Gabby

I am attempting to hand build something simple but pretty large for me, using the advice I have gathered here in the last couple of days.
Usually when I have hand-built I have done things with the clay pretty wet, so this is my first attempt to attach parts at leather hard.
 
 

Glazing today as the weather is clear and sunny. These have been base glazed, and there are 7 more boards like this one, some with honey jars, and teapots.
 
 
best,
Pres

2 inch tall elephant figurines, and 4 inch wide dishes.

Teapots. . . 

 
best, 
Pres

If they were to see a wheelchair, do you think they would make accommodations? 
You are right that most of the time organizations just don't get it.  Even organizations specifically charged with providing services for the disabled have procedures that make no sense. 
I hope in your case that the organization puts the subject of disability accommodations on the agenda. I think the fact that the NHIA has a rule the Potter's Guild could copy is important. Drafting new rules can seem scary for people not used to doing it, but adapting existing rules requires way less effort.
If I lived nearby, I would do the eight hour shifts for you.

On the work bench, and in the kiln. . .mugs,  honey jars and soon teapots.
best,
Pres

There's an emerging discussion on another thread (re: craft/art) that is looking at the value of, or lack of value of, or even the detrimental impact of, schooling (college/training).  As someone who earned a degree in fine art (ceramics) at an esteemed art school (while on welfare and struggling mightily as a single parent & who was 20 years older than the other students) I must say how extremely enriching, valuable, freeing, and supportive of my creative expression and drive, the experience was. I have carried and used the benefits of that excellent education throughout all aspects of my life, not just in art interactions, but in ctitical thinking, world-view, career, understanding people and cultures, and many other areas of functioning. To me, formal training-- from competant, knowledgible & skilled instructors--is invaluable and can only enhance  one's creative expression and appreciation of crafts & art. What do others think--is formal education/training in ceramics (or any form of art ) stifling/useless/a negative or enriching/useful/a positive?

No problem with mold, it usually makes things a little more plastic, but will only burn out in firing. Now if it were mossy, then has to be removed before using the clay, especially for throwing. 
 
best,
Pres

Here's what's on mine today. In progress--carving the outer surface of what will be a lidded container, assuming all goes well. It's for an anagama fire in the fall--the clay is new to me--Sheffield's Z--which John Baymore recommended, and I just love it-can't wait to see how it fires.  I can afford maybe a half shelf, and I hope to have enough vertical pieces to get the most out of that type of fire.  The kiln, at the NHIA-Sharon Art Center was built by John & his students. I get to join in, provided there is available space, as part of the New Hampshire Institite of Art's public-access Community Education program.  Not shown is the banding wheel, a half dozen trimming tools, foam to  cushion the upside down lid w/knob, porcupine quill, hole cutter, a Chinese Lucky Cat wving his paw, and a large mug of fresh hot dark roast. 

Working on the next order for Savannah Bee, mugs, teapots and honey jars. About two thirds complete, all teapots, ready for glazing, 30 mugs and 25 honey jars in present load. On the workbench two days ago was this. . . .

All extruded handles! 
best,
Pres

Just pulled this out of the kiln. One of my better pots with this decoration style.

Figured I would share in the joy of posting stuff on workbench! Waiting on the rest of the load to cool so I can see all the rest of it. Hopefully more as good as this one. It is nice to get a little reward before I take a long pottery break yet again to study. Hopefully I will have time to get back out in the garage and get some more work made!

Similar here. Three large-ish hand-built pieces are kiln bound. I would like to do some hand-building today, but my studio adjoins my husband's wood shop, sharing the air, and he is staining and using his table saw today. So no clay  for me until he is out of there. I can plan, though.

I DID...I swear it WAS NOT THERE last night!!!!!!!!! I looked there and in Aesthetics & even Studio (tho I knew it wasn't there.) Thanks---It's a little crazy-making but it's definately there now! 
ANYWAY....here are some handles from when I used to do mugs. They're more like a capital C , maybe, than the other types. I like my mugs on the hefty side, with the handles in balance. 

Look in this forum at the second thread. It is called QofW: Participants Questions...

Pumpkins. Not something I've made before, they are for a raku fundraiser next month.

All 21 lbs of cat, left footprints in the slab under the plastic he's laying on, maybe I'll finally make a mug for myself out of it. BTW the vet had to shave him down after a particularly bad fight hence the weird look to his coat is not my doing I swear. 

I got some mugs out of the kiln last Monday. I am making more mugs this week. Because mugs. 

Yappy, I always like seeing your experiments.
I have never seen a nude on a baking dish.
Maybe a year ago I did a sculpture of my deceased bulldog which looked so cute after bisque firing, perfectly red/white/black (her authentic colors) and then disappointed me after glaze firing. Somehow I missed that the terracotta underglaze would no longer be terracotta colored once fired at cone 5. Live and learn.
Tomorrow on my workbench will be the first piece I will have done with many colors of underglaze.  Usually I just do black ad white or dark blue and white or green. The clay is red, so I expect to be surprised but hope not to be too surprised. 

My glazing table is down to a few pieces of bisqued  mid-fire items. I need to fill one more shelf with new greenware (they'll go in as a single fire) and then I am ready to fill my kiln again.  
 
