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How to Make a Handbuilt Textured Ceramic Hors D’oeuvres Tray Using Just, Your Hands, a Lump of Clay, a Spring and a Sponge November 20, 2009
Today we have a cool little video from Mark Peters. Mark is so good at taking a simple idea and the most basic of tools - a lump of clay, a sponge, and a stretched-out spring - and turning it into a loose, yet elegant piece of pottery. Have a look and then give this one a try!
Hugh Jenkins’ Volcano Kiln: Recuperating Waste Heat for Efficient Firing November 18, 2009
As a studio artist, it is often hard to spend large sums of money, even if doing so would pay off in the long run, so glass artist Hugh Jenkins set out to determine just how well he could do with a home-built heat recuperator.
Making Music with Clay: How to Make a Ceramic Whistle Flute November 18, 2009
Today's post combines two great things: clay and music. In an excerpt from Barry Hall's From Mud to Music, you'll learn how to make a clay whistle flute step by step.
French Fried Pots November 17, 2009
Initially, I placed a 30-gallon plastic barrel outside one such diner that had agreed to save the used oil for me. My plan was to swap out the barrel every five weeks (the owner predicted it would take that long to fill the barrel) and replace it with an empty 30-gallon barrel. I learned two facts immediately: First, I couldn't lift the full barrel of oil onto the back of my pick-up truck. Secondly, used, hot oil will melt plastic barrels.
Salts of the Earth November 17, 2009
Beautiful, soft, muted-color brushstrokes and washes of water-soluble metal salts decorate Gary Holt's translucent porcelain bowls and plates. The simplicity and quiet presence of his works belie the years that Holt spent experimenting and perfecting his technique. Using water-soluble metals salts (WSMS) demands excellent technical skills and careful attention to details.
Leaving Bariumville: Replacing Barium Carbonate in Cone 10 Glazes November 17, 2009
Barium carbonate has long been used as an ingredient in high-fire glazes, sometimes conferring unique properties upon glazes. One of the alkaline earth carbonates, it has also been used as rat poison (large doses can be toxic to humans as well). Glazes containing it ought to be checked for barium leaching if they are intended to hold food or drink, or reserved for surfaces that do not come into contact with food. It is not my intent to present the research on barium toxicity here, but to present a course of action for replacing it in glazes.
How Glazes Melt: In Search of the Elusive Eutectic November 16, 2009
Phases are specific forms of materials. The most familiar phases are solid, liquid and vapor. Any phase of a material is identical in composition and structure in all parts of that phase. For instance, a glass of water is the liquid phase of H2O, top to bottom; if it weren't, we'd call it something else, like ice if it were solid (structural change), or lemonade if it had lemon and sugar dissolved in it (compositional change).
The Many Faces of Iron: An Exploration in Cooling November 16, 2009
One of the more fascinating, sometimes frustrating parts of ceramics is learning to balance the innumerable factors that affect the outcome of a firing. Glaze ingredients, the clay body used, firing cycles, atmospheres, kiln-stacking techniques and geography (to name a few variables) can all affect firing results.
Lights, Camera, Action: Ceramic Arts Daily Announces Artist Studio Tour Video Contest November 16, 2009
Today, in addition to announcing our exciting Studio Tour Video Contest, I am presenting another excerpt from Ceramics Monthly's (in-print) Studio Visit series to get you all thinking about what your video submissions might include. In this post, potter John Baumann gives us a glimpse into his studio, a "teensy" oasis in an Indiana industrial park.
Studio Visit: Liz Howe, Saratoga Springs, New York November 16, 2009
My studio is located behind my house in Saratoga Springs. Both structures were built in 1892, and the studio originally served as separate living quarters. It is a very bright south-facing building, but is a pretty small space, measuring about 500 square feet, so all of my firing is done off-site. During the summer I work both inside and outside, and in winter I finish some of my fired work in the basement of the main house.
The Broomstick Method: Making Cylindrical Pottery Without a Pottery Wheel November 13, 2009
In this video, Mitch Lyons demonstrates making a cylindrical form using a series of dowel rods in graduated sizes to hollow out the center. It is a great technique for handbuilding cylinders because you can really do a lot with surface texture. Watch the video!
Let’s Talk Function: Two Potters Discuss Making Handmade Pottery for Use November 11, 2009
Today we are presenting an excerpt from the December 2009 issue of Ceramics Monthly in which several potters included in the 2009 Strictly Functional Pottery National discuss what functional pottery means to them and the qualities necessary to make their utilitarian work successful.
Even the Pros Mess Up Spouts! Potter Lorna Meaden Demonstrates “A Great Way to Fix a Spout You Ruined” November 6, 2009
Today, Lorna Meaden explains a great way to fix a messed-up pitcher spout by adding coils when the pot is leather hard and re-pulling the spout. Not only is it a great way to fix mess-ups, but it is also a great way to add length to a pulled spout. Watch the video!
You Say Neriage, I Say Nerikomi…No Matter What You Call it, Mixing Colored Clays Makes for Gorgeous Pottery Surfaces November 4, 2009
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.
Adding Dimension to Stenciled Imagery on Pottery November 2, 2009
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.
Wheel Throwing Video: How to Throw and Facet a Pitcher on the Pottery Wheel October 30, 2009
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!
The Month in Clay - November 2009 October 28, 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 ...
It Slices, It Dices! Some Simple Glaze Tests Reveal a Ceramic Glaze That Can Do it All (well, almost) October 26, 2009
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.
Clay’s Fascinating Cousin: A Glimpse into the World of Precious Metal Clay October 23, 2009
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!
