Ceramic Arts Daily

Potter Kelly Garrett Rathbone Wins 2012 Peoples Choice Emerging Artist Contest!

Jennifer Harnetty — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:32:33 +0000

Today I am happy to announce the winner of the 2012 Peoples Choice Emerging Artist Contest! Congratulations to Kelly Garrett Rathbone! Read on to learn a little more about Kelly and her work.

Polymer Clay Texture Stamps: Easy to Make Tools for Applying Texture to Ceramic Sculpture or Pottery

Virginia Cartwright — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:19:04 +0000

Virginia Cartwright's polymer clay stamps are quick and easy to make and even more durable than bisque stamps.

Pottery Video of the Week: Creating Layers of Surface Detail with Texture Stenciling

Amy Sanders — Fri, 11 May 2012 15:24:48 +0000

When most of us think of stenciling on pottery, we probably think of laying down a stencil and painting over it with an underglaze or a glaze. But since clay is malleable, we don't have to stop there! In today's video, an excerpt from her DVD Creative Forming with Custom Texture, Amy Sanders shares her technique of texture stenciling. What a fabulous idea!

Recoloring a Classic: Trying New Colorants in a Classic Pottery Glaze Recipe Can Lead to Some Great Results

Deanna Ranlett — Wed, 09 May 2012 13:16:34 +0000

It's hard not to love a good old classic glaze like a Shino or a Celadon. But sometimes you just need a change. Deanna Ranlett pushes experimentation with her students to make glaze mixing fun as well as educational. In today's post, Deanna explains a recent experimentation on the classic glaze Falls Creek Shino. In addition to sharing how they conducted the experiment, Deanna shares the recipes and results. -

How to Build a Solid Arch Ceramic Kiln with Castable Refractory

John Britt — Mon, 07 May 2012 15:43:45 +0000

Kilns can be built out of many things and castable refractory is one of the materials we rarely consider. Perhaps it should be considered more since it is reasonably priced, easy to mix, and easy to use. As John Britt explains in today's post, if you are comfortable with casting plaster and making molds, you can handle building a solid arch kiln with castable refractory.

How to Calibrate Your Glazes to Prepare for Pottery Glazing

Nan Rothwell — Fri, 04 May 2012 13:28:01 +0000

Calibrating glazes each time you glaze is a step that is probably skipped by a great many of us when we glaze, but it is a step that can help make glazing results more reliable. In today's post, an excerpt from her new DVD Glazing and Decorating Pottery, which ships next week, Nan Rothwell explains her process for keeping her glazes consistent from one glazing session to the next.

How to Capture the Beauty of Nature in Your Pottery with Homemade Texture Molds

David Scott Smith — Wed, 02 May 2012 13:10:37 +0000

David Scott Smith is a fan of flowers. You might say it's in his blood - his grandfather owned a flower shop and then, after "retirement" a horticulture instructor. In today's post, David explains how he makes bisque texture molds with wildflowers. Enjoy and then go take a walk and find some flowers to make your own!

Ceramic Sculptor Ben Ahlvers Explains How He Balances a Full-time Job, a Studio Career, and Being a Father to Three Boys

Ben Ahlvers — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:39:56 +0000

To say the very least, as a mother of ONE small boy with a full time job and a strong desire to make work, I am pretty much in awe of Ben Ahlvers' ability to balance studio time, full time work and family. In today's post, he explains how he manages to make it all come together (without completely losing his mind). I am going to try some of his strategies to make it all work (without completely losing my mind).

Pottery Decorating Video: Using Fiber, Slip and Soft Clay to Make Beautiful Marks on Pottery and Ceramic Sculpture

Robin Hopper — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:00:44 +0000

In this clip, Robin goes over a couple of surface decoration techniques; one involving clay slip and fiber, and the other involving soft clay. As usual, Robin provides an excellent, clear explanation of these nifty little techniques and should inspire you to go directly to your studio at the first opportunity!

Why Didn’t I Think of That? Pottery Tips, Tools, and Techniques from Ceramic Arts Daily Readers

Janie Varley — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:14:27 +0000

We get a lot of great studio tips sent to us from readers, and every month Ceramics Monthly publishes some of them in their Tips and Tools section. Readers seem to like them, so we also have been sharing them on the Daily. Here’s our latest installment from potter Janie Varley.