I don’t have many vices- don’t smoke, only a glass of wine occasionally, but I do cuss- actually quite a lot!!! Other than that I think I’m a pretty good girl!
And Santa (my lovely husband, Ronnie) must have thought so too – cause he got me a new Venco Direct Drive Pottery Wheel!!!
Can’t wait to see how it works!!!!
 I think I may try making a few tiles!!! With the Christmas season upon us, I have started thinking about “next year” and what projects I want to pursue. |
One project that I’m keen to try is tiles!!!! Yeah baby! Tiles! I need a back splash for my kitchen, so……
How hard can they be?! Famous last words, eh?!
Well, can’t hurt to give it a go. I love these tiles and would love to get some nice glaze colours going in an interesting pattern.
Here are some cool tiles done by others – nothing like a little inspiration!
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| Gary Jackson’s Fire When Ready Pottery |
Gary Jackson has written many posts about tiles and his process. Check out what he has to say HERE! Brilliant!!!
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| Source |
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| Peter’s Pottery |
Peter’s Pottery, NZ wrote a wonderful blog post about his tiles. Very informative! Click here to read about them!
So I may not let you walk on these tiles, but we shall see if they are good enough for showing!
I’m going to build a full size totem that is a self-portrait. However, I decided to make a “mini” version before tackling the larger version- work out the kinks on a small scale. So here’s the first version! It was fun to make and may lead to more of this kind of work! Very symbolic, a bit of a caricature.
See ya on the flip side!
As I become more and more committed to being a full- time potter, I have to adjust my approach to my digital communications and marketing.
Today I made the giant leap (for me!) of redirecting my blog from Blogspot to my own web address. I’ll still use blogspot in the same way, but my address is changed!
As I grow with my work, I’m sure my web presence will change- but… I have the web page name, Marianwilliamspottery.com, reserved!! It’s MINE!!!
– Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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| SOURCE |
I’ve decided to use the Chrissy break to make some things that I want to make – just for me!!! Like a totem for the garden in front of my studio! So, I’ve done some homework on what others have been doing. Here are some of the totems that I liked and that will inspire me to make mine. I’ll let you see my totem as it gets built.
Historically,the original totemic art originated in the Pacific Coast northwest from Alaska and British Columbia. Native Indians carved wooden totems, imbued them with a spiritual symbolism and have been protected by the dwindling tribes who live on the coast.
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Today’s totems can be highly symbolic or just for fun! Mine is going to be JUST FOR FUN!!
PEACE OUT!!
Recently, I was privileged to participate in the Stefan Jakob Raku Kiln-Building Workshop sponsored by the Gold Coast Potters Association. Kudos for putting on such a great workshop!
I was skeptical in the beginning as to how we could create clay work, bisque fire it, build a raku kiln and then fire the raku kiln all in the three day workshop. But it all happened!!! Too cool!!
It wasn’t easy! In fact, building the kiln was really hard manual labour! Stefan was so well-prepared and had done some of the little bits before we arrived. But we generally did all the work ourselves.
But there was great satisfaction at the end of the process – building the kiln was really not all that difficult and I have a much greater understanding of kilns after building this one! And a wound, which I thought looked very macho!
Amazingly, the little kiln will bisque fire in about an hour! Too cool!
We each also made a set of raku tongs that are the bomb-best ones I’ve ever used! Homemade is best!
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| The process of rakuing in this kiln is the same as any other kiln, except no pyrometers, all done by sight! |
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| Here are a couple of pics of the outcome! |
I have since fired it at home and can truly do it by myself if I have to! It is amazing that you can get it to 1000 degrees Centigrade with wood and so quickly! We did probably 7 loads right after another without a hitch!!! Cool!!!
I suppose glazing and firing in a reduction gas kiln and expecting specific results is like predicting life – it’s never quite as you had imagined or expected. Not bad…just different.
To quote Forest Gump, “Life (and firing a gas kiln) is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re going to get.”
But…no whining from me…drum roll please…Here are the results from my latest firing. Not what I expected! Just different.
Some of these are going to get some glaze added and I’m going to refire them! Can’t hurt.
| Loren Lukens |
Here is what Loren Lukens said in his reply email to me:
Hi Marian,
The key to successfully spraying glazes is adequate screening of the
materials. This should be done right before you spray. I store my glazes in
empty soda bottles, shake them up and screen them through a tea strainer
directly into my sprayer bottle. I use a couple of small airbrushes for
accent glazes, but my main choice in sprayers is the Iwata RG-3 with a .6 mm
tip. These are professional quality spray guns and cost a couple of hundred
dollars apiece ( I have 6 of them). If I were doing it again I would buy
HarborFreight mini spray guns for $20 apiece. They aren’t as good but so
much cheaper.
Have fun!
Loren
Loren Lukens
4208 SW 100St
Seattle, WA 98146
206 935-6740
www.bracepointpottery.com
After recovering from our trip to Europe, I’ve been busy, busy making pots and getting ready to do another glaze firing.
I’ve made lots of “new things” for me! Seems traveling does open ones creative senses!!
I want my glazes to be more exciting! I love this pic that seems very “octopusy” to me. I would like my pots to look a bit like this!
These pots below represent the “type” of glazes that I would like to achieve!
I’ve decided that to get the glazes I want, I’ve got to upgrade my spraying set-up. I currently have a Little Beaver system that looks like a little vacuum cleaner. So I bought a new gravity-fed sprayer ($49 bucks at Bunnings!).
If you are WOWED reading about my pottery adventures, be sure to check out the Pottery Adventures of others at Mud Colony!!!!
