Roberta12
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Posts posted by Roberta12
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200 miles, 4 hours one way to Denver. A couple of mountain passes, but we have friends and family in Denver so it's always fun to make a trip out of it. Restaurants, museums, shows. You make it count. And all my friends and family know where the clay shop is, so I can pay for it over the phone and they will stop to pick things up for me. It works.
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for throwing, a bat, a yellow rib, a wooden rib, a needle tool, sponge. Handbuilding....wareboard, slab roller, red rib, needle tool, templates
When I cleaned out a studio for a long time potter's family after he had passed, he had 5 tools. That was it. There wasn't endless choices of ribs and knives and sponges and stuff. A wooden handmade caliper, one wooden rib, one handmade needle tool, one small chunk of chamois and a wire. That was it. He had worked for years and years with only those tools..
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started out as a user, then a mixer, and then wanted to have more control over what I was putting on my clay and knowing the ingredients I became a "recipe follower" and now, dip my toe (or pot as it were) into reformulating. I think this might be the year I learn more about glaze software.....
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I make soft slab plates and trays, mostly slumped or humped. But I have made some simple slab vases and houses that I turn into vases. I agree with @Pres slab/handbuilding work can be covered and carefully put away to work on another day. I have attempted slab cups and mugs without success. That will go on my list for the future. And I do not make as big a mess as I do with throwing!! Slab work lends itself to surface design and like @Bam2015 that is a big draw for me.
I have a handheld extruder that I use for large and small coils, testers, and occasionally handles. But I have not made any coil work.
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As @Pres and @kswan mentioned, clay seems to keep me always thinking of a better way to make something, a way to stretch mentally that I haven't had with other mediums. But...if my hands and health or cost of electricity or whatever wouldn't allow me to continue, I would probably spend more time with textiles. I love to sew. Another art that has always fascinated me is printing. Lino cutting, all that. And Thank you to @Jeanetta for the exercises. I will try to incorporate those!!
Roberta
- Min, GEP, Callie Beller Diesel and 1 other
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Specifically for pottery, yes. I have had people work with me to improve, I have taken a few private lessons, and as soon as my schedule and bank account would allow, I started taking workshops. Like most others have responded, I study, read, watch, rinse and repeat. More recently I have taken online classes and rented teaching videos @GEP being a person I have watched in order to learn specific skills.
I love the classroom format and have taken classes over the years for anything that I really wanted to know more about.
Roberta
- GEP, Hulk and Bill Kielb
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I mostly use the programmed schedules that came with the L&L but I did come up with my own schedule for slumping bottles when I first got my kiln. That took a lot of trial and error. A lot. The program that came with the kiln simply did not work to achieve a great product. I never intended to slump bottles but the material was free, and I sold a lot of bottles for a few years while the fad was strong. Now I just do one or two loads a year as a request from customers. Also I was able to program a schedule for roasting Alberta slip and Ravenscrag. #4 on the Vary fire! But mostly I use the hold or not or preheat or not to get what I need.
Roberta
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My only experience with black clay was years ago in a community studio. We were all so excited to see the results. It bubbled and bloated badly. Until we fired at cone 5. Then it behaved nicely. I do wonder if you could fire to a lower temp?
Roberta
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No. I have fired for friends but they are interrogated and vetted fully. I have to know exactly what clay and glaze they are using. No exceptions. Everyone will get in a pinch at times and I am glad to help, but the maintenance and upkeep on a kiln is expensive. And as mentioned if something doesn't turn out or if someone doesn't know the difference between low fire and mid fire, disaster could ensue.
Roberta
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it does a bit. The temp in the basement (where my studio is) is fairly stable. I don't get a lot of swing in temp down there. We have no humidity here in any season so that isn't the issue. In the winter I do have an wall mounted convection heater in the studio that can speed up drying a bit. I glaze and fire in another building. The accomodation I have to make for that is warming up the space for glazing in the winter or having fans running in the summer. The weather doesn't interfere, but I do have to shift how I do things at times.
