new design, Mystic Spiral

I recently made a clay stamp with a spiral design, and I have fallen in love with the simplicity and primal feel of the talismans that it gives shape to. This first one I glazed in my favorite clear crackle glaze. I love how it enhances the natural brown sandy clay that I use. I hope you like this first, there are more to come as I explore different glazes.

Inside my studio: Prepping for a low temp fire

Do you watch Alton Brown? When he talks about gadgets he only likes multi-taskers. I like that. So, when I do a bisque fire, the first of two or more trips to the kiln a piece recieves, I like to also have some glazed pieces getting re-fired. This firing is to about 1825-1850 degrees F, so low fire is a relative term. If you were cooking your thanksgiving turkey to that temp, you can be sure it would be a dry turkey! When I fire my clay to maturity, usually cone 6, that is up to 2260-2290 F. If you peek into the kiln with protective glasses you can watch as the color changes from black (shadowed no heat) to cherry red to lollypop orange to bright yellow, and if you are high firing you get to white heat and then the pots ( or beads) almost look transparent and shimmery.
I once fired a sculpture of an angel for someone, and her face was looking right at the peep-hole of the kiln. It was disconcerting to say the least to peek in at this angel that went from black to red to shimmer, and she was looking back out at me :-)

Anyway, this morning I am prepping for a low fire, so I have some new pieces drying out,

and some pieces that have been glaze fired at ^6 and touched up with ^06 glaze going back for another glaze fire,

and some "kiln mice" being bisqued. What the heck are "kiln mice"?

are little chunks of clay that stand upright and have a texture so you can use them to test and document glazes. I used my little homemade star mold to put a star on each, poked a hole in them, just like for a charm, but they have flat bottoms so they do not have to be hung up to glaze fire. I can place them all around the kiln anywhere there is a little space.

So I will bisque them as soon as they are bone dry, then put test glazes on them along with identifying text that I will paint on with a brush and stain. Tedious, but the best way to test that I have found. Eventually you end up with an army of little clay kiln mice all over the studio. Something for the studio helpers to play with, lol

New things from the kiln...........

I had a few new warm goodies waiting for me in the kiln this morning. New hands, jesters, lions and some new black pendants that I am very happy with.

My fairy stone came out just like I wanted it, I quickly put it on a leather necklace and I am wearing it still warm from yesterday's fire.

One of my new glazes is like looking at a fresh water pond, a transparent green/blue that looks great over my sandy stoneware. I really like it alot.

I made some little spacer beads and glazed them in a pale grey stone color.

and lastly I have a pendant with layered white and black glaze, I am very happy with the unexpected results. I will be adding new things to my Etsy shop as I get them photographed. Thankfully the su came out today for the first time in what seems like forever!

kiln fruits, some not ready to be picked...

I like the hands.....

I like the suns.......

I like some of the lions and jesters.....

and some I do not like, those matte colors, well they can be re-fired with a different glaze on top....

The cats like the lions I think....

But Ferret was not amused to be shut out of the kiln room, no dooors should be locked to the Queen of All Cats

(BTW, the other cat is Ferret's birth mother, but she doesn't know it, she thinks I am her mom)

Have a great day, I will be figuring out keepers from re-fires !

Pam

glazing time, testing new glazes

Glazing is kind of tedious when you are in a testing phase, in this case I am testing out a couple of new designs AND a bunch of glazes I have never used before. A few weeks back I posted about being gifted with a couple thousand jars of glaze, the inventory from a closed ceramic shop. I had to carefully go through them to dispose of any lead or heavy metals, and just use the non toxic stuff. It was a big job but I made it through, and now I have lots of new things to play with. 

I am a bit of a glaze nerd, and mostly mix my own up, but when life gives you two truckloads of materials, you use 'em! So as usual my helper was in the thick of things...... 

As you can see, non toxic materials in my glazes is VERY important! Now the kiln is loaded and warming up, and I have tedious housework to do...hopefully tommorow I can show off some new pieces, or not if I don't like !

no clay today, kicks and punches and splinters!

This is my daughter M this morning, doing a demo.  I had not seen her break boards before, she turned those 1 inch boards into kindling, they had to sweep up splinters off the floor after. Her dad and I are just amazed, neither of us could ever do anything like this, and her dad is pretty athletic. Me not so much. So no pictures of beads or clay, just my girl kicking butt.

Fairy Stones, Lions, Jesters, and Sunshine

I grew up in rural Virginia. My Dad took us camping all around the Blue Ridge and Smokie Mountains. Several times we found ourselves in Fairy Stone State Park, and I looked and looked for one of the mysterious little crosses, but never found one. These crosses are formed with two chrystals meet at right angles. They are one of natures lovely little gifts to us. Of course there is a bit of folklore to go with them. Legend has it that these mountains were inhabitted by the Fey Folk long ago, and when they heard that Christ had died on the cross far far away, they cried, and when their tears fell to the ground the resulting mud formed into these crosses.
Well, I  do not have a real one dug up by me, though you can get them easily enough on Ebay these days, I decided to make one from my own mud. I do not know if I will make any for sale, I will see if this one has any spirit in it when it is finnished. I do not know, this may be one of those pieces that is more alive in the making process than in the finished piece. I do like it alot in it's mud stage.

I have also been working on some renaisance inspired pieces since our annual trek to Ren Fest, and as always, my miniature panther is right in the middle of things. I only use non toxic materials anyway, but she makes doubly sure I keep things safe, literally putting her nose into every thing I do :-0

Have a great day everyone!