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Marian Williams Pottery
Marian Williams Pottery
Copper Red and Chun Glaze, Cone 10 Gas Reduction

Copper Reds – I’m Getting Copper Reds Again! What I Was Doing Wrong.

Copper RedsGlazes

It’s so frustrating!  I had the copper red thing figured out! and then….nada!  All I could get was a pinkish, peach bloom, flambe colour…which I didn’t love.

So I went back to the drawing board and tried to fix anything that I could think of.  Here is what I did:

  • Fired the bisque in the electric kiln to Cone 06, versus using the gas kiln which fired much quicker and was perhaps not exactly cone 06.
  • Moved the burners up into the kiln opening a bit more – leaving a gap of only about 3/4 of an inch.  For some reason, they must have slipped or moved down to about 2-3 inches from the opening.
  • I added new fiber to the kiln door and made sure there were no leaks.
  • I reduced at the primary air and at the flue.

And, presto! Copper Reds are back!

Copper Red and Chun Glaze, Cone 10 Gas Reduction
Copper Red and Chun Glaze, Cone 10 Gas Reduction
Copper Red and Chun Glaze, Cone 10 Gas Reduction
Copper Red and Chun Glaze, Cone 10 Gas Reduction
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery

U 2 Can Raku!

FiringRakuWorkshops

Last weekend I led a Raku Firing Workshop for Ceramic Arts Queensland in Brisbane.  I entitled the workshop – U 2 Can Raku!

I did this because I think that anyone can raku and it is a very accessible, inexpensive and fun way to fire non-functional pieces.

I took my 2 kilns as I know how to fire them well –  (1 fibre and 1 wood-fired – and now my car stinks like smoke LIKE CRAZY two weeks out!)   CAQ also had two lovely kilns – so altogether we had 4 raku kilns to fire.

One participant brought his pieces unbisqued, so I set him to firing the wood raku kiln – very slowly.  Amazingly, he only lost 1 or 5 tea bowls and they fired to bisque in about 2 hours.  Then he continued to fire them and glaze them and generally we all had a good play experimenting with his lovely handbuilt tea bowls.

We had great glazes to play with and great weather, so all in all I think that it was a great day!  Amazing team work by all and the results were truly fantastic!  Wish I had photos of each piece!

I was very busy and had little time for photos, so thanks to Emma for these lovely photos!

raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
The Participants at the Raku Firing Workshop at Ceramic Arts Queensland, Brisbane.
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
Marian Williams describing the building and workings of her homemade fibre raku kiln.
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
Marian explaining my trash bin woodfired raku kiln.
Lovely Ceramic Arts Queensland Raku Kilns
Lovely Ceramic Arts Queensland Raku Kilns
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
A variety of sizes of reduction tins makes all the difference in getting good results!
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
Raku- Copper Lustre by Marian Wiliams
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
Raku totem by Marian Williams
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
Raku bottle by Marian Williams
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
Handbuilt textured form by Marian Williams.
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
Close up of textured raku piece.
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
Lidded Raku Piece by Marian Williams
raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery
Horsehair/feathe raku by Marian Williams.

Good luck to you all in your raku efforts!  Let me know if I can be of any assistance.

Remember – U 2 Can Raku!

Marian

raku, fibre kiln, marian williams pottery

My Homemade Fibre Raku Kiln

FiringKilnsRakuStudio and Equipment

I have a homemade wood firing Raku kiln that I made in Stefan Jakob’s Workshop– previous blog post here.  It’s great, but it’s pretty work-intensive, so Ronnie and I built a fiber Raku kiln that is gas fired.  It is such a great kiln- hog wire, ceramic buttons that I made, and one inch fiber- all put together with high temperature wire.  It’s base it an old kiln lid and it’s on a wooden base with wheels for easy moving.  It’s fired with a weed burner and propane. I use a pyrometer to make sure I’m getting to temperature, but I also watch the color to determine when to pull the pots.image

Using reduction bins filled with sawdust and newspaper and sized to snugly fit each pot, helps to ensure success!

