November 4, 2009
You Say Neriage, I Say Nerikomi…No Matter What You Call it, Mixing Colored Clays Makes for Gorgeous Pottery Surfaces
Today Robin Hopper explains the distinction between neriage and nerikomi, as it was explained to him by Thomas Hoadley, a long time colored clay aficionado. He also explains how to create a lovely marbled rim bowl like the one shown at left.
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November 2, 2009
Adding Dimension to Stenciled Imagery on Pottery
Stenciling is a great decorative technique for pottery. In the latest issue of
Pottery Making Illustrated,
Ann Ruel shares her ideas for getting a stenciled look with more
dimension. I thought her ideas were pretty nifty so I have excerpted
from the article in today's post.
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October 30, 2009
Wheel Throwing Video: How to Throw and Facet a Pitcher on the Pottery Wheel
In today's video, potter Stephen Jepson demonstrates how to throw a pitcher on the pottery wheel and then facet it with a cheese slicer.
Watch the video!
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October 28, 2009
The Month in Clay - November 2009
I am way fired up, folks. I just got back from the Potters Council Expressive Surfaces workshop at Red Star Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. This workshop was EXACTLY what I needed to get motivated about getting into the studio. Not only were the workshop presenters, Lorna Meaden and Mark Peters, superbly awesome, but Red Star has such a great selection of work for sale in their gallery that it was just plain inspiring to take it all in. That's why I advise you all to get out there and look at work. Lots of work! To help you do that, I am presenting some highlights of what's going on this November in this months edition of The Month in ...
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October 26, 2009
It Slices, It Dices! Some Simple Glaze Tests Reveal a Ceramic Glaze That Can Do it All (well, almost)
Kristina Bogdanov, who teaches at Ohio Wesleyan College in Delaware,
Ohio, was intrigued when she realized that one of the class glazes
seemed to fire well at cone 10 reduction in a gas kiln, cone 6 in an
electric kiln, and cone 9 reduction in a soda kiln without any change
in the recipe. So she ran the glaze through a battery of tests to see
just how versatile it was. Today, in an excerpt from the 2010 Buyers
Guide for Ceramic Arts, Kristina explains her testing process and the
results.
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October 23, 2009
Clay’s Fascinating Cousin: A Glimpse into the World of Precious Metal Clay
In this clip, Hattie Sanderson, a certified Precious Metal Clay instructor, explains
the basic PMC tools and lingo, and presents an introductory earring
project.
Watch the video!
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October 21, 2009
Testing 1…2…3: How to Test Clay Bodies to Find the Right Sculpture or Pottery Clay for Your Work
Today, Paul Wandless explains how a combination of simple tests can give you plenty of information that will make choosing and learning about pottery and sculpture clays a little easier.
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October 19, 2009
Clay on the Wall: An Introduction to Hanging Ceramic Wall Pieces
Today, in an excerpt from her new book
Wall Pieces (available November 2009 in the Ceramic Arts Daily Bookstore), Dominique Bivar Segurado goes over several materials and methods for hanging ceramic wall art.
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October 16, 2009
Ceramic Sculpture Video - The Curious Case of Benjamin Ballclay: See An Old Man Become Youthful in Under Two Minutes
We have two videos for you today. For fun, you can watch ceramic sculptor Philippe Faraut sculpt the years away and return an old man to his youth in under two minutes. Plus, you can watch the reverse in real time, complete with expert instructions.
Watch the videos!
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October 14, 2009
Thin Slips: The Key to Decorating Pottery Surfaces with Slips in the Bisque State
Potter Terry Gess uses slip to decorate his pottery surfaces when they are in the bisqueware state. He likes the freedom that comes with knowing he can experiment and if he doesn't like the results he can just wash it off and start over. But there are technical challenges to this method. He explains those today and shares three of his slip recipes.
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