Been a while.. New Updates For Shows!

 Time to update the blog!

  It is now two years since the Ion hurricane and so many things have changed!  I hope that this year will find better attendance at the art shows now that things have settled down.  Though I'm still waiting on contractors to start repairs.. Ugh!

  I've been busy, throwing pots and making the wall hanging fish!  I will be taking orders outside of some of the show venues, so email me if you would like to have my artwork grace your home!

  Also... There will be a new website up for the pottery in the near future.  Just have to get all the details ironed out..

Sanibel is BACK!!  Last year the shows were held inside, but this year the shows will again be held outside.  I will be attending all the shows and I hope to see you all there!

On a different note...  I may be doing one Farmers Market in Estero off of Rte. 41.  So stay tuned and I'll let everyone know what I have decided to do, via this blog and email.

Sanibel Fl. Show in February 2024

 

Indoors at The Sanibel Community Center

It was an interesting show..  There were not many artists or people but those who did show up were delightful!
  I'll be at the Prominade in Bonita Springs  Feb 23, 24, 25th. 

Sanibel Show at the Community Center

 

Sanibel Show..11/24 & 11/25 at 9am till 4/30pm. One of the first festivals since hurricane Ion hit the Island.  While the Island has not recovered from the storm its nice to see that there are signs of revitalization,

Ready for shows 2023-

 Last year, do to the hurricane I didn't do many of the larger shows.  I do hope to have many other show dates to share this year.  Ready to go and I'm looking forward to the new season! 
  I will hope to attend more of the Promenade Shows this year as well as a few of the larger shows that Boulderbrook Art Shows puts on.
                            Will have dates soon!!

Cute Ceramic Wall Hangings And Shows for 2022-2023 Season

 Just a few of the many wall hangings that will be available for the 2022/23 show season!

Most of the early shows were canceled due to the hurricane Ion.  Though I did start showing closer to home at the Promenade.  I was present for every show That Richard of Boulderbrook put on at that site.  I hope to be at all of his shows this year as well.  Boulderbrook Art Show Dates

Crystals for pots- Testing

Crystals in glazing can be difficult, which is why I have avoided adding to my list of sale items.   But now after taking glaze courses from CMW.  I feel very confident about putting the glaze on pots.  This crystal test came out of the kiln today and I'm quite pleased.  The sharper snow flake crystals are my favorite style.  I have some of the test tiles in a vinegar bath now to see how much sharper and stunning the crystals will look when etched. 

Everyone Loves Dolphins!

 

These little sculptures have been fun to make and are just adorable on the wall.  You just have to smile.

Ceramic Wall Art With Dolphins

   I have quite a few wall hangings made of tropical fish.  The one animal I really wanted to put on a wall was a dolphin.  So here are the dolphins.. and I did get a bit off track cause I made quite a few trigger fish too!
   There is a quarter in the photo that shows just how big these are... A real nice size for accents.

Ceramic Decals Created From Scratch

   
  Exploring the ceramic decal. Not all glazes like the iron oxide, but I'm finding that a glaze higher in calcium carb seems to help the iron from burning out at higher temperatures. The plate was fired at ^04 and the decal still is very dark and I think I could fire to ^4 or ^6 and not loose to much the decals coloring.  Testing that premise soon.
  The printer is set to put the toner on heavily. Also the paper setting is for the thickest paper. The thick paper setting slows the printer and allows more toner to be applied to the paper.       I have a use in mind for the RIO decals.  I have been painting with underglaze on the clay and plan to fire the decals over the painting to get the gradations and darker areas. 

 The paper I use doesn't have a covercoat for the waterslide.  I actually add the covercoat to the printed paper by using a silkscreen. The covercoat is what makes the waterslide work.
   
   The decals will be placed over the underglaze painting giving the painting added depth.

