Birdhouses... Birdfeeders

Being that it's spring, I've made two discoveries.
Birdhouses... Birdfeeders.
Adrienne (instructor) has done some demos about birdhouses. These are my first two. Different kinds of clay. I did make a perch for the one on the left. In time, the forms will get bigger.

The beginnings of a bird feeder. Made a roof too.

Then I realized that these extra coin sized pieces need to be slipped and scored on the inside- well this is just how birdfeeders are made!

Another bird feeder. This form is one of my favorite yunomi forms. I'm making the finishing touches on these feeders and houses and then they'll head to the electric bisque kilns soon.

Here Adrienne is making a perch for the bird house in the pic.

There's so much to learn in the world of bird houses. It's a wonderful new chapter in the world of pottery. Next I'll post a pic of the latest big bowl I've made.

Kiln Unloading- bowls and such...

Well the kiln was unloaded on Saturday and here are my bowls that were in it. The biggest one in the center of the pic is one that may serve as the bowl for the font at Duke. The glaze didn't turn out the way I wanted it to.... then again, it's glaze! Unpredictable, for starters. Also in the pic is a plate (far right) and a small vase.

Here's the same big bowl while still in the kiln. It took up a whole kiln shelf and I like the sides of it better than the coloring on the inside of the bowl. Oh well...

Towards the back of this pic is another bowl. I think I'll give one of the smaller ones to my Mom. One would make a good birdbath--- the two bowls at the top of the first pic of this blog are too small to be the baptismal font bowl. I'll use them or give them to someone. Did lots of experimentation with big bowls these past few weeks. Fun!

This pic shows two big bowls in one... both on different shelves in different parts of the kiln- although both on the front stack.

With a close look one can see my chalice in the back.

Another pic of the big bowl and the variation of the glaze. Base glaze: blue/green celadon with parts of alfred's blue glaze poured on top.

This kind of color variation is something that one can't plan. It just happens. Gorgeous!

An easier view of the chalice.

The biggest bowl-- one of two candidates for the font. The coloring on the bowl is better than in this pic. I wish the cross + shape was more subtle. A bit disappointing. The colors really look better in person than in the pic. Oh well.... I'm eager to see how this one below turns out...

This big bowl was put into the electric kiln today. Time will tell how it turns out! I think it'll come out on Thursday. :)
Next post--- birdhouses and birdfeeders.... which have quickly become my latest favorite forms to make.

Birds

It's springtime, so that means birds! Made the bird house on the right on Tuesday. I'll make another one of those tomorrow-- bigger. Gotta work more on the collaring at the top of the bird house. Made the beginnings of a bird feeder today (below). A good first one.

Tomorrow I'll make a roof/lid for this. When it dries a bit, I'll make perches and holes in it. A good 'first' bird feeder. This was made with little loafer's clay (cone 5) so it will be heading to the electric kiln once it has been bisque fired and has glaze on it. That means the turn-around time is less; and the birds will get feed more quickly!

Two blog posts in one day. A very good thing. Tomorrow is the kiln unloading!

Kiln Loading and Cameras?

For starters, this pic is what is supposed to be in the header of this blog. These are three of my favorites. For some reason, it isn't turning out that way. Technology! Oh, and while I remember-- I will buy a new small digital camera next week. Please, please give recommendations!

Now onto other matters. This is one of the three bowls that I'm making for the episcopal center at Duke University. I'm making three with the hopes that one turns out to be the size I need and the colors (blue and white) are a good match. I glazed this with blue-green celadon as a base and then sprinkled some catherine's oribe glaze and then, dipped the inside of the bowl in...

alfred's blue, which I intentionally had drip to the edges of the outside. The blue will run, which is a very good thing.

Hence, the inside of the finished bowl. I'm eager to see how this turns out.

And it made it into the gas kiln. It's on the top shelf there, next to one of my plates. The chalice in the top left corner of the pic is also mine and goes along with the plate.

Well, there's three big bowls of mine here in the gas kiln. Here are two... and-

The third of mine is on the second shelf on the left from the top. It is so big it takes up a whole shelf. Here, Greg is setting up the kiln packs. There are two holes for peeking-- one on the bottom right and the other on the top left, to help regulate the flow of air,etc.. at the top and bottom of the kiln at any given moment. I still have much to learn in the 'kiln' world.

