Working in the negative...thinking in the positive.

I've been putting the finishing touches on a few plaster molds before I let them season. It's strange to work in the negative with these molds. It's not an intuitive way to think - at least not for my sequential brain. I've been pressing clay into the molds to get an a clearer picture in my head of the positive image that will result when the tile is slip cast.

Every day I seem to find new uses for my kitchen gadgets in my ceramic studio. I just discovered that cooling racks work really well for seasoning plaster molds. Unfortunately, plaster molds just aren't as yummy as cookies.

We Have POWER!

Yeah! Bill got the new kiln all wired up and the new breaker in our electrical panel installed. He just needs to get the vent installed and then I'm ready to fire it up. Happy days...happy glaze!

Bowling

The sun was out yesterday! I had a little free time in the afternoon while the boys played outside so I opened up the garage doors, let the sunshine in and went "bowling" - throwing as bowl after bowl after bowl. It reminded me of the Empty Bowls workshops that I used to do at Linnell's Studio in Sacramento. This morning I trimmed up the bowls and let the kids decorate a couple of them with carving tools.

My six year old, Jacob, insisted that I help him throw a pot. He's watched me throw enough to pick up on a few things - which I realized when he asked to spin the wheel and put some swirls down the outside of the finished pot. Kids really are sponges in disquise. He loves to handbuild but I can tell he has a urge to tackle the art, balance and challenge of the potter's wheel. I told him he should start saving up for his own wheel. I'm sure he'll be eclipsing me in no time. ;-)

Shoot the Moon

This morning I was messing around with some artwork for a new Shoot the Moon tile. I'm hoping to make it up in clay tomorrow. Back when we lived in Sacramento, I had a card business called "Shoot the Moon". Then I had three kids in less that two and a half years and well... the card business was no longer possible. The name Shoot the Moon is still with me and though it no longer represents cards, it does represent taking chances and going for it - like shooting the moon in Hearts.

Here are a couple of versions I came up with. Do you have a preference? I'm eager to see how they come out in clay -it's always a bit different than on paper.

The sun has been out in Seattle - everyone is "sun happy" - good moods abound. I hope it continues. Wednesday, I'm going to go see the film Who Does She Think She Is? with my friend Christy. It's finally coming to Seattle! We both are looking forward to a night out - although Christy is liking more deserving. She has four kids - Kindergarten age and under - including a set of twins and a one year old. My hats off to her!

"Above all, with glittering eyes..."

This morning I started working on a tile using a Roald Dahl quote from the last lines of the book "The Minpins".

The quote reads "Above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it."- Roald Dahl I modified an image I created a few years ago so that I could add the text. In the past I carved the tiles. This time I rolled three layers of clay and stacked them. I originally was going to cut into the top layer and pull away the layers but then I decided to cut out the top layer separately as it seemed easier to me. I'm planning on casting this tile in plaster so I'm not so worried about the layers sticking together well enough to survive firing. I used a bit of water and scored enough to get the top layer to be secure.

I begin cutting out the text sections.

I transfered the image to the clay.

More layers are added.

I used a mini clay extruder to add a uniform edge to the tile and for the swirly clouds section. It's important to use really soft clay for extruding and to keep it moist with a spray bottle. These pieces dry out really fast.

The final image.

This was a fun project for me as it combined my love of clay, tiles, quotes and Roald Dahl.

Do you believe in magic?

New Kiln

Bill and I took a trip to Tacoma today to pick up a Skutt Automatic Kiln. I am very excited about it! It requires that it be directly wired and vented outside so it'll take a bit of time to get it up and running. Until then, I'll do a little happy dance everytime I go look at it.

Inspiration

I've been looking through pictures from the "Heritage Trip" I took with my parents and siblings a couple of years ago. While we traveled in Norway, Germany and the Czech Republic I was amazed at all the beautiful architectural details that surrounded us. I found myself taking pictures left and right of gates, cobblestone paths, roofs, door ways, windows, etc... Even the manhole covers in Norway were beautiful. My parents and family might have thought it strange that I was focusing in on these things but I couldn't help myself. I'm finding inspiration again in these images for a series of artistic tiles I'm starting to work on.


