What's going on these days...

Oh boy.  I am sick.  I have had a temperature hovering around 100 degrees for the last three days (and possibly the day before that).  After sitting on my ass for about 72 hours, I'm finally starting to feel like a person again.  This means I should do stuff.

My studio has been making incremental progress.  I met with an electrician on Thursday, and he says he can get the kiln wired up properly pretty easily (for 1/6 of what it was going to cost to wire up my previous space).  I am just waiting on the homeowner, now; she has other electrical work she wants done, so she was going to contact him directly to talk about that.

I spoke today with the son-in-law of one of my coworkers, who is a contractor/carpenter type person, and he's going to help me make my wedging table soon - maybe within the next week or two.  I am looking forward to recycling clay properly on plaster; this canvas covered board thing that I have right now is not working that well for me.

Another task is finally selling this tabletop wheel that is sitting uselessly in my studio.  Anyone know someone who wants one?  It's two-speed, quite durable, heavy and in great condition.

Anyway, I've been getting to work on kickstarter rewards - 11 shot classes, 2 mugs, 1 stein, and 1 bowl in various stages of completion at the moment.  Once we get the kiln plugged in and I order a vent and get that going, it should be underway - hopefully by the end of the month, although that's frighteningly close at this point.  I want to post some pictures of what I've been doing, but iPhoto is being weird and not recognizing my phone at the moment.  Back when I figure that out.

-Lorraine

Update: finally getting underway!

Hi everyone!


After a few weeks in limbo regarding my kiln, it looks like I may (fingers crossed) have finally found somewhere for it to live. We're working out the details in the next week or so, and hopefully having an electrician up during that time to evaluate/hook up anything that's not already ready. So firing could begin as early as the 23rd or so!


In the meantime, I've ordered clay and glazes, and am going to sit down and make a whole lot of pieces today! My schedule has been eating my life, but now that things are moving I'm hoping to get a lot of your pieces made and shipped in the next month.


Thank you to everyone who's filled out a survey, and if you pledged in the higher reward tiers, don't worry if you haven't received a survey yet - I'm doing them in phases so I'm not too overwhelmed all at once.


Thanks again for helping me out, and soon you'll get to see the fruits of your support!

-Lorraine

Kickstarter - and updates

My kickstarter has ended successfully, which is super exciting! I'll be trying to post updates here as well as there. The rest of this post is just me copying over updates that I posted there.




Update #1 (8/26/2012)

Hi, everyone!


I am totally bowled over by the amount of support I've gotten. Thank you all so much! I'm beginning my research into exactly what kiln I am going to want.


I wanted to let everyone know that if the pledge amount goes over, that will still end up going towards the glazes, clay, and wedging table - with shipping (and kickstarter fees taken out) I don't anticipate much left over after the kiln. Which is fine, and was my original plan - but if there's a little extra, that means more variety of glazes available from the start, which means you have more options for when I'm making your piece!


Thanks again for all your support, and I can't wait to start making your pieces as soon as I can!


-Lorraine

(then I posted some pictures)


Update #2 (9/15/2012)

Hi, everyone!


I am so excited about how much you've all been helping me out, bit by bit. I reached my goal some time ago, but people have still been helping, and each contribution is still very important.


One important update: I have a kiln! I found one used on craigslist, and it is exactly what I was looking for.


Unfortunately, I don't yet know if it works (I have high hopes, because it is in fantastic condition) because I cannot plug it in anywhere. The space where I am keeping it, where I may be able to keep it permanently, is not wired for a kiln.


I am talking to an electrician, as well as the landlord, trying to find a solution, but it is very possible it will be at least several hundred dollars to wire it safely so that it works. It may be more than that. We're still figuring that out.


This is the last push! I can't fire my pottery until my kiln is hooked up, and I really want to start making all the things I'm going to be sending you. I am deeply grateful for all the support you've already shown me, and I hope to send an update soon saying it's all been accomplished.


If you have a desire to help more, you can give me a signal boost - post about my kickstarter on a social media site of your choice, or shoot an email to arts appreciators you know, and I will happily make pottery for them as well! Donations can be made until around 8:30pm on Saturday, September 22nd.


Thank you all!


Now I'm going to go play with clay.


P.S. I've added two new reward categories: $16 for a beer stein (really, really big mug that'll fit an entire bottle of beer or soda or other beverage) and a one-time-only reward for a contribution fo $350 - I have a tabletop wheel that I no longer need (I got it before realizing it wasn't quite right for me but it totally works and is pretty heavy-duty). Know anyone who wants to try making pottery but doesn't have space for a big wheel? This could be perfect for them!


Update #3 (9/23/2012)

Thanks, everyone!


You have all helped a great deal - I am excited to send you your pieces as soon as I can!


Here is where I currently stand:


I have a kiln but not a space where I can plug it in. I am going to see if there's anyone nearby who has a space where I can keep it and run it, and I am planning to use funds from kickstarter money to help move the kiln again and pay for electricity/rent wherever it ends up.


