Colored Slip Decoration

Yesterday was a terrible day in the studio.... just one of those days where nothing went as planned.  I could not even throw.  Today was fun, I eased into the day by mixing up some batches of thick slip for decorating.

Slip is just a fancy word for way watered down clay to the point of being a thick liquid.  My goal is to have colored slip stored in small, airtight containers for painting on pottery.  Since ingredients for slip (and glaze) and based upon dry weight in grams, I had been saving scraps and letting the clay dry to "bone dry" and brittle.  I mixed 8 small (100g) test batches today using oxides and stains. 

Stains are put on pottery while the clay is still wet so the clay in the slip shrinks with the piece.  The B-Mix we use in the studio shrinks 12%.  Above is a picture of the test piece I made today using the slips.  Once dry, it goes in the kiln for the bisque fire, a clear glaze will be applied over the entire surface then back to the kiln for the second glaze firing. 

A picture of the results along with details of which oxides and how much were used will be posted after it comes out of the kiln.

Teresa

Flower Power Pots

Gardening has always been one of my favorite things to do.  Our growing season here, in Truckee, is very, very short.  Gardening magazines are beginning to come in the mail, seeing all the wonderful flowers has motivated me to add some flowers to my pottery.

Daisy on a vase

I threw this casserole dish as a demo during drop-in.  Added the flowers, stems and leaves the following day.

The relief will be painted with bright underglaze then the entire piece dipped into glaze.  I can just picture the glaze pooling in the lines of the mountain scene creating a darker line of glaze color, a touch of blue for a river under the mountain and underglaze of green and brown on the tree.

Winter is a great time to experiment, try out new techniques, forms and ideas.  The cooler temperatures, higher humidity and using gas heat (moist heat) all make the clay dry slower which gives me more time to tinker around in the studio between kiln loads.

Hope to get these in the bisque load tomorrow, then glazed and fired by the end of the weekend.  I'll post pictures of the finished pieces!

You will have to let me know if they end of looking like what imagine they would. 

Flower power to you!  Teresa

Snow!

Today feels like winter, the white stuff has been falling from the dark sky all day.  Well, not all day, it started a few minutes after our morning snowshoe and is still piling up.

No where near the 10 feet some were calling for, the snow on the railing has landed since around noon when the deck was shoveled.  Do you see the ceramic birdhouse peeking out through the snow? 

The cats love watching the white stuff floating through the air, they do not like the snow sliding off the roof.

Raku is rest now.  He had a big day chasing snowflakes.

Enjoy!  Teresa

Low fire Commercial glaze at Cone 5?!

I've been playing around with some commercial low fire glaze and underglaze as decoration and addition combining with my Cone 5 glazes.

Color Chart- (by Cory Moore)

Commercial glazes lines up and down

Cone 5 glazes were painted on from left to right on top of the commercial glazes

(Top to Bottom- Purple, light blue, raw clay at "underglaze", celadon green, white)

It is really a lot of fun to see the spectacular results, especially the vibrant screaming red under my grassy green celadon glaze.

The purple (my favorite color) seems to fade to either violet or a dark blue, depending upon which low fire glaze I try.

When fired at low temperatures (04-06 range) these glazes stay in place with very little to no movement, on vertical surfaces at cone 5, they they run or "smudge" some.  I like the effect.

Element Chunkies look completely different at the higher firing temperature!  I love the way they still make crystals yet, they really run and "smear" creating wonderful effects, especially on texture!

I'll be playing with glaze effects more.... what do you think of the colors?

Positive thoughts for you today, Teresa

Spinning into the New Year

Life is beginninng to get back to normal after the excitement, stress and hardwork of moving the studio in November '09, the holidays and work. 

We celebrate Thanksmas, which for us is a wonderful few days at Moms house (check out her blog at http://pinkdogwoodblossom.blogspot.com/) where we celebrate Thanksgiving with a hike in the foothills and an incredibly delicous meal prepared by Forrest one day and Christmas the following with presents under the fake fiscus tree iwth white lights.

The hecteck holiday season begins after that with the finale of working the ER at Tahoe Forest Hospital from Christmas day through New Years day, the busiest time in the ER.  I also taught at Martis Camp for two days and helped with their budding paint your own pottery program.

