Two large soup mugs. A commission for a friend whose favorite soup mugs (commercial pieces) had crazed & the handles would get too hot to touch in the microwave. Likely the last wheel work I'll be able to do for a few months as I'm having neck surgery in 3 weeks.
The 3 pieces I made during demos at my open studio a few weeks ago. Fresh out of the kiln. Not too shabby for work done quickly & with people watching me!
Happy potter is happy! Look what the glaze kiln gave me!
It's rare that I'm pleased with everything in a kiln load. I have only a few more weeks until the open studio event I'm doing. It's my first one. Yikes.
In my continued quest to make art despite/because of :waves hands at everything: I spent the afternoon doing some handbuilding.
These slab built & altered dragon belly mugs take a long time & many steps to make, but I do love them. Now I just need to wait for them to dry a bit before adding the handles.
It was lovely spending this rainy afternoon playing with clay.
4 weeks to go until the open studios I'm participating in & I'm racing to stock up on work.
It's been a minute since I've thrown large bowls. Took me a few tries to find my groove.
5 lbs of stoneware each. Wet size: 11" diameter by 5" high. About 15% shrinkage.
I'm always envious of folks on YT throwing 10 lbs or more to get really enormous forms. I don't have the hand strength to muscle around that much clay.
And the kiln gods were kind!
Galileo mugs!
I know some folks here were interested in buying these. $35 U.S. ea, plus shipping. HMU!
And here are the mugs trimmed & with handles attached. These are what we call 'greenware', meaning still unfired clay. They need to dry fully before their first trip through the kiln.
It's been a few months since I spent much time on the wheel. Late summer & early fall are super busy at the farm & playing with clay falls at the bottom of the to do list.
It's probably been more than 6 months since I threw this shape.
I had 2 hours between commitments & decided to throw again.
6 mug bodies. 15 minutes each from weighing out the clay, wedging, centering, pulling up, shaping, finishing.
No casualties!
Galileo mugs in progress. The schematic of the solar system is something I found on redit, & was able to contact the artist (Josh Sherrington) who gave me permission to make a stamp of it for my work. https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/37s84s/unofficial_flag_of_earth_josh_sherrington_2012/
(I added Pluto)
And the quote (likely apocryphal) is attributed to Galileo. Translated it means "and yet it moves".
I'm quite pleased with these plates. Because I make them from a prepared slab of clay that is then shaped on the wheel & the rim turned up, they do not require the addition of water with the resultant problems with uneven drying that can cause cracking.
I also don't make a foot ring because I prefer the simple & grounded look of these.
I've had a lot better outcomes (no cracking or warping) using this method than with throwing/trimming plates.
LJ