I am going to order clay and glazes as soon as the money comes though Amazon in 14 days; in the meantime, I'm using the small amount of clay I have left to start making your pieces.


I am going to begin sending out surveys to ask you for details, such as what kind of piece(s) you want within the category you've chosen, or where to ship them if they need to be shipped, or what colors of glaze you're interested in.


I look forward to the next couple of weeks as I get underway, and thanks again for all your support! I'll let you know when the kiln location issue is resolved.


-Lorraine


So I am still looking for a space to keep and plug my kiln in. Know anyone in the Ball Square area who wouldn't mind having an electric kiln in their basement?

I'm back!

I know I haven't posted in a long, long while (and I'm not sure who I'm talking to - I doubt I have "regular" readers as that would require me posting with any regularity).  But the pottery has returned to my life, and so I will attempt to write about it once more!

I am deeply grateful to my incredibly generous boyfriend who is letting me use an extra room as my studio.  I am slowly acquiring the things I need to put it together; so far I have a wheel and a small shelving unit.  I am launching a kickstarter (hopefully within a week) to see if I can get a) funding for the remaining things (kiln, kiln furniture, wedging table, glazes, shelving units) and b) tons of things to make right away to get back in the swing of things - everyone who donates to my kickstarter will get at least one piece of pottery, which will be SO MUCH FUN.

I hope to post on here more once I have bats for my wheel (couldn't get the damn pins out, sadly - I dislike throwing on bats but I admit that it is more practical in many ways, especially when the bat pins are stuck in the wheel) and I hope that that will be on Tuesday.

I cannot wait to start really throwing - I've made an inspiration wall of pictures of pottery from Ceramics Monthly magazine.  It is, so far, living up to its name extremely well.

Throwing out my back

In other words, I'm finally back to throwing after eight and a half months without it. I just recently read this amazing book about the history and function of clay throughout human existence that taught me a lot and made me respect clay even more than I had previously. Instrumental in the the process of learning to cook food, creating dwellings, developing sanitation, and other important stuff, it is basically made of rule.

So tonight, after reading this book, I sat down to throw for the first time in several months. I had four balls of varying sizes and wetness and did my basic centering with difficulty. As I begin to throw again, obviously, I'll regain my strength and, hopefully, gain more. The first thing I need to accomplish with throwing is a set of 6-8 cereal/soup type bowls for my bizbaz donation last year. So I started off trying for a bowl. For a while it was going ok, but then it didn't. Then I threw with a massive ball of clay, and it wanted to be a vase. It is currently drying in vase form, with proportions and shape inspired by the female figure. Big surprise there.

Then I had a small ball of clay again, only partway through working with it I discovered some hard bits that didn't need to be there; after getting rid of them, it went ok, but didn't culminate in a piece. Then I threw a huge, wet ball, my final ball of clay, and after basically cutting it in half due to inconsistencies within it (I did wedge a bit, but I still suck at/dislike wedging, so not as much as I should have) I did manage to throw a fairly decent bowl. It's not a shape I'm wild about, but I think (should it survive) it'll be replicable. So there's a start on commission #1, which does not gain me money but gets it the hell off my mind. Also, the vase is around 10" last I checked, so it should be decently sized even after firing... I'm hoping for between 7" and 8" tall. I need to get a better sense of how much pieces shrink in firing, although of course this'll be low-fire instead of the high-fire I'm used to.

Anyway, the reason I wanted to write tonight, after neglecting my blog for well over a year, was because I'm starting to develop a philosophy about the way I approach clay. I dislike having a deadline for making several similar items, although I recognize that it's good for me to learn to throw more consistently and thus making sets is about the best thing for me, technique-wise, right now. But I have a few commissions (either definite or on the horizon) that are more interesting to me because they're a bit more open-ended, have a decently large block of time between now and when they're needed, and are fun shapes to either throw or learn to throw. One involves goblets or, like, champagne flutes, which I'm pretty psyched to work on once this bowl thing is done. I haven't tried to throw goblet type things since sophomore year, so it's been a while - I can only hope that I'd do it better now than I did then. And I think that's possible.

Nothing to do but throw and see what happens. The clay is older and more opinionated than I am, and it knows better than I do what it's suited to be. I respect it a great deal; it's like Michelangelo and blocks of marble. Ok, yes, I just compared myself to Michelangelo, which is full of bullshit, but it is sort of how I feel about throwing. The clay has a piece of pottery within it, and it's up to me to select the clay properly and coax it into the shape it wants to be. I need to learn to listen to the clay better and to coax it into its shape while being able to communicate my needs to it.

As Sonia says: "That is some pretty mystic, new age, hippie shit."