Sea Turtle Underglaze Painting

 

A 12" plate where the painting is done with an underglaze.  Finally starting to get the feel of painting on the clay.  I have been trying to get the piece to have the feeling of an oil painting.  It is much harder than what I thought it would be.

Whale of An Underglaze

 

After missing two show seasons due to covid I'm gearing up to get back to shows and hope to have many 'clay paintings available.'

  Since I've had time to play in the clay and explore underglazes I hope to be able to soon be able to give the paintings the look feel of oils.  The process is nothing like what I do with oils on canvas, but I'm getting comfortable with how to blend and using strokes.  Mush more of a challenge.  

Final Glaze Tests... Finally!

 Last of the tests for these three glazes.  Yup.. going to put the glazes into production.  Now on to the other glazes I've been developing.  While I'm happy to just have blues and green teals.. Though some of my customers like other colors too.. Hmm why I don't k now.. 😇😇  But onto the reds and yellows. 

The Paradox of Choice- Yes, it does exist.

   Its a new year...  And hoping it will be a good new year for all.  

   My resolution... I'm going to glaze all the bisque in the studio this month.  I will pick at least 6 glazes from the hundreds of lovely glazes I have made and tested. I will add them to my studio glaze buckets.

Sounds easy, right? Hahaha, no!

Enter in "The Paradox of Choice":
     To pick only certain glazes from a host of really nice glazes creates indecision.  Indecision creates a mental tension and leads to an inability to chose.  The brain keeps one sane by avoiding the act of choosing a glaze to use.  Which leads to just not doing anything in regards to glazing.

So Now I must pick.

Choices.. Choices.. and pictured is only a tiny, tiny, sample of all the lovely glazes.
Yeah.. I'm in trouble already.. 

The Fake Phase Glaze

I have been on the hunt to develop dependable phase separated glazes.  That being said, a tiny chemical change to a glaze can alter the glaze to make it unique from the parent glaze.  So if you want to change from a copper blue to a cobalt blue the wonderful phase can disappear and you get a nice boring blue.  Also any number of other faults can show up.

After six months of testing, looking for phase separation and finding lots of really nice glazes..  I have finally found the glazes I am going to add to my studio.

Pictured below are just a few of the tests I have been working on.  The base glaze formula I have is really working well with producing phase.
 

It's a new Phase! Phase Separation

 Now... I've been going through a phase.  Yup a phase separation!

The term Phase Separation has to do with the fact that the glaze, when properly made to specifically phase, is creating two separate glasses at the same time.  Cool right?  Yes, yes it is!
So how did I get so glaze nerdy?  I took Matt Katz's Online Glaze Class and now I can make my glazes based on science and not poking about to finally get a good glaze for my ware.  Check out his site and classes at  Ceramic Materials Workshop 

So.. On to my new Phases.  :)  Can't wait to put the glazes onto a pot!

 

Sea Life Wall-hangings

 These wall art Seahorses and Fish have been a real treat to create.  Glazing has been an adventure of creating colors that are brighter and more colorful than what I am used to employing in my work.  The clay is a paper clay which makes the artwork very light.  BTW.. these look great on the wall, inside and outside!

Orchid Pot or Luminary? That is the question..

 See what happens when you are bored and poke random holes in your pottery? Staying with the theme of "Gee what if I.." put these colors and glaze combos?
Will I do it again.. Ah.. I'm usually never that bored. 

It will end up being for my orchid.. (which after 3 years is going to flower) or an luminary light.

Dragon Flies.. With Larger Triggger Fish

The dragon flies and fish here are the last ones I have to glaze.  Was pretty happy with how they turned out.   So now that the pieces are out of my head and imagination, and in my hands I can see where to head with them in order to make them more appealing and create an easier design to build.  These are made out of paper clay so they don't weigh hardly anything.  I'm impressed so I'll order more of the clay.

