Mark C.
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Everything posted by Mark C.
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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.
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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
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Last Glaze day of the year for me on Monday-sale is going strong now at my pottery booth-I'm closing two days to glaze and fire-also I do not want to go 18 days this year selling only 15 maximum selling days from now on.
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I know you have the count but I was curious: how many plates, cups, spoon rest, etc. do you make a year?
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I NEVER count pots-If I did I would have gone crazy years ago. What I can say is I count tons of clay used per year-Its been about 10 the past few years . This year its about 7.5 for 2018 . Have not counted exactly yet but thats my guess.I'm slowing down fast now but that said my guess is a few thousand spoon rests and the same with sponge holders.The rest I do not want to know.
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I has a customer request this same item-but I do not do special orders anymore. Good job
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letting clay freeze seems like make work to me-rewedeging and all . I would avoid at all costs-of course a few bags is no big deal.
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Firing two more glaze fires today
I build my lockable pottery Booth Friday-start selling Saturday.My 39th year at this shopping center.
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You're lucky you live somewhere that allows you to do this. Also, that nobody vandalizes your cases overnight. Must live in a nice place.
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My booth locks up really well.I posted a photo a few years ago of it here.And its in front of our locally owned pet store-has security some of the time as well in shopping center-just not 24/7
This is my 39th year in that shopping center-not sure how many more I want to do.
a few maybe. I build the booth in 2.5 hours today then add pottery in am for 1st start day. I made this lockable booth just for this location-store it the whole year just for this .
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I remember seeing the photo of it, looked really good.
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I own 4 --150 quart coolers for fishing -how about using something like those or insulated moving blankets to keep the clay above freezing. It just needs no be at say 34 degrees. Foe small amounts (less than 1/2 ton-20 boxes) you could some keep in in the house as clay is dense and takes little room to store really.
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No I do not let my clay freeze-1st its not good on the clay as I would have to wedge it afterwards second it never freezes in the studio or much outside here in this sweet wet /dry climate. I keep about a 1/2 ton inside suitor to work as its warm clay then..My clay shed outside on Northside of studio on road holds 99% of my clay (right now about 4 tons) it has a canvas front but it does not freeze here enough to ever freeze the clay.I also have about a ton of stoneware in another covered area also open to cold but no freezing either. We gat some cold snaps-today was 35 this early am warming to 60 today. I'm almost done with production for the year-as I finish making things next Wednesday-that clay will sit until February as thats when I will get back to working clay again. I still have firing and glazing to do but this year its done on the 12th. Pottery sale goes thru the 24th so its selling time -starts on the 8th. I was glazing in studio yesterday with heater blasting to dry some pots and it was 79 in there-like the tropics-outside it was in the 40s.No freezing in studio ever-its insulated and even when shut down a month or two it never gets that cold here.
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Unloaded two glaze fires today
Backstock is piling up like never before
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I think I'm in that zone myself.
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My studio has insulated walls and ceiling-the throwing room is also insulated in floor as well as double glass windows in throwing room added in the early 2000's.That throwing room is 8x12-the other room is 11x22 with an open walkway between. As a business I need it to work well-heat is part of working well.I turn on heater to dry pots as well as I did today-I'm off of clay on Thanksgiving but heater is drying out pots from earlier in week today. It has a sink and cold water (warm water is made on a pan on heater when needed) wired for outlets and has lots of LED 4 foot lights and has a vacuum sateen to control dust as well as a air filtration system for airborne dust when making glaze.The study is 80% old barn garage 20% new throwing room. The floor is wood.Being cold is not part of any creative endeavor or at least for me.
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I stop studio work on Christmas and take a 4-6 week mandatory break-work in office on tax prep. My studio has a natural gas heater and can start up any time its needed.It does not freeze much around here only now and then. I do not close for winter and usually do get back to work in Feb. depending on winter vacation trips. Things slow down in winter except my grocery store sales keep on trucking so goods for them need to keep being produced . I often back stock most of that stuff so I always stay ahead of demand.
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Two Kilns are cooling with glaze wares so tables are empty-New throwing starts in am-salt cellars,miso bowls and small cereal bowls for am. Only a few fires left this year. I'm way ahead with at this point a canceled show from broken arm-sounds strange but van is still packed full and back sock is piling up priced and boxed.
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45 years and 11 months 2weeks and three days and still learning
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Shotley Wood Firing October 2018
Mark C. commented on Chilly's gallery image in Browse Member Galleries
looking good -
45 years ago I thought pots all needed feet. That changed in the 1st 10 years for me. I like feet but not all wares need feet. I still feel bowls do need feet.If I have a form with no foot I still have a glaze catching ridge and it tapers under and appears as a foot to small degree. It also catches running glazes.Its one of my styles I'm know for along with the plate and platter nubbins-or any nubbin on the Botton which I sign.
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Glaze week-spent time last 3 days glazing-arm is slowly getting stronger .Fired small gas kiln yesterday with glaze load -today load big kiln
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glad to hear you are healing. just do not overdo it. small things can be lovely. and profitable.
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Sounds like you're getting better by doing what you need to do. Best wishes!
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Have you been swimming? Don't let your shoulders forget their jobs.
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kilnshedrakukilns copy.jpg
Mark C. commented on Marcia Selsor's gallery image in Browse Member Galleries
nice space-looks like an all metal building with a little wood at the door.Is the ceiling insulated??I can see that the walls are not. -
This is a tough one-I have made a good living on glazes that RUN-but thats not my favorite I like salt pots and and the flashing slips and crystals on them as well and heavy salt look of pebble. The effects of salt like on my fence post demon dog series below
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Art engages my thought process more-In collage pursuing a BA in art I made art-that art is still around my world .Ceramic sculptures in the yard drawings in tubes-painting long ago destroyed .I no longer make much art. I know how-I like to view others at shows .I still do some for myself daily for fence and yard-never to sell. For me its a luxury as I'm in the business of making money with ceramics and making ceramic art is just to hard to do that with. I have made some for fun in my salt kiln like kiln demon dogs for my fence but never to try to sell.I like to make art for myself as noted as its an outlet for expression I like . Salt pots are the same deal for me I cannot make them along with my weekly fictional work . I must clear the plate and have fun with salt wares as they are not meant for the market. I think you know art when you see it-most of my pots are not art but functional wares.Yes I have made a salt face jug or two and that was art.
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When I ran two color bodies-stoneware and porcelain -I used two wheels two wedging areas and two separate piles of bats. (toss a few where the lids weren't quite matched up.) just use a chuck and trim the lids to fit.If its a wider jar well then you need to throw a larger lid.I always write inside with wet finger on lids the metric CM that way I know what it was.
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I like to use every day other potters mugs-coffee and milk as well as my stoneware dinnerware set every day that I made in 1976.I use the salad plate almost every lunchtime as well.
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That clay looks like sandstone buff-has the same baby poo look to it.
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One thing of note-in my 45 year ceramic career my art BA has never come up-not in any sense-galleries -shows-etc.
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