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!
 

First Little Show - Preseason!

  Finally, getting ready for a little show in Punta Gorda Fl.  Its probably going to be a sit and talk to your artist neighbor though.  But it helped me get all the totes and shelves out and cleaned up and ready for this season.  Everything was a bit of a mess since I just tossed them in a corner after last year's end of season. 
  My coaster display!  I really enjoy making the coasters.  Each one is painted individually and reminds me a bit of painting on canvas.  I really do miss the oil painting.  ::sigh::

Torolaide Bottles

  Well today I finally had some glaze work.  Have been testing clay because of how a porcelain has been behaving and behaving badly at that.  Seems that the producer has changed the product and now I'm having a back lash over it.  But that said changed clay suppliers and now the tests are coming out just fine!  Such a relief because season is almost here.

Remember those cute round bottles I made?  Finally able to get them in a glaze load and the picture doesn't do them justice.  The bottles are very pretty, they also look great on a shelve!


   

The New Toy

I tried the Griffin Grip out at the Visual Arts Center of Punta Gorda and found that I did like it.  At least it worked well for a large form that was harder to tap center.  I ordered one and received it today.  Of course I had 40 medium size bowls ready to be trimmed.  After the 40 bowls I'm not sure its any faster or easier than my tap centering and trimming without it.  Though the pots were easier to pick up to evaluated if needed.  One thing for sure, it was very messy!  I built a shroud for it to help contain all the flying trim.

Olive Oil/Soy Sauce Doughnut Pitcher

I had a lump of clay left over from doing the dip platters and decided to do something a bit off the wall and a challenge.
Throwing the doughnut was surprisingly easy.   The hard part was throwing the bits and pieces for construction.  Also construction was not all that fun either.  I don't think I will be doing any more of these unless I do them a lot bigger!

Dipping Bowl Plates

Sooo...  Its been an experimentation day!

Finally decided to make a few.. Ok.. 20 of these little dipping plates.  The plates are going to end up being 7 1/2" wide.  So these will be more like personal plates and/or for small appetizers.
Definitely saving a couple back for my kitchen!

A day.. or so, in the Life of a Production Potter!

Getting ready for season... a day in the life of a production potter.  Well a day and a short morning of throwing them.  I was a bit tired and didn't finish up all the bowls yesterday afternoon so spent an hour this morning and threw the last 7 balls of clay.  Still need to have them dry a bit before trimming. 

40 bowls..   (20 of which are destined to be berry bowls.)  Figure I need about 40 more to start with.
175 coasters..  Ugh.. One of the most boring of pots to throw! I'll need about 300 more so its going to be split up in two or three sessions.

Now it did take an afternoon to measure out and weigh the clay.. So I guess it is almost a two day effort.
Next on the list is fish and trays.  Have to dig out the slab roller...  Figure about 40 fish and 300 trays to do.  Like the bowls and coasters I'll be splitting up the routine.

Bird Feeder in the Works

Finally getting into making some of the bigger projects.   Doing mugs and cups can get pretty boring so its nice to be able to change things up a bit,
      The bird feeders I make are all different in style, glaze, and size.  This one is a bit large but the customer wanted it like this.  Works for me!

Sea Moon Glaze

  Finally getting a better result with this glaze on bigger pieces.   Hope to have it fit better on mugs as well.  Just so hard to get a nice flow over the handles with this one.

End Of Season!

   Finally, end of season!  Want to thank all those who have supported my potter.  I'm humbled and honored that you have chosen to have my pottery in your homes or give as gifts.  Thank you.

Some of what is in the works for next season...
Photo is of my new glaze and pattern glaze.  I've fallen in love with the glaze pictured on the vase and plan to make a series. 

Painting again!

Six months after carpel tunnel surgery I have now been able to hold onto a paint brush!  Here is a start to a painting I have been working on.  Had to quit on it for a few months as the painting was causing my hands to swell a bit. 

Captiva Farmers Market

    Its getting close to the end of season!  Two more shows and I can start playing in the clay.  There are soooo many ideas that have been running around in my head lately that I have been putting them to paper so I don't forget.  So look for some really different pottery and sculpture.
 
This photo is from Captiva Island Fl.  I've been doing the artisan market for a few months and have really enjoyed being there.  Here are a few photos of some of the pottery I have been offering.


 

Beachy Glazes

  It has been awhile since I have posted, though in my defense it has been a strange year.   The carpal tunnel issues have been resolved and I finally have some relief from symptoms.  Painting and pottery creation have been pretty much at a standstill.  Thank goodness I had enough bisque to start and finish season!   I've begun throwing pots again and playing with glaze combos.
  Pictured below is an example of some of the new "Beachy" glazes I'm developing.  Picture doesn't really do them justice.  I think I'll have to get out the camera for pictures.  Cell phones.. No matter how good the cameras have gotten just don't capture the colors.

Seagull

Seagull  5X7 Oil on Linen

Here is a quicky..  I love to paint the little 8x10's and 5x7's in an impressionistic style and the "Seagull" was no exception.  About 2 1/2 hours start to finish.  Gotta love Liquin!

