slow start

I've been working with some slip stencil designs lately. Here's a few utensil holders/wine coolers I've made recently using slips or engobes and stencils: 

It's been a slow start to the new year for me.  I always have a difficult time getting back in the flow of work after a break.  This year, after Christmas, we passed around something or other- worse than a regular cold, that's all I know.  Still dragging a little, but doing a lot better.

This is a link to a picture of one of the pendants I made after Kate, the jewelry person at the market, did some magic with it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67885530@N03/6544375309/
I had no experience with making jewelry items, but had some fun messing around with ideas.  I was glad she suggested the pendant idea.  We'll see what happens.

a week later

Well, here's what I was going to post last week but didn't since I had that little memory problem with my camera. 

 Fun with wax resist.  This is Randy's Red on top of a Grace's base with gray stain. I used this combination on an acorn finial and wanted to explore it a little more. These are soup/cereal-size bowls.  I have these at the market right now.

 A larger, serving bowl.  The rims are plain Randy's Red with a little of my clear w/iron oxide brushed on to get that fluxing action.

Decided some pine branches painted on these plates might be Christmas-y.

One went to a woman who used to live in Maine and said it reminded her of the piney woods there. She bought something else too but I remembered the plate because it seemed to make such a connection with her.

  I had these bisqued plates left over from a commisson I did a while back.  I had been avoiding making plates, but a customer tricked me into making them.  First, she asked for mugs in a certain glaze. Then she wanted cereal bowls in that glaze.  When those were delivered she wanted plates.  So how could I refuse when she was two-thirds on the way to a matching set?   Anyway, after years of plate avoidance, I was feeling insecure and made many more than needed.  You know, just in case.    

 Um...oops.  Thought there was p-l-e-n-t-y room between that cone pack and the star.  Luckily, I was able to snap them apart without any breakage.  More pendants.  Today at the market Kate (the jewelry vendor) was wearing the one I first fired, which she did her jewelry magic on.  I should have thought to take a picture, but it was pretty busy at the market so that's my excuse.  She was going to post it on a jewelry website so maybe I can get the link. 

 More stars. These sold like hotcakes.  I only made a couple dozen.  Guess I'll know to make more next year.

I get nagged at occasionally to make new designs for cookie stamps. They're not really what I like to spend my time on pottery-wise, but once I am actually making cookies with them I feel like I'm sort of providing a service to the community by making these available.  These cookies are good!

Samples last week at the market.  The plastic wrap doesn't look so good- wanted to be able to lift cookies in case a customer wanted to see the plate.

The market is open on the 24th but I won't be there.  I'm pretty sure it would be slow for me.  Not that may last minute pottery shoppers out there.  So if you're a market customer I'll see you next year!

hodge podge

I was back to my old tricks with this kiln firing.  Had a lot of different items that required different glaze treatments so I took a long time getting this kiln load ready.   

 I'll pass these on to a jewelry friend down at the farmer's market.  I have no talent in this area.  She'll know what to do with them.  I'm interested to see what she thinks of the bird pendant.

 I almost cannot do a firing without putting in some tests.  On the left is a black slip using a mason stain for color.  Top line is under glaze, bottom over.  I was interested in getting a nice sharp line for drawing black over white.  This does it, but it's really dry.  The other is a glaze (the green) I've used before, but this test tile is a lighter clay than my usual.  Tested it with an Albany slip glaze I've had around for awhile.  I tested this Albany slip glaze a couple years ago but hadn't used it on any pots yet.  It was fine then, other than it was supposed to be tan, but obviously is much darker.  I wanted to see what these two glazes looked like together.  I was envisoning a dark glaze on the outside of a bowl, the light green inside.  You can see how it shivered off. I also used it on the rim and inside of a vase. Upon opening the kiln I saw the rim of the vase had shivered.  That was yesterday. This morning I went to pick it up and saw it was cracked all over.  I suppose it was caused by the tension of the poor fitting Albany slip glaze inside the pot.    

Better. I refired a couple of candleholders that looked a little flat to me.  Brushed on a little rutile and clear glaze here and there.

 Something a little different for the acorn finial.  I like it , but realize this may have been better to come out with a couple of months ago.  Kind of fallish looking.

 I had quite a few tiles in the kiln.  This darker clay can stand alone nicely.  My regular throwing clay has some color, but looks bland next to this clay. I might try getting the hangers on the backs of these tonight.  I still have a table full of bisque ware waiting to be glazed, though. This morning when I went downstairs to the basement where I work I could only stand and stare for a few minutes- so much to do I couldn't decide where to start. 

Still need to work on photographing this flat stuff if I'm ever going to put it on Etsy.