Rae Reich

Sounds more like an journey of self-punishment.  I thank you for your sacrifice though, I've learned more than a little from your explorations posted here on the forums.

I was in a high end antique store in Williamsburg, Va. In 2007 admiring a Dresden vase. On the next table was a vase with floret looking shapes that caught my attention. The clerk had no idea what kind of glaze it was. I spent almost an entire year searching for a similar glaze: then one day I typed in " crystal glaze", because that was the appearance of it to me. The first website was William Melstrom from Texas; lo and behold I had been looking at crystalline glaze. I had no prior experience with or interest for that matter in pottery, although I did help my wife glaze bisq ware some 20 years prior. 
After doing some research, I ordered the kilns, rollers, and sundry items required to make this speciality glaze. So I jumped into the rabbit hole from the outset, and here I am ten years later. I noticed early on that crystals formed differently on different clay bodies; although I made no changes in recipe. Those differences lead to extensive research over the last five years trying to understand why. And now I know why.....
Tom

I fell in love with clay when I was four years old, in kindergarten.  Thank you, Mrs. Owen .
We had a three day rotation in which one third of the class worked in clay, one third in paint, and one third built with blocks.
What appeals to my now in clay is not that different from what appealed to me then. It was how the clay felt in my hands, that it was plastic, that the form was three dimensional rather than two dimensional, and that the potential forms were limitless.
The act of shaping drew me much more than decorating. 

My love of clay started when I was 12,  I had a art teacher that thought I was artistic and was a big supporter.  One day she gave every one a ball of clay and told us to make anything we wanted.  Everyone else smashed out awful ashtrays,  my folks didn't believe in smoking.   I had been reading a book on Egypt and decided to make a Egyptian cat pendant for a necklace.  When I touched the clay I fell in love with it and the pendant was so beautiful  I knew clay was magic and I could make anything I wanted with it.  A few years later I was in high school where I could take a pottery class.  Great teacher,  I did a lot of hand building over the next three years.  Never got to throw on the wheel,  we only had one wheel and the teacher would pick a boy to teach  throwing to.   He didn't consider girls strong enough to throw.   I have tried many many different types of art but I always go back to clay.      Denice

Pres  its like this every other week on Glaze day and sometimes every week if I took a few weeks and just threw without firing.
Its my last fire of this year, only thing left is sell the pots myself and take them to my outlets every week. It go time in my business until the 25th then its as Mea says time to put my feet up -right now I'm waiting for a cortisone shot in my thumb.Seems all this clay work can mess with your body -who knew as one person said recently?

So today started like many glaze days except this was the last one this year. The day ended looking like these last two photos.Which is all that bisque ware you see in above post which got glazed and loaded today.
The big car kiln was not quite full (last fire of year is a cleanup of whats left) and the little 12 cubic updraft was bait loose as well.
This year in firing making terns is ending earlier than it ever has for me. Due to my two month broken arm setback-I ended up with a whole shows extra inventory-Hence no need to make that much more for xmas.I;ll post a year end comparison as usual for my business later in month after things slow down. I closed my retail pottery sale booth for two days (mon_tues) to concentrate on the glazing and firing as well as the usually 18 days this season is just a bit to long for me-I like 15 days selling maximum . So is will reopen on Wednesday and sell everyday thru xmas eve.
My workbench will be empty of  greenware and bisque ware  its only for fired pots that need pricing or sorting or shipping now as the selling season is on and the makings season is over.
 

This was on my workbench this AM it did not fit the bench and spilled onto many surfaces.At the end of day (5 pm it looked like next post all glazed and loaded in two kiln loads -see next post)
I throw a bunch of bowls and size them in groups by measure after bisqued-thats whats going on with these piles of bowls-they where just sized with a ruler.
We(my studio assistant and myself) waxed and glazed and I loaded two kilns today-all this bisque ware processed today. Glaze fires in am.
She does the hot dip waxing I do the hand waxing on footed forms
This is my last two fire this year. see next post on that
 

Welllllllllp, I ended up having time to go get clay over the weekend.  Picked up 500lbs, as well as some glaze chemicals I wanted.  I threw a big 15lb moon jar out of recycled clay last night, wow what an experience!  It was probably a little softer than I should have thrown with but it was a lot of fun and great practice for throwing bigger.  My new goal is to center and throw a 25 pounds vessel which is I think the max my rk2 is rated for.  I probably won't be able to fire a piece that big without modifying my kiln, but I guess it's a personal challenge.  Anyhow, with all of this brand new clay in my hands I need to get busy throwing some real stuff too.  Bowls, bowls, bowls.

