LeeU

Depends on the individal glaze and the individual clay body. Like much in ceramics, "it depends". Others with more knowledge can answer you better, but as a generality, it is very iffy. Just because they can be "safely" fired to the higher cone also does not mean that they will hold their color and look good. The color changes can be undesirable. I fired some 05 glaze on a cone 5 body fired to ^5. With several colors I got transparent instead of opaque and brown instead of the original color. In a few cases the color stayed true, but I didn't want to take a chance of other problems emerging on the pieces, over time, regarding the integrity of the glaze fit on the body, so I trashed it all. and then got myslef some low fire clay to do it right.

I deleted my previous comment here becasue as GEP has clarified directly below, my 2-cents worth was not a good suggestion. (I had thought doing an alteration of the original & the absence of a makers mark would be OK). I was wrong!

I can not find it in me to be encouraging of a beginner who is wanting to work in clay to attempt it alone and isolated from other people making ceramic objects. Just the other day an acquaintence said she wants to pay to support her adult daughter (who has ADHD and a short span for the latest interest) to "make mugs and sell them at craft fairs". Asked me if I think should she buy her that (joke of a used crappy small) kiln on eBay? Daughter has watched some videos, has never had her hands on clay. Thinks it "looks like fun" and she "can do it at home". No, mom, do not buy her that kiln; pay for some classes--and I will help you locate the better ones in decent traveling distance in her area.

This is in the vein of "what were you thinking", which I ask myself often. My inquiry for a possible QotW subject is this: how do Forum clay artists, potters, sculptors woking in clay, hobbyists, professional gallery exhibiters, instructors, production ceramacists, etc. come to their ideas? I'm curious about whether ceramicists do, or do not, or can not, articulate in advance formative ideas. Are there identifiable/describable processes that indivduals use, which they consciously recognize and employ as a route to generating ideas for their work? I think a "sampler" of such approaches and techinques would be really interesting!

I had to reconsider my response-I was deceiving myself! I do consider glaze as surface. I came to that realization the other day after making a form, with lots of texture, and immediately started imagining how I would treat it with various glazes--to create an even more interesting form & surface!

Maybe I am missing something, but it looks to me like a simple incised & twisted handle application, so why would it be impossible to (very closely) replicate the style on a new mug? Just curious.

Not sure what is meant by heating up "too" fast, but with my L&L EZ fire, I can use all the preset settings w/no problem. I'd check w/a Baily tech and/or your kiln-maker's tech for direct feedback.

Two bamboo chopsticks: one is squared with a flat top and a long-ish very pointed tip; the other is rounded with a rounded top and short-ish blunted rounded tip. I can play slap & tickle and get at least 12 different basic initial imprints, carvings, and holes with these two sticks. I also have larger similar shapes made from regular wood sticks, used "as is" or altered to get the rounded/pointy etc. features/unctions.

The only secrets I don't share are the ones where I'm breaking the rules-or common best craft practices-or ignoring the science-AND the situation is one in which I am looking to avoid the snarky assumptions that I don't know what I am doing or am "violating" someone's sensibilities in some way that I certainly cannot be responsible for.

I am not a production potter nor do I generate much volume---so I my experience w/the shelves is as a clay artist of limited output. I have a 4.4 CF L&L 23-S EZ fire, in terms of the space I need to fill for each fire. I also need the shorter kiln depth in order to get my work onto the bottom layer without straining (I'm 5.4). The standard heavy-heavy-did I mention heavy? and awkward, and nasty to clean regular shelves were a nightmare, especially as my body began to lose strength to aging, despite best efforts to keep up strength training, chiropractic, and mood adjustments to not get too bummed out when I dropped one, again, on my foot. I absolutely love the Thermal-Lites. Worth every penny-made my life instantly 1000 % better for ease of use & less burden on the back, wrists, maintenance etc. Easy to store & a breeze to clean if ever needed. They will outlast me, no doubt about it.

