LeeU

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. 

Making some multi-purpose holders for an April anagama fire.  Need another shelf and a half worth of pieces for a bisque fire. I only need a full shelf for the wood fire, so the rest of the load will be various mid-fire bodies.
 

Making some multi-purpose holders for an April anagama fire.  Need another shelf and a half worth of pieces for a bisque fire. I only need a full shelf for the wood fire, so the rest of the load will be various mid-fire bodies.
 

Making some multi-purpose holders for an April anagama fire.  Need another shelf and a half worth of pieces for a bisque fire. I only need a full shelf for the wood fire, so the rest of the load will be various mid-fire bodies.
 

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.

Snow day--working on turning the Meet Mr. Hammer bin (by the window) into shards for drainage in the bottom of pots, the  inventory/photo task bins, set up for my helper to process,  & green smalls, dry and ready to add to my pending bisque load.
 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Drill bits are less likely to crack the piece, since they remove material as they make the hole. Hole cutters force the clay to expand to make room for the wall thickness of the cutter. If the clay is too firm, or the hole is too close to an edge, it will crack.
The biggest problem with all holes, and one that many, many people do not address, is the sharpness of the edge of the hole. Rubbing out the edge with a sponge or finger takes forever. The simplest solution I've learned is to use a countersink LIKE THIS ONE. Just twist it lightly in the hole once it's just past leather hard, and it will knock off the sharp edge. I use this on all my colanders, and I can do all the holes in a matter of a minute. It puts a nice little bevel that looks rounded once it's glazed.

I really like the Kemper hole cutter more than the brass ones. I also use various size bamboo skewers and knitting needles, depending on applicability.
 

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.  

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. 
 

1st pots of 2019!
Tried to make some planters with built-in drip trays

we lost several of the best last  year.   
mitch lyons gave a lot of workshops introducing people to the broomstick method of making cylinders.   i attended a meeting where he explained how he made his  monoprints  and showed the making of one print.    he was a kind and gentle man.
we should not take for granted the continued  presence of the potters we know of but do not have direct contact.

We may need a different word than "event. " I think of "event" as signifying something that is going on, or about to go on, like a conference or workshop.
Perhaps Significant Ceramic News would capture better what you are looking at here. 

Even though Warren McKenzie died in December of 2018, I am kicking this strand off by including him here.
Min posted the following link to an excellent historic article on Warren.
Posted Wednesday at 11:33 AM Sad news, one of the greats, Warren MacKenzie, passed away on December 31. 
Truly a big loss.
http://www.startribune.com/world-famous-minnesota-potter-warren-mackenzie-dies-at-94/503729332/
  

Whenever I think I can't go to the pottery for some reason or another, I always picture Warren MacKenzie walking out to his pottery at 90+ years of age. And when I'm really full of self pity I watch his video, "A Potter's Hands" and am ashamed of my insignificant whining. 
I feel the same way about Shoji Hamada. He sits or kneels and spins his wheel with a stick in "Art of the Potter" and creates beauty. 
How can I ever say "I'm too tired or too old or whatever" to go to the pottery?
 

My process started with and continues with research. You would have to accept clay formulation as an art, to understand my passion for it. I see the chemical manipulation of a clay body ranking up there with the most expressive thrown or molded form. I have been working on a plasticity calculator for awhile now; having sent out test bodies for review. I have been testing bodies that specifically react to salt and wood firings. Then again, I also believe that clay is as much relative to the design and function of a piece; as any forming technique or glaze. My process most would find boring and mundane, but the results are gratifying. Galleries and museums would be empty if someone did not take the time to formulate the paint.
T

This:
 

if you eliminate the bowl with the white glaze interior, you would have two sets of similar looking work when viewed from above.

Hi Tom, sure.....
^10 - flashing slips - soda - front / back

 

I don't think it's because a movie made pottery iconic, I think it's because there's some kind of sensual overtone to the joke that comes with it.  I don't even tell people I make pottery anymore because of it, even though it's a large part of my daily life.  I get "ooo lah lah, like in ghost?" With winks and rapid eyebrow raises.  I don't know what happens in ghost, but just from people's reactions there must have been something smutty or something.  Makes me feel gross and uncomfortable.