I like to work in series and my latest endeavor is FISH!
I start out by making a newspaper form.
I roll a slab – 3/8″ to 1/2″ and smooth it with an old vinyl record – the best tool ever!
I then form the clay around the newspaper form, add eyes, fins and other texture for the features.
These fish are not anatomically correct – they are supposed to be comical and funny.
This will be part of a display for my next Sculpture – Lake Girl.
She is yet to appear!
I can’t seem to get my creativity flowing right now! Is it summer? or the fact that I’m still recovering from a HUGE spinal fusion surgery? or the looming knee replacement surgery in August? or the ridiculous 100+ degree heat? Or all of the above? How about you?
Here’s what I am currently doing: feeding hummingbirds, feeding geese and ducks, feeding catfish….listening to Samantha Scout bark, swimming, lazing and enjoying life.. Not a bad deal.
I’ll get back to making soon!
Have fun this summer!
Marian
Summer is flying by and I just realized that I didn’t give you an update on the San Angelo National Ceramic Competition and how my sculpture fared.
San Angelo is about a 3 hour drive from where I live in Texas – pretty much everything in Texas is a drive – 2,3,5, ie 8 hours – anyway, we got there!
It’s a lovely town with lots of murals on the sides of many of the buildings.
The San Angelo Fine Arts Museum is a lovely building in the heart of downtown San Angelo.
My sculpture didn’t win any prizes, but it was placed in the biggest room on the back wall and had great visual impact! I was very pleased. And the best news is that it SOLD!!
Here’s a little video showing the exhibition.
It was a great honor and experience to be included in this competition and exhibition!
Happy potting!
Marian
Sometimes I just want to give up on a piece. It’s well thrown, but it just looks horrible!
That happened recently – I, evidently, didn’t mix my standard white glaze thoroughly (I hadn’t used it in about a year) and when applied and fired it looked so amateurish and U.G.L.Y.
So I applied more glaze by brushing on gobby coats of about 5 different glazes. Second time, still U.G.L.Y.
But I remembered that old saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try try again.
I once again applied more glaze by brushing on thick, gobby coats of glaze.
Third times a charm! These little bowls look great and are perfect for hand-held salad, cereal or dessert!
Never give up if it’s still a good pot….until it isn’t! Then take a hammer to it!
Here are some photos of my work shown and sold at the Sculpture on Main, Marble Falls, Texas.
It’s a great event! Well planned and well attended. My exhibit consisted of raku, barrel-fired, and electric glaze work.
I am very excited and honored to have my sculpture, Indigenous American Indian Akacita, accepted into the San Angelo National Ceramic Competition!!!
I received this email and couldn’t believe my eyes! What a thrill!
“Congratulations! Your work has been accepted in the 24th San Angelo National Ceramic Competition. We believe this is one of the finest ceramic exhibitions in the nation, and your excellent work will contribute to the continued quality that we wish to present. The juror, James Watkins, selected 116 works by 116 artists from a total of around 950 pieces submitted. The prize winners will be chosen by the Juror on the day of the opening. Winners, if not present that day, will be notified after that date.”
I’ll be headed to San Angelo on Friday as many demonstrations, exhibitions, and events are part of the event.
I’m sure I won’t win, but being accepted is win enough for me!
Love to all!
Marian
Each time one does a barrel firing, the variables change enormously. It is really difficult to predict or recreate the same effects time and time again.
This firing definitely left me with lots of questions. However, the colors that I achieved were spectacular!
The one problem with this firing was the amount of “grit” or “rough spots” on each pot. If I had tried to sand them down, I would have caused a lot of scratching and damage to the surface – worse that the gritty, rough spots.
Therefore, I decided to consider those imperfections part of the glorious process of the fire and the clay and all of those variables.
The one thing that did change in this firing which could have caused the problem, was that I added a lot of Himalayan Pink Rock Salt around the edges of the barrel.
I won’t do that in the upcoming firing and I shall see if this is the culprit causing the crusty bits.
Here are some photos of the outcome and the final and finished pieces.
Peace out,
Marian
In this time of Covid-19, a whole new set of terms has arisen to describe our situation – Covid Brain, Before Times, etc. And a whole new set of circumstances to navigate. As most of us have always wished for more time to do the things we love, when we have this extra time, we feel aimless…adrift…no beacon waiting out there for us.
Every possible timeline, event, or time-sensitive deadline has been wiped off the calendar.
For me, as a potter/artist, it can be off-setting, demoralizing, and depressing, but I’ve decided that I’m the captain of this weary vessel and must help decide on the navigation to take from here to arrive at ANY destination in the future.
Here’s my plan:
Cristina Cordova (fabulous teacher and sculptor) is offering online classes! Click here to go to classes- CLICK
The Australian Ceramics Association has several online classes that look great!
2. Work on these new skill sets.
3. Make “fun” stuff – just for me.
4. Make vessels that I can fire when it’s not so hot.
So keep busy my friends and let’s ENJOY this free, unscheduled time if possible!
Stay safe!
Marian
Here are some of the spoons that I have made, but they tend to be heavier/chunkier/clunkier.
Can’t wait to give this a go!!
If you have ever had the opportunity to fire in a gas kiln, you know the wonderful results that can be obtained-unlike any other! The glazes glow differently, the colors melt together differently, and the clay body even looks different.
I had the distinctly wonderful opportunity to have and use two gas kilns while living in Australia; and, even though, my commercial cone 6 glazes fired in an electric kiln are definitely looking good, the draw to fire in gas is always out there…lurking…drawing you in!
It is a much more laborsome way to fire. It is also more unpredictable and less repeatable, but that’s also part of its allure!
When I returned to the USA, I found a set of burners that I really couldn’t remember buying. But then it all came back to me! They were a set of Summit burners for converting an old broken-down electric kiln into a gas kiln!!!
So!!! We (Ronnie and I) got busy and have done the conversion! Here is a step by step visual tutorial!
First, we took all of the elements, wiring, controllers, thermocoupler out of the old kiln.
As soon as I fire it, I’ll post again on the process and outcome! Can’t wait!
All the best,
Marian
