oldlady

thanks, marcia, i wrote this in my glaze book but have not used it in a long time.  the reminder is timely,

bam, my studio is full of things i made years ago and liked then.   when something else caught my attention  i moved on to that style for awhile.   i think everyone goes through that scenario before finding a solution that becomes their own "signature style".   there are several very large bowls which i made for mashed potatoes on thanksgiving.   flowerpots for particular plants,  candlesticks, lidded jars, teapots, baskets, vases big and small, etc. 
the experiments with clays and glazes happened along with the style.  i love white clay, the red and speckeled  clays were too messy and  took the focus off  the design.
i think i have found my sweet spot in slabs that have plant materials as the focus.   oops, i almost forgot the dragonfly that makes the pot sell well.   next step is finding a way to make slab bowls,  maybe a mug, some other circular pieces with plants and dragonflies.   getting the bottoms attached so they do not leak is the difficult part and seams that are hardly visible  present a challenge.
so much clay, so little time i hardly ever need motivation but a warm studio would keep me out there all winter.

bam, my studio is full of things i made years ago and liked then.   when something else caught my attention  i moved on to that style for awhile.   i think everyone goes through that scenario before finding a solution that becomes their own "signature style".   there are several very large bowls which i made for mashed potatoes on thanksgiving.   flowerpots for particular plants,  candlesticks, lidded jars, teapots, baskets, vases big and small, etc. 
the experiments with clays and glazes happened along with the style.  i love white clay, the red and speckeled  clays were too messy and  took the focus off  the design.
i think i have found my sweet spot in slabs that have plant materials as the focus.   oops, i almost forgot the dragonfly that makes the pot sell well.   next step is finding a way to make slab bowls,  maybe a mug, some other circular pieces with plants and dragonflies.   getting the bottoms attached so they do not leak is the difficult part and seams that are hardly visible  present a challenge.
so much clay, so little time i hardly ever need motivation but a warm studio would keep me out there all winter.

elaine, sounds fine to me.   i have found that when i carve things into the face up area that sometimes some sharp bits are left from the edge of the cutting tool.   i use a stylus for most of the work but to eliminate the possibility of leaving something sharp i  lay a finely woven curtain fabric  on top and slide my thumb over the whole piece.   adding slight pressure flattens those sharp bits and lets me see if something needs more attention.   the fabric i use does not transfer thread marks to the work and prevents obvious thumb prints.
have fun with slabs, they do amazing things because you can catch them at just the right moisture level to do about anything you can think of.

elaine, sounds fine to me.   i have found that when i carve things into the face up area that sometimes some sharp bits are left from the edge of the cutting tool.   i use a stylus for most of the work but to eliminate the possibility of leaving something sharp i  lay a finely woven curtain fabric  on top and slide my thumb over the whole piece.   adding slight pressure flattens those sharp bits and lets me see if something needs more attention.   the fabric i use does not transfer thread marks to the work and prevents obvious thumb prints.
have fun with slabs, they do amazing things because you can catch them at just the right moisture level to do about anything you can think of.

elaine, sounds fine to me.   i have found that when i carve things into the face up area that sometimes some sharp bits are left from the edge of the cutting tool.   i use a stylus for most of the work but to eliminate the possibility of leaving something sharp i  lay a finely woven curtain fabric  on top and slide my thumb over the whole piece.   adding slight pressure flattens those sharp bits and lets me see if something needs more attention.   the fabric i use does not transfer thread marks to the work and prevents obvious thumb prints.
have fun with slabs, they do amazing things because you can catch them at just the right moisture level to do about anything you can think of.

elaine, sounds fine to me.   i have found that when i carve things into the face up area that sometimes some sharp bits are left from the edge of the cutting tool.   i use a stylus for most of the work but to eliminate the possibility of leaving something sharp i  lay a finely woven curtain fabric  on top and slide my thumb over the whole piece.   adding slight pressure flattens those sharp bits and lets me see if something needs more attention.   the fabric i use does not transfer thread marks to the work and prevents obvious thumb prints.
have fun with slabs, they do amazing things because you can catch them at just the right moisture level to do about anything you can think of.

