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Just got a bunch of bowls back from bisque firing, working on glazing them all. I bought a bunch of 4 ounce sample jars of glaze to experiment with, now wondering if I shouldn't have just jumped in and bought a few buckets because I am not a huge fan of brushing! It will be a good learning experience if nothing else and maybe I'll get some interesting results!

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Echidnas are monotremes not mammals

Their class is in fact mammalia, while their order is monotremata.

 

Thanks for that, well knew that somewhere in the brain as they produce milk and are warm blooded. Interesting creatures which can retract their heads, oh if I could do that! :)

 

and the babies are too darn cute too. very interesting creatures bizarre reproductive organs, egg layers, and ooze milk from patches their skin rather than the more common mammalian method.  still cute though,

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and the babies are too darn cute too. very interesting creatures bizarre reproductive organs, egg layers, and ooze milk from patches their skin rather than the more common mammalian method.  still cute though,

If it's bizarre and dangerous, it's from Australia, present company excluded Babs.

 

But seriously, all the poisonous spiders and snakes, the sharks, the jelly fish; it's like nature tried to make a place no human would want to go, but the people there said "Challenge accepted!"  They have a mammal, that lays egg, looks like it's made up from leftovers, from other animals, and is venomous.  

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This has gotten way off point, but out of curiosity I just Googled 'echidna' and found a bizarre you tube video entitled True Facts About baby Echidnas" that starts "The echidna was created 54 seconds after God created marijuana..."

 

Oh my, the things I have learned reading the ceramic Arts Daily Forum!!!!

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I actually tried to mess up on th retirement jar as I was not ready to retire. The base stilts are pretty thin.

Wedding jars are something I first saw in the Penland crafts book. I think it was the Larsons doing one. when I get back home I will check, and look up more references. I like to make pots that commemorate.

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Picking potato bugs off my potatoes in my big garden plot. First year with the plot. It's 45 by 35 ft. The potato bugs appear every day. They are not very smart. they sit up on top of the leaves. i put them in a glass jar of soapy water. i have been thinking of leaving the jar by the potato plants so they can see what they are missing, but that might be too cruel.

This garden plot has sucked a lot of time away from the studio. Mugs next week-I promise.

I hope I don't come back as a potato bug.

TJR.

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I grow potatos and never had a bug-do you fry them or eat them fresh???

If they are on the leaves what damage do they cause? the spuds are under ground

Life in the far north is simpler-siting around waiting to pick a few bugs on plants sound idea lick-can you read a book between bugs?

Is this like watching paint dry or more fun?

more like watching water evaporate?

Can you sell them by the #?

 

Mark

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Thanks Benzine for directing me to Pres's pots, really something. And thank you for excluding me from the dangerous list!

Yes I must admit to having fear of everything when first in Australia but the most fearful are still the humans... most of them were sent here because the British prisons were overflowing..

Nature's amazing hey?

I'll post my efforts when fired , they show a lot of artistic licence, but have got these critturs in my brain at the mo so  This will be my main side project for sometime I feel. Bit tunnel visoned here. Till I look down the next tunnel.

TJR we catch lots of bugs in our garden by sitting a glass in the ground to lip level, the glass's, and pouring a bit of beer in it, may work for you to lighten your work load that is, must be tearing you to bits. :) Don't be seen doing this as the neighbours will look at you in quite a different way. Then you can test,test, test to see whether the bugs prefer light or heavy ale.

Nothing like a new patch to attract all predators.

Now working at a number of mugs and a couple or 6 teapots.

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Babs, I didn't want to bring up the "Prisoner Thing", as I figure anyone living there hears that enough.

 

In regards to unwanted bugs, apple cider vinegar, with a drop of soap works for some types. They are attracted to the smell of the vinegar, land on the surface, but the soap broke the surface tension, somthey drown.

 

I had a problem with vine boarers getting my pumpkins last summer. They got most my vines. This year I wrapped the base of the vines witha light fabric, and happened to be out there, when the adults were trying to lay eggs. They got swatted.

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Oh, and back on point, I'm working on a teapot that sold 3 years ago at a teapot show.  A customer of the gallery that sold it requested I reproduce it, more or less. As I work on it, I wonder how the heck I made it the first time!  It was 3 years ago and I had just started in clay and I knew even less than I know now.  It's a pain in the a** and I'll be glad to finish it....if I ever do. 

 

Also, I'm working on a tile that keeps breaking...and it's not even dry yet. I've put it back together with paperclay twice.  It looks like this one is going to hold....I hope.  It's for a young  friend who is nearly finished with chemo for ovarian cancer.  It HAS to be ready and in one piece so that I can hand it to her when they remove the IV for the last time on the 5th of August!  IT SIMPLY HAS TO !!!! 

 

Jayne

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Oh so fine.

Jayne if the tile doesn't, not mentioning the word, mosaic to a piece of wood to hang??

But maybe this time no cracks are important.