As I said, life is beginning to get back to normal in the studio and at home.  Still busy yet, manageable and fun.  Last week I added an additional drop-in time on Thursdays from 10 am to 1230 pm to compliment the Wednesday and Thursday evening drop-in sessions at 5:30 to 8 pm.

A Mini Beginner Wheel Throwing class started last Sunday with an awesome group of 5 people, three additional pottery classes are scheduled to begin in January.

I really enjoy teaching classes and helping out during drop-in sessions.  I feel so blessed to have such a creating, engaging and fun group of people who frequent the studio.  So much of what I blog about is technique and/or studio issues, both are a huge part of what i do at the studio yet, it is the people and interaction which really make it such a comfortable and relaxing place that I am excited to go to everyday.

Enjoy Today! Teresa

Metal Flakes in Pugged Clay

Those little black specks in the clay are the culprit!  For months we have been fighting "contaminated" clay coming out of the pugmill... the first few times, I thought we must have had a stray tool find its way into the clay recycle garbage can but, after a few more times and just as many complete and through cleaning of the entire inside of the pugmill, I knew that could not be it.  The entire clay recycling program was put on hold for a few months while the studio moved to the new location.  After some time had passed at the new location and we had settled in, I decided to take the pugger apart for further investigation...

To the left is the picture of what the inside of the pugmill looked like, it is a close up so you can see all of the pitting to the metal.

The nice guys at Peter Pugger diagnosed this awful case of metal acne as "oxidation".  Well, humm, I thought, who would have guessed that after all of these months and safe guards put into place so foreign objects would not get into the pugger, it was all coming from the metal nozzle inside the pugmill.

 

Peter Pugger sandblasted then brushed on two coatings of Devcon Brushable ceramic epoxy coating making a lovely Tahoe blue color.  I did not get a picture of the fresh pugged clay, we used it all up already!

Way to much glaze

Of all the steps, glazing can be the trickiest in making pottery. 

"Ocean" glaze on colander made by a Drop-In potter

Color can make or break a piece.  Each glaze seems to have its own personality, some are runny, some like a thin application while others need to be thicker and others look best with a very even thickness.  My favorite glazes "break" on texture, those which are one color where then and another where thick.

Too much glaze- no matter it's charactorists, is NOT a good thing. 

 Glaze was applied to thick- it ran right off the colander during firing, welding the piece to the kiln shelf.

A good rule of thumb- glaze should be the thickness of a postcard after application and before firing.

Happy Glazing!  Teresa

Navajo Wheel Clay (Red Clay) by IMCO

Yep, the rumor is true.  T Pots Pottery now stocks a red clay called Navajo Wheel by IMCO.

We tested the clay for a few weeks, everyone who threw with it, really enjoyed the smooth, creamy feel and loved the deep, rich color.  Testers felt the clay was easy to center and throw with, so easy, may found themselves with the top portion of their pot suddenly unattached to the wheel and in their hands at the end of a "pull".  Using less water than with the white clay (B-Mix) really helped with the "flimsiness" feeling of the clay.

I found the clay to be easy to throw, softer than B-mix.  Navajo Wheel is much less tempermental in respect to attaching handles and "S" cracks.  A few pieces were intentially left with a thick, uncompressed bottom and left to dry right side up.  - no "s" cracks.  Handles stay put, even with slightly dry clay.

Navajo Wheel on the left, B-Mix on the right= same glaze on both

The best part is the clay will wash out of clothing!  The shrink rate is 15%, a little more than b-mix at 12%.  so far the studio glazes all have a nice fit with no crazing and they look gorgous on the darker clay.

I'll add updates about the clay as they come out of the kiln.

Happy Holidays

Teresa 

New Glaze Tests- Cone 5 Oxidation

Even though it takes a lot of time, I love playing around with the computer and chemicals to come up with new glaze recipes.  I recently mixed up 6 new attempts at various colors and came up with two I like.