Yes, I know - more horses!  I do a lot of equine pieces but my commission work is always stacked up with as much as a two year waitlist.  And that's just for my sculpture finishing, not including my own sculpting, casting, etc but here are a few things I am working on or recently completed. 
'Preciosa' - traditional scale Andalusian sculpted by Brigitte Eberl of Germany & produced in fine English bone china bisque by Horsing Around. I claybody customized the bisque into a stallion, thickened his shaved tail to be full, wavy and lush, added shoes to his back feet, added a double braided mane, long forelock, and tassels. Then I glazed him to a dappled sooty buckskin as a client custom order with white gold shoes and gold tassel beads.  This sculpture stands 6 inches tall by 9 inches long, and just over 2 inches wide.  There are several more photos with more information about materials and firing cones in my gallery showing this piece both in progress and completed here:
https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/gallery/album/1543-hyn-patty-llc/
 

Here is an English fine bone china bisque with the raw, unfired black underglaze.  Here I have just begun work using masking fluid for the larger white areas and a craft utility blade to add the hair pattern and ticking.  This first layer of underglaze will be fired at cone 04 and then additional layers will be added for the eyes, pink nose, mapping of the pattern, and to add soft silvering so that only a few areas will remain black once clear glazed.  Airbrushed unfired underglaze is VERY fragile at this stage and very easy to scratch or scuff so care must be taken handling the piece.
 

Lastly for today, here is one of my own sculptures shown here in progress getting reworked.  This is 'Wee Bairn' which I did years ago in a small 10 piece edition in earthenware.  Now I am reworking the oil clay over wire to be a slightly different breed of foal (Welsh in this case) and once done I will be making a rubber waste mold and casting.  From these I will produce plaster production molds for slip casting the new edition in earthenware and English fine bone china in my studio.  When I get to making those molds I can post some updates to that process in the mold making and slip casting forum.  He's gotten a lot of refinement work since this shot was taken.
 

i have been using colored slips with mason stains for many years.  my clay is white, highwater's little loafers.   i have colored some of the clay as well but prefer to use slip made of my clay and distilled water plus stain or a carbonate.    i am lucky enough to have quantities of some colors, cerulean blue is my favorite color and if it runs out, t i know it is made from a recipe using 2 other stains.   staining slip is so simple and the strong colors come out so well that you might try it.  sieving the slip first and after the stain is mixed in makes a reliable color.  saving slurry gives a great foundation for the slips.  pansy purple works well.
purchasing underglaze has not proved valuable to me.  the bottles dry up before i can use the entire 2 ounces.   i do use  some underglaze colors to make slip, brilliant yellow and some others.
my albums show a number of tests of slips.  

i have been using colored slips with mason stains for many years.  my clay is white, highwater's little loafers.   i have colored some of the clay as well but prefer to use slip made of my clay and distilled water plus stain or a carbonate.    i am lucky enough to have quantities of some colors, cerulean blue is my favorite color and if it runs out, t i know it is made from a recipe using 2 other stains.   staining slip is so simple and the strong colors come out so well that you might try it.  sieving the slip first and after the stain is mixed in makes a reliable color.  saving slurry gives a great foundation for the slips.  pansy purple works well.
purchasing underglaze has not proved valuable to me.  the bottles dry up before i can use the entire 2 ounces.   i do use  some underglaze colors to make slip, brilliant yellow and some others.
my albums show a number of tests of slips.  

liat, you might try some drywall.  i use the 5/8 stuff for shelves and work and drying surfaces.   some people put tape on the edges, my main storage shelves are in a bakers' rack like you see in the supermarket bakery section.   since i work alone in my own studio i have  never wasted time with tape.   cutting drywall correctly is so simple that once you learn it, the tape is not necessary.   
 

I certainly didn't think glazing the pieces would be so complicated. I thought about spraying the glazes, for uniformity, but that too has complications.
Here's another photo showing more color tests.  Each of these test tiles represents a Mason Stain that no longer is being produced. The far left tile features Robins Egg 6 with Delphinium 2. The next tile is Delphinium 1.6 with Zircopax 8.4. The intense blue is Delphinium at 3.5% and Zirco 2. The purple tile is an attempt at the Violet and Amethyst. (6001 Pink with Vivid Blue)
The two yellowish tiles represent Peach. (6001 with Praesadium Yellow.)  
Note:  Many years ago Mason sold over 200 different stains. Today they sell 80-90. (guessing) They decided the world probably doesn't need to 10 different types of purple. What they did, instead, is to post the recipes for those discontinued colors on their website. ("Archived Formulas") Its tedious buying several stains, to produce one, but it does lead to some surprising color variations.

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

phil never said a word about being ill.  wash st is just around the corner from my house.  a lot closer as the crow flies.   he started the round table discussions as soon as they opened.  he showed examples of awful results of glaze firing and i contributed one of my spectacularly bad ones.   it got added to the box to show the next group.
he told me that not having a chemistry based education meant i was walking on a razor blade and would fall off sometime.   the next time he saw me he said he liked my work.  
the memorial was stuffed with people who knew him.   when bill van gilder walked in, he was covered in clay.  we all agreed it was a tribute to phil that he would appreciate.  lovely man, always generous with his time and advice.

i applaud your skill in balancing such a large top on such a slender base.

