jolieo

Hi just in case: don't use plaster on a new born or even a baby, it could burn them. They have much more delicate skin. I wouldn't even go near them with stain, sensitivities and allergies can develop from exposure. Also have you fired any of the lost detail pieces? Because it just may be hard to see the detail in the unfired piece. Also different clays will hold different amount of detail, and if the clay is too wet it might loose detail. I recently got some low fire clay that is a completely different animal to the stoneware and porcelain I have been messing with: it is soft without much water at all. I would see if the clay supplier can get you maybe sample slabs that are small that you could try out in sequence on one subject then you would have a comparison. Jolie

I am late to the post, but oh well, here goes. I believe this is why we had apprenticeships for so long. The judgement would be too strong for anyone to ever believe that their work was good enough . Not every apprentice would have had talent,but those who did would have had the wherewithal to get through all kinds of self doubt. This is how it works for me: when I am new to something, I don't always have a clear vision OR I don't have have a full understanding of how to attain my vision. So if it is the first, if I don't know what I am making, almost always it turns sour on me. I am not capable of just doodling around . So now I bring a vision to the table, and because my brain loves to complicate, I often don't know how to get there. This used to make me sick, because invariably the project would not turn out as well as I wanted.now I am ok w it , because it isn't terrible for me to do many projects to get to the one I wanted. Now the stomach only goes sour for a tiny bit, usually when I am faced w the truth that things are a bit harder than I thought. I have left my many steps to where ever it is I am going all over the place, and whatever else I feel, I like my work quite a bit. It is not what I thought to make, it is almost always something else, but I usually can imbue it with the feeling I was try to convey, and that gives me delight and satisfaction. I feel it is very important for my process to finish the work, even if it is not up to my standard. It lets me let go of the whole thing if I don't have the same enthusiasm as before. If it is half done I am doomed to poke at it like a broken tooth, and if I toss it, I better be done w it, otherwise I keep pouring over what I did " wrong" . If I finish it, I can critique it, and decide if I want to try again. And I give myself points for having toughed it out.

88 degrees and raining tourists , which is great for my pocket look good forward to a day off . Merry Christmas and stay safe!

point·less ˈpoin(t)ləs/ adjective 1. having little or no sense, use, or purpose. "speculating like this is a pointless exercise" synonyms: senseless, futile, hopeless, fruitless, useless, needless, in vain, unavailing, aimless, idle, worthless, valueless; More 2. (of a contest or competitor) without a point scored. I want to say more. There is no such thing as art that is senseless, futile,hopeless etc. it is a matter of opinion. I get perturbed by an urinal exhibit or some of the weird ones like a plate of pasta on the table etc. I prefer my art to be put together ,crafted , painted , woven, etc. but I really that is just my opinion. There is someone who appreciates it somewhere if it is on exhibit, because it is on exhibit. If it is made or shown someone wanted it that way. So if someone told me art was pointless, it would really depend who was saying it. I might put a lot of effort into some people who were saying it because they had never seen any art they liked or didn't know some of the stuff they liked qualified as art. But if someone was saying it just to poop all over my day,or trying to get me to rise to the bait, I would address that.

I think the original premise needs rephrasing ( no offense meant Evelyne!) Imagine talking to every class in both an elementary and middle school ,after all the cuts done to art education, about why art is important, and what art is. Imagine explaining the dichotomy between the cuts and the importance of art. Imagine trying to tell them that art will survive irregardless. I live in Florida ( no budget to speak of for art education), I have a 14 w aspergers, and art saved my life,literally gave me something to live for in a speech messed up home when I was little. I grew up in Switzerland, where antiquities are left w/o a guard and are commonplace and in Manhattan, where the bottom line is all that matters. Yet all that really survives from ages past is art. Because to me art is what is said from the heart and soul and speaks to the heart and soul.it starts practical and decorative , but once we get it down it becomes elaborate and soul moving. And it isn't just us, life practices art, the universe by nature creates and refines. I could go on and on, because after dysfunction, death , addiction ,cancer and every other thing this life has thrown at me, Art in all its forms is what gave me hope, gave me back God,( in all God in all forms), gave me purpose . So. Thanks for the question

Wow!

