LeeU
-
Posts
2,100 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Posts posted by LeeU
-
-
Thank you, Pres. The temptation to comment (here) can be resisted, if one tries!!! Not necessairly so easy, but it can be done. I am laughing becasue I am involved in another group that has a terrible problem with getting members to post their comments where they are supposed to, and to stop responding in the wrong place as well.
-
This side will have a dug-out channel going around the sun. The piece is a spinoff from my Excavation series, and incorporates a Hidden Dragonfly when placed sunny side up. I was at the potters' guild reception for the Once Upon the Earth show and it pained me to have to deal with the fact that nobody could touch and handle my pieces. I handle and touch my pieces from the beginning of the process as though I were blind. Their heft and texture is half the point, as with this one that is on the workbench. 3/11 added pics after some carving
-
-
On 3/7/2019 at 10:45 AM, Rae Reich said:
What are you using for release
I put a bit of Bag Balm (kinda like Vaseline) on a cotton ball and lightly coated the metal press--which I think may be brass, not iron. I finally got a good impression today. Yes, I rub from the back! Not fooling with plaster, tho I know I "should". No picture of the best mother mold------I looked up and saw this---ran for the camera, which of course had the wrong lens on it...there were FOUR of 'em wandering through. I've lived here for 16 years and never seen this out my windows.
- neilestrick, Rae Reich, Hulk and 1 other
-
4
-
Scored an old iron bacon press; want to make a mold so I can make trays. I found a good clay for the purpose (Si02) but I need a better first impression so when I bisque it and make the final mold I get enough detail, especially in the letters (it sez bacon press). The rough & quick tray is with a direct pressing, so the words are still reversed--it's just for some glaze testing.
-
This lovely penguin was made by Liz Fletcher and I got it in a NH Potters' Guild pot swap. A good friend collects penguin stuff and I am reglazing it to make her a gift of it. The black was too thin in spots and there's a little chip on the beak that needs coverage. Hopefully, an 05 refire will do the trick. Yes, that's snow in the background.
-
5 hours ago, liambesaw said:
there wasn't a single video of me in my pajamas making mugs, now there is!
And just where might that video be? Curious whether stripes or plaid. Talking about the mug glazing, of course.
-
I have the Bailey table-top on my work table that I use mostly for glazing and sorting, within a 12x14 total studio space. It's worth every penny, especially with some of the benefit to reduce wear & tear on my body. I often use it for other flat surface work when not rolling clay. I'm careful about cleaning it and keeping the surface in good condition. The masonite boards come in handy for other things as well. It earns its keep. and if need be I can stash it under the work table.
-
I now have the 9th piece --a textured bowl--to add to what I'll fire in the anagama kiln in April. I'm aiming for 15, and those still to come need to be spectacular---well, at least they need to reflect some elevated creative effort on my part! The 3 pieces shown are a fair example of where my head is heading--pun intended.
-
I was trained on a large gas kiln and never used electric until a few years ago. Having occasional opportunities to get into community wood firings and raku firing, I'm a happy camper. I finally got OK with the fact that as much as I loved making my own clay bodies and glazes, and was pretty good at it, my situation just doesn't accommodate that today. So I am using commercial bodies and glazes and find I like them just fine. I did a head-adjustment on myself to get out from under the old tendency to think gas/wood was superior to electric and that not mixing your own stuff is sort of a petty crime. Now I'm working to get Ok with limited throwing facility and getting into an appreciation of the conceptual and process aspects of hand-building.
My workbench today has a thrown and altered bowl form, then hand-worked with stamped, paddled, & incised techniques. I like how much work actually goes into making something look "other-than" a properly, nicely, thrown bowl.
- Rae Reich, Bill Kielb, neilestrick and 1 other
-
4
-
What matters most to me when throwing is not giving up. The internal dialogue goes something like this:
"I should be able to throw just as well and just as much as I did years ago."
"Oh really? Who sez?"
"OK, let's just see (again)."
"OK, I observe and concede-it just ain't happening."
"OK, practice, practice, practice."
"OK, I am bored, bored, bored."
"OK, I admit that the wrist, back, neck, right knee, and left hip are not happy campers."
OK, no one can make me and I don't wanna. "
"OK, we'll just call BS on that one."
"OK, I accept reality."
" I'll give it a rest for a few days. "
"Time's up; try, try, and try again. "
"Good girl!"
It's not about the wheel, which is smooth as silk, reversible (which is useful & I enjoy for some pieces), and the speed is highly variable, readily responsive throughout the process. I'll never use enough weight to worry about torque & my current model Brent would more than handle it if I wanted to pull a whopper some day. What I'm not up for, having done my homework, a bit of experimenting w/chiropractor's help, and thinking a lot about what I want out of the time/money I have for this activity, is a brace for standing. I'm OK with a reduced engagement with throwing, and thankful for those bowls that make the cut. What matters most is, as noted, not giving up.
-
-
-
Ha....this one was made just for me! These are face-pressed. The white one is slip cast, the next is porcelain w/clear and Pallidium glaze, next is stoneware with granite dust , multiple firings, micro glitter & a bit of gold enamel (mounted in an open frame); the last was angama-fired. HMS is my Hidden Mask Series--a bit of self-absorption with therapeutic properties. The mask concept, using my own face, emerged in defiance of the ceramics instructor who told me "Art is not therapy" (no, art is spirituality in drag) and wanted me to quit because I was falling apart a bit at the time and I was arguing that I should be allowed to hand build if I didn't want to throw. Titled in order: Art Is; Two-faced Selfie; Assembling the Surviver, and; Emerging.