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Samatha Scout really doesn’t enjoy Raku days- I’m way too busy to play!image

It’s exhausting work, but I love it!  Getting ready for a raku workshop at Ceramic Arts Queensland and for my own sculpture and work.  U 2 Can Raku!

Australian Ceramics Open Studios! Come Visit Me!

EventsExhibitionsStudio and Equipment
Marian Williams and Samantha Scout
Marian Williams and Samantha Scout

Well, I’ve made the decision to participate in the Australian Ceramics Open Studios!  It’s coming up August 20 & 21, so I’ve got to get cracking and get the studio looking shmick!  I’ve got an amazing studio and this will be a great time to come by and visit me.  Mark your calendar and plan on dropping by.  More later!

ACOS-2016-Event

How To Make Brushes From Roadkill Fur

Studio and EquipmentTools and EquipmentTutorialsVideos
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Handmade Brushes From Roadkill Fur

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Handmade brushes can be quite expensive.  I saw them at a booth at NCECA and they ranged in price from $22.00-$80.00.  So I reckon that I can make some myself for much less!

Handmade Bamboo Brushes!
Handmade Bamboo Brushes For Sale At NCECA

While in Texas I took advantage of the vast quantity of roadkill along the roads, and gathered some nice fur to make brushes for use on my pottery.

I keep a MURDER KIT in my car (very CSI) for just such occassions.

I’m not alone.  Here is a really (funny)/(horrible) video called CSI: Roadkill.  It’s a thing.  Don’t be mad at me!

In the MURDER KIT, I have disposable gloves, heavy duty scissors, tape, and ziploc bags.

Roadkill murder kit, handmade brushes, roadkill brushes
Murder Kit Items

Fortunately, I had my MURDER TEAM with me:  Ronnie, my husband, was the driver (pulling off the road quickly when I screamed at him) and Liz (my daughter) who accompanied me to the MURDER sites and did the Photography to document the event.

Picking up roadkill, roadkill, wild boar roadkill, wild boar, making handmade brushes, handmade brushes
As you can see, Ronnie pulled off the road a ways down from the roadkill that I spotted. Liz, my daughter, took these great photos!

I was really lucky and got wild boar hair, fox (the whole tail!), and racoon.  Here are some pics of that harrowing process!  Dodging cars, facing creepy dead animals, and the ridicule of one’s family and friends are all part of the risks you take when you take on this challenge.

  • Shot from the car - me, walking to the wild boar that had been hit by a car - the car was at the side of the road on the other side, badly damaged and undrivable. It was a very big boar!

I first learned how to make my own brushes from a video by Lisa LaPella – she is the ultimate pottery teacher by the way!  Here is a link to that video and a link to my previous blog post on that effort.

I brought bamboo (dried) from Australia as we have heaps of it on our property.  Dried bamboo worked great, but as Lisa LaPella says in her how-to video, if the bamboo is green, then as it dries, it will shrink and the fit will become even tighter.

bamboo for brushes

The equipment required to make these brushes is bamboo (or wood which has a drilled hole), scissors, dental floss, glue (I used super glue) and fur or hair.

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Items required to make the brushes.

Here is a step-by-step visual tutorial on making the brushes:

  • When making a brush and using bamboo, make sure that at least a 1 inch joint is available to put the bristles into.

Here is my most recent video on how to make these brushes.

cobalt brushwork

Here is an example of a bowl that I recently made using a handmade brush.

It is quite easy, fun and the results are awesome!  So get out there, be brave, clip some roadkill fur and make some brushes.  OR….you can get some hair from your kids ponytail…just sayin’!

Marian

NCECA aftermath

Amazing PottersInspirationTools and EquipmentWorkshops

I’ve been sick as a dog since returning from NCECA- a major chest cold! I think the flying from Australia- the getting to Kansas City- and the fury of trying to see everything/do everything in two days took its toll! I thought I could get there on Thursday early, but as the airlines can rule your life- I only got to Kansas City about 4pm- not enough of the day- but we made the most of it- and Friday was crazy- so much fun! Saturday- not much going on except final speeches- I’m ADD and can’t sit through that- as a former academic I’m sort of done with all the theoretical shit- I’m down to basics- that’s why the exhibit hall was my cup of tea!!! Solutions to problems!!! New tools!!