I am making stuff just for me right now, so I sign it (if I give it away) , date it so I can tell where I was in the process, abbreviate the clay, because I am still experimenting w different clays, and what cone to fire to, cuz i am just getting ready to glaze fire a bit next week. This is for me. recently I have been finding nice hand made in second hand shops- these potters are either not from around here or they aren't here any more. Two pieces that i really like, they are signed and dated and that makes me happy. With every thing handmade out of the rest of the world, too expensive and no signature, I would like it if everyone signed and dated everything. Jolie

It is just one object. Notice the "95" tag. Why do you call it an artifact? Because you know more than just the pictures, so that information would be helpful... It doesn't look ancient to me, it looks very even and modern.

Cheer do you live? I live in Florida : it is so humid here EVERYTHING rusts! Wood , ceramics, cloth EVERYTHING! And what doesn't rust, molds! The slab will wick moisture up , and also not let air circulate to dry out, if you are humid. Gets worse near the ocean, salt in the air will not let the water evaporate. I would be concerned if you live in a dry climate. Then , perhaps , something could be going on. Air flow will help, or a dehumidifier if you are humid. You might also be sitting in water, like over hard pan . You could at least dig that up and see if it is fun clay. I hope it isn't kiln emissions!

Thank you press I think of you every time I look into the kiln. I adore color , and orange is one of my favorites, so maybe I will be able to tell by color. But not until I have successfully gotten it to at least bisque a couple of times. Thanks Mark - I will look for welder so ( actually just lent my glass books to a welder, hmm , maybe I can trade...) Ronfire my kiln is 13" across, if I leave a clear pat I can perhaps bisque 3 mugs on each shelf, Min I will try what you suggest, at least on the cones I can position to see. If it adds flux it will bend before its ready, so at most I risk underfiring it , not a molten mess I won't try reaming out the hole until I understand what is going on, I am not sure if I know how to not damage my kiln while I operate on it. It sounds like a good idea though, I am just too nervous until I get familiar . Old lady, your offer is most generous , thank you! I will ask Howard . Really very nice of you! As usual , thank you for playing with me, I am really ecstatic to finally be able to fire and hopefully glaze fire too! Without you I do not think this would be half as much fun!

Hi , as stated. I am having trouble seeing the cones. I have both googled and searched on this forum, so I do have an idea of what to do, but I am still vey new to all this so please bare with me. I did a couple of bisque loads in my VERY tiny(.04ft) glass annealer. That kiln has one peep hole and a small hole in the top. I could see the cones in that kiln fine (?). I finally got the shelves for my big kiln, and I suspect that kiln has never been fired. So as per the literature, I slowly fired a bisque load to condition the elements. So I finally get up to high ( my kiln is a paragon w/o kiln sitter or digital, just low,med and high supposedly goes to cone 8) , finally put both peep hole plugs in and I leave it for forty minutes . Up until this point I can see the cone on the top shelf, the bottom one I can only position it so I see the base, so the bottom shelf will only be useful on opening the kiln. When I go to look after half an hour, I can't see the cone at all. Now I have never fired this kiln before, so I think OH SH##! It fired to glaze temp really fast cuz I closed it up! ( I thought the cone had completely melted!) so I was praying all night while it cooled, oh please don't let me find a melted heap , I just got these shelves. Well imagine my surprise when I open it and the cones are perfectly straight! So then I google etc. well my kiln is too small to put it 6-8" away . I won't blow into it, that sounds like a bad idea, plus not reliable. The laser sounds cool, but not everyone could see w the laser. So as far as I could tell, that leaves either putting a dark tile behind or the welder so mask. I don't have any money right this second , so I can't buy the good stuff . Is there a welder so mask that is cheap that would work? As for the tile, I would have to make it. It would need to be free standing , because I couldn't lean it on anything during glaze firing. So could make it a framed. Can I simply use black underglaze, will that contrast? I forgot : can I simply paint a underglaze line on the cones ? Would that be visible?I don't have the cash for the ingredients for the ink mentioned in another post ( I would have to mail order or travel an hour to purchase). And last but not least could I take a picture with my phone? Since I didn't know what was going on yesterday I couldn't try this, but I will next firing . Is there a trick to it.? It is going to be like this every step of the way , isn't it? I guess I wouldn't have it any other way 😎

I am not sure but probably twofold , the particle size might not be fine enough to penetrate beyond the surface , and it might need more time to soak in. Maybe try mortar a pestle, and/or making a solution that won't dry fast eg gum Arabic or glycerin. Leave it on longer wetter and finer. India ink is very very fine , that's what gives it its opacity, plus it is in a lawyer ( or something similar) base, which binds to the porous surface

Happy Birthday Evelyne! Not yet , but I sure hope so! It is what I would ask for...