LeeU

I swear by Coyote glazes for all the cone 5-6 commercial clay bodies I use-never any problems. The Texas Two Steps are lovely and so are the satins, so are the...and so are the...and... There is a Coyote Glaze Exchange interest group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/772396106201442

Yee haw---ain't nuthin' on my workbench cuz it's all on it's way to the kiln. Finally!

Sisyphus as in the Bill Dixon sense or as in the existential absurdity sense? Just curious. Welcome back. I have no help to offer-nothing useful to say except to confirm that you're in the right place!

OK, the deed is done! Six 26" half rounds on order-should be here by the approach of fall. The Thermal-Lites will probably outlive me, but I had to get lighter shelves in order to keep on truckin'

Thanks for the tips about the wax--food coloring or paste-I don't often use wax on surfaces other than to rim bottoms but I used it in a textured design just today and ran into a problem where I couldn't see the waxed areas well enough for the precision I wanted.

Thanks so much-I didn't think about finger hold! I really must gauge that---the kiln is 28" & the shelves are 26", but with the coils about 1/2" out from the sides, so I may have to go with the 21". I have fat fingers LOL. I do slow fire and also slow cool a fair amount & never fast cool. I have good dry storage, off the floor, for the shelves.

I am going to be doing some repeated firings of flat & low profile "smalls", such as herb markers (plant stakes) , business card holders, small catchalls etc. I have to decide (quickly!) between Corelite and Thermal-Lite. I am thinking the Thermal-Lite for long term-money is not the primary issue-I need light weight due to physical issues that are not going to go away and may get worse & I hate kiln wash. Is there any downside to firing loads like these with the Thermals that would make the Corelite preferable? I fire to 5-6/electric L&L EZ. Thanks in advance-I'm ordering from Bailey.

I used one of those molds-very much like the second one-when I was still throwing pots (I rarely throw anymore) and they were just great. Looked good and were quick & simple to affix.

I don't do much in the way of "commercial appeal" work but I want to break even on my pending high-tech lightweight new kiln shelves. I have become willing to do a low-fee local consignment unit in an artisans shop in a tourist area. The owner does all the shipping/advertising/and runs weekly online sales on Facebook. The store is large and attractive; the merch is typical New England stuff...wood tables w/moose burned in, woven fabric baskets, more lovely handmade earrings than the planet will ever need, etc. . She has a strong following and so far, so good! I find myself making things like herb markers (so not me!!) and they look quite nice, are not terrible to crank out in terms of repetition (I absolutely hate production-style repetition) and it's providing me with some motivation (always an issue) to do some other targeted items, to go with the seasonal flow. I've even decided to peddle my herb stakes to local nurseries & feed stores. For me, it is not a shift from shows/fairs (hate 'em) but it is a lazy way out of doing my own online stuff. The real paradigm shift for me is to get myself untangled from some of the art-think that may satisfy my spirit but does little for my bank account.

Sorry for delay Lady-I've not been on in awhile. The resort is about 50 mi/60 minutes further north. Stephen-she takes less than 20 per piece, plus a reasonable monthly shelf fee-part of the owners desire to really support local artists.

Well, I am feeling better-I went & met the shop owner and while I am clear that her business mode is definitely not one I care for (casual organizational style/attention to detail lacking) we had a decent & clarifying conversation and I felt an understanding was reached in terms of the basic communication needed on my end. I've got idiot-proof paperwork for inventory/sales etc. and photos of every piece/coded etc. so I'm going to give it a go. I'll do anything to avoid craft fairs and this is a great compromise to get my work out "locally". The shop is on the main route to a large rural resort area (hiking/swimming/boating/skiing-year round and several major tourist attractions in the White Mountains. She's done a nice job with landscaping, newly finished pine floors, fresh paint etc. and she gave me a larger display unit for the price of a smaller one. I think it's about 100 vendors-what I saw already put up looked great-homemade quality crafts-good variety. Yee haw. She's opening for Memorial Day (which I think is nuts but I know people will be out & about) There will be a grand opening after NH moves into the next phase of a stepped "reopening"- no date projections yet. Fine with me! Max of 10 in the store at a time, staff w/masks/glove, available hand sanitizer, separate entrance/exit doors (masks for customers not required, but encouraged). I am so blessed that all I care about is paying for my clay/supplies/overhead and that I do not "need" profit for my own survival. I can't imagine how stressful & worrisome it must be to not be able to work for so long, especially for those who rely on big shows to generate a chunk of annual income.

I was infatuated with the ceramic process and work of the Pamunkey Indians, a Virginia tribe located within a day trip from VCU's School of the Arts where I was earning my BFA in ceramics. I had studied the work of the Maria Martinez and other native people's doing pit firing & burnishing black & red wares and I knew the Pamunkey's were just beginning to resurrect their craft. I lucked out and got to tag along for a few weeks with an anthropologist who was assisting them with research and reconstruction of their history and the reestablishment of all aspects their traditional way of life. I got to learn about making/firing/finishing the pottery along with them and just couldn't wait to do it on my own. Silly me. Apparently the small back yard of an urban apartment, with fussy neighbors and even fussier management (something about not liking the smoke-go figure) was not an appropriate place to do my thing. I might have given them some lip about why the heck can't I do what I choose with my little patch of ground, but they were having none of it and threatened to kick me out--only the fact that I was a single mom with a young child saved my butt...but I had to cease and desist with the backyard bar-b-ques!

Welcome to the forums. A little more info might be helpful. What is the age range of the students, what is their level of experience/previous training, what are some core criteria must they meet for their grades, are they making non-clay art with the packs and/ or are they using self-drying clay? About how much do you have to spend per pack?

Just FYI, your site as posted here cannot be reached-tried different ways-direct & "go to".