Cups etc

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Sometimes at a show I'll have a customer ask me what my 'signature pot' is. They may be a new customer starting a collection or someone wanting to buy a gift for someone. I usually say that cups are my signature pot. This seems to throw them off, I guess they expect me to point out some fancy jar or a teapot, something predominate and expensive. That would probably be a better answer, if I was going for the big bucks but honestly, cups are my thing. I like making cups/mugs and yunomi more than just about anything else. Plates are a close second, and then probably bowls.

Cups are a challenge, they are the pots that people will use everyday sometimes, the handle is very important, and the lip too. I've enjoyed decorating cups since I've started making slipware, and I've started making some new shapes and sizes. Here are a few more from the firing. I shot a couple more things too since I had my fancy plywood table set up.

Do Over

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I re-shot some images this morning to give a better idea of the color of the pots. Sorry about the shadows and wonderful plywood table. (It's really high tech around here) . Anyhow here they are again, plus a jar.


More Pots

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I made 8 or 10 of these altered dishes. I have most of them in today's firing but here is an amber one that came out yesterday.I thought this little bit of slip trailing came out nice on this soap dish. I don't know that I'll do much of this sort of thing although it really lends itself to my drawing style. Maybe with some practice I'll do more.
I wanted to talk about this technique below. I've been meaning to try it for some time now and finally remembered to do it on some pots. First I covered the pot in black slip and later in white slip. When the pot reached bone dry I scratched through the white slip to reveal the black underneath, giving me a black line. I could also go a bit deeper and get the clay body to come through if I wanted.
You could try this with any contrasting slips and then use a clear or transparent glaze over top. It works best if you wait to do the drawing when the pot is bone dry, otherwise you just end up scratching through both slips.

Off to the Farmer's Market. Happy Saturday.

Okay Here Are a Few New Pots

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Sorry for the long delay ...it IS way after lunch. As a matter of fact it's supper time here. Busy day. Meeting at the A.C. and then I had a couple nice visits from other potters (more on that later).

I don't think these pics are very good...bad lighting. But you get the idea and I'll put up some more tomorrow that I'll shoot outside.

It was a good firing.



Time to get cleaned up so Sarah can take me out to dinner!

I'll be firing again soon so keep on checking in over the next week to see new pots.

A Little Help

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I needed a chuck today to rest some lids on for waxing. Looking around for something quick at hand I finished off my tea and used this mug. Just right.

The kiln is cooling and I'm almost all glazed and ready to reload tomorrow evening.

Lots of Pots

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Waxing and glazing again today. The kiln is going. I am realizing that I have LOTS of pots for my upcoming sale. It's a good variety too, plates, jars, mugs, platters, serving bowls, money boxes, vases. I'm getting pretty excited about seeing it all come out. So make plans now to come out to the Sale.

I have a little surprise coming up next week too for those of you who live out of State or far away, so be sure to check in to see what it is. (tease, tease)

Gotta run.

New Pot Images Coming Soon

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I'll be firing a glaze load tomorrow so check back often for updates and some new pots just out of the kiln. For now here is a piranha dish from the last gas firing.My Summer Sale is June 28th and 29th. Info. is going out today and tomorrow so check you Inbox or mailbox for more info. Contact me if you'd like to be on my mailing list
ronpots2 at yahoo dot com

Glaze Day

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Finished glazing most everything for my firing which will probably be Thursday. I have to unload a bisque tomorrow and get a few more tall things glazed. I'll have another load ready to fire then on Monday or Tuesday I guess. Stay tuned.

Dishes

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Here are my plates from today. I had fun trailing slip on some of these and doing finger wipes on a couple. I am sort of getting into the whole free wheeling slip trail thing. I've been too lazy to really mix up my trailing slips to the proper consistency so sometimes it's hit or miss. I need to just take time to mix up some little containers of thick slip and then I could use those to trail.I tried doing some of my drawing/incising on bone dry pots today. I had these plates (below) and a board of mugs and a few bowls. It's much different than working on the leather hard pot. I like that I can sort of sketch out the design in pencil on the dry slip and then draw with my needle tool or a loop wire tool. The line is finer than working on leather hard pots, but it's more work in that I have to push harder and really scratch through the dry slip. I think I like working on the leather hard pot better. I think I like the line quality I get on the leather hard pot too.
After seeing Brad today I had to get my Doug fix so I gave him a call and we had a long talk. We are looking forward to someday meeting in person. Until then it's blogging and calling.

Sarah is off visiting with her mom and sisters. I was going over for dinner but decided to stick it out at home. Karma and I are chilling on the couch until bedtime.

Happy Birthday to Me

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No, it's not really my birthday , but I did get my birthday cake that Doug made me back in March. Good thing it's clay, that would be one stale cake. Brad Lail, an up and coming potter, who lives nearby, was in the UK a couple weeks ago and got to go visit Doug. Brad only lives a few miles from here so today we hooked up and had a nice chat about his time in England and Wales. We talked pots for a long time too. I think he's coming back later this week to show me some shards he found in N. Wales along with Matt.