Thoughts-

*so many potters in the USA!!! Lots of diverse work- I think in Australia the “type” of pottery that is seen as good or in style narrows too much.

*nothing you want to make is wrong- it’s all good and ok!

*potters are a great group of people!

Here’s a photo tour of my NCECA:

 

Don’t miss it next year in Portland- start planning now!!!

Redstar Studios in Kansas City is the most state-of-the-art studio I’ve EVER seen!
Chris Guston’s work is phenomenal!
Lisa Clague’s sculpture, Honey Bee, was the best!
Loved seeing a Justin Rothshank cup in person.
The demos!
Candone Wharton and her phenomenal, intricate work!
Eric Stearns demoing.
Janet DeBoos and Choo representing Australia National University
Tissue Transfers!
Handmade Bamboo Brushes!
Me- going crazy!
Elaine Coleman’s beautiful work.
Can’t believe I saw this lovely lady from Alaska, Doris Alcorn.
Judith Wagenseller at the K-12 exhibit.
Seeing Trisha Kyner was great!
So good being there with my buddies! Liz Williams, Hattie Wagenseller, Me, and Judith Wagenseller.
Bill Powell pottery

Bill Powell: Pottery Rock Star Strikes Again!

VideosWorkshops

Bill Powell potteryIf you have read my previous post about Bill Powell being The Rock Star of Crystalline Glazes, you won’t be surprised to find out that he is also the Rock Star of Throwing Big Pots!

After attending a recent Bill Powell workshop offered by Ceramic Arts Queensland at the Brisbane Institute of Art location, I can honestly say that he is an amazing, talented thrower of Big Pots!!

He is a great potter, teacher and also a great entertainer!  His use of the flame on his pots to dry them out in order to keep stretching, pushing the limits – dazzled us and added to the drama of his throwing.

Here he is “stretching” a vessel:

  • bill powell art
    It all starts with a big lump of clay.

Bill works 2-3 days a week at Beechmountain Pottery, throwing 45-60 vessels per day – working from 9-1 pm before heading home to work on his own pots and his beloved crystalline glazes.

bill powell art
Bill Powell’s Crystalline Glazed pottery

Be sure to check out the video of him throwing on this page.

Bill also has several videos on Youtube – here is an example of one, but check out this link for more:  Bill Powell on Youtube

Bill gave us a glimpse into the life of a production potter as he threw several examples of Kombucha pots and Water Filter Systems.

The second part of the workshop allowed us to watch Bill throw a huge platter and large vessels made in two pieces then joined – amazing!

Bill Powell pottery

Click on the pictures below to get a larger picture.

Throwing the first part of the large vessel.
Exact measuring is the trick.
These are some seriously big callipers!
Using flaming torch to dry the pot out enough to join the second piece.
Flipping the second piece onto first piece
Joining the two pots.
Adding a lip/flange to the huge pot.
Happily joined!

Don’t miss the opportunity to see Bill Powell in action if there is another workshop around.  You’ll learn heaps – and he is such a Rock Star!

Thanks to Ceramic Arts Queensland for putting on such a great workshop!

Video Oral History of The Work of Jim Hall, Australian Potter

How To'sVideos
One of the first potters that I met at the Murwillumbah Potters Group was Jim Hall.  He is in his 80’s now, but loves pottery and the processes still.  In speaking with him, it became apparent that he had a wonderful story to tell.  He was gracious enough to allow me to video tape him talking about his life as a potter and showing me some of his work.  I think it is important to keep visual/audio records of people that have been involved in the artistic history of a country – they are our legacy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

wine decanter

Wine Decanters-Handpicked Handmade

Handbuilding

Saw this on Facebook and thought…..hmmmm!

klei

I’m not one to enter competitions, but this one caught my eye.  Of course, I’m way behind the 8 ball as the entry is February 17 – not much time to make, fire, glaze, fire, shoot pics, submit….

But I’m going to try.  Here’s the first go at a wine decanter.

I’ve done two versions, don’t know if either are “good” enough, but the clock is ticking!

wine decanter

 

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