Another batch of pottery, goodbye to Tiger

This is my buddy, Tiger. He's having a tough time, as he has CRF - Chronic Renal Failure... basically his kidneys have shut down, so he doesn't have much time left with us humans. I am very sad to see him go, as both I and his brother, Hero, will miss him very much.

This is Hero, Tiger's brother. Both of them are over 15 years old now, so I guess all-in-all, they've lived good lives.

My heart is heavy, so I'm going to try to keep busy. Here are some of the recent pieces of pottery I've made. Please feel free to comment on them.

These "snowflake vases" are for a customer's winter wedding coming up soon. She wanted the designs to be all unique, rather than one design on all of them. She plans to put flowers in them on the tables for the guests, and I think some of the guests will get to take them home afterward.

The following small vase is almost 6 inches tall and approximately 3.75 inches in diameter. I am very happy with the glazes and the overall look to it.

This one was a reglazed platter, and I really like how it came out. I call it "The fox and the frog". Can you see them in the glaze pattern? This platter is almost 18 inches in diameter and has a thrown foot with holes to allow a hanging wire to be used to display it.

The following photo shows a very large platter made using both the slab roller and the wheel, which makes for a difficult to create piece, but the results are very nice. The platter is 16 inches in diameter and can be used as a nice serving platter.

It is currently VERY cold here in southern Minnesota currently, with below zero F temps for the past few days. That makes it difficult to work in the basement since all the cold air falls there. I brought a 50 pound box of clay upstairs to help it warm up a bit. Otherwise it gets so cold that my hands get stiff trying to work the cold clay.

The two plates I made for my father recently worked out very nicely, and he wants me to make a couple more that are slightly larger in diameter to stack with the two he already has. The plates are special in that there are curved sides that allow him to use only one hand when eating, and not have to chase food off his plate. The curve inward lifts the food and drops it onto his spoon. Sure beats chasing peas across a flat plate and onto the table!

Take care, everyone.

Carl

Platters, mugs, and cannisters

I recently had a large batch of pottery items I made - some to fill customer orders and others to restock my supply of items to be sold at art and craft shows. I'm now done with the shows for the year, so it is nice to kick back a little and have things be more relaxed. I'd like to see if I can make enough wares this winter to allow me to not have to make as much during the busy selling season.

Here's a look into the latest kiln load after a glaze firing. There were lots of coffee mugs in this load, along with some new designs of cannisters that I hope will sell well this coming year. Let me know if you have any suggestions for items to make. :D

This large platter was made using a slab of clay slumped into a mold, then a foot ring added to the back by using the potters wheel. It has holes punched through the foot ring so that wires can be used to hang it on the wall as a decorative piece. It is fairly large (approx 19" across), and is about as large a piece as I can fire in the larger electric kiln I own.

These 'soldiers' were going to be egg cups for soft boiled eggs, but there are too small in diameter, so I think I will find some nice little candles for them and they can become candle holders.

Here is a large coffee mug I made for my brother's birthday this past weekend. He likes to drink coffee, so I hope he will enjoy using it.

The following photo shows a large platter for an order I am filling to create pieces for a lady's wedding. She wanted the darker blues because she is marrying a military man.

Here's another look at the large platter with the thrown foot.

This rectangular tray was made using some very fancy lace rolled onto a slab, then formed in a mold to give it the curve. There are four short plugs for feet attached to the bottom. I wanted to show off the decoration, so after dipping it into the glaze, I wiped off most of the glaze from the surface, leaving the remaining glaze to highlight the lace design.

Here is a close up look at some of the lace design on the tray.

I like the look and shape of this coffee mug. Makes one want to sit back and relax with a hot cup of tea perhaps?!?!

These two cups were experiments in decorating. I'm always trying to find the right combination to make things interesting. :D

I carved some designs into the sides of the following cups. The one on the left was just made up as I went, while the one on the right is suppose to represent a flower.