-
-
I draw on the Kraft paper that covers some of my work surfaces, and sometimes make sketches in a small drawing pad. Mostly I think & visualize. I take photos of some processes & all finished pieces. I don't like ceramic note-taking so I use the Pottery Logbook smart phone app. Most of what I make is not meant to be particularly congruent with repetition, standardization, nor for retail purposes, and I'm a low volume producer in any event. I used to sketch everything, do all the math etc. made sure that things fit that needed to fit, and worked as intended (i.e. spouts, fittings for bird bath etc.)--just don't, these days.
-
On 1/4/2019 at 8:23 AM, shawnhar said:
built-in drip trays
Curious how the inside looks--is the interior bottom raised up with a hole for drainage?
-
I've had these 5 pieces on my worktable for over a week---can't make up my mind. I'm submitting sets of 2 to 2 different exhibits. One will be in our capitol city, at a Victorian estate that has galleries and an art school-it's for the NH Potters' Guild. The other is for the NH Institute of Art and includes external clay artists associated with the community education program. The small dish with the nice celedon glaze and the firecolor on the back is from their anagama kiln, as is the one with the white inner glaze. The other pieces are from my L&L, and are very hefty. The rectangular one is 1 lb. 10 oz. of porcelain. I added the pic of their undersides because the pieces are meant to be heavy, tactile, and inviting to be looked/touched at all over. Help me eliminate one piece and put 4 into companionable pairs! Any feedback welcome. Thx-Lee PS-I added a detail shot of the little bowl w/the black circle 'cuz the outside doesn't get a fair shake in the group shots.
-
7 hours ago, Benzine said:
What exactly happened there?
Well, if you must know, I was filling a humidifier container from my utility sink, forgot to close the top off, tripped over my own feet, and--to keep myself from tipping over--quickly set the thing down on the clear edge of the glazing table so I could free my hand to catch my balance, where the unit wobbled over and crashed into the greenware, and then spilled water just to add insult to injury. That is the sad story. Oh well, no handmade Christmas candy dish for Aunt Ruthie.
- Bill Kielb and Rae Reich
-
2
-
Glazing for this weekend firing. Opps.
-
Aw shucks, Glazenerd! Thx.
-
-
Yep--and for short stints, if you have electric, a small table top ceramic heater or oil-filled radiator are good. Thin thermal gloves help, ear muffs, and really warm socks--makes a big difference. My studio is indoors, but my kiln room and more working space is outside, on a screen porch. It is 12 x 12 and houses my L&L 23s kiln, a 5' work table, spillover studio storage, and all kiln supplies, plus a tiny corner seating area. I close the porch up in the winter with panels of restaurant patio vinyl rated for 40 below. My wonderul landlord had them built and installed. The stuff is clear as glass (see the pic!), durable, and can be cleaned. They only make about a 20 degree difference from the outside temp but with the heater(s) I can actually work out there in the NH winter.
-
Yesterday someone presented me with an unexpected gift. I'd been driving a friend around for months because his car died with no hope of resurrection, he had no money/no credit, and he only just finally obtained a vehicle. It was a "thank you"--a little red box he picked up at a collectables consignment shop. It has a name in gold on the bottom left, so I looked it up. Imagine my surprise to learn it is a vintage Russian lacquered trinket box.
However, reading further, I suspect mine is a product of cultural appropriation, as there is a flaw on the side where the lacquer is slightly split. In this case, I am OK with it being a knock-off, if it is, becasue it's still a cool box, the 'thanks' was nice, and I learned about some art I'd never heard of.
Fedoskino Pegockuho Lacquered Jewelry Box, Russian: The Three Sisters
"PEGOCKUHO" is the Russian word for "factory". The word "FEDOSKINO" is a village near Moscow, Russia and is the home of the longest standing miniature lacquer trinket box industry. The history of this artwork spans back to the 19th century and is known for its high-quality artistry and craftsmanship. These unique miniature oil paintings gained popularity and stood out with the addition of gold leaf, mother of pearl, and metallic media. Using these components helped to replicate and capture the true beauty of nature on these vintage boxes, constructed by a specialized papier-mâché process (which uses a clay primer-justifying my posting this on a ceramics board LOL/lu).
With the opening of Russia in 1990, the art of Russian lacquer miniature painting has gained worldwide appreciation and these small treasures are highly sought after by collectors. As a result, many Russian boxes are now being produced by untrained people using inferior materials such as wood, poured acrylic, or pressed sawdust-board called argalite. These imitation lacquer miniatures are being sold on the streets of Russia and through venues like eBay. Many of these fakes have the name of one of the four villages and even the name of a well-known artist added to fool the uneducated buyer. (Emphasis mine/lu)
QothW: Is there some piece of equipment or tool that made such a huge difference to the quality of work, and quality of time, that you wished you had found out earlier?
in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits
Posted
Reclycling/wedging from dried clay is awful for me. I am saving up for the smallest cheapest pug mill I can find and Advancers (can't lift shelves so good anymore). My favored equiptment is my tabletop Bailey slab roller, followed by the heavy Shimpo banding wheel. I gave myself the gift of fully outfitting my studio from the git-go, upon retiring from my "day job", so there is nothing I wish I'd done sooner. Having my kiln right here is beyond awesome--there is no public-access kiln anwhere close by, plus the over-time, ongoing, expense and restrictions of having to use their clay/glaze/firing programs etc. would not suit me long term. So, I guess it is my L& L Easy-Fire that is really the winner!