 

My workbench is empty! Well besides all the non pottery related junk on it. I just pulled out some of the best yunomi I have ever made in my entire life. So that was epic. I am going to make 6 bowls to donate to the Patsiliga kiln in south Georgia, its a big woodfired kiln. I have never been a part of the wood firing, but I would like to be one day. I like supporting stuff like that anyways. I am going to go to the bowl event and deliver my bowls and maybe even buy someone else's work. I might post the bowls after I have slipped them with black crackle slip, and maybe after the kiln as well, since this seems like a progress type of thread! 
I am glad everyone is still here rocking away. Good to be back even if its only for a few weeks.
 

Teapots posted in my gallery. Part of an order for October.
 
best,
Pres

Yappy, I always like seeing your experiments.
I have never seen a nude on a baking dish.
Maybe a year ago I did a sculpture of my deceased bulldog which looked so cute after bisque firing, perfectly red/white/black (her authentic colors) and then disappointed me after glaze firing. Somehow I missed that the terracotta underglaze would no longer be terracotta colored once fired at cone 5. Live and learn.
Tomorrow on my workbench will be the first piece I will have done with many colors of underglaze.  Usually I just do black ad white or dark blue and white or green. The clay is red, so I expect to be surprised but hope not to be too surprised. 

Gabby recently asked in the question pool. . .  . Recognizing that some days are obviously different from others, and some here have studios that are available only in warmer weather or not in really hot weather, what is the typical day, hour block by hour block, during a time of year you are at your ceramic work? The interesting thing in these is the variety in the time of day people spend at their creative work, some starting in the morning and ending at 4, say, others starting at 4 and going into the night, some working at a stretch and others doing a couple of shifts, and so forth. There is also variety in how they spend the times they are not working. Some have a habit, like a walk. The choreographer Twla Tharpe, I believe, takes a cab to the gym every morning for a couple of hour workout. Some people have time specifically dedicated to reading (most of the writers do) or to family/spouse time.
In reply to this of late it has been problematic getting into the shop, and once in, a problem getting out of the shop. I will often go to breakfast with my wife around 7:30, come back to the house around 8:30, check the forum here, check email, check news, while putting in laundry, waiting for the drier, folding clothes and getting other things done. About 10 am, I may get into the shop, but sometimes not until 12:30, then I may work until 6 or 7 pm, and sometimes back at it until 8pm after some dinner. Weekends are the same, Sundays hardly ever unless pressed, Thursday no afternoon, as I bowl, and if the weather is nice I kayak at least once a week. . . . this Summer none yet. Hey! I'm retired!
Now if you had asked me that question in the mid to late 90's, I was in the shop earliest of Spring every night after school from nearly 4 til dinner, 7 til ???? Then back to school the next day at 7am. I did Saturdays all day, and some on Sunday if needed. Once school was out it was in the shop before breakfast, then breakfast, then lunch, and dinner. . . the only breaks in the day til 10 or 11 every night. No in the long run, not fun, and doing shows did not pay well. When offered a itinerant professorship at a local college with me in full control of the curriculum, teaching for two weeks to make more than I made in the entire Summer, I relaxed and made pots when I wanted. 
 
best,
Pres
 

Typical day starts at 9 am in studio throwing until 12 to 1 pm -putting wares in sunshine (may-oct)break for lunch and expresso. Depending on drying conditions-start to trim/handle wares- after lunch.The idea is to finish all the work that day. sometimes get to throw some for am trimming as well. Try to finish up by 6-630pm
In winter pots are forced dry in shop with natural gas heater or if coastal fog come in for days -Like past few days -I light up heater and dry work inside.
This cycle repeat's until bisque day which usually has some throwing or trimming in am and firing goes into the evening hours. Load and fire bisque car kiln- while making glaze that day.
Glaze day starts at 9-ish and runs long (7-8pm) I load two kilns most of the time and fire them the next day.I have an assistant for glaze day and putting on handles the past 25 plus years as well.I usually do all the kiln loading and she helps with most of the unloading.I usually cool  one and 1/2 to two days and we unload the next and pack and price all the wares in one long afternoon.That we glaze on Fridays and I fire on Saturdays-unload on Monday afternoons orGlaze on Mondays I fire Tuesdays and we unload Friday afternoons.(glaze days usually are Mondays or Fridays occasionally  Wens) Then the cycle repeats itself.-Been this way for many decades -maybe more-
Sundays is usually a day off as the kilns are cooling and I am trying to do less in clay.Sometimes a Market  pottery drop off happens on Sundays.
Thursdays are also a slower day usually with pottery deliveries to  wholesale accounts and loading a bisque and glaze making .
Things that affect this schedule are fishing /camping /trips away/diving/off season break/ Vacations/etc.

Update: So I've been pretty upset the past two weeks waiting to hear back about a test for a mutation in my blood cells that renders the known forms of drug treatment useless. They did the wrong test twice...anyway apparently third time is the charm and the test came back negative, I'm just responding slower than most, which is very very good news. Thanks for all the nice comments and getting to hear folk's sharing. I wish everyone else a bit of good news in their struggles also.