Roberta
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I have waited until I have a kiln that is still warm, then put the pieces to be reglazed in there for a time. Then I use gloves to take them out and redip or re spray them. That has worked fairly well. I have a small square heater that is a workhorse. I have put the pieces in front of the heater until the piece is pretty dang hot and then re dip . That has worked. But not always. Depends on the glaze and the clay and the phase of the moon!
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@SabClay I have been using Laguna #16 for a few years. Quite happy with it. Have you tried that one?
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Load determines stacking. I know what I can and can't stack, and I know what needs to be in the load.
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Great post @LeeU Your mask really reaches out and speaks. I don't know if I am as "thoughtful" as you while making. And perhaps this sounds a bit silly, but I really do go into a zone and "wait for the muse" to send inspiration. I love the functional aspect of ceramics but acknowledge the design of shape and size and color and and and and something just vibrates inside when I am working on pots. Like @oldlady said, I do think of things that will sell, since I am wanting to pay for what I do, but with that in mind I am always putting my own spin on things. Or the "muse" is doing the spinning!
Thanks @LeeU
Roberta
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On 4/27/2021 at 5:55 PM, neilestrick said:
At first I was concerned they won't keep the TC's from shedding into the kiln, but so far they seem to be doing the job just fine. The downside of the open end is that TC longevity will probably be reduced. We'll see. I'm only about a dozen firings in on mine, so too early to tell.
That was my question when I first read about the open protection sheath. I know how much metal I get out of that cover when i change the TCs. I would not want that dropping out into pots. I will be interested to know what your experience is with that @neilestrick Is the TC back quite a bit from the end of the cover?
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Upon reflection, I am a little more structured with regular cleaning and maintenance than I would have given myself credit for. I clean the glazing/firing area after a glaze cycle and I clean my little studio top to bottom once a year (pulling everything out and purging things I have not used and really getting in the corners) and then of course I clean after throwing/trimming cycle. As far as kiln maintenance, that is a once a year task and I do try to time it so it is not happening in the middle of show season. Unless of course I get glaze on an element and it burns through or a relay burns out or some such.
@Mark C. Good job with the hand recovery!!! I get a new hip on Monday. Hoping it doesn't slow me down for too long.
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@Titi Could you attach a picture of the piece? Pinholes might indicate a problem with the glaze. Large bubbles (bloating) would be an issue with the clay.
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I have tried to get groups together in the past, but most people in this area are not interested. However, I have sought out others in other places, some near, some far. Just had a socially distant coffee in the park this morning with a friend in a neighboring town who is involved in setting up a ceramic studio in her burg. It was great to talk about the planning. That has been one of my goals since discovering clay for myself, to build community. This Forum has been great for that, but yes, I do reach out to other people for just what you mentioned Pres, support, comradery, and problem solving.
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@Lucy GReen I really does look to me like the amaco crystalline glazes. Perhaps the person just thought it had little pieces of glass in the glaze? I have messed a little with glass pieces in the past and they would simply run and also make your piece not food safe. I found this....
Amaco Crystaltex Glazes | BLICK Art Materials (dickblick.com)
Roberta
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I think mugs, bowls, Callie's dispensers will be a good sell this year I bet, and I always do well with soap dishes, since I pair up with a soap maker. Geez o peetz, have I ever used soap the last few months!!! And as we chatted about in another thread as far as online selling, the smaller items will be easier and less expensive to ship.
Roberta
QoTW: How much air movement do you have in your studio, do you use fans, is cleaning to reduce blown dust part of your process?
in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits
Posted
No fans. I bought a eheat Envi wall heater for my space last year. I have been so happy with it. Puts out a nice even heat with no fans. Our winter has been pretty cold this year. Glad to have the heater. Since my work space is in the basement, even with 100 degree plus weather, it stays relatively cool. So I don't need a fan in the summer. I do have a pet spot cleaner that I use for windowsills and corners and places I cannot easily mop. It sucks up the dust nicely.