Larger than life....not really

A few days ago, I began a narrative triptych sculpture. This creation will be in three pieces, the center piece was completed yesterday. It is 24 inches long with three beagles running a rabbit. So much life, personality, and purpose to their activity. I have pondered long for the finish to come to mind. It finally did. I will use underglazes in a realistic style to capture the moment in time of these little bundles. I will be began the end pieces of the triptych soon. Anticipation is killing me but I have other pottery/sculpture obligations to complete.

Butter Dish...

Only a short blog today.

Making butter dishes in the studio. Perhaps some cheese dishes too. I must underglaze more mini mutts today….Hope you enjoy seeing the new work on our website.

Pug, Pug, Pug...

 

Every once in awhile you just have to recycle your clay, not very exciting but someone has to do it.  With five gallon buckets full of scrap clay everywhere in the studio, it comes a time to say enough…I need the space.  I save every scrap, trimming piece, accidental broken green ware to reconstitute into good reusable clay. Clay is relative inexpensive but I cannot see throwing clay away.   

 

I dreamt of purchasing a pug mill, I was held back by the fact they were so expensive.  An opportunity came to me to purchase a Peter Pugger  less than two years old from a local commercial pottery studio..  This worked out quite nice for each of us.  They needed a larger one and I needed the smaller.

 

Eventually all the scrap clay will be recycled and the studio free of clay bucket s until I fill up the empties with more clay.  I call this studio house cleaning.   It is a good feeling to start again… Pot on.

Underglazing in a painterly fashion

I was a painter then a sculptor before I became a potter. I have always been drawn to the brush. So it only goes, I would transfer the brush to my pottery. I envision all my pottery with animal or children on them. I have to control myself from this desire. There are many whom love only the good old bowl.

To achieve the realistic look for my animals, I have experimented with using underglazes as I would oil or water color paints. Still seeking a better way to apply the thicker impasto glaze. I found I can mix stains with slip to give somewhat of the look I want. When I have mixed underglazes with slip, this tends to burn away. It is a forever learning process. This does not bother me in the least. Having been an art teacher for many years, I still have to need to learn, experiment, and ask why not.

My brush awaits me……

Commission Day

And it Begins… Making pottery for commissions can be taxing and thrilling. I always want the customer to be happy with the final product. Then again, I want my artistic style to be reflected in my work. Never have I claimed to be a photo realist in my sculpture/pottery pieces. So finding the happy mix with continue to be a challenge to me.

Today, I will begin creating a cremation urn for a 50 pound collie . Of course, after cremation the collie will not weigh that much. A process of four to six weeks to finalize construction. Patience! Also, a few mini mutt pots with requested fur babies. My favorite creations. Finally, canisters with lambs as the knobs. A lot to create today. My plan is to start…if I finish great, if not, then there is another day I hope.

Lin

Mud Pies

I have promised myself I will blog about my work. Do not know if I will do this daily. The reason is I cannot wait until I am in my studio getting muddy. Muddy brings the thoughts of childhood with mud pies, worms, and the continual baths my mother insisted I take. Today I will be working on some custom orders of Mini mutts. I do not number the custom orders but put my mark and signature on the bottom. Recently I introduced a new maze yellow to my mini's. I happen to love it.

Empty Bowls

Mike and I have been covered up in making soup bowls for the Empty Bowl Charity of Cullman, Al. An annual event to help feed needy children February 17, 2020. We enjoy throwing bowl for such a worthy cause.

Paper Clay


To answer the question of how I secure the animals to my pottery, I use paper clay.  I make this using the clay of my pottery (trinity white cone 5/6 clay) and cellulose insulation.  The ratio is 75% of gooey slip to 25% cellulose.  Measurements do not have to be exact.  I put materials in an old blender then liquidly adding water if needed.  Also, add a few drops of bleach to stop the mixture from souring. When I am ready to place the sculpture, I score the contact area and the sculpture, and then brush a dab of the paper clay to scored area.  Place the sculpture firmly to scored area.  Brush a thin layer of the paper clay up the legs of the animals is needed.  This adds reinforcement without adding bulk.   In your bisque firing, the paper burns away leaving a thin layer of smooth clay. Practice, you will love the results.


Rum Tug Tugger was a curious cat...

Tugger purred a melodious tune, while watching me glaze. This 14 lb. fluff ball mastered the process of glazing with upmost speed….thirty minutes. At one point, he removed my brush with his mouth and created his own signature stroke. I have to watch when loading the kiln…he likes to inspect. We do not want him to be a curious cat no more.

Christmas is a rush...

For a Potter, Christmas is a rush to hurry up to make deadlines for commission to be delivered on-time. With sincere prayers we want everyone’s order to come out perfect…because you are out of time to redo. I dislike the word redo. So far, all pieces have surpassed our expectations. Knock on our wooden heads and pray the remaining pieces will be perfect also. We can’t show this work until after Christmas presents are open, the little elves may see.

Mike and I are headed to Santa's workshop to work on more surprises. HO, HO, HO!

Life after Retirement…Mike and Lin found each other then they went to pot.

Lin, a retired art teacher, and Mike, a retired railroad pipe fitter and house painter, met in 2016 through a mutual friend. Commonalities in any relationship are fabulous but sometimes these common ground values have to be nurtured. Both love county living, gardening, fishing, hunting....blah blah... but there is only so much fishing a girl can stand. I must admit Mike likes fishing and hunting a whole lot more than I do.

One day while working in my pottery studio, I had an eureka moment...Mike has large hands...he could throw large pots! He had already expressed interest in my pottery. So a partnership was established with me trying to teach him. I seemed not to be able too. I sent him to two other pottery teachers. The last sweet gal fired him, told him to practice. Well, he’s been practicing and now he throws beautiful pottery. With him still climbing the learning curve he has achieved great skill.

Our pottery story began with an accident. Mike had just completed three bowls with wall thickness, balance, weight, and designs all perfection. He decided he would place these outside to speed up drying. He carried two and I the other. Whoops. As I turned, the lip of the bowl was sliced by the cutting wire. I felt so terrible. I thought I’m in the dog house now. But Mike just laughed. Thank you Jesus! The idea for putting dogs on pots was born at that very moment.

We both have our niche, Mike prefers traditional pottery where as I lean more to the sculptural narrative pottery.