I'm not too worried about the shrink cause a crack, because I didnt go through clay with the skewer. There was a hole at the neck that was a bit bigger than the skewer. I dont know why I used the the skewer, I just had it next to me and it was a fast solution to put the head back together. Normally I use nikrothal wire at different widths to keep joints together. I get cracks some times with thick wire when I go through clay with it. Hopefully this won't happen this time as there was a bigger hole there. I'll cross fingers and pray.
It's a good trick load my works fire and stay at 100°C for a few hours to evaporate water. I do that when I want to make sure they are fully dried!!!

do you have the skills to throw the whole thing at once?   upside down with a slight slope so the "flat" part is not flat on the wheelhead or bat.  join the stem by bringing the center upward into a pedestal.  try it slowly with a small piece and work up to something bigger.   as the piece dries, catch it at just the right point to use one finger pressing down on the outer edge to make it flat  or just a small upward rim.
are you planning to make many of these or is it just a one off?

Every Year I push hard at Xmas season all  of November and the 24 days of Dec keeping the galleries and stores stocked and selling at my own booth full of wares as well. I stop sending any mail order out before thanksgiving. Then I pack it up and take at least 6 weeks off from Xmas day to mid to early Feb. Tax prep and tree pruning, clean studio etc.
The start of the new new sales year for me is Dec 26th really that’s when it can either stay sleepy or pick up with mail orders via email
Every year its different. I like the sleepy years-a Hundred-dollar minimum slowed orders a lot 2021 which was the idea.
They seem to always show a theme-from sleepy to busy and now this year-space cadets
So, this year I have had 4 emails asking about pottery in past week and only one follow thru
It’s what I call the new space cadets. I broke a fish plate can I get another as asap. Yes, I have some but you will have to come out to studio, ok no problem, so I send him a photo of 7 choices of what he wants-and 3 days later no response. Packed them up and moved on today. The next two where a bit like the 1st one. It’s the new  world order of I want it but not really .
Wholesale is a bit more work but no space cadets. I'm starting to like the separation from the cadets
Today’s order is looking solid ,4 huge mugs to Ma. I do not want to count these chickens before they hatch
Wens update  Mugs got paid  for and shipped today of to MD
I hope this ends the space cadet run

Chip and Dale!
We have a heat pump. I didn't know anything about them until we bought our house 12 years ago and it had one. The output doesn't get as warm as a gas furnace. I used to sit by a vent and read as a kid when we had a gas furnace. I called it the fireplace. Good times. 
I made the mistake of storing bird seed in the garage. Then I kept finding mice putting stashes of bird seed all around in the basement where my studio is. I'd open a drawer, look in a box, uncover a corner and there would be millet and sunflower seeds. I even found stashes in the kitchen around the stove. They found a little hole to get in there and were saving seed in the casserole dishes. Meanwhile the cat is just sleeping away oblivious to the work he needs to do. Sigh.

THANKS, NEIL!  that was the first thing i wanted to say.    i also think it is stacked in the wrong order.   never see a kiln sitter at the bottom, it belongs in the middle layer.     SORRY, NEIL,  HOW DOES THE SITTER WORK IF IT IS ONLY A FEW INCHES ABOVE THE BOTTOM?
i had one   SIMILAR TO  of these that a friend gave me.  i used it for years.  THAT LABEL reads 2500 degrees so i think it is a cone 10, not an 8.  (UNLESS MY NEW GLASSES SEE IT DIFFERENTLY)  it is also a 3 phase so check electrical stuff right away, you do not want to sell it  without knowing what the buyer will need to do.
did you drive it anywhere in that truck?  how did you keep it stable so it would not be ruined on the drive home?   brick sound like something very strong but you can damage those with a fingernail.
looking closer, i see the stand but did not spot a bottom anywhere.  does it have one?

in case anyone wants to try bab's suggestion about carpet, be sure to use something from the thin but strong commercial stuff.   you do not even need wax if you do foot rings on the wet carpet, just slide the whole piece across the carpet,  the excess glaze will wash off instantly.  keep it pretty clean, especially if the glaze is a dark one.

It is an oddball, but on that model the sitter is at the bottom. The floor slab is mounted with the bottom ring.

is that space big enough for me?   temp here went down to one, 1, degree F a few days ago.