Wood carved decorative wall at the Stalheim Hotel overlooking the breathtaking (Nærøy) Naroydalen Valley we visited during the Norway in a Nutshell Tour. (My profile picture was taken on the terrace at the Stalheim Hotel.)

We traveled in a large bus down the Stelheimskleiva - a 1.5 km long strech of road that twists its way down 13 hairpin turns on the mountainside at the end of the Naroydalen valley. The road has a 20 percent grade, which makes it one of the steepest stretches of road in Northern Europe.

Yes, even the manhole covers were interesting. This was taken in Bergen, Norway. The image respresents the historic waterfront there.

Gate in front of someone's home in Olso, Norway.

Carving on a historic Viking ship in Oslo, Norway.

Decorative gate in Prague.

Carving on the wall of an old Stave Church at the Folk Museum in Olso, Norway.

Wood carved post at the Stave Church in Oslo.

Wood carved door in Prague at the Astronomical Clock at the Old Town Hall.

Learning to Slip Cast a Tile

Here are some photos from the last day of the workshop where I learned to slip cast a tile. I learned so much and I'm really excited to slip cast some of my own tiles once my molds are seasoned. This will allow me to reproduce my tiles instead of carving each one individually. Slip casting will allow me to get a lot of the detail from my tiles - as opposed to pressing a tile with soft clay.

I am so glad I took this workshop. It will change the way I make my tiles.


Pouring the slip into the plaster mold.

Cleaning up the plaster mold while it's drying.

Pouring off the excess slip from the mold.

Leather hard tile after it's removed from the mold.

Plaster mold just after the leather hard tile was removed.

Waiting

I'm patiently waiting for my latest pot load to be fired. Here are some photos of the pots after they were glazed. It's amazing how muted the glaze colors are before the pots are fired - lots of pinks, faint greens and greys. After being heated to around 2200* F (cone 6) they will look completely different. I'm excited to see the results as I'm trying out all new glazes.

Who Does She Think She Is?

I've been wanting to see the documentary Who Does She Think She Is? after I read about it in an e-zine called "Literary Mama". They are looking for an outlet to show their film in the Seattle area so I sent a message to some people at the Kirkland Art Center. The Development Director called me back this morning and we talked about it. It sounds hopeful that they might host a local screening. Janis Mars Wunderlich, is one of the artists featured in the film. She is a ceramic artist whose work I've admired and followed for a number of years now.

I'd love to see this film, so I'm hoping it works out.

Carving Plaster Molds with Brand Spankin' New Tools

I've been working on cleaning up undercuts and adding additional work to the plaster molds that I poured last weekend. I picked up some new carving tools that are making this work a lot easier to do. Now I just need to see if my Dad has some old dental tools up in his attic that could take on a new life in my studio.

Sequoia the studio dog

Everyone needs a dog as great as Sequoia Boya. He's the best companion in the studio. Now if I could just get him to talk, I'd be all set. Here he is pictured in his favorite place - his bed in the studio. He never wants to come in.

Plaster Mold Making

Carving the original tile to use for casting the plaster mold.

Sealing up the coddle seams with clay.

Pouring the plaster on top of the leather hard tile.

Covering the tile in plaster.

Removing the coddle after an hour.

Carefully removing the clay from the plaster to reveal the image in the negative. Now it's ready to carve.

Here are some photos from the workshop I took this weekend. I am so excited about what I learned about mold making, working in the negative and tile making. I can't wait to incorporate what I learned into my work!

Kick in the pants

Today I'm giving myself that kick in the pants to set up my blog for Shoot The Moon Ceramics. I spent all morning on the phone/computer with Verizon tech support after yet another Woodinville power outage.

I'm going to cram in a little carving work on the damp plaster tile molds that I made this past weekend at the Kirkland Art Center. I'm really excited to have taken a wonderful class from Debra Bacianga. She has an incredible depth of knowledge and shared so many great ideas and techniques. I'm itching to get in my studio space and work on them.

Better get to work!