The two front stacks just before the door is closed. Kiln unloading on Saturday afternoon! The countdown begins! Pics to follow, of course. How I love to be in the pottery world.

How Will?

How will it look? This is one of several bowls that I'm making. The pattern is the outline of a baptismal font at the Episcopal Center at Duke University. It's a wooden font and I'm making several bowls-- one of which will be the bowl for the font.

Each bowl that I've made is a bit different. One of the challenges is to guess how much they will reduce in size when fired. 12% more or less. Time will tell. This one in the pic above is drying and getting ready to be fired in the bisque kiln.

This bowl has been fired in the bisque kiln. It's all ready for glaze to be put on it.

These three are awaiting the bisque kiln. The one on the far left is a flowerpot. It's been fun making big forms recently. I am more familiar with smaller forms so this has been a great challenge!

I decided to glaze two bowls in similar colors. This one has blue/green celadon as its base and then I poured some alfred's blue on it as shown above.

Decided to put a bit more blue on this one. Only one will be big enough for the font. The other will find a new home somewhere!

I intentionally put the blue on the bowl to allow it to drip on the sides, some of which will show on the font and some of which will not. These bowls will enter the gas kiln on Wednesday and be out next Saturday. Fun, fun! I'm eager to see how they turn out. How will they look?

Change and Glazing

In a world full of change, it is peaceful to just glaze. I began with sifting a bit more of the wood ash that my dad gave to me.

Ended up putting a bit of the wood ash on the chalice that I made. Dipped the chalice in spotted shino first and then put a bit of catherine's oribe on it. On top of all that, I sprinkled a small amount of soda ash. Then glazed this big bowl on teh left- and the plate on the right. Both have blue/green celadon and then alfred's blue poured on them.

Here are two others I glazed. Plate on L: spotted shino and catherine's oribe

R: blue/green celadon and catherine's oribe. The vase on the right has writing inscribed on the outside of it. It's a kinda test vase; I wonder what that glaze combo will bring.

Wish there was time to do more of just this... rest! These are gorgeous sculptures that my friend, Minke created. I think they show a good image of what it means to be in God's care. I like it... a feminine image of God. Tomorrow, I'll find a better place for these in my place. Peaceful...

I'm still recovering from being sick last week. Just haven't had much of an appetite. Did get hungry for this, though.

Much to do tomorrow; so little time.

I'm determined to spend more time in the studio tomorrow.

Goal: make a big bowl using a new clay: little loafer's!

Big Bowls

Took a few more not-so-good pics of this bowl that I made recently. These pics reminded me that I REALLY need a new camera. Even so... they show a bit of the variation of color on the glaze on the outside.

And one of my favorite parts-the drip that just 'happened' on the foot. I'll use the blue/green celadon as a glaze more in upcoming pieces. While it was difficult to wipe off the white slip after I brushed it into the etching, the result was good. One of the hardest parts about this process is waiting for the right time for each step-- how dry the bowl is during the process is crucial.

Well, the bowl has found its new home, yet I may take a few more pics of the inside of it. Since making this bowl, I've been commissioned in a sense to make a bigger bowl, so big bowls are in order these days.

One more pic... thanks, Adrienne for the insight about glazing. Now, I'm thinking of making a set of these... hmm- cereal bowls!

Anyway, I've made four BIG bowls now. The challenge is that I need at least one to be a certain diameter and it's hard to gauge with the pottery reducing about 12-14% what the actual diameter will be. Of course, I can't predict exactly.

That is why four bowls are in the making. Each are different forms-- I'll explain the 'why' about this process soon. I hope to spend some more time in the studio this weekend. Last weekend I was sick... and well, work has been quite busy recently. More soon.

Good Things Come...

This bowl of mine came out of the gas kiln today. I tried new glazes, thanks to my instructor's recommendations. I'm so happy with the result!
Glazes: All of it dipped in blue/green celadon; Part of the inside was dipped with alfred's blue. The result is a purplish blue hue... wow!

The outside also had words etched into it all around the bowl. Hard to see in this pic, but there's a drop of glaze at the bottom of the foot. I love it!

I did the etching during the leatherhard stage and then brushed white slip into the words after they dried a bit more. Then, I wiped off the excess white slip. A LONG process. but so worth it. I'll take some better pics tomorrow. This bowl was worth the wait and now it's onward to the one for whom it was made in the first place-- a couple weeks late!

Good things come to those who wait.