A Few More Colorful Trigger Fish Fresh Out of The Kiln

 After the first batch of glazing the fish.. The application has gotten easier with each one I have done. Which means I'm a lot happier with how the fish turned out for this firing.  I've learned so much from this batch that I have more confidence in how I approach the whole process.  Makes the overall process easier.
  Asked online how to apply underglaze successfully..  Well..  The answer is practice. 

Colorful Wall Fish

Well I'm pleased with these cuties!
These were for wall hanging outside, but hubby comes along and insisted that the fish needed to be on a wall inside.  Who am I to argue!

Turtle Painting on porcelain

 This is my first attempt at painting with under-glazes.  While not a fan of how it turned out I realize there is a learning curve.  So.. On to the next experiment!

The Happy Reds and Yellows... Not So Happy Purples.

So happy with the clear glaze I created..  Gotta love Chemistry!  A perfect fit for the porcelain I'm using and super transparent with a lovely gloss. 
 
  As posted before I have been testing colors for this years pottery.  I'm quite pleased with the reds and yellows.  The peacock to purple transitions.. well not so much. 

  Though now that I have a road map for colors I'm pretty excited to start the dreaded glazing part of the process.  Would love to sit back and just make pots all day, glazing well again.. not so much.

Glaze Test Tiles

Since I'm not doing shows right now I've been using the spare time to play with glazes and decoration.    Changing clay bodies means, especially with porcelains, having to alter the glazes to fit the new clay body.  Now that I don't have crazing..  I have been working on colors.
  Just pulled these test tiles out of the kiln and did the happy dance.  I'm sure that a few of the colors will end up on pots this year.

Silk Screening.. Giving it a Go!

Suddenly with no shows and none in the near future..  I can roam outside the little box and play with clay in ways I have wanted to but didn't have time. So now is a good time for a little adventure, right? So, silk screening anyone?

I gave it a quick go. I used a hoop and some fabric along with one of my stencils I use for underglaze.

Whoo hoo! I think this is gonna be fun! I ordered a real screen. Even a couple of gel printing plates.

Wish me luck. 😁

Ready for Next Year

A few of the pieces I have finished for next years shows.   The pieces are bisqued and ready for glaze.  Just waiting to see what colors I want to use for glazing.

Fish and Dragonflies

   Life has taken a turn hasn't it?  Corona, race, and politics have taken a toll on humanity and touched us all.  Wouldn't you love to have a reset button?   Gosh.. I would.  But since that is only a possibility for dreams and si-fi, we're stuck with the moment and the reality we are living in.
   What does one do with this new reality?  Shows are all canceled into next year and with time on my hands, I sometimes want to hide in a corner and let the crazy all go by.   There is a fear, I think, in all artists that the world will dictate what we create.  I have always wanted to paint subjects that I like.  Subjects that make me smile or feel whimsical.  The pottery is the same, I create it for me before anyone else.

But finding a happy place has been hard..  So I made a list of things that I have always wanted to do.  These wall hanging fish are not glazed yet but making them made me happy. Also seeing how they turned out has made me happy too!  Hope to glaze them next week.  :)

Beachy Favs..

Gotta love the colors!

My Tent and Display

I've had artists/potters asking to see how I set-up my wares, so here are a few pictures.  I must add that I'm probably a minimalist when it comes to displaying the pottery.  I don't have fancy colors or bright signs that say "Hey.. I have pottery here!!"  I opt for having a clean cut display that allows each piece of pottery to stand on its own and say "Here I am!  Look at me!"  Why?  Because the pottery should call to the customer, first visually and then give the customer an urge to reach out and touch.  All the signage and fancy displays tend to get in the way of the pottery on the shelve.  Don't get me wrong though, I have visited a few artists that have done a great job of display.. It's just not for me.

New Glaze- Its Beachy!

This is a combination of three different glazes.  Took another chemistry  course and have found a sweet spot with these glazes

Bisqueware Everywhere!

Getting ready for season!   Love to throw the pots.. Not a fan of glazing, but love the colors when the pots come out!