LeeU

My output is so minimal that bulk purchase does me no good, and yet, of course, the shipping on small orders is beyond do-able. I've had clay arrive so late (by more than a month) that I missed a production deadline. All the prices are creeping up. I have to drive to another state to get anything from a pottery supplier-one is is in ME & one is in MA. Auto gas is up and the electric bill for the kiln is now very discernable-it used to be quite modest. The primary outlet that carried my "smalls" had great tourist traffic & did live online shopping, but effective the end of June, it failed as a new business and and is now closed. Other than all of the above, things are just peachy-keen.

I can relate to that, due to age and body issues & doing less production (which for me was not much in the first place/small hobby biz). However, gotta say that to obtain it as you have described sounds like a royal PITA--would it be worth it? As far as the QotW, I have everything I need or want, other than someone to do my reclaim/wedging for me!

When I retired from my day job, I had 3 choices for my "pay out" of accrued vacation/sick leave etc.: save for the inevitable rainy day; go to Europe to visit art/culture centers like Italy/Germany/France (I've never never been north of Maine) or; make myself a studio. My big treat for myself was buying new equipment-I am a wizard at saving money & have no problem with used/repurposed stuff, but this represented what I had put on the back burner for over 40 years, so brand new it was! Highest costs were my L&L 23s kiln, the Brent ie-X wheel, and my Bailey table top slab roller. Equally expensive was changing the big bedroom into a studio and the back porch into a kiln room, with proper electric, running water, floor covering, & lighting. Even tho I am not doing as much now & the body & brain are resisting a bit, it is still the best money I ever spent!

The only time I sit is for glazing and only in time limited sessions. I stand for everything else (no longer do much wheelwork, tho if I do I use a chair). My body prefers that I stand, but even that not for too too long. I get consistent bi-weekly chiropractic adjustments and that has been a life-saver for being able to keep working at all! I did not know this was possible, but the chiro has even reduced--yes, reduced--some arthritis in my left shoulder that was restricting my neck movement! The other major assist was getting the Thermal-lite shelves for my large L&L short kiln, so I can load/unload the shelves with relative ease now.

The Not Broken piece is still greenware, with no glaze yet. It will likely be quite colorful. Primal will not look starkly red and black as it does now-the "reds" are iron rich glazes--could be copper, merlot, rutile??-no idea--I deliberately don't take notes & never can remember what I used after I've made my choices. I like how the "reds" come across & I was tempted to wash them off and actually use some red/red browns, but I am restraining my self. Serendipity awaits.

I incorporate silence & secrets in my work; sometimes rather than provoking a hint of mystery, it runs the risk of just making no sense to the viewer. I tend to be more in need of self-gratification than external communication, however, and I need to appreciate that people are not mind readers. A bit of explanation from the creator can't do any harm! For the No. 8 Not Broken mask, the print block design is a spin off of "energy" from making a previous mask, No. 7 Primal (pictured below-unfinished, waiting to be refired). Assault survivors are often marked (imprinted: psychologically/physically) by the weapons used on them. Rather than incising the residue of stabbings or burns, I did the edges that way (whacking the clay with an object at hand) to thinly represent one attribute of tribal behavior-domination of one/more over another/others.

This is the No. 8 Not Broken piece today-it is indeed already "lighter" in affect, and that is a deliberative part of my process for this mask. When done, it will be more uplifting, bright and pretty rather than sad or gloomy. The edges are no longer so fragile, rough, and craggy, but are smooth and more curved/fluid. The outline reflects the reality that while survivors can emerge from brokenness to thrive, and perhaps attain joy in their lives. The point is to not deny what has occurred and the physical/psychological imprint that may be permanent. This one will be donated for a silent auction fundraiser for a women's shelter. The other one, on the bottom, is a memorial piece I made in personal response to a friend's suicide. It is HMS No. 3 Secrets. It was part of a community mourning event, in reaction to his passing (he was a widely known artist/photographer). So---that's some of what I was thinking!

We have discussions scattered all over the forums about aesthetics, philosophy, deliberate and unintentional technical flaws, art vs craft, the role of things like 3D printers, paint vs glaze and so forth. What we think when we are creating our pieces is quite interesting, but not discussed a whole lot, it seems. I hope this is related to Making Work. If it belongs elsewhere I trust the mods will move it! Anyway, I was reading bits of discussions about these aspects of making work and was thinking about my own focal points as related to creativity, self-expression, archetypes, metaphors, serendipity (that's a biggie) and other attributes of how I do my thing. Today's gleanings from the posts that I read had to do with flaws or failed techniques & what can go to market and what really should not see the light of a retail day or even be given to a friend. I laughed at a comment related to a hairline crack. I had just spent the morning gouging into some cracks in a drying piece, seeing how hard I could work it before loosing what I was going for. So-the pics are the beginning of the next piece in my Hidden Mask series, No. 8 Not Broken. I use clay to represent certain things in life--sometime very clear, sometimes very obscure. So, what was I thinking? In this case, I was thinking about a battered woman I once knew, who survived severe physical/emotional abuse & trauma, and how she may be cracked, but she is not broken. When you make something---what are you thinking?????

