This and That- and Humidity!

 Made a little of this and that today.  Sense that I'm on the verge of a new chapter of pottery.  Am experimenting with different forms, namely vases.  It'll be interesting to see the style and form of my pots in a couple of months.  The middle vase is inspired by Clary Ilian.  The vase on the left may be too traditional- may not even keep it.

 This simple one I like.  Am thinking lots about proportions.... etc.  Oh, and the humidity here it seem like forever for the clay to dry.  As I write, its out there in the studio drying...

Ended up the evening by etching the words from the prayer attributed to St. Francis onto the outside of this bowl.  Picture is crooked- oh well!
Am looking forward to new things in pottery- yet for now, it's best to make what's familiar.  Hopefully these will dry by this weekend for a bisque firing.

Which Great Gallery?

 Which gallery are these from?  Answer later in the post.

 Julie Covington's pottery.  These pics are not good.  Check out here for more of her work.  Simply beautiful!

 Jennifer Mecca's pottery.  Once again the picture isn't good.  I hesitated from even taking any pictures because I was in a gallery.  If you don't know her pottery, you can find out more here or on facebook.

Lark & Key Gallery!  Loved my first visit there.  Could have easily spent thousands of dollars on pottery.  I didn't even get a picture of some of the best pottery there- Tracey Broome's houses.  Beautiful!  Better pics here.  Tracey, please forgive me for not getting a pic of your pottery; it would've been a bad picture anyway.  :(   While I was in Charlotte, I stopped by Clayworks and saw Adrienne.  It was great to chat with her.  I told her I needed weights for my triple beam scale and she knew of an equipment supply place in Charlotte.  She called and I picked these two used ones up for $25.  :)  Saved about $10 on the lowest price I could find online.

 See Adrienne's pots on the top shelf?  She took me on a tour of the studio.  Hadn't changed much since I left almost a year ago.  Gosh, I miss that place and people.

 Here are some of the supplies they use in glazing.   This will give me ideas!

 Hydrometer reading chart for cone 5 glazes.

 glaze chart for cone 5 glazes at Clayworks in Charlotte, NC.

 The bluegrass one on the right is one I will test and maybe even use.... (cone 5).

This afternoon it was back to reality.  The vase on the right may or may not last; not sure I like it enough.  I love having my own studio, but miss the community at Clayworks and Adrienne is one of the best teachers there is.  So helpful and humble too.
Tomorrow I'll etch on bowls- all preparing for a bisque firing this weekend.  Yes, I am procrastinating in the mixing of test glazes.  Soon, soon!  It helps that I have Labor Day off, which is next week.
I'm blessed.

Kiln Wash Recipe? Etc...

Spent some time this weekend etching words onto bowls.  These are for a friend, Sarah who is just wonderful.  I'm discovering that this whole proces just takes well, awhile when a whole kiln is needed to fire some work.  With all that said, I'm preparing for another bisque firing in part so I can put in some EPK to calcify it.  I need to make kiln wash.  Found John Britt's advice about that online yet I didn't have the calcified EPK.  First things first.  Gosh, just realized I don't have alumina hydrate either.  Will get some this Friday when I'm in Charlotte. 

Kiln Wash Recipe

50% alumina hydrate

25% calcined EPK kaolin

25% EPK kaolin

Or is there another kiln wash recipe that you recommend? 

 Meanwhile I almost didn't put up this blurry picture.  There really is a bird (white in the pic) that is holding onto the pole, getting ready to pick up some suet.  That's hot pepper suet; the squirrels are relentless here.  I may have just finally found some suet that the squirrels don't eat, thanks to a good friend.  Lucky me!

 Newest form.  It's a bowl that's a bit deeper than the other ones I've made thus far.  Thrown with 4 lbs. of clay.  Wanted to trim it today yet I have a bad cold and don't feel well.  Work keeps me busy and the additional responsibilities with my boss gone wears out my mind- too much to think about!

So, slowly but surely, as if a tortoise, my shelves are filling up with a second load of pots ready waiting for a bisque firing.  May even make a birdbath out of the bowl mold I made last weekend when my parents visited.  The good news is that I see light at the end of this long haul.  Soon I'll make some test glaze batches.  Kiln wash first.  Thanks for all your comments and encouragement!  It really helps.

