update

I was juried into this years Strictly Functional Pottery National. The cork bottle above was chosen by jury Pete Pinnell. Out of 1252 pieces he selected 108. Its kind of mind blowing that your work is one of the few that was selected. It's quite the honor. I've been thinking lately about sending stuff off to galleries for shows and sales. I have been shying away from this. I sell work at one local gallery and another couple hours away. I want to send my portfolio off to more bigger, establish galleries. My dilemma is that i'm moving away from what I was making in grad school and trying some new stuff. It's not quite as strong as I would like it. Also, I don't have a definite studio. I've been using the one where I teach at and its not a stable long term job. I would also like to teach workshops. I did send a portfolio out for that, but haven't heard anything yet.

Spraying Glazes Continued

So why spray glazes? I'm attracted to atmospheric firings, wood, salt and soda. I like the way the clay catches the fire and it paints the surface. one side of the pot maybe different from the other side that didn't catch the flame. I want the surface of my pots to be rich and varied. I try to approach spraying like the spray gun is the flame of the glaze. I usually start with a base glaze and then a light modifier sprayed on top. This glaze is usually a matte glaze. I use a glossy glaze to highlight certain areas. This is a thin application depending how much I want it to run. A good spray booth is esstential, otherwise you'll have to spray outside. I spray about 3 to 6 glazes on each piece. The glazes then flow into each other leaving traces of the process. Like with all things in ceramics, this takes practice and patience. The first pots I sprayed ran and fuse to the kiln shelves.

Tips for spraying glazes

I have been using a spray gun to apply glazes to my work for about three years now. I think spraying allows for more control and variation of how the glaze looks. I'm not a big fan of lines that result when you dip your pots into glaze. I also don't like solid colors. I want my pots to be rich and varied in color. I want the viewer to engage and explore the surface
Alright, now you might be asking yourself how do I spray glazes? Well first you need a good spray gun. I use a gravity feed spray gun. Geil kilns use to sell a good one, but I don't think they sell it anymore. I purchase mine from tooltopia.com and you can always get one from harbour freight. I would get one that is inexpensive, because the glaze will eat away at the nozzle overtime. It can easliy be replaced with another. You want a gun with a larger tip. I recommend one with a 2.0mm nozzle. This allows for less clogs and more material to pass through. Gravity feed is better then syphon. It uses less air. Of course, you'll need a compressor. 18 to 30 gallons should do. Make sure you put it away from you, because it can be like a small dog barking at your feet. On the next post I'll talk how I spray.

New Work

Here some new work that came out of the kiln. This is the first load that I was really excited about in a long time. Check out my website, chrislivelypottery.com, for more images.

website

I have just finished creating my new website. I used a company called otherpeoplespixels.com. It was easy to sit up. I think it is important in this day and age to have a website. It allows you to get your name out there and hopefully reach a wider audience. You can visit my website at chrislivelypottery.com. Be sure to tell a friend. I have been in the studio lately. I was asked to make a dinner set for the first time. This has been a challenge, but fun. I made everyhing today, 12 plates, 6 bowls and 6 tumblers. I have also been trying more abstract things like making forms oval, cutting and assembling various parts.

The month of October should be a good one. I'll be going to two workshops. The first is Chris Gustin. He was a artist that really got me into ceramics when I was beginning. The second one is Tom Coleman. I know I will learn a great deal and it will have an impact on my work.

I'm back

I've been away for awhile. Things have been busy with teaching and other things. I have been applying to teaching position, so I'm hoping something will happen. In the meantime, I have been cranking out pots. I had a successful sale earlier in the week. I have been trying new stuff with the underglazes and people seem to like it. I'm switching back to the p10 porcelain because it allows me to make larger forms. I might try some more sculptural forms.

empty bowls

Finally did a glaze firing of just my work. Everything turned out well. I had to use Thor's hammer to smash a couple of rejects. I'm trying out a new glaze, sea foam green. The glaze produces different shades from green to light red. I think I might stick with my earthy colors and use this glaze on some pots. The empty bowls fundraise was tonight. They had a great turn out and most of the bowls were bought. Its a good feeling to know you can do something you love and help out others.