Picture Post: Gosforth part two

These bowls were not meant to be similar in shape, but it would have been nice. The one on the right was first, and was thrown more closely using Dick's instructions than the one on the left. They're both a little tall for their width, in my opinion, making them less pleasing to me as bowls... that's something I'll have to work on since most of my bowls end up being this kind of shape.

These pots *were* meant to be the same shape... something I was only partially successful at. The one on the left was thrown with Dick providing assistance, and the one on the right was when I tried to copy the first one several hours/a day later (I don't remember exactly). Thus, the one on the right is a bit smaller than the one on the left, and it also has less of the smooth curve of the original. I patently need to work on making sets of things, so that they're this amount of similar I suppose is good, as it's a good leaping off point for making sets. However, I would that they were more similar.


Plates! My favorites, ever! (sarcasm) Actually, all my plates (all three) went ok. Dick's method for pulling them out flat is somewhat different than I used to do, and despite my difficulty at the beginning with it, I think it works better. Neither of these ended up being quite the size I wanted... I always forget about the shrinkage! Or, rather, I forget quite how much there is. The one on the left I pulled up after widening it, for to make a casserole dish or some such like that. The one on the right I deliberately made with more clay so that it could be larger, and I was relatively pleased with how it ended up.


These are my raku pots. I only used three glazes: white, black, and copper. The copper makes the turquoise-y color, and white and black together make blue. Raku is delightfully unpredictable, so these did not come out quite as I imagined them. After cleaning them up a bit (they end up with quite a bit of extra carbon on) I did find shiny colors that I like... if I had these to hold, turn about, and consider, I might become fond of them. As it is I'll have to reserve judgement until August/September/whenever.

Picture Post: Gosforth

This picture shows several different pieces, some of which I subsequently destroyed and some of which I kept and continued to finish. The vase in the background I made with Dick's assistance; the shape is very pleasing, and although it is a little bit small, it's well balanced. The vases I originally made to be the gifts for others, but as I kept looking at them, over the week, I became less and less fond of them, finally tossing them into my clay to recycle. They were all right, but unturned (untrimmed) they showed the skill I still had yet to learn. The two jar tops I did throw lids to finish - except I forgot or underestimated how much the jars had already shrunk, and my lids ended up too big. I had to slowly trim down the outsides in order to make the lids fit the jars well enough. Embarrassing... but it was ok because I learned about making jars and lids. Plus I ended up with three useful jars.


These candle-holders were originally goblets in my mind, but Barbara correctly pointed out that it would be easier to throw goblets than handbuild, so I did candle-holders. They were made by using a press mold, which was essentially the inside of a plastic food container lined with saran wrap. What was, for me, the most important and creative part of the process was deciding upon and making the bases for each individual piece. All of the candle-holders have a base that deals with the number three; most have three sections providing support for the central base. I wanted them to look like a set, despite the differences between each of them, so I used slips in a single color family (actually, hard to avoid since most of the slips they had were of a single part of the spectrum, from yellow to blue). If you look closely at the picture, you may be able to distinguish five different slip colors. Or maybe not. But they're all there - light green used twice, dark green three times; turquoise used thrice, light blue once, and dark blue thrice again. To fill out the rest, I simply left the clay as it was - hoping that the colors work well with it. I'm extremely nervous about these pieces; I inadvertently became fond of them as I was making the different bases for each holder, because after feeling creatively stale, suddenly I had ideas just flowing from my hands. I am desperate to see how they turn out, but as they're being fired with the rest of the earthenware stuff, there aren't even going to be pictures until late August. Aaaaagh.
I almost left this pitcher too late to make it into, well, a pitcher. Also, it's being strangely hard for me to spell pitcher today. Anyhoo... I just threw it as a vase-like pot (5lbs of clay, go me!) and then forgot to make it into a pitcher until it was almost leather hard. I remoistened the top and edges and let it sit and then slowly began pulling the spout. I actually borrowed one of Dick's creamers from the shop so that I could attempt to create a dripless spout as he does. I don't know how well it worked, but it does rather closely resemble one of his so we'll see. The handle I expected to have to fight in order to get a long enough handle, but although it was far from perfect I was able to pull a handle on my first try. Another point for the experience versus the time spent away. Of course I put it on slightly diagonal. Whatever.




And here are my finished jars. The two in the back are the ones I had to scrape repeatedly to make the edges fit into the tops of the jars. The front one I didn't even turn - I liked it as it was, and it fit the jar rather well from the start. I think that the one on the right looks a little like a bobby's cap - a police cap for those from the non-UK side of the pond. Like me. I'm not from the UK. Yet.



This was a piece I made out of my destroyed first 5lb piece. Dick was helping me throw it to be taller than the seven inches I couldn't get past, and his hand got caught on it at one point like does tend to just happen. So I cut the top off and threw this with the bottom. I love this shape but I forget about it - Bev had thrown one with Dick's assistance the day before, and I badly wanted to do one myself as well. It's far from perfectly spherical, especially after I took it off the wheel, but I'm ok with that... sometimes.