores.

Custom, Custom, Custom

2007-11-13T08:05:00.000-05:00

We enjoy doing custom orders for people, but lately, we have been covered up with them! I do not get over anxious about making the items perfect. I am comfortable knowing they like our style enough to trust us to create something just for them.

We are just about dug out from the avalanche and we are feeling less panicky about the length of our list. Ticked off our list this week are bowls, a tea set, and a number of family portrait ornaments. Still remaining are more bowls, monogrammed ornaments, and mugs. Back to the studio to keep plugging away!

Product Shots for the Not So Dumb

2007-11-11T15:23:00.001-05:00

I get questions all the time about how to shoot ceramics without an expensive or involved set up. I have looked online for a tutorial to share with my fellow mudders, but I cannot seem to locate one. So, I decided to create a tutorial here. I am using Photoshop 7.0 on my beloved iBook.

My set up is very basic. I have an inexpensive Kodak EasyShare camera and a piece of white poster board. I shoot my product shots outdoors at dawn, when the sky is bright but the sun is not yet casting shadows. As seen in the first screen shot, I just prop my poster board up (in this case against a dead potted plant) and set my pieces on it.
Once my photo is imported, my first step is to go under Image > Adjustments and select Curves. If your version of Photoshop does not have curves, you can do the same adjustments by choosing Levels and continue following along.
I little box will pop up. just under the Options button there are three boxes with what look like droppers in them. Click on the white dropper. We are going to set the white point. We are going to click on the darkest area of the picture that should be white.
In this case, I clicked on a spot just above and to the left of the top of the sake bottle. For some reason, my cursor does not appear in the screen shot. Bummer.
Now it is time to crop my photo. I know Etsy says to crop photos to square, but I do not. I believe most people view the site in gallery mode which is the default. Also, the front page and treasuries are seen in a gallery view, so I crop with those views in mind. In the tools menu on the left hand side of the page, I selected the upper left tool, which is the rectangular marquee tool. I simply click and drag my mouse to create the box shape I want.
Then under the Image menu, choose Crop.
Once the image is cropped, remember to go again under the Image menu and choose Image Size. Etsy requires out images to be under 1000 pixels wide, so I always set my width at the maximum of 1000 pixels. Click OK and save. You should have your product shot.
Below is the image ready to list on Etsy: a fabulous Pumpkin Pie Sake Set glazed in a rich orange and then dipped in whipped cream white. It's perfect for getting you warm during those first autumn cold snaps.

On Trunkt!

2007-11-06T07:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we applied to be on Trunkt. The answer came back within a couple of hours - so fast I thought it must be a mistake! I read and reread the email to be sure and then went to Trunkt where I could see our portfolio! So cool!
We have been thinking about applying to Trunkt for ages. We are confident in our craftsmanship and artistic abilities. We love what we do. We regularly pull things out of the kiln jumping up and down and shouting, "This rocks! I love it!" So why is it so hard to put ourselves out there? If we were rejected from Trunkt, it wouldn't change the quality of our work. So why did we wait so long to apply?

Front Page Honors

2007-11-02T06:32:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I saw a forum thread on Etsy about the awesomeness of the front page. Naturally, I had to go check it out. It was a grouping I curated! I have had items on the front page, but I was more excited to see artists I admire up there because of my treasury. Several items sold and I felt wonderful all day!

SALE!!

2007-11-01T07:40:00.000-04:00

In honor of the Etsy Mud Team's Mud in the Trees Event, all of our personalized ceramics are $5 off through November 11th. The EMT's Event will run November 4-11 and during that week, anyone who purchases from a participating EMT shop will be entered into a drawing to win a free handmade ornament. You will be able to view available ornaments on the EMT site and mark your favorites, if you'd like.

My hand-painted, customized ornament orders are starting to flood in. I have several in the queue already, but I will take discounted orders until November 11th. I can work from photographs for the Family Portrait Ornaments or take descriptions. The Monogrammed Ornaments can be done in any color scheme.

I love doing the family portrait ornaments. I feel so connected to a family after looking at their photos and creating cartoon versions of the family. I often add the family pets and once they included hamsters! It is so nice to hear back from families who say that Grandma cried she was so pleased or sister gave it a place of honor and displays it year round. Even though the orders for ornaments get overwhelming around the first of December, every year I take so much joy from them.

Glaze Tests

2007-10-31T11:28:00.001-04:00

I've been mixing some new glazes and running tests on them and this Speckled Glaze looks promising. The test tile looks amazing! I also tested a thick coating on a coffee mug and it ran like hell and glued itself to a kiln shelf, so more work needs to be done. Still, this one is luscious!

Speckled Glaze ^6 Oxidation
Gerstley Borate 59
Talc 41
100%
add Rutile 18

I am also curious to see what would happen with iron oxide or cobalt carbonate as a colorant. There may be more to see from this glaze. I'll keep you posted.

Easy Favorite Winter Dinner

2007-10-30T06:45:00.000-04:00

Cool weather has finally come to the Appalachians. To celebrate turning the heat on, I made a pot of my favorite soup, Pasta e Fagioli. This soup is hearty and filling plus it is done in under 30 minutes, but it tastes and smells like you slaved all day on it.

I don't do a lot of measuring, so if this makes you uncomfortable, I'm sorry, but this soup is pretty forgiving. Don't worry and just go with the flow. If you get a little more of this or less of that don't worry. It will work out. The secret to this recipe is olive oil and lots of it!

Pasta e Fagioli
Olive oil
½ - 1 pound of cubed ham
2 cans of Great Northern White Beans or Cannelini
1 can of Italian diced tomatoes, drained
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
I small onion diced
1 quart of chicken stock
1-2 cups small pasta (small shells, etc)

Heat a large soup pot to medium. Add a liberal coating of olive oil. Lightly brown your ham. Add onions and garlic and sauté until tender. Add in one quart of chicken stock. Add in one can of beans, drained, and one can with the juice. Add drained tomatoes. Stir and bring to a boil. When the soup is at a rapid boil, add in your pasta and cook until al dente.

Serve in bowls, drizzled with olive oil and topped with parmesan cheese. With a chunk of crusty bread to mop of the liquid, it is a great meal.

While the onions are cooking, you can add in diced carrots and celery, but we don't always have it on hand and it adds to the cooking time.

If you wanted to do a vegetarian version, you could sub vegetable stock for chicken stock and take out the ham, but you would have to add salt to make up for the ham. I would definitely add in the carrots and celery to round out the soup in a vegetarian version.

Enjoy!

Where's the time?

2007-10-28T06:43:00.000-04:00

I have been trying my hardest to figure out how to get more hours into a day, but so far, nothing is working. I have custom orders lined up. I tape the invoices to the wall behind my wheel, and I am running out of space! I have tea sets, sets of bowls communion, sets, and huge fruit bowls to get done. On top of that I have monogrammed ornaments to paint, baby plates, and Christmas platters to paint. And I still need to keep finished pottery on my shelves for shoppers.

It isn't even November yet! Next month will be even crazier! I am so grateful that many of my customers are beating the rush this year. It will help me not feel so frazzled over the next 2 months. Don't tell anyone, but I already find myself looking forward to January!

I chose the Raven Magnet for this post because of Poe's penchant for pointing out that there is nothing more threatening then one's own mind. The most terrifying of ghosts is our own conscience. Or in my case, my own "To Do" lists.