New

I haven't posted for awhile.  Good reason- my parents visited this past weekend.  They are amazing.  Here's a bit of proof:

Mom brought a big metal bowl for me to make a mold from.  I managed to figure out how to do the plaster mold again- the 100-70 ratio for pottery plaster #1 and thanks for your wisdom on your blog too, Tracey!  The mold turned out great.  Used a bit murphy's oil soap to line the metal bowl so the mold wouldn't stick.  I was a bit nervous as I didn't want to ruin Mom's bowl, but I'm so happy about how it turned out!  Think I'll make a birdbath using it.  

 Mom did all this wonderful cooking- here's a fava bean and pinto bean salad.  Fava beans remind me of my extended family in Bolivia and they bring back lots of memories.  Lots of good protein.  Yum!

My dad put that cart together that I had purchased online (alera brand).  He also hung a pegboard that we got as a bargain at Lowe's for $1 (yeah!) and this square board for me.  The board on the right will be a glaze chart in time and the pegboard will hold tools.  My studio is finally taking shape!
I must admit that even when I don't post, I continue to read others posts on my blogroll.  Thanks all for the pottery blogging.  It really encourages me on.  More soon.

Surprise and Blue Recipe

 This critter greeted me by surprise a couple days ago.  It liked being at the wheel.  I helped it find its better home among the green outside.  Good thing that these things don't scare me!

 Decided at the last minute to just make these.  Deeper bowls.  Maybe they are signs of a new chapter in bowl-making.

 Visited Claymakers in Durham for the first time last week.  Ana there was so helpful.  These pics aren't the best, yet they're proof of my visit.  Picked up a few dry glaze materials for celadon glazes that I'll mix this next week.

 Fun to see the pick up your pieces shelf!

This blue/green celadon from a gas kiln cone 10 firing is beautiful.  It's a bowl I made about a year ago and I'm on the lookout for another blue or celadon glaze that is at least somewhat transparent.  Here's a glaze I discovered from STARworks Ceramics in starr, NC that I'm using as a test glaze along with some others.  I first discovered it first from their facebook page.  Doesn't appear to be transluscent; still a gorgeous glaze.  Here's the recipe from the Ceramic Arts Daily website:

Floating Blue  (cone 6 oxidation):
Gerstley Borate:  26%
Neph Sy:             48%
EPK:                     6%
Flint (325 mesh)   20%
                Total:  100%

Additives:  
Cobalt Oxide:       1%
Light Rutile:         4%
Red Iron Oxide:    2%

Here's how it looks- doesn't say on the website what the clay body is.  Here's the link:
http://ceramicartsdaily.org/ceramic-glaze-recipes/mid-range-glaze-recipes/floating-blue-glaze-recipe-cone-6-oxidation/
Can hardly wait to see what this will look like on starrwhite cone 6 clay.  Will keep you posted!

Bowls etc. and Celadon Recipes

Here was part of dinner earlier this week.  Those cheese puffs are the ones from Earth Fare.  Did a bunch of etching on bowls out on my screened in porch.  The teabowl of mine is one that I can't imagine parting with.  

 Made some deeper bowls today.  These are two 1 3/4 to 2 pound ones, I think that's the weight of them.  I'm liking the deeper and rounder shape.  Will see what the design ends up on these.

Here was one of my early attempts at a birdfeeder.  Simple- shino-covered.  The squirrels still like to crawl up the wire pole to get the birdseed.  They're relentless.  Some cooking oil deters them for awhile.

Tomorrow I'm headed to Durham for coffee with a friend and then will stop by Claymakers.  Will pick up a couple dry glaze materials.  While I've been putting it off, this weekend- this weekend, I will definitely mix some dry glazes.  It's just tough and exhausting with the humidity.  Don't have much energy to do anything in the heat.  Yet, 90 is better than 100 and it's only supposed to be 90 this weekend.  :)

Oh, and celadons.  Any cone 6 celadon recipes to share or even blue ones?  ?  I'm definitely interested...
Thanks for reading!