I decorated some pots today, finished some small bowls and plates, and loaded a bisque. I REALLY have to start glazing tomorrow.

Some Pots

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Okay here are a few pots from the cone 10 reduction kiln at Clayworks, (where I teach).The two pots above have a crackle bisque slip and then an ash wash. The cup was a thick application of the wash and the bowl has a much thinner application (the brown is where it's thin, the green where thick). Note the crackle is from the slip not the glaze. The wash is made from 50 ash and 50 Redart clay.
These two bowls have my favorite shino and the teabowl is temmoku.

I'm a pretty good glaze potter. Hum, maybe I should do more of this. It's fun to have the option to get pots in the reduction kiln now and again.

Off the Clock

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Ah, Friday evening. I've finished for the day. Got my mugs and tankards handled this morning, they had all gotten pretty dry even though they were under plastic all day yesterday. So they got a good couple dunks in some water to get them ready for the handles.Got the plates and bowls footed and slipped too. Lost one plate so I have this odd number of 5. I'll make another run tomorrow probably.

I just made a contribution to The Current, which I listen to in the studio every day. Check them out.

Well that's about it for now. Gotta get started on supper and then we'll probably chill out and watch a dvd.

Thursday

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Hey folks. Just wanted to make a quick post. No potting today. I hardly even stuck my head in the workshop. The first part of the day was spent in Charlotte...teaching and having lunch and going to pay my clay bill. After getting back home and a short nap I had to go to the Arts Council for our Annual Meeting and reception. So now it's evening and the day is pretty much a goner. Tomorrow, back to work.
Hey, I got my electric kiln yesterday. So look out, some finished pots will be coming soon.
Thanks for checking in, I promise to get on with something more interesting in the days to come.

Slow Start

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Karma and I are just hanging out inside for a while this morning. Every now and then she'll bring me her bone and I have to throw it across the room. (I am well trained)

Had a long night at Clayworks last night and then sort of stayed up too late once I got back home. So I am just now having my first cup of tea and doing some drawing with the dip pen.

I've gotten up for the past 3 days and walked/ran on the treadmill. I hate to exercise. I had a membership at the Y for a while but I just hated going over there. It's just not my thing. Anyhow, so we got this treadmill a while back, I do need to be working on my cardio and watching what I eat. I read somewhere that if you do something for 21 days straight that your brain gets programed to do it and you form a new habit.

I have some vases and jars to finish up in the studio today. Tomorrow I'll start glazing and fire for my home sale over the weekend.

I'll get some pics up later of pots or whatever. Have a good day!

Short Day

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Only a half day in the shop today. Slipped some bowls and cups after getting the cups handled early on.
These are somewhat heavily D.F. influenced.
Finished up these two odd guys also. They'll have to wait until tomorrow for slip. I'm off to Charlotte for my last class of the session. It's been a really good class. We'll be having a potluck , helping load the gas kiln, and checking in on Becky and Elaine's barrel firing. It should be a fun night.

Productive Monday

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I got quite a few pots made today. Most of them ended up under plastic before I had the camera out though. Anyhow, I made mugs, tankards, a couple bowls and jars and some small pitchers. Oh yeah and one casserole.

This cup was left over from the Mint demo and had dried out. I usually do the incising when the pots are leather hard but I had a shot at this one with the needle tool. I got this nice fine line through the white slip.
I've been doing some cross hatching in my journal with pen and ink so I figured since I was getting the fine line that I'd give it a shot on the cup. It worked out okay.
After seeing more of Doug's great jars I decided to try my hand at this more traditional shape. Honestly, I like these kinds of pots, but I really have never been to fond of making them. They just aren't wobbly enough for me. And, well, I haven't taken the time to really work them out. But I gave it a shot and made three, six pounders. The other one is waiting for some slip pours tomorrow.
So here's a chunky, sort of wobbly jar with birds. I made several jars that have this sort of feeling last week. I'll get some shots of them up sometime. All of those had drawings but I'm going to make a few with ladled slip and dots too.
Well that's at least a few things from the workshop. I'll get all my cups and such handled tomorrow and slipped too. I am getting ready for my Summer Sale which is in a couple weeks. I've got to start glazing and firing soon.

Saturday Morning

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I slept in a bit longer than I had wanted to this morning. Oh well, it's going to be another scorcher of a day here.

The Mint demo went well. Thanks to those who came out and saw me. I have no pics to share. I was wired for sound and the Mint marketing team was shooting film for a promotional video to come out later this year. So maybe I'll get 20 seconds or so of an appearance in that.

Not sure what the weekend holds. There are several new movies we want to see so I think Sarah and I will head out to the cinema tonight. Sex and the City, Indiana Jones, and You Don't Mess with the Zohan.

All for now.