I am on a roll here, working with ceramics. Jamming to get a kiln load ready to bisque before Jackie's kiln & studio gets put into storage for awhile. (It's a long story) These pieces are drying & will be ready to fire soon. They are all slab constructions--you can see a few of the molds stacked up on the table behind. These are hump molds that I made myself using bowls and platters that I liked the shapes of. I am getting back into the swing of things--remembering things I learned a long time ago--as well as learning new stuff. (Like making molds) It's FUN & I am jazzed to be doing it again. And I love this dark clay--I have been going back & forth between Navajo Wheel clay and Hawaiian Red clay. They are very similar in look, but have a different feel to them. I can't decide.
After they come off of the molds, they need to be trimmed & shaped a bit--then when they are more dry, I go over each piece thoroughly--scraping a bit and smoothing with a wet sponge. It's a labor of love. And I find tremendous satisfaction in seeing each piece develop--plus there is a sensuous aspect to working with clay that is irresistable.
The smaller pieces here are all shaped by hand--no molds.
I was planning to show some of the other pieces I did last year that I had at the Thanksgiving Open Studios--will save that for my next post.
I got to do the "last firing" in Jackie's kiln for awhile. Her studio is going into storage for a bit while she recovers from surgery and she and Jeremy look for a new place to live. I was able to do about twice as many pieces in the bisque firing as you can see here. Those are not all glazed yet, and will be in another firing sometime soon (I hope)