The first is based on a very stable base for a matte glaze I already use with two of my colors "Sage" (formally Carribean Sea) and "Ocean".  With the new still unnamed glaze, I added 2% Red Iron Oxide resulting in this wonderful glaze.  The second picture is the new glaze on the top rim of a glossy transparent honey colored glaze I am playing with.  Love the two together, especially the way the they run together.

The other one I like but, will tweak some more is from recipe given to me by Hawaiian potter, Dean McRaine. I told him I have been working on a purple glaze for some time with out much success, he gave me Randys Red and said to add cobalt.  

Here it is on both light and dark clays.  I like the violet color, will try it with a little more cobalt for a darker shade.

Here it is with light blue dribbled along the edge

On  top of dark blue it has a slight pink cast

Enjoy!

Playing Around

I've had a blast just playing around in the studio the past three days!  So often, I get caught it with all which must be done; cleaning, organizing, marketing, pricing, working on special orders, replenishing inventory and more cleaning that I forget the pure joy of just working in clay with no deadlines, no specific project and no time restraints.

Friday, I decided to play hookey from "the biz" to enjoy myself, play and create whatever happened.  I threw 150 lbs of clay (3 boxes, 6 bags) yes, I am physically tired!  (Not to tired to got to Squaw tomorrow though :) )

Suddenly I realized another day had flown by... only took pictures of one piece before coming home.

I feel so rejuvenated! I hope you too can find some time to do something really fun, "all about you", this holiday season.

Is your tetanus current?

It is that time for me- time for a tetanus booster.  I really hope anyone playing in "the dirt" wheather that be clay, gardening or whatever... gets a tetanus booster.

You know the old thing about stepping on a rusty nail?  Well, it is not the rust, it is the dirt on the nail which causes tetanus.  Tetanus lives in the dirt and is transmitted to via an open wound.   Getting tetanus is rare but not pretty!  The CDC recommends a booster every 10 years.  Check with your doc to see if it is time for you too.

Harbor Freight Wheel

A month or so ago someone purchased a potters wheel from Harbor Freight, she gave a nice review of it on PotteryBasics 101. 

Sure there were a few things about it which were of concern but, with the 20% coupon code I had, the wheel was less than $275 out the door!  Can't beat that price.

After using the wheel for a few weeks, I sadly returned it.  Harbor Freight has a great return policy.

Below are the pro's and con's I found with the wheel. 

Pro- price, fairly quiet, comfortable to sit at

Con's- single splash pan does not come off or have a drain hold, wheel head does not come off which makes it tough to clean the splash pan, the foot pedal does not have "cruise control" it also felt awkward and was touchy to decrease speed.  The biggest single issue for me was that the top speed was not very fast for centering.  The wheel was able to handle centering 15 lbs no problem, it was just very slow.

With all that said, I do think it could be a great starter wheel for someone.  Mind you, my use for the wheel is mainly for students; beginner to advanced.  I currently have two Creative Industries Class Boss, an older Brent C, Pacifica GT800, an artista and Baily wheels.  I think the difference in footpedal alone would have been enough to drive everyone crazy.

Right now for the money and my useage needs, I feel the Creative Industry Clay Boss a better choice.

Stay tuned for a future review of the Clay Boss.

Kauai Potter Dean McRaine

Tucked behind a wood working shop just a block off the main hwy in Kapaa is a wonderful treasure... LightWave Pottery, the working studio of Dean McRaine. 

A potter for more than 20 years on Kauai, Dean designed and built the studio a few years ago.  Dean and his wife Malone welcomed us in the bright, airy, spacious and well designed studio and gallery as if we were old friends.

Once Dean found out I too am a potter, he immediately began showing me things he thought a fellow potter would be interested in.... Dean single fires Cone 10 Oxidation in a gas kiln.  He formulates and mixes all of his rich and beautiful glazes.  I was especially impressed  and interested in the chemistry involved with his copper red.  Dean incorporates texture and glaze layering to enhance the color and effect of his glazes. I could tell that glaze and colors are a passion for Dean with years and years of testing.

Currently Dean is excited with the wonderful results he is getting using colored clays.  My picture did not do it justice so, check out his website at http://lightwavepottery.com

"Puff" The Magic Dragon hanging at the studio. 

