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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

Mark Peters — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:38:42 +0000

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

Ceramics Monthly — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:47:19 +0000

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

Barry Hall — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:47:23 +0000

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

Kent McLaughlin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:51:55 +0000

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

Diane Chin Lui — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:35:51 +0000

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

Daniel Semler — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:11:50 +0000

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

Dave Finkelnburg — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:24:15 +0000

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

Carol Marians — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:00:24 +0000

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

Jennifer Harnetty — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:17:14 +0000

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

Ceramics Monthly — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:37:54 +0000

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.