Brook Trout Love - Part II

The Brook Trout Vase is finished!!!  I couldn't be happier with the results, it really came together well.  I worried the underglaze's wouldn't blend or survive the high temperature of the kiln, leaving it discolored...I worried for nothing.

There will be a lot more carving and sculpting in the future.  Currently, I'm carving a wooden three foot high seahorse in high relief for a custom home on Mount Desert Island, Me.  This piece will take a few months to complete.  I am working on it in my spare time and having fun with it! I'll post photo's later of that, but for now, the most recent pottery pieces out of the kiln....

Poppy Vase

The Luminaries are ready for summer, are you?  I sure am....here it is the first day of Spring and we have another foot of fresh snow....someone needs to go ground hog hunting!  These luminaries will dress up any room or outdoor patio area and look great during the day, like a fresh bouquet.  In the evening just flip the switch to the battery operated tea light and watch the bouquet change color while casting a soft glow.  Battery operated tea lights offer a carefree and safe alternative to wax burning candles.  They come in a variety of colors and are very inexpensive.

without tea light

with tea light shining purple

same tea light shining pink

Until next time, think Spring!

Brook Trout Love - Part I

Here is the Brook Trout vase I am working on.......

 (Female Brook Trout)

 (Male Brook Trout)

Tomorrow I hope to finish the background work which I started today (not photographed).  This piece has been a real challenge, especially with applying the underglazes, blending them and trying to get the correct coloration.   I am hoping to get the background complete tomorrow, then the lear glaze applied prior to firing later in the week.  As you've heard me say before, there are so many variables with glazes and firing, sometimes what goes in a kiln is not what comes out.  Expect the unexpected, but hope for the best!  Most often, it is fine, but there is always that anxiety of the unknown.  We'll see what comes out towards the end of the week.....stay tuned....and have a wonderful week!

March Mud Madness!!

March has come in like a lion....and hopefully goes out like a lamb.  My studio efforts have followed the weather pattern.  Today it is a muddy mess outside from the thaw and a muddy mess inside from throwing.   I wasn't feeling up to par, so I wiped off the mud and unloaded the kiln....

The"Test Trout" - underglaze painting on white stoneware with clear glaze over.  I painted this as a test for a trout sculpture I have been waiting to paint and fire.  I needed to test the application of glazes to make certain when blended with others that they would hold true to their color at Cone 5/6 temps.  Sometimes the underglaze will burn out and change color.  These Amaco Velvet Underglaze remain true creating a great palette to work from.

I am very happy with the floral bowl.  The Amaco Potter's Choice Deep Firebrick (on flower petals) combined with the PC Verte Lustre glaze on the leaves really blended well, complimenting each other.  I hesitated to glaze the interior with the firebrick, but am now glad I did.

 #1) The Lupine vase came out lovely.  I love the composition of the arrangement, the color choice, but the clear glaze did not cover completely.  My error, I did not apply it thick enough, so now there are a few spots that are rough from not being glazed properly.  #2) The Lily of the Valley vase also came out fine, but I applied a white glaze that did not take to being brushed on.  It was a dipping glaze, but I failed to re-adjust the glaze consistency prior to application, (learn from my mistakes!), so the brush strokes came through in patches.  And finally, #3) The Burgundy Lily.   The background glaze is a bit darker than I had expected, but I like it.

The luminaries came out beautiful. I just love the softness of the glaze on the smaller one, but the vibrant blues accented with purple on the larger one is very cheerful and reminds me of Spring time!!

And then there was this....the extra large Poppy Vase/Bowl.  Now this was a huge disappointment! I was hoping for a fine golden finish with this glaze (Amaco Potter's Choice Saturation Gold) in the background.  What I got was a pitted mess.  The photo below shows it much better.

It's a pitty party!

Onward and upward!  Never concentrate on what doesn't work, celebrate what does!  Like the Potter's Choice Saturation Metallic glaze below......

...such a smooth and even metallic finish...very soft and beautiful glaze...just wish the Saturation Gold had come out as well! 

After unloading the kiln, I took the rest of the day off and spent time relaxing...that is, after I passed through the mud path and porch guardian.

Apollo "Pol" (the Great Dane who is well over 200 lbs.) He's looking at the path of mud that leads to the pottery shed (more mud).....he clearly has no intention on leaving the porch at the risk of getting dirty. (That's a cattle collar around his neck...we couldn't find a dog collar big enough.)  

This brave little soldier is Einstein, my extremely happy tripod Border Collie, the snake hunter! Yes, snakes.  He can smell them a mile away and will strike with lightening force breaking their necks.  He's a superhero! He literally does a perimeter check of the house and out buildings.  Nothing stops him from his daily routines, a little mud doesn't slow him down, not even a missing hind leg.  He is a rescue out of Kentucky that has acclimated to Maine weather.  As you can imagine, it took him a few winters to adjust to maneuvering in deep snow.  It's as if he's always lived in Maine.   Now, the big galoot on the porch, that's another matter....he hates it too cold, too windy, too wet, too muddy, too sunny....he likes being inside were it is just right! 