On your next visit to Kauai, don't miss LightWave Pottery & Ceramic Art

Clayworks at Kilohana

Clayworks is a really cool spot, located just South of Lihue on an old plantation, this pottery studio and gallery has it all.  The set up is simular to T Pots Pottery iwth classes and instruction.  Clayworks is the perfect rainy day activity for those on vacation, looking for something fun and different to do.  The "studio" with wheels, work tables, and kilns are outside under a covered porch in a tranquil, garden like setting. 

If throwing is not your thing, Clayworks also offers paint your own bisque and they seem to specialize in Raku firing.

Inside is a retail gallery space with some beautiful pottery from different artists.  The prices are reasonable and they will ship.

Next time you are on kauai, be sure to check out  Clayworks!

Painting- the studio

I am convinced I was not a painter in any of my previous lives.  One might think that as an ceramic artist, I would have some color sense.  I do not.  Thank goodness for those little $3.00 paint samples.  One may also assume that after painting both glaze and acrylic on pottery, painting three different studios, shelves, floors, (and myself) I would feel confident and comfortable covering a flat surface in a single color with no design or fancy techniques.  I do not.

I feel just as awkward painting with my left hand as I do with my right.  Ambidextrous painting does make it easier to reach into those tight spots without contorting into awkward positions and the ladder only has to moved half as often.  

All of that said- I am loving the colors for the middle, or working room of the studio.  After just a single coat (yes, it took all day to do 2 walls), the room feels warmer, brighter and livelier.  So excited to see the finished job tomorrow!   Who would have thought using fall, earth-tone colors would do that?

Pics tomorrow...  If you are out and about, stop by the new location just across the street from the downtown traffic circle on West River St.  10607 West River St. #2A

As always- A huge thanks to Stu (who knows color AND how to paint) for all of you help and support!!

Pottery Studio Pictures- retail gallery space

Loving the new location!  The front room is dedicated as the showroom/retail area for pottery and art.

 

 

Bright yellow and orange walls, which Stu painted, are cheerful and fun.

Made In Tahoe

Next time you are in the Crystal bay area, check out Made in Tahoe, Bea and Sue are delightful people who run the store.  Made in Tahoe is a specialty art and gift store, who focuses on Lake Tahoe/Truckee artists and artisans and their Tahoe-inspired custom jewelry, artwork, baskets, pottery, clothing and gift items.  Made in Tahoe is located in the main lobby of Tahoe Biltmore Casino & Hotel.  


I am packing some new bowls and vases to take over to Sue this afternoon.

Wild Cherries

I just took another load of pottery over to Wild Cherries.  Wild Cherries, the local hot spot for coffee, yummies, awesome lunch wraps and much more is located on Donner Pass Rd. right next door to Truckee Fire.  If you have not been there, you have got to check it out!

Fall Days

Photo from my picture journal~

Vibrant maple tree as seen from our front porch

Outside my window~

squirrels are racing throughout the yard preparing their winter stash

I am thinking~

how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful area

I am thankful for~

my loving and supportive husband, Stu

I am wearing~

purple!

I am remembering~

lazy, warm, carefree summer days

I am look forward to~

cozy winter days, watching the snow fall

I am hoping~

for a fun, busy season

I am going~

to Hawaii next month

I am reading~

3 cups of tea

I am noticing that~

no matter how organized I think I am, there is always something I have forgotten

Two of my favorite things~

purple flowers and that exhausted feeling from playing to hard

I like to spend time with~

warm, funny, positive people, especially Stu.

*****************************************************
My Mom and best friend, Cory who bloggs at Pink Dogwood Blossom
had this on her blog so, I thought I would follow her lead and tell a little about myself.

I hope you are enjoying the fall changes and color as much as I am.

New Pottery Studio Pics

Two Sinks! Working room which is home to the wheels, extruder, slab roller and tons of misc. tools
The studio is split into 3 room. This picture is taken from the back room (glaze, kiln, drying shelves) through the middle working room into the front gallery area.

Update to $5 measure stick

After using the measuring stick a few times, I have made two modifications to it.

