Took a little time off sewing today to do the final assemble of my new sculpture. Also took a photo and 'shopped the background. Maude Kerns Art Center had to cancel their current show--artists couldn't bring the work down with the coronavirus--so they're doing an online members' exhibit, and I thought I'd participate.

Here they are: Best Friends.

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Back to the studio Saturday to begin a glazing run. I plan on loading the kiln Sunday, the 22nd, to fire in time for the (increasingly unlikely) opening of Saturday Market. I got a late start, as I had to unload and reload a bisque kiln at home first. Set up the back room for glazing, mixed up all my buckets, then decided to octopi the rest of the ( Read more... )

I really want my octopus' companion to be little: a toddler mermaid, plump and chubby. I made the octo out of G-Mix, a grogged, porcellanous stoneware, lighter than my usual clay and less likely to fire brown. I'll use sponge to dab on rutile, red and orange stain, maybe some iron oxide to get the look of a giant Pacific octopus ( Read more... )

It's tentacle day! As usual, I cut a hole in the skin of the octopus body, reach in a finger and reshape from the inside before attaching the new piece. (Also as usual, I didn't actually get any pics showing that step. Grumpf.) Here's some shots showing the progression.

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If forewarned is forearmed, am I about to be eight-warned?

Just sayin'

I'm feeling a little tentative about tentacles today, getting the sense that if I attach them to the underside of my critter, the whole thing will grow so large that it'll be impossible to safely load into the kiln. I put off thinking about it while I roll out more slabs and cycle ( Read more... )

I'm taking a break from heavy production this week. Reading a few books. Cooking. Baking bread. (Unsuccessfully, as usual. Of course, I ran out of yeast, so that might have been part of the problem.)

And working on a sculpture.

I try to fit one in every winter, so I have something to put in the gallery at Ceramic Showcase. Sometimes I scramble for ( Read more... )

So I talked earlier about my ambivalent relationship with Christmas, how I like to start it late, and stretch it out well past the rest of the surrounding culture. We're usually getting done around Epiphany, January 6, taking down the tree, cards, decorations. I forgot one aspect that holds on for another week.

My Nativity Set.

Not mine as in "here ( Read more... )

I had a rough last firing--huge amounts of oxidation, like a third of the kiln was bleached and white. Depressing as hell, packing four big boxes of seconds to stash at the back of the shed until next winter. It wasn't crippling--I already had enough pots for my next big show, Ceramic Showcase, from my January and February firings--but it was a ( Read more... )

CR and Pooh, colorized and ready for firing.

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