new old stuff

well i started on this quite a while back, the beginning of a portrait project, which looks like it will be a longer term project then i had originally thought, seeing as this is the only one i've made since the spring.
spent most of a stitch & bitch night cutting the stencil. used paper clay, slips and underglazes. not super happy with the frame, probably should have made it a plain oval, but for some reason am always drawn to these curlicue things...have to temper that tendency.
it's actually been out of the kiln awhile now, just took me a couple months to dig out these photos!

a little colour

well you remember the first framed platter pieces i made? I have the second generation, these with some colour! it's pale, i know, but I am easing into it (and the photos are a little washed out). Tried a few different sources or texture and have since made some texture rollers which i used on the third generation (not yet fired). amasing how hard it is to squeeze in a little experimentation here and there! but i already started working on xmas orders, so i guess i know what's in store for the next few months...


bike love. with tread.








pig for fun. with different tread.









two trees. yes, with cedar.
not very original, i know.






let me know what you think!

fresh from the kiln

well it's always exciting to be experimenting with new ideas, trying to push the regular work a little further.
these are a couple of pieces i made the week after my workshop at MISSA (did I mention how great MISSA is? check it out!)
it looks a little rough, but will sort itself out with a few more attempts. definitely will be adding more colour! enjoying the paperclay i bought for course, although i find it a little tough to rewedge when it's not super fresh & of course would like it a darker brown. so will try out making some of my own using my lovely chocolatey clay body.
so these are after thinking of picture frames & ways to make texture. did these two "frames" with wheels of one tricycle & one kids bike.
let me know what you think!

taking time

well, about a month ago i was blessed with the opportunity to spend a week at the Metchosin International Summer School for the Arts (MISSA). Wow! a whole week just to make new objects, learn techniques, play, and visit with others potters and artists - how luxurious!

the course was hand-building with paper clay with Cory McCrory.here's one of Cory's fun pieces

 

the absolutely best thing i came away with was using lino cuts for surface texture. and i had the chance to sculpt, which i never do! most of the class worked on mermaids. i made a mermaid in a bathtub. what a challenge, but great to have Cory walk through the various stages and the things to think about. as i make largely functional pieces and some wall pieces, thinking in 3D was really fun.

naturally, a few days in, i started pondering if and how i would use these ideas in my own studio practice. finally in the last hours, as i worked on a teapot, it came it me. at least a place to start. will post images in days to come of the first pieces i have made and fired.

in the mean time here are some pieces i made on the first day. raw, then with underglaze. still need to take photos of the final products...

and here are a couple of the mermaid, raw (still haven't painted her yet!)