The bad news is that my electric kiln lost an element – The good news is that I have a new way to stack plates for bisqueing!!!
Don’t know where I saw this – but it works great! Just cut the old element into small segments.
Place them on the plate in a equidistant fashion, stack on the next plate and repeat!
No cracks, warps, and it saves kiln shelf space! Absolutely brilliant!
Did I mention that I’m sort of a workshop junkie?! Well, I am and am I happy about it! Got to go to the Ceramic Skills Workshop by Merran Esson at the Gold Coast Potters and sponsored by the Gold Coast Arts Centre.
She’s such a legend and I have admired her work for a long time. Her website (Click Here) will give you heaps of information about her and her many accomplishments.
She got us all started making very organic and earthy forms by taking us on a tour of the area around the studio and showing us how to get great textures on our clay using the natural textures in the world. By using a bit of talc (Merran suggested a sprinkling container of baby powder as the easiest method if you are at the beach or out in nature) to keep the clay from sticking to the rock, tree or other texture that you have decided to use.
These are the clay slabs that I textured and got ready to use.
Once back inside the studio, Merran gave us each a piece of cardboard with a shape drawn on it. This was to be the base shape of our form. A first piece of clay was placed on the cardboard and the building began.
Please click on the small images to see a larger version of each pic.
Merran also demonstrated making a form for a piece by taping cardboard together.
Her outcome was brilliant!!
Our final outcomes were pretty darned amazing!
So you have to ask, why all the workshops!? Well, I always come away feeling small and unworthy, but inspired! I always see a side of clay work that I hadn’t considered before and I learn some new techniques with each workshop.
I guess like they say, when I quit learning, I’ll be dead!
Peace out, my little pottery earthlings!
Marian
It all started when I was a kid. There were 3 types of afternoon/after school chores- and 3 of us kids- so each of us got one chore. One was – take out all the trash and burn it. 2. Take out the garbage and feed the chickens. 3. Feed the pigs-water the trees. Guess which one I picked?
Back in my day, you could actually set fire to all your trash in a daily basis if you wanted. Sometimes we’d let it pile up for a couple of days, then burn it. We had big 50 gallon metal drums for our trash bins- so they held a lot.
There’s absolutely nothing like striking a match (no gas lighters here!) and catching a piece of Kleenex or newspaper on fire and then watching it spread. It’s so fascinating to watch how various things burn and how they are consumed by fire! Orange peels don’t burn very good at all- but cardboard and plastics make fascinating viewing! To heck with after school tv programming! Who needs it when you can watch trash burn!!
But I digress. The point I’m making here is that I’m pretty much a pyro – and from an early age!
We recently had a raku firing day at our barn. About 20 people showed up! Each with that familiar pyro maniacal look in their eye- fire!!!
That song from The Crazy World of Arthur Brown- “fire” came to mind as we lit up the flames and gathered round to gawk at the molten hot pots being pulled from the flames and then allowed to ignite even more fire in the reduction cans! Oh the glory- the passion- the thrill of a burning flame !!! Pyros! One and all!!
Recently, Lyndall Bensley, Peter Smith and I headed up the M1 to Nerang, Qld to visit the studio of Bill Powell, Crystalline Glaze Meister Extraordinaire!
Bill was showing us his big kiln as that is something that Lyndall Bensley could use in firing her big sculptures.
Peter Smith is also a crystalline glaze artist and was absolutely fascinated to meet Bill – who is by the way, well-known for his glazes around Australia and Internationally.
Man! We couldn’t believe it when we got there! Fabulous crystalline glazed pottery everywhere! Strewn about the yard! And each piece looked like a million bucks to me! Crazy!! Click on small pics to go to a gallery to see pics larger -which you will want to do! These glazes are seriously crazy amazing!
Bill’s glazes are spectacular and his passion for the work and his glazes is amazing. He is so knowledgable about the crystalline glazes, the process and is very free with his information – quite the guy!
He also showed us his set up for photographing his work and the changes that he is making in that process.
Bill also slipcasts his work and the system that he uses is fantastic!
Here are a few more pics of his pots and the gorgeous crystalline glazes!
To learn more about Bill Powell and his work, check out his website: Bill Powell Art & Design
Bill Powell on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/billpowellart
Here is a great video showing his expertise in throwing!!!
All in all, it was a great day. Thanks to Bill Powell for being such a gracious host and all around great guy!
Cheers, mates!
Marian
My obsession continues! but…I’m getting better results and more consistently! still drips on the bottoms and kiln shelves, but I’m working on remedying that.
One of the issues that I’ve been having is inconsistent reduction as seen in the pic above. From the Brian Keyte Workshop, I learned that I must reduce only from the flu (not the gas burners) to get a good even redux. So that will be what I try in my next firing.
Don’t you love it when all the stars align and the glaze actually does what you want it to? This is a great red in my humble opinion.
Here are more photos of some of my pots out of my the latest cone 10 Redux firing.
Lots of big bowls!
I started redux at 750 degrees celcius and got great copper reds!
I signed up for the Brian Keyte workshop as I am obsessed with conquering Copper Red Glazes! My previous post gives you a bit of information about Brian. I can get copper reds, no worry. But they aren’t consistent and are often found running on the kiln shelf.
Arriving at Monsalvat for the Brian Keyte Workshop was a treat! It is an absolutely gorgeous setting!
Well I have to say that I wasn’t disappointed!
Brian was so generous with all of his information and had some really good general advice for potters.
