LeeU

Yes--they were awesome. Ask for Brian !

I am investing in me. I've had several heavy-duty, do-or-die, metamorphoses (body/spirit/severe loss etc.) incl. minor TBI from external sources and now new damage from decades of SSRIs used off-label (i.e. not for depression). The discontinuation syndrome process took a brutal 3 years, but I am now over a year clear of them & doing well--except for the TBI. It is astounding to actually see it on a brain scan!!! I have finally accepted the reality of certain limitations and become habituated to using effective work-arounds, consistently. So my investment for claywork is to maintain the consistency of employing imperative work-arounds and take my today's Self into emerging new directions.

Hey--this is some serious art here! This is the art of resilience and adaptability. It is the art of pleasing women who shop at gift boutiques and are obsessed with gnomes. It is the art of kicking Peter Voulkus out of one's head and replacing him with a big nosed little creature in a valentine hat. It is the art of survival. And, truth be told, it is the art of having a bit of fun. But we shall not speak of this ever again.

Yep--paint scraper! Isn't this a lovely sight. So EZ-this type of shelf is worth every penny.

Our New Hampshire Institute of Art (NHIA-reference John Baymore, and the anagama kiln standing unused (hoping to be moved-that is still a possibility) at the now-defunct Sharon Arts Center) has been swallowed up by New England College (NEC-top heavy on education & business) and is called the Institute of Art and Design at NEC. Ceramics was listed as a minor for a short period after the takeover but the page is now archived and there is no link to anything. NEC abruptly (no notice) spat out Maureen Mills, the extraordinary director of the ceramics program, after she built it up to something truly excellent. Checking the website today, Ceramics Dept. is totally gone-and clay is not mentioned or pictured in the sections for Art or Fine Art. Those potters I know from the NH Potters Guild (a not very active guild) seem to be doing OK in NE galleries and local shows, to the extent that they are happening at all. There are minimal small classes at the tech school or community--the intro-style offerings seem to attract young people who want to be able to make some pots or small sculptures that are nice for fiends & family (based on the work I have seen; I mean no disparagement-this is a subjective observation).

I decided to commit to revamping my head space to produce reasonably refined retail-friendly smalls for the local gift shop market. It is so "not me" it has put me into a tizzy, but I'm coming down from getting dizzy, and am beginning to enjoy the fizzy of checks coming in from tourists buying my stuff, even on a very modest scale. So for 2021, while still low volume, I will be doing sets of herb/plant markers and soap dishes & other serviceable items as well as targeting decor for seasons/holidays. To the extent that I can curb my rough & tumble free-form style & harness the will power to make things pretty & clean edged, I think I have a shot at sustaining a process that is now doing better than breaking even, which is awesome.

Thx-that's what I was hoping to hear.

Could you erect removable frames that use restaurant patio-quality (weatherproof, crystal clear, relatively inexpensive) super heavy duty vinyl sheeting? My formerly screened in porch now has the vinyl for the sides and the stuff is fantastic--the porch is now my kiln room. Thanks to the vinyl, the 3 feet of snow we got today did not blow all over the inside of the porch and there will be no snow melt under the kiln!

SO, what does Lee do the very first time she fires w/the Thermals? She places a business card holder down on it's glazed back instead of it's unglazed bottom. The glaze is Crystal Forest. I easily removed the crusty residue from the piece w/a Dremel. I have not touched what is on the shelf. I do not own (and don't want to get if I don't have to) an angle grinder. Would a Dremel with a light touch be OK to use on this shelf or is there something else I ought to do?

Gotta love it!! Six----count 'em----SIX---- 25.75 inch shelves, stacked, are not that much higher than a standard computer mouse!!

Well, this may come across like one of those Facebook posts where people show pics of their lunch, but I don't care. I am so psyched! My Thermal-Light shelves have finally arrived!!!!

Can't really get a hook into anything in my clay-world to serve as a response, other than "no" .

Well, thanks to cybertechnology, chatting on messenger or binge watching reality series, playing game session after game session after game session, or following link-to-link-to-link-to link-can easily span half a day for some people. I wouldn't know anything about that though-it's just something I heard.

Technology, as applied to the art and craft of ceramics, may be defined as any practical evolutionary, or revolutionary, advancement of knowledge that contributes to a ceramic process, and which utilizes a more efficient method for enhancing traditional practices, with the aid of science, a system, technique, tool, or piece of equipment. Lee-the-editor-has spoke; don't neglect those commas! @liambesaw Thanks for the roller coaster of a wormhole ride down into Wikiville. I visited much of human history, including clicking on Ted Kaczynski's contribution re: technology (except it was deleted), Heidegger, Blade Runner, something about BMI and weight gain, plus dolphins & crows, to hit the highlights. Made a $5 donation to pay for the trip.

Hope you & anyone else with some imagination keeps doing this. They are fun to read (& answer). I haven't been able to think of one to contribute, but maybe someday LOL

Interesting how the discussion quickly centered on 3D printing! I like what Tom noted about how much technology we use in the first place, and have ever since we figured out how to light a fire. I had never seen anything 3D printed and had a terrible time even grasping how you could end up with a physical dimensional object. My potters' guild had a meeting at the University of New Hampshire ceramics studio (literally a year ago) and I was introduced to these pieces. They were the first ones that one of their student's had successfully printed after many weeks of study, designing, trial & error etc. I do not find them cold or empty or "too-too" computerized--I am in awe that this can be done with clay via some weird process via some weird machine! And I am grateful that I won't be drummed out of the club because I use commercial materials, use mostly pre-programmed programs in an electric kiln, and have no clue what a si:al ratio is (and, gasp, don't care either). At one time, W.G. Lawrence's Ceramic Science for the Potter & Daniel Rhodes Clay & Glazes for the Potter were my bibles and I actually knew/practiced the stuff! Does lacking that knowledge (now) make me not an artist? You bet your sweet bippy it does not. My cognition/memory retention is shot to smithereens due to minor (relatively speaking) TBI. Doesn't change my motivation, taste, ethics, vision or desire to satisfy Self and others with what I make; as such technology is just a tool and one I'm grateful for. I'd love the chance to use a 3D printer, at least as a starting point-that Simpson piece is luscious!! I ain't scared of no bot overlords.

I'm not feeling wordy this evening. In response to the query, no-nothing off limits that doesn't hurt me/anyone else should I choose to use it.

not a chance !!!!! please, say it isn't so!

One of the first things I did when setting up my studio was to make a tracings of a kiln shelf (half round) on kraft paper and foam core. I then used the "guides" to measure and select the best sizes for a set of tall utility shelves, a small shelving unit, a utility cart, and drying boards (dry wall) that were all "calibrated" to hold 6 shelves worth of work. I also used my templates to figure out how much of what type of pieces I could fit on a shelf. The coordination, as a production process assist, has served me well and I never have to guess about when I have enough to fill the kiln. I am a slow worker and it is a large kiln, so that is important for planning and serves as a motivator to get it done, since it can be a long wait until the next load is ready.

Seriously--ya can't just drop that here & leave w/out pics!! Show us at least a few, or one of the display case !