Discovery

Its the final week of the semester and I'm getting final grades together. I'm also getting things ready for the final glaze firing before summer. I've got a lot of cups going in along with some pitchers and bottles.

Here is my new spray gun holder I made. Multiple guns make things go a little quicker and it is good to have back up.

I experimented with something new this week. The bottle below came out ok, but it was all matte and I usually like a little gloss to give it a little emphasis. So I sprayed some low fire clear glaze to see what would happen. I refired in a electric kiln to a little below 2000 degrees. It came out really well, even though I should have sprayed the whole thing. Some the colors changed, but I like how the clear glaze gives it a wet look. Most potters always talk about how they want to capture that wet look of a freshly throw pot and this to me is close.   

Answers

Here are some answers to some questions in the comment section. All my work is fired to cone 10 reduction. I use multiple sprayed glazes. The base glaze is usually strontium crystal magic, a Steven Hill glaze, or I use a crystal white. I will talk more about my glazes at the Jacksonville center workshop and we will use some of those glazes. I want a glaze that moves and changes. The idea is to have the glazes interact with form changes. So a glaze may pool in one spot and then change colors when it interacts with those form changes. They are always different each firing and this is what gets me excited about my work. I'm still thinking about the Etsy thing. Hopefully when I have time in the summer I will be able to set something up.
Head over to (Mud)bucket and check out her awesome blog. I'm happy to be featured on her blog.

In the studio

I've been trying to tie things up before the semester ends. I took some stuff to a gallery on Thursday and they want more platters. Not my favorite thing to make, but I'll spin a few out. I made a first attempt to make a box and it came out decent. I threw a bottomless cylinder, let it set up and then cut it in half. I then add a coil on the inside and put a top and bottom on it.

Music

Music is important to my work and how I work. In the studio, I usually have some music on in the studio. I like to listen to something that has a good beat or rhythm. Lately I have been listening to prog. rock. I like songs that gradually build up to a climax. It kind of echo's how we work. We start making things and gradually work our way to the  climax, which would be the final firing. Some of the bands that I listen to are Isis, Tool, Ben Harper and the Relentless 7, Minus the Bear and Radiohead.

A few more weeks to go into the semester. Firing four kilns a week. Trying to get some packets together to send out to some galleries.  I feel like I am starting to get a consistent body of work.  I think when you start out in clay you want to try everything and find what fits you. An artist is always evolving and improving their work.