Japanese Tea Ceremony & Test Trout

Last Saturday, I spent a fun day at Portland Pottery along with my fellow mud buddy, Lynn, enjoying a very informative seminar, the "Japanese Tea Ceremony" with Steve Murphy of Boston Pottery.  It was interesting, I was unaware of the intricacies of the tea ceremony, proper handling of the pots, design of the pots and so forth. It's quite formal and meaningful.  Unlike my Mainiac tea ceremony of throwing a tea bag in any old cup, mug, bowl, bucket... and run out the door to the studio method.

Tea bowls of a variety size and shape depending upon their use. Some tea bowls are used in the Summer, while others are used in the Winter.  A lot of thought and consideration goes into the design of each bowl.

Here Steve shows us how to trim a foot for the bowls. The lower photo is a double bamboo foot. I really like the looks of this one, very classy and elegant. 

 Above Steve is patting the brush into wet slip demonstrating how to get a feathered effect.  Below you can see the results. Using a transparent glaze this effect should stand out and be quite beautiful.

 Steve made this tool to create "chatter" marks over the bowl for decorative purposes. Below he is using the tool to create a sunflower pattern.

 As you can see, the tool has left the effect of the sunflower pattern quite nicely.

The trip to Portland was suppose to last the weekend, but as luck would have it, another storm was headed our way.  Portland is roughly three hours from home, so it was a round-trip adventure making it a long day ...but, highly worth the effort, having been able to spend time with my dear friend and take in a wonderful seminar on the tea ceremony.  I will never look at a cup of tea so casually again, but there will be no elaborate ceremonies over my cup of vanilla infused Earl Gray tea either.  Yet, I will drink my brew with fond memories of this day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back at the studio, I began the very detailed work of under glazing and glazing pots.  In this batch, there are the wedding pieces for the upcoming show, as well as a custom carved piece of two trout.  Some of the under glazes I have yet to test fire, so instead of blindly applying them to the carved trout, I created a test trout on a bisque fired stoneware serving dish.  I am happy with the over all application, but as all potter's have experienced, what you see isn't always what you get.  The firing can change up the colors dramatically.  I am hoping that is not the case and the trout comes out looking like a trout, rather than a gold fish!

With time and good fortune, the glazing should be completed by the weekend and firing can commence!  I will post the complete pieces next week. 

Nemo, Beylah, Annikens & Peasley Pottery

Some are calling it the storm of the century..."Nemo."  I doubt that will hold true, but the dumping of three feet of snow in one shot did break records for Maine.  I find it funny that we are now naming our storms, what's up with that? And Nemo for a Nor'Easter is rather far fetched considering Nemo was a clown fish and not much for arctic waters.  Anyhow, here are a few photo's of the storm...with horses.  Before the horses could get out, Richard did some snow removal and relocation to create a runway into the pasture.

Beylah (front) & her daughter, Annikens (rear) 

The Norwegian Fjord Horse is truly built for this weather.  They LOVE the snow and cold!

The snow was quite deep in areas, but it just made it more fun for these two.  They figured out how to pack the snow by flopping over and using their body weight to flatten it out.  

Anni rested like a dog for quite some time. 

Meanwhile back at the pottery studio.....

I am still working on pieces for the wedding show in March.  I enjoy the detail work and had lots of it today!!

Calla Lily ~ large serving bowl

Lupine vase 

I'm hoping to build a photography booth for shooting more professional photos of my pottery, the only thing is...it is on my list of 5 minute jobs to do, that I haven't found 5 minutes to do...let alone found 5 minutes to write the list!  Maybe tomorrow....

Also, here are a few yarn bowls from the glaze firing the other evening.....hmmm, these sure could use that photo booth!  

Grab your yarn bowl and start knitting!  Have a safe, warm and happy weekend!

Wedding Pottery on the Drying Rack

Weddings, weddings, weddings....my mind is focused on wedding pottery.   I'm trying to get a good selection in the inventory for an upcoming wedding show in March.  It's such an exciting time and a special moment in time for each couple.  It will be interesting to hear about all the different types and styles of weddings people are planning! I have never been to a wedding show, so this will be a unique experience for me.

Here are some of the wedding pieces on the drying rack.   All pieces will be custom made for each wedding party based on their theme, flower arrangement or interest. Each piece is created to bring back fond memories of their special day!  

These pieces also make great anytime gifts.  I'm hoping my mother wants a luminary for Mother's Day....because that is what she is receiving! I know she will cherish it forever and enjoy it throughout the year. It's a perfect gift for her!  I can't wait for a quite summer evening, to be sitting outside with my coffee or wine, by the soft glow of the luminaries...yes, I plan on a couple!  They are so peaceful, yet magical, like lightening bugs in the field.