Stack Workshop #2

                           

Second weekend of stack piece making... a second weekend that started out cloudy, drizzly and with questionable weather. Lucked out again, tho. Had just enough sun to get everything cut out, made and finished and into the kiln to dry. 

They were still on the moist side the next day, but dry enough to glaze up. This group attacked the glazing with a vengeance of multiple colors on their textured pieces. 

Ann and Hester.

Susan takes a brief moment to contemplate.

Susan and Lynda.

Bold forms from Lynda Farmer

Whimsical marks and brushwork by Susan Pachuta

Texture Queen: Hester Coucke

Kid drawings have helped Ann Larh perfect her brushstrokes.

Form and Function Working Together

My Neighbor and OSU Emeritus Prof Michael Burgett gave me a quick tour of OSU's Honey Bee Hive Laboratory where a piece he'd commissioned from me is hard at work. (See original post.)

At the beautifully landscaped lab, they have working hives of many different designs, including my pottery hive, created to look like a Greek-style Hive used centuries ago and also today.

Underneath a marble lid you'll find rows of wooden slats.

Each slat is spaced the distance bees like to make their combs.

It appears they like using it. Comb in process.

Comb being filled with honey.

A couple other types of hives: European-style, and how the bees did it before we humans decided we would like to harvest some of their hard work... 

Stack Workshop

Finished Works!

Experimental re-glazed piece and lil' monster peeking out from behind. 

Stack pieces made the day before, dried out overnight in kiln

Stack Toppers

The first Stack Starter Workshop held yesterday and today.

With the help of the sun, we cut out, dried out, pieced together and finished 3 simple shapes and a "topper" for a mini-stack. When the day started out drizzly--in AUGUST!--this workshop host was a little worried, but the sun came out just in time and dried things out pretty quickly.

Glazing Party: Annclaire, Alexis, Joni

Spent the morning flipping them and making sure edges were covered up so they didn't dry out too much. After lunch everything was dry enough to put together and finish up using ribs and surforms.

Everything spent about 17 hours at 175 degrees in the kiln over night and only a few cracks had to be filled in with paper clay this morning. 

Glazing party with Velvet and Duncan underglazes and everything back into the kiln to once fire up to Cone 6.

Annclaire, Alexis and M'liss

Some Results

Shown are three finished boat bowls with feet made as a special order for an Etsy customer who wanted something to fit a display shelf. These are all a bit shorter than the 22 inches long she wanted, but I hope they pass muster.

Was a little worried that I was oxidizing the helmer shino at the end of my firing to get the kiln to climb, but these were in the right spots in the kiln and still got the nice burnt orange color I love, and that she requested.

UPDATE: She purchased the second one.
Shipping costs were more than I'd expected. Glad this ended up being 20" so I could double box a 16" into a 20" box. A 24" box costs more than double a 20"-er. Difference of $20-$56!!

The layered glaze workshop had a slight set-back when I managed to blow up the pod pieces I'd created for them to work on. The class still had big enough chunks to sand through their layers and get some results. Shown are a nice variety of textures and variations of sanding techniques from the group.

NOTE: if you stop your programmable kiln in the middle of a cycle, make sure that the temp is BELOW the range you want it to return to, or it will climb to the next stage. The pre-heat went from being a long one to one that was way too short... at least you can see the results of both sides of each pod all in one photo.

Unusual Commissions

Beehive in the Greek Style

Sometimes a request for a piece comes in that is too good to pass up. My neighbor happens to be honeybee man and Professor Emeritus Michael Burgett in OSUs Entomology Dept. His "Far Side Entomology" was deemed the Best College Class in the Nation by Playboy in 2010....but I digress.

Prof Burgett has created a Bee Hive "Museum" at OSU's Bee Lab and wants a replica of a greek beehive like they have used in Greece for the past few centuries. Beekeepers arrange sticks across the top and the bees do the rest. There will be a small opening cut into the bottom for the bees once the clay sets up enough.

Key to my taking on this project was Michael's  promise the beehive didn't have to be perfectly uniform. Hives in the images he showed me were probably all coil built as was this one, but by skilled craftspeople who had made quite a few of them. They looked thrown. This one leans a bit and has a slightly wonky top. After taking this photo I noticed one handle was larger than the other...fixed. The lettering will be carved out to say honeybee in Greek.

Hoping this will be 15 x 15 inches after firing.

Looking forward to adding "In the Collection of OSU Entomology Dept's Honeybee Museum" to my Vita.