My so-called "Artist Statement" is WYSIWYG: It's Intentional. For me, the aesthetic decisions that comprise making work are: some external or internal sight/sound/thought that generates some spark that--often unbidden--presents itself as having something to do with creative expression; conscious reflection/idea exploration; maybe a dose of nostalgia (anything from the warm & comforting "happy-happy" to the icy fire of the worst of the worst); hopefully some well-reasoned discernment and, then; physically & mentally attending to form and surface (I don't think of glaze as surface, only the clay body), and finally; anything applied on top of the clay, including glaze and any after-fire embellishments.

I don't do volume sales and I like to keep my life simple, including the math. Sales tax is easy to do in NH--we don't have any! As a customer, I usually prefer the various fees to be rolled (at cost) into the price of the item. Shipping costs are so all over the place I would rather deal with a much higher price on the product than deal with the visual sticker shock of a through-the-roof shipping charge that might even exceed the cost of the item.

Well, I hope this topic is not morphing into "all about me" (ha ha). Here is a initial green face planting of HMS No. 9 "I'm Still Here". Hidden Mask Series--another "survivor" piece. I plan two glaze firings for it and have applied the first round of glazes. I have nothing else ready for the kiln and it absolutely will take forever to crank out enough items to fill it, but I'll update "eventually". In the meantime----what were you, or are you, thinking (about your own work)?

Some days, there ain't much view at all!

The snow is all gone now-this is the view outside behind my cut & slam set up-I just happened to look up w/the camera nearby before he was gone.

Just open your image in Paint, then select Resize , select Pixels & choose just about anything between 500-600 for the biggest number and it'll probably be fine. Do some trial & error on posting it so that after a few tries you'll find the largest number to use for the result that you like. I use 680 mostly and all my pics are posted this way, using Paint.

Lots of good news in my small rural state, currently very low death rates & low hospitalizations, which means high recovery rates. However, non-hospital levels of severity of infection are all over the place, from no biggie to quite severe and long-lasting. Yesterday there were over 300 new cases among our 10 counties. The highest rates are in the far northern part of the state and the southern/eastern areas close to or bordering Maine & Massachusetts. It is these areas that have the most galleries and shows and many people participate in and visit shows/galleries in the cities of both Portland, Maine and Portsmouth, NH, as well as traveling to/from Boston. So, for me, nope-not taking the risk. I have friends and mentor-types showing now in the Portland Pottery Tour and hate to miss it, but even with vaccination protection I have too many risk factors. I want to visit my daughter in the Seattle area, who I have not seen now in literally years...so that is when/where I'll take my chances!

what are those pretty plants?

I was hoping for some pics of people's studio views, like all those wonder food pics from people's kitchens LOL I guess windows are in short supply maybe. Well, how about just some pics from inside your studios? (Lee's bored tonight.)

A dear friend gave that to me when I was in a deep dispirited downturn, and it rather magically actually made a tangible difference in my outlook.

Kinda like the "What's on your kitchen table". What's it look like out your studio window? Here's mine, fresh snow coming down.

I have to drive to Maine or Massachusetts (I'm in New Hampshire), so I mostly don't. I usually use Sheffield or other inline sources.

No bare feet. Visitors must touch NOTHING. Good respirator, safety glasses, clean up immediately, keep shelving/tables stable and well organized.

Would you please describe a ball-park idea of how much forearm strength and grip pressure is needed to use the handheld extruder? I can squeeze my hand slowly/repeatedly and hold firm but not much more than it takes to work a tough handheld pressure kitchen tool, like a heavy duty manual can opener or tight/heavy garlic press. THX

Well, this isn't on my kitchen table-yet-but I am hoping for some fresh scallops and lobster off Portland, Maine-via a young guy who is working on a fishing boat & used to help in my studio & helps me with the summer art fair in Portland. I barter & he ends up with cool LeeU Ceramics neck pieces and other smalls that are tailored for his punk culture guy friends.