Just curious----what is the clay body, what cone/temp, and what color does it fire out to? The wet color is gorgeous.

These look like fun-post a pic when glazed! Are they spoon rests, ornaments, catchalls, or whatever people want them to be? I rarely wedge these days. It has made no difference in my pieces. Not for wheelwork, nor for hand building. When I think that I should wedge, if the clay is not quite moist/fresh enough to just be put to work, I cut & slam, and sometimes spiral wedge it. I hate wedging reclaim so I am piling up the dried scraps until I can find someone to either give it to, or who I can bribe to wedge it for me.

No you won't!!!!!

No contest for me--mid range is best for what I do. There is nothing about earthenware that attracts me, in terms of my work--there are of course plenty of earthenware pieces from other people's work that I admire and appreciate. Also, I do not have easy access to wood/gas so high fire isn't in the equation either. Midfire is also great for a hobby biz like mine, becasue I am not in a setting to be making my own glazes or formulating clay bodies, and I am plenty satisfied with the quality commercial glazes that we can get here in the U.S. They may not be authentic (I.e. shinos, pseudo-crystalline etc.) but they can still look pretty sweet.

Hope you know how much your creativity is appreciated!! I think about thinking of a question but it seems I can never think of one. But please, if it's not a burden, don't stop!

I use 2 old/thick/traditional half shelves raised 1/2" from the kiln floor and then use 1/2" posts to create the "real" bottom layer using my new Thermal Lites.

Just a personal "preference" comment---seeing the effect you have gone for, I can not quite fathom why you would not want to use glazes. You would attain essentially the same coloration & the same aesthetic vibe, but with the deeper richness and tactile appeal of fired glaze. Even commercial glazes, like Ancient Copper, Bronze Tenmoku, and Turquoise Matte come to mind for me, and would look terrific. Love her backside, BTW!

The 3 feet of snow on the back porch has slowly melted down to a foot & a half X a foot & a half bar of solid ice, welded to the flooring, so I still can't get out the back door without a jack hammer. I need to move 2/3rd of the stuff in my kiln room out onto the porch, mostly furniture. Then I can get at the kiln, the ware cart, the 2nd work table, the firing supplies etc. I'll throw hot water through the screen until I can pry it loose. Of course, I'm delighted to be procrastinating, since I dread how much I have to push myself to get on with it---"it" being another boat load of the ever-popular (but oh-so-boring to make) plant markers. At least they bring in the spendoolies and I am truly grateful for that. Oh-here's a fun fact. The case of them that I sent to an outlet in the Philippines in very early January arrived yesterday. Yesterday!! I will never ship international again. And I only learned after the fact that the U.S. does not track after it leaves the states, and I have no recourse if it is lost/stolen/damaged. I ship almost nothing, ever, & don't qualify for any discounts, anyway. I am learning to love local!

so...do you snort it, shoot it, or huff it?

I have a long-standing, very entrenched, habit of not making glaze notes (oh-so-sure I'll remember what went over what or under which, or what all 5 glazes I used were, or which was the low fire fired mid fire that completely washed out-who knows? -not me). The deeper habit is that I don't care. I lose opportunities to duplicate something that came out really terrific, because I can't remember what I used, but I just fold that into my "serendipity" mindset and move on. It's not something I want to "fix", but it is a terrible habit and I would warn others not to do it.

I don't. Someone else has got to do for me what I can not do for myself. Bless, them, one and all! The mentors, the ass-kickers, the nudgers, the badgerers, the bribers, the seducers, the cheerleaders, the chastisers, the carrot-holders, the stick-holders, the muses & the jump-starters. Bless them all.

I am in the (try to be) super clean camp. I can't stand to have clay-coated tools, dried glaze wash in cups, crud in the throwing pan, grit on the workbench, residue on molds, dirty cloths, muddy sponges, supplies not put back where they belong (i.e. the one place where I know where to find them, given increasing memory deficits), clay dust on the floor (or windows, shelves etc.). So I make myself clean the same day after work, or the next day before work (or both as needed). It's just not worth it to me to let it go--even a few days build up drives me nuts and provokes me to avoid the studio.

Happy Valentine's Day

This will be "Primal", No. 7 in my Hidden Mask Series. The glazes are merlot, cobalt, deep yellow matte, clear & black engobe. Few more thing to glaze and then ready to fire-took me forever to get clay this time, and one 25lb block arrived as dry and solid as old concrete. They replaced it, but still....!!!

For me, the price difference was substantial. I have been saving for Advancers for YEARS (low fixed income), ever since John Baymore told me all about his & why they are worth the investment. Then I heard about the Thermal Lights--right here on these forums. Several of you helped me with the research & sizing for my L&L kiln. I had just about the right amount saved up by the time I ordered them & Bailey had a discount offer as well--so that was just plain thrilling.

Yes--they were awesome. Ask for Brian !