Some New Slightly Different Forms

Another productive day in the studio. So nice having the sun's warmth for speeding things up a little. These pieces were cut out this morning, their two halves shaped and set in the sun for about 30 minutes, flipped and 30 minutes later they were being put together. Then a couple more hours outside, not in direct sunlight, to stiffen them up enough to carve into shape.

Below is the concept of this stacking sculpture with a couple different shaped toppers.
Of course what I start out trying to make never quite comes out as I intend, but that's ok.

Quickie sketch to try and map my way.

Here you can see that it took a couple good whacks with my paddle to get it out of it's morbidly lumpy shape into something a little nicer...

Tube on the left was closed up and
 inserted inside to finish piece for top of the stack.

Form refined a little more and now will be covered up and left to dry so that the wetter inside can even out with the dryer outside. It's getting there.

Dinnerware Set No. 2

Another set of dishes has just left for its new home. This time it was a set of 10 each plates and bowls in two sizes, mugs and some serving ware. As always I'm hoping the new owner understood my warnings that glazes can vary quite a bit from the top to the bottom of my kiln, and that the photo conveyed this properly. She said it looked good to her via seeing these photos on her smart phone while on a camping trip, but I will still be nervous until she's opened up and seen it all.

Now it is a fervent wish that everything will remain safe from the many hands and conveyor belts the three boxes will encounter over the next few days in transit. There was nary a speck of movement when I picked up and shook each box before double boxing into a second box, but know they will get jostled and upended which can loosen up even the tightest of packages.

Being a potter can make one a little superstitious and nervous. Hopefully will also get to experience a lot of happy with a safe arrival and satisfied customer. 

P.S. All arrived safely and the customer liked them. Yay!

Large and Medium Bowls 

Plates showing the glaze variation top to bottom of the kiln.

Gimme one more hour!

Spent today making pots in front of an audience of fellow potters at the Benton Center Pottery Studio at Linn-Benton Community College for the Spring Workshop. Took requests and someone wanted to see one of the more complex twists I do. Of course. 

Many have been made, but not many have been successful, but what the heck. It was a chance to let them see just how rough and crazy it all happens in real life. Decided to make a mini-version and cut out all the pieces to make two-thirds of the shape.

On my side: dry air, a couple extra hands, a concave form and a warm bisque kiln helped get the beginning shapes dried out enough to put together.

Against me: Time. It ran out before I could get the base part dry enough to add the final touches. Came home and used all the scraps that were still wet enough to piece together the top curved piece in gradual sections, and then goo glue it all together and gave it shape with some very soft clay. 

Tomorrow after this is dry enough to work on I'll attack it with my stainless rib with the teeth to give it more defined shape and then see if it's thick enough to carve.

New Series Baby Steps

Ceramic Boat with wire and paper skin

Amazing what a deadline can do. Last week the bi-monthly critique group was scheduled to meet at my house and I needed something to share with the group. Since last year I've been working on these ceramic forms that have holes around the edge so they can be wired up later. I've got several kicking around the studio now in various stage of greenware and bisque. Trouble was I didn't know how to finish the inside surface and so couldn't do the wiring until the inside was finished, blah, blah, blah. Stymied. Finally told myself that if I didn't like it I could just take it apart and try something else. D'oh.

Ended up making some simple pencil accent marks and adding a little gold leaf to the small center section that can be seen through the reveal space in the center. Turned out I liked how the simple inside and outter skin turned out. Received good feedback from the critiquers that simple worked. Suggestions were to beef up the center contrast a little and leave it as a boat instead of working to make it a hanging piece as I'd originally intended. Will do.

A small reveal in the skin allows for peeks into the inside

Development of a Form

Progression of small Pitchers

Customer reminded me that I used to do small creamers and asked if I still make them? Of course that pattern is long gone so an opportunity to work out a slightly new shape.

I cut a paper pattern and used it to cut out the first pitcher and put it together. A little too petite. 

Made second pattern slightly wider with a broader base for the next couple of pitchers, and then finally used the second pattern and cut about 1/2" wider still on the sides to get the final pieces. The spiral stamp decoration will be the only handle, which will save a lot of fussy construction time.

When I get more clay dried to the right consistency for slabs I'll try an even wider version to see just how far to take it. Plus, after shrinkage these may be smaller than I want them to be in the end. With my paper pattern all I have to do is just make them a little taller as well as wider for the next tweak.

Using a paper pattern can help you tweak forms as you develop them.

Differences in the top from first to final shape

Wider profile fits better in the hand and leaves room for decoration