Here's a look at the other side of the two cups.

Another couple of cups with some interesting glaze combinations on them.

The two coffee mugs in the following photo were done as a custom order for a lady who wanted initials on them to have one for herself and one for her friend.

I tried many new glaze combinations to see what would look good. I like to experiment when I get a chance, as one never knows what glazes will do when tried many different ways.

This lumpy tumbler actually is easy to grasp. Some people like the randomness of the shape rather than the symmetrical shape of the traditional tumbler.

This photos shows one of the recent covered cannisters I made. I plan to attach a rope handle through the two hoops you see on the sides of the cannister. The clay I used to make this piece was rolled very thin, so this cannister is actually very light in weight, but still rather large.

This cannister was made using a thicker slab that was then textured using the lace decoration shown earlier on the tray. I used a white glaze to help highlight the decoration.

This luminary was actually created by an accident using the slab roller. The ribs of the luminary were created when a stiffer piece of clay 'jumped' as it was rolled along with a softer piece of clay through the slab roller. After seeing the result, I just had to make a luminary out of it. Can I recreate it? Perhaps, but most likely not.

Let me know your thoughts and ideas, as I'm always asking people there opinions and thoughts on things to make. I will try to keep posting photos here so you can enjoy seeing what I've been making. And let me know if you have any questions, as they are always welcome too! :D Happy Holidays!!!!

New addition to the studio

I recently made a trip to Minneapolis and purchased a slab roller - a device used to (you guessed it) roll out slabs of clay to an even thickness. I had to disassemble it in order to be able to carry it down into my basement studio, and then reassemble it there for use. The metal is a nice strong gauge of steel, so I'm actually pretty happy with the unit.

Here is a photo of the base as it is being assembled.

And the next photo shows the roller unit, waiting to be attached to the base.

The 'steering wheel' is used to turn the rollers.

Here is a photo of the unit fully assembled. The only 'complaint' I have with it is that the output table is too short. I will probably build an extension to the table at some point. I really do like this new tool for my studio!!!

Here is a large slab molded into the top of a trash can lid to make a large saucer shaped vessel.

This luminary was made using slabbed clay, and some trim lace for a decoration.

These little guys are actually egg cups for eating soft-boiled eggs. A customer wanted a set of six of them, so I made a bunch to be sure that enough turn out in case of problems in the glazing.

Here they are after the bottoms have been trimmed.

This hand-built piece was made with some non-slip drawer liner as a texture.

I think the slab roller will quickly pay for itself, as there are many projects for me to try it on.

Some recent pottery pieces, and more on the way

I loaded the kiln with some greenware pieces today and am doing a bisque firing. Some of the pieces are pots made by one of my sisters, but the majority of them are ones I have made recently. I wanted to have some pots ready for a Raku workshop I'm teaching on Friday in case anyone needs to purchase some pieces for the workshop. It is a potluck workshop, so I always look forward to sampling the great food that is brought. I'll have to decide what to make as a dish to pass. Usually I just make Rice Crispy treats, but I'm thinking of perhaps baking a pumpkin pie instead this time. I'll see how much time I have available on Friday and decide from there. A peek into the kiln before starting the firing process.

The venting attached pulls the fumes out of the kiln and exhausts them outside.

I made some other pots today too, so those should be ready to bisque fire in a couple of days if I get them trimmed in time.

Here is one of my cats trying to tell me something... probably "FEED ME!!!".

Some of my recent finished pieces follow. I hope you enjoy them.

The above is a large platter - approximately 14" in diameter.

Another look at the platter.

A colorful dish.

The above bowl has some interesting steps carved into the side, giving it an Art Deco-ish look.

Two more bowls.

The above bowl has a niche carved out that is meant to hold chopsticks in place.

The above photo shows a set of dishes I made recently using a tape-resist technique. I like the looks of the striping. It is made using four different glazes... two glazes are applied before the tape is removed, and two glazes after.