Love this dish idea.  Wow!  I was an occupational therapist; now a beginner potter - and I think making this kind of bowl is a goal for me. I am going to go down to our children's center for kids with disabilities and see what shapes they recommend and see if I can (eventually) reproduce the shape. Thanks.
 

Five snowflakes, destined to become mobiles like this one.  Broke a piece off every single one of them between workbench and kiln. 
Slipped and sticked.
Let's see what the kiln gods can do with them.

Min that is similar to dishes I made for a friend of mine's daughter who had partial use of one arm.   My plate curved around more and eased into a rest for her hand, the family had asked for the built in rest.    I sold sets for several years to other families in the same situation,  I basically just covered cost.   My plate was based on a antique child's dish from England.   Denice

Prototype dinner plate for a disabled family member, she has partial use of one hand, paralyzed on the other side. Theory is she will be able to push her fork to the curved in back edge of the plate to keep the food on the fork. Front edge of plate is smooth and rounded over so she can rest her wrist either on that or the table.

It sounds like the time I was starting to pack  a dozen gourd shape vases with long thin necks to take to a gallery.  I had just started wrapping one when a big gust of wind and pressure pushed through my studio.   It sent my vases crashing into each other and on to the concrete floor.    I wasn't aware that my husband was replacing the seals on the back door,  he gave the door one big slam to see how the seals were working.  I only had one vase that remained intact.  I decide that this particular shape of vase wasn't good for gallery sales.   Denice

Sorry about that
but it did bring a wry smile to my face and memories of tools falling off a 20’ ladder near some formerly really nice finished wares.

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. 

Love that angled cylinder one, beautiful

A few months ago I posted some WIP photos of clock designs that I was experimenting with. Here’s how they are turning out:

 

Great question. I was fortunate enough to take my work bench on the road to build a bench for a friend which went to sofa and sold  successfully for at least four figures. Loved her art and glad it sold! Feel good about the bench as it had to support at least three hundred pounds without deflection to crack any of her tiles. Fun project and success always makes the labor part forgettable. Picture of it going to its new owner attached.
December project (s)
Complete a couple glaze formulations to work well over heavy underglaze on  low expansion porcelain.  Test are going well and should be able to publish after the first of the year.
Additional December project was to get at least four basic throwing videos done for newbies in the studio. Three done so far so we will just keep plugging along.
last project was to begin creating a glaze workshop for the resident artist at the studio. Just beginning this one and have outlined it. Thus far I like the direction and content.
 

What makes the most sense of everything I read is it was a marketing move. Playing off words that use names in a generic way, like “peeping Tom” or “Jim-dandy” “Jolly Roger” etc. The “z” sound in lazy with the first “s” in susan just was pleasing to the ear of a marketing person. 
Seems the term was first published in a Vanity Fair advertisement for a “Revolving Server or Lazy Susan” in 1917. It was described as “An impossibly low wage for a good servant and the cleverest waitress in the world.”
From what I read they have been around since the 1700’s, when they were called whirling domestics or dumbwaiters.They were silent waiters hence the word “dumb”. Landowners who couldn’t afford enough servants used them to help with the serving. (this term went on to become the small freight elevator by that name) I spent way too much time reading about them today, got to the point where I felt I was going around in circles. 
 

Yeah, needs rewedged, or pugged, but is not ruined. Reworking starts by slashing off sides and reversing them inward 2" on the 6 sides. Then  re bag until next day or so.
 
 
 
best,
Pres

When clay freezes and then thaws, the water will often migrate toward the outer edges of the block, so get a block that is sloppy wet on the outside and stiff on the inside. It just takes wedging to get it back to normal, but that's more work. Better to avoid the freezing in the first place if at all possible.

I wish I had an economical way of preventing it, but it's gonna be in the 20s at night this week and even with a space heater going it sometimes isn't enough.  But I've got a trick up my sleeve for at least this cold snap...  I'm down to my last bits of clay and won't be able to drive down to Seattle pottery until probably after the new year... So take that mother nature! Hah!

Lee:
it has been a joy watching you develop your own "voice" over the last two years. Glad to see you reimagining the platter. Actually find the expression intriguing. Well done!!
Nerd

It's definitely more work to wedge, center and pull but it seems to take a beating really well.  Just finished throwing a couple 10 pound pots with the reclaim, it definitely needed a softer touch but good news is, it's still plenty plastic!

I am currently just making some personal holiday giftees. Pics are my view out the studio windows after it snows! (Landlord's construction yard, sitting below a ridge-lovely.)