No Studio

Had a quiet day which was a wonderful break. The only bad part of being on vacation is if there isn't a studio where you go. I really miss it. So, I spent the morning reading and then went out for a bit. Stopped by Starbucks and then Barnes & Noble. It is so peaceful to sit and read there. Even decided to go running, although I'm not feeling 100%. It didn't hurt, at least. Tomorrow, I travel to Baltimore to Baltimore Clayworks with my camera in hand. :) That's all for now.

Blogs, Chicken Soup, Paddles, and Baltimore

I'm on a few days of vacation, visiting family in PA and DE. I arrived last night, not feeling well and thankfully, my mom had some chicken soup nearby. I've claimed for some time that my mom is the best cook in North America, and my grandma (abuela) the best in South America. I think I need to make a set of soup bowls for my mom, though. It is still true.

Meanwhile, I'm checking out a bunch of pottery blogs. So much learning! It was fun to discover on Ayumi Horie's blog, that there are pics of the obamaware in action. Hopefully someday, I'll make pots to sell.

Speaking of Obama, now I don't need to consider moving to Canada. I really was thinking in that direction.

I also arrived at my parent's house to find out that my dad has completed paddles that he had seen since I saw him last, just a few weeks ago. So, my mom is a chef and my dad, a woodcarver. Here are the paddles...

Now I just need to figure out how to use them. I think my friends at the studio will be interested in them as well. :)

I've also decided to visit the Baltimore Clayworks. I'm already excited.

Raku, Raku, Raku

Last night, we fired raku pots during our last class. Complete with lots of yummy goodies, wine, and beer it was a fun night for all. Ron even brought a quiche, which was delicious!

Before the firing, I glazed these three. To begin, I took note of which glazes I put on there pieces. This is much better than trying to draw the pot.From L-R: blue/green with superstition on the rim
turquoise luster
turquoise with moon drops on the rimIt was almost a full moon night, which added to the whole experience...

The guys made sure to watch the kiln closely. Joe, the one on the far left knew the most out of all of us. He was very helpful.

In the first round, somehow, Ron's piece cracked in two.

Here's an inside peek of the kiln.

Finally, it was my turn on the third round. The two bowls and the cylinder in the center in this shot are mine. Becky's animal looks quite hot, too. :)
We let them cool for a few seconds, before putting them into the buckets, nestled in newspaper. As you can see, one already got moved to the buckets. Here are two of my bowls, catching some color in the bucket. See one on its side? They're both on fire! Through it all, the needle in the pyrometer seemed to be moving up and down. I think it was moody.Finally, they were finished and after some cooling, here the three are. I'm so happy with how they turned out, although the raku glaze was a bit thick in some places.
From the top: these really have good color!

Fall Colors and Yunomi

Lately, I've been running alot more. This may be one reason why. The views have been indescribable! This is in part, why I love living in NC. Time in the studio is great. Tumblers are still the easiest to make. Here's a yunomi style one, made out of zella stone clay, now sitting on the shelf ready for the bisque kiln.

Today, it was wonderful to sit and drink a glass of wine with Minke. She's the artist who does sculptures and decided to give me these two sculptures... and I've made a tumbler for her. I see these as a fitting picture of God and us. They're both barrel-fired. I'm already thinking of a beautiful place for them... they are gorgeous! This picture doesn't do them justice. Finally, it was so good to talk with Carol, a friend of mine from Holden Village. After our conversation, this is what I made. I think I'll etch some words into it and give it to her.

Tuesday is raku night! I can hardly wait. :)