Marian Williams, Author at Marian Williams Pottery

Irrestible Raku!!

I’ve always wanted to learn how to Raku on my own! So, I’m pretty excited about this!

Stefan Jakob’s Raku Kiln Building Workshop is coming up on the weekend of Oct 26, 27, 28th at the Gold Coast Potters’ Association.

Looks like fun!

Upcoming workshops

Raku Kiln Building with Stefan Jakob from Switzerland

26, 27 + 28 October 2012 at Mudgeeraba
In the past 15 years, Stefan Jakob has built around 2,000 raku ‘Ikea rubbish bin’ kilns all over Europe. He’s quite the character, setting up in the streets and sharing his love of raku with the world. In October, Stefan will be coming to the Gold Coast and hosting a workshop which will include making ceramic pieces (under Stefan’s expert tuition) then building your own wood fired ‘rubbish bin’ kiln, which you get to take home, then firing your work on the Sunday.
A booking form will be included in next month’s newsletter and it’s likely the workshop will fill very quickly so make a note to get your deposit in ASAP.
Cost for the 3 day workshop, including your own kiln to take home, is only $250 for members. If you only want to watch the kiln making process and join in the raku firing the cost is only $100 for members.
A $50 deposit will be required to ensure your place. Bookings: Megan Puls 5578 2195

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Chinese Food Steamers

Creation

I bought one of these when I went to China – they cook vegetables sooooo well! It’s in Texas!! So….guess I’ll make one! I still have some of that terra cotta left!

Ceramic food steamers were used in Neolithic China 6 to 7000 years ago and steaming food is still one of the best and healthiest ways to cook, especially vegetables.

Many steam cookers, require that the clay steamer is placed above a pot with boiling water.

The steam enters through a central chimney with the obvious advantage that you don’t lose the juice, nutrients and the steam locks in the flavours of the food.

Glazing days-#%€!!- a Love Hate Relationship

Glazes Musings

I LOVE gorgeous glazes! I LOVE luscious colours deftly intertwined on a well-crafted piece of pottery! But I DO NOT LOVE glazing!!!! It’s really hard work! But the hardest part is that I get frustrated with all the decisions to be made – what glaze on what pot? Should I combine these two glazes? Will this combo of glazes run off the pot?? Anyway, it’s all really stressful to me! I’ll be so happy when I know my glazes, trust my glazes and then it will be so much easier!!!
JUST SAYING,,,,!

I Dream Of….A Matte Blue Glaze!

Glazes

Source

THIS is the colour that I want!

In all my glaze testing and searching, I’m trying to find a glaze like this one! If you know of a recipe for such a glaze, please point me to it! I found a matte blue, but it seems to be more of a powder blue.

Movin’ On

Creation

I’ve just finished using PB103 white clay for several weeks. Now I’m moving on to a darker clay body- Keanes 9. It will be interesting to see if my work changes or reflects as a result of the clay COLOURS! What’s your opinion?

Mud colony is a great place to check out other potters and their work!

– Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Hanging Wall Vases

Creation Hanging wall vases

I recently made a fairly basic hanging wall vase. One of the things that I couldn’t figure out too well, was how to hang it!!

So I saw this vase, which is a 16th Century Japanese Wall Hanging Vase, and it had a really cool little hanging device.

In Japanese homes. wall vases are used due to the fact that their homes are small and this allows for better use of their space. Brilliant!

Japanese Pottery ToolsThe cool little hanging device is called a “Hanaire Rings” and they are for creating hanging vases! Check out this website to get your very own Hanaire Rings!

Great glazes, huh! You’d think we would have the glaze thing nailed – they’ve been doing it since the 16th century on this piece!

So I decided to see what other potters are doing to create hanging wall vases and found some really interesting and great examples! Here are a few of the ones that I liked.

Click here for website

These large hydrangea leaf wall vases were made by Michelle Curtis at Earthen Vessels Pottery.

They have great colours and look fabulous!

All in all, there is no limit to the types of hanging wall vases that can be created. All it takes is some clever imagination and effort. Let me hear what you’ve been making!

Altered Pottery – A Big Mistake?!

Creation

It started out ok, but it soon turned into a big mistake!

The bowl that I was throwing was looking good! But then.. It started to skip? So I grabbed a big wooden rib. The faster the wheel turned the more wobbly the bowl got. The sides were straight. But the rim was going around like that ‘big wave ride in the playground at my school. (it would be totally unacceptable these days!!)

So I decided to ‘alter’ the rim! ‘alter’ is code (for me, sometimes) for saving a pot!

Here’s the result!

Can’t wait to glaze it!!

Maybe it wasn’t a mistake after all!

Just creativity at work.

What’s that Cheryl Crow song? “My favorite mistake” – this may turn out to be one of my favorite mistakes!

Oh…and don’t make the mistake of missing out on the other blogs at Mud Colony!

Click here!

Ideas!! or Food for Thought! Pottery Seen In Italy!!

Creation

One of the great parts about traveling is the opportunity to see pottery created by artists outside your normal circle of influence. While in Italy, I didn’t make extensive efforts to “see” ceramic art as I was travelling with my husband, Ronnie, and I didn’t want to be selfish and see ONLY stuff I wanted to see.

However, when I did get the opportunity to duck into a shop selling pottery…I did!!

Here are the photos that I quickly snapped with my phone camera! I love the inspiration of looking at others work!

Not that I want to copy – but as I commented on a recent facebook topic – copying is how we learn-from the alphabet on. In Austin Kleon’s book, Steal like an Artist – he states that everyone learns by copying, i.e., the Beatles learned to play and create music by playing covers, etc.

So there you have it! More food for thought and some beautify work by Italian artists.

Alabaster Art

Creation

Although this post isn’t about clay, it is about the creation of art from one of the earths’ treasures – Alabaster! I actually knew nothing about it and was fascinated by what I learned!