A couple of advice gems that we all should hang on to were:
1. Don’t chase the rabbit down the hole just because you are curious.
2. When you look at other’s work, ask yourself WHAT it is that you like about it and then the BIG QUESTION….WHY DO YOU LIKE IT? If you don’t ask why, then you are just copying.
Brian also talked a great deal about glazes and how to “fix” problem glazes. Crazy, I have 3 copper red glaze recipes that i use and they ALL have Gerstley Borate in them and this could be the problem! So good to know and “fixable”! One of his main suggestions was test tiles – I know – what’s new!
He also demonstrated the proper use of a spray gun, the angle that is best and lots of tricks of the trade to get a good spray happening – all great info!!
One of the most interesting suggestions for getting consistently good copper reds is in the way you reduce your kiln. I reduce at the burners and at the flu, but according to Brian, to get a good top to bottom, even reduction, one should only reduce at the flu. The reduction at the burners gives a swirling, uneven reduction and if that is the look you are going for, then swirl away!
Another great tip was to check out the glaze software called Matrix out of New Zealand. On my list of things to do next week. Sounds great! I’ll keep you posted.
The exhibit at Montsalvat was awesome! Here’s a link to that exhibit. Click Here!
Seeing Brian’s work in person was a great treat! So gorgeous!
Ok, now back to the spray booth and the kiln! Let’s see if I can conquer this copper red thing!
Love to all!
Marian
I’m sort of a workshop junkie! I’m headed to the Brian Keyte Glaze Workshop in Melbourne.
Skepski Gallery in Melbourne is featuring some of Brian’s work and it is fabulous!
The Salt Exhibit is the one that won me over! My heart actually skipped a beat and I said, “I’m going!”
Ronnie decided to go with me, so we are makiing it a belated anniversary trip – Sweeet!
Melbourne is such an awesome town anywho! So it’s Victoria Market and Boreks for lunch. Yum Cha for afternoon tea in China Town, then dinner on Lygon Street tonite for Italian! and I haven’t even made it to the workshop yet!
The workshop is being held at Montsalvat – a totally groovy place! You must check out the link!
Gettinng a good nite’s sleep so I’ll be good to go in the morning!
His blog has some awesome examples of his glazes! Click here.
Here are some pics of my latest firing results from my gas kiln. I take it to Cone 10 and start reduction at 750 degrees C and keep it there til I reach temperature. I’m getting much better results largely due to my concentrated effort to NOT put runny glazes on the back!! and to avoid using too many test glazes all over pieces (I really don’t know why that would be a struggle!).
I also got lots of great copper reds, but I’ll put them in a separate post.
Get to glazing!
Love,
Marian
Women Who Fire With Wood.
I’m one of them.
We load wood. Stack wood. Clean shelves, load the kiln, make pots FOR a wood firing.
After each firing, I say to myself, “I’m NOT going to do that again. It’s too much work. Results are often if’y” – but then the next woodfiring comes around and there I am…right in the middle of the whole process.
So I ask myself, “WHY!”
Well, I found this old article in Ceramics Monthly, entitled, “Women Who Fire With Wood”, that says it beautifully.
“It may also be the magic of community, seeing friends’ faces lit by a ten-foot foxtail of flame shooting out the chimney (wood firing is rarely done alone), and the knowledge they are a constant participant in the “becoming” of the pot that drives most of these women to gather, split, stack and stoke wood into the fiery inferno of the kiln.
In fact, the bulk of labor involved in the wood-firing process totally lacks romance or magic, but the hours of scraping shelves, wadding ware and preparing the wood lead to those precious moments when the kiln seems to breathe, and the resulting pots capture a memory of that experience.
Whatever their individual reasons may be for firing with wood, the group as a whole is undaunted by the difficult process, and purposefully chooses to create works that demand the direct touch of the flame.”
And that’s the point isn’t it. We do it for the fun, the camaraderie, the passion, the fire!
The results…well, some are good and some are bad…but we will do it again as soon as we get our energy back!
Peace out my lovelies!
Marian
Lyndall Bensley, Ceramic Sculptor, lives right down the road from me!
She’s featured in the latest edition of the Journal of Australian Ceramics! I’m pretty excited for her as this could help to propel her into her dream – of being a recognised sculptor of endangered marine life in Australia.
Lyndall works from her studio in Cabarita Beach, NSW. Her inspiration comes from the sea.
Her sculptures are amazing! So lifelike and exact down to the details!
Her main goal with the sculptures is to allow people to see these beautiful, endangered creatures and learn about them – to appreciate them.
Lyndall states,
“These sculptures take you under the sea – to a world you don’t usually see unless you’re a scuba diver, surfer, or fisherperson. I try to be true to the animal – represent them as they truly are. I do alot of research on each one and I know all about them – their migration, breeding, what they eat, etc.
What I like about my sculptures is that you don’t have to squish your eyes to figure out what it is – you don’t have to be an artist to enjoy the sculpture and you can learn something along the way.”
Each of these animals are indigenous to Australia and are endangered. Lyndall hopes to educate the public and help to save these beautiful creatures.
Here are some examples of her work in progress:
Her work is fantastic! Click on each small picture to get a slide show of the pics bigger!
Lyndall exhibited her sculptures in Ballina at the Ballina Regional Art Gallery in 2013.
Here’s an article about that show: Article
Click on each small pic to get a larger version!
She was also a finalist in 2012, 2011 and 2010 for the Caldera Art: See Brochure here
AND a Border Art Prize Finalist for 3 years! That is amazing in itself!
I’m hoping to be able to say, “I knew her when….!”
Keep on the lookout for her!
Follow Lyndall on Facebook and Instagram.
Good luck, Lyndall!
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