This is just thinking and I have not tried this, what if you dampened the tile in a damp box, then applied paper clay or the spooze stuff to the entire back of the tile When firmed place it on a number of rods for all round drying and dried slowly?

Like to hear if anyone else thinks this is logical

Safe drying.

Benzine, I migrated after the convict times and so I can say these things, well to myself mostly,

 

Oh, and back on point, I'm working on a teapot that sold 3 years ago at a teapot show.  A customer of the gallery that sold it requested I reproduce it, more or less. As I work on it, I wonder how the heck I made it the first time!  It was 3 years ago and I had just started in clay and I knew even less than I know now.  It's a pain in the a** and I'll be glad to finish it....if I ever do. 

 

Also, I'm working on a tile that keeps breaking...and it's not even dry yet. I've put it back together with paperclay twice.  It looks like this one is going to hold....I hope.  It's for a young  friend who is nearly finished with chemo for ovarian cancer.  It HAS to be ready and in one piece so that I can hand it to her when they remove the IV for the last time on the 5th of August!  IT SIMPLY HAS TO !!!! 

 

Jayne

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Thanks for the suggestions, Babs and Oldlady.  So far so good on the tile.  It's drying on a mesh rack with sandbag weights on the corners, which tend to want to turn up.   But if it cracks again I'll use the "no score Slip" found on the web, since I can't find that post here.  (Maybe it's just me, but I have a devil of a time finding posts on CAD using the search box or even the advanced search.)  And Babs, after watching a video about making a damp box, I'm going to do that very soon.  The recipe I found is on "Clayfolk" and it is :

 

SCORE NO MORE

Pat Horsley's "Score No More" slip and repair paste is nothing short of miraculous

  • 1000 grams of your clay body in dry form
  • 20 grams Custer Feldspar
  • 20 grams Bentonite

Jayne

  • 20 grams Gum Arabic
  • 1 teaspoon liquid Darvan

It is IMPORTANT to disperse the Gum Arabic. Pour boiling water over and add water up to a slip consistency. A blender really helps, then add Darvan (LIQUID) when it is well mixed. Add a tiny bit of bleach if you will store it to keep odors down.

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Nice handles Pres.

 

 A few things I'm working on currently:

 

 Tallest thrown form I've done yet. 10 lbs clay. 12 inches tall. Pretty happy with it, I think the wall thickness is very even right up to the rim. Still green. Still contemplating glazes.

 Jar_large_bisque_12.jpg

 

Tiki Jar. Black Clay, 8 inches tall. Thrown closed form and carved. Won't be glazed. Still green.

Jar_Tiki_black_8_bisque.jpg

 

 Flame Vase. Thrown in 2 pieces, the top vase and a bottom 'donut' double wall form. Combined and carved. Thinking shino with wax resist for good orange on flames and thick turquiose on top so it should end up pretty grey with a little bit of turq to contrast the shino nicely.

Vase_Flame_8.jpg

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I  have been working on drinking beer and watching the sun set.  On vacation.  Was in Texas seeing family last week.  Hotter than the door to hell.  They had all the pottery I had sent up on shelves on "display."  I told them if they didn't take it down and use it there would be no more.

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I've been working on my tan and learning how to ride my mountain bike.  It is safe to say I am doing a great job on the tan.  After falling off my bike no less than 6 times (3 in one ride!) I am starting to acquire a few skills.  No broken bones, knock wood, but some awesome bruises.  

 

Tomorrow it is supposed to rain so I hope to sit myself down at my wheel and make some salad/pasta bowls and some mugs.  Summer vacation, gotta love it!

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Wow, Pres, those wedding jars are fabulous. I hope neither couple ever gets divorced because there's gonna be a nasty custody battle!  Seriously, a wedding gift that wonderful is well worth the wait, as I'm sure your friends would agree.

 

And thanks, Rebel, yeah it's really a teapot. The head and chest of the farthest girl lifts off so water can be poured in..  I love your your carved piece and the one with flames too. It made me want to create something with flames! When I was a wood carver, I made a wall piece with an angel hanging upside down over flames. The first time I took it to a show, a woman stood just outside my booth and yelled "blasphemy".  I pointed out that just above the flames was a spigot and holy font in case the flames got too high. She was not amused.

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Wedding jars posted on the blog today. Some of you may find the construction of the square knot for a handle an interesting problem in clay manipulation.

 

 

Great jars Pres.  I like the knot idea, very clever.  How do you do the texture; roll a coil on a textured surface?

Also, great carved text.  What did you use for that?  Carved font looks great.  I have students that want to include text on projects, by carving it in.  I tell them, I have no problem with that, but it has to look good; not just take a needle tool and scrawl it on there in a scribbled handwriting.  I tell them I am very particular about the look of font.  So they usually opt to go for cutting text out of thin slabs, and applying them on.  This is much easier for them, to make it look clean.

I notice none of the pots have the dynamic bottoms, like the Retirement Jar.  Too much time and stress to make that element work?

 

Also, did you cut the pots out, from a background and add the gradient backdrop digitally?

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