1. I added another piece of wood under the bottom base piece, it is a little larger and thicker than the base. I found that it needed more weight as the whole thing moved slightly after some time at the wheel.

2. I added a piece of plastic (cut from the lid to a cottage cheese container) in the shape of a arrow to the arm nearest the pot. Using a sharpie, I colored it black so it is more visible.

Aside from that, I really like the measure stick!

How to Make a Pottery Measure Stick for Under $5

I saw a measure stick in Pottery Making Illustrated which looks very nice, just out of my price range. So, I made my own for under $4 using wood scraps.

For the most part, my pottery is not all exact and the same size... close enough for "sets" yet all are a little different in size and shape.

There are times, a special order for example or working towards a very large collection when I would like to be able to know exactly what size I made to make more of the same or have an easy way to re-create the same size for special orders.

Material List:
2 drywall screws
1 Piece of wood approx 4 x 2 and 1/2" thick (base)
1 Piece of wood approx 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 and 10" long (vertical stand)
1 Piece of trim board type wood approx 1" x 1/4" and 14" long (movable arm)
Wood Glue (I did not use but may be a good idea)
Bolt (I found one with a knob)
wing nut
locking washer

After cutting the wood to size, Drill holes (use a drill bit the same size or a tiny bit larger than your bolt), every few inches on the two long pieces of wood.

Screw the base onto the vertical arm. It is easier if you drill two pilot holes before trying to screw the pieces together.

Assemble the parts by putting the bolt through one of the holes in the vertical piece then put the "arm" onto the bold then lock washer and wing nut.

That is it! You now have a measuring stick.

Back at it- Studio set-up

Now that the excitement, preparation and clean up from ARTour Open Studio is over, I am back to the normal routine in the studio.

Drop-in has started up again and the first Mini Beginner Throwing class starts this Sunday.

I rearranged the studio (just a tiny bit) to improve the flow of work during Drop-in pottery nights, have moved part of the retail pottery display to shelves against the wall,


added additional space for wedging, handbuilding and work space along the wall,


Put all of the handbuilding tools, supplies and "texture" stamps and tools in a single area,

organized the glazes and incorporated the "Cink" a recirculating sink for washing clay from ceramic tools and equipment and put little shelves next to the glaze spray booth for the mason jars of glaze.

Whew, it was a lot of work, fun to do and I am liking the end results!

What is Raku

Raku is a blast! Raku is a pottery firing process where pots are lifted out of the really hot kiln with long tongs just after the glaze has melted and before the pots or kiln cool. The pots are still glowing red when they are placed into a metal container with a combustible material (newspaper, pine needles, sawdust, etc.). The combustible material quickly catches fire and a lid is placed on top to snuff out the oxygen. The fire and pots in the container are starved for oxygen and try to pull it from the glaze, this lack of O2 results in beautiful pieces of pottery. These pots do not hold water and are not safe for food.

Test Tiles- Done!

There are over 325 glaze color choices at T Pots Pottery!




Thanks to the help of Heather and Cory, the finished tiles are hanging in the studio!




As you can see on the tiles pictures above left- the base color is "E" which according to the chart is Robins Egg. Each ring of tiles are organized with all color combination's for the same base color. Robins Egg in the example above.

Glaze Spray Booth

Spray Booth

"Window Vision"
An example of a piece glazed using the spray booth


With a spray booth I am able to blend colors for very interesting effects which can not be done with dipping the pottery piece into a bucket of glaze.

Stu made this for me using plastic sheeting we had left over from our veggie garden cold boxes. Enough light comes through the clear plastic that I don't need extra lighting inside the booth.

The spray booth is mounted to the wall on normal shelve brackets. I have found clean up when I put some newspaper under the banding wheel.The ceiling of the spray booth has been fitting with a cheap furnace filter vent which is simple to open and clean or replace the bottom filters.

the boxes on top of the spray booth hold a stack of furnuce filters and the bathroom type fan which turns on/off by a switch.

The compressor (sits under the spray booth) is set to 30 psi. I use a critter sprayer and mason jars (you can see two of them to the left of the booth) filled with different color glazes. Wearing a mask while spraying glaze is mandatory!