Dancing in The Light

Dancing in The Light

  Its been such a long time since I put brush to canvas.   Though in reality I still was painting in my minds eye.  So was never far away from it.  Those who know me best know how much I have missed pushing paint and the pain I went through to put this to canvas.
  I started the under painting 2 years ago and was unable to finish it.  Now..  here it is..

   A 24"x30" painting of a study I did 4 years ago. 
(better picture soon)

Throwing Laguna Frost Clay

I mentioned earlier about taking John Britt's glaze workshop.  During the class he mentioned that Laguna Frost can only be thrown about 6" high and that a pot thrown higher had to be heavy.  To which I responded with a comment that its not so..  Sorry John, but I learned on Frost and since I was self taught I didn't have anyone to tell me that I couldn't throw it high and thin walled.  I just kept at it till I got a knack for it.
  Below are a few of the smaller Frost pots I threw this week.  I always weigh out the clay so I know how far I can push the envelope size wise.  The two vases on the left are made from 20 ounces of clay and they did not receive any trimming.  They are 9"-10" tall.  The key lime green pot was 22 ounces of clay and it has a trimmed foot.
  I've had other potters ask me how I get the larger thin pots to stand up and not deform in the kiln.  The answer is geometry and understanding the stresses a piece goes under in the kiln.  The thicker rim allows the piece to maintain its shape while the shape of the pot itself lends it to keep its shape.
  All three pots are really light and balanced. 

Glazes and Kiln Opening

   Its been a busy season here in Florida so not much time to post photos or chat about pots and paintings.
  But....  Today I finally got a chance to take a breather and thought I would share a few of the pieces when I opened the kiln this afternoon.  Lots of fish and berry bowls this time around with a few new colors.  The glaze I developed for Highwater P5 has been working well on the Frost porcelain clay, which made me extremely happy.   Glazing is not my favorite pass time and I get a bit grumpy if things don't turn out the way the should.  Okay..  The way I think they should.  ;)

Took a glaze workshop with John Britt in St. Pete not to long ago.  I didn't get questions that I had answered, not that he couldn't answer them.  Its just the questions were a bit more advanced within the scope of the course.  I gathered this because the first question I asked he replied to the class.. "What she is saying in english.... "  I gathered form his comment that most of the others taking the workshop were beginners with no real understanding of glaze work.  So no questions asked unless it was basic to clarifying or solidifying a concept where I was a bit fuzzy in understanding. 
 I took a few good tips and some insights home with me.  So I felt it was money well spent.

Here is the opening... 

Pots for the Great Trail Festival

Some Pots That Will Be At the Great Trail Festival in Malvern Ohio

 Was thinking when I went to the YSU Festival of the Arts, that I had plenty of pots and paintings, since I had double of what I had the year before.  I was slammed and pretty much sold out of paintings and pots.  So..  Potting my little heart out to get ready for the Great Trail Festival with no time to update blog or website.  While I'm not caught up but I think I have a handle on it, I think.

At any rate these pots are a product of much testing and glaze development.  I'm quite pleased with the outcome.  Makes all the testing worth while.

I'll be demonstrating on the potters wheel, as usual.  Come check it out if you get the chance!

The website for the festival is      www.greattrailfestival.com
 For the dates and times.

Bad Glaze.. Play nice!

This glaze has been pitching me fits.  The new clay didn't like it at all and I had to test and reformulate about five times before the two played nice together.  

Still Potting and Painting!

Stoneware Mug 6"

12" Vase with sculpted Sea Horse
Porcelain

Well yes.. I'm guilty of not posting for a bit.  But for good reasons.   We are getting a new addition on the house so everything that was stored in the old building is in the lanai and the spare bedroom. So painting has been put on hold.  The pottery can be done outside but who ever ordered the 50 deg. weather please stop it.  Too cold to play in wet clay, though I have had enough bisque to kiln fire some glaze ware.  Here are the resulting pieces.
  Contractor said he would be starting in about two weeks..  Can't wait to get life back to normal!

 

8"x6"x4"  Altered Vase, Sculpted
Porcelain

Quality Time in the Wild.. For lack of a better title at this time.

Quality Time in the Wild
30x24 Oil on Linen Hardboard

I'm calling this one finished.  The painting has been on and off the easel for about 5 months.  Had a lot of difficulty with the size, as its a very large piece for me, since figureing out how to paint a large shape and make it painterly can be a challenge.   You can make it so busy that it competes with the focal point and throws the whole painting off.  There are probably two other paintings under this one.  Now off to find a frame.
Speaking of frames..  I'm going to go to gallery wrapped canvases for my bigger paintings.  The expense for the frames is brutal!  

Vanderbilt Beach Palms -Plein Air

Vanderbilt Palms
8x10 Oil on Hardboard
Plein Air   SOLD

Vanderbilt Beach is a great place to find a lot of different subjects for plein air painting.  I had a great spot for painting, under a teki  hut.  Which gave me great lighting for the few hours I worked on this.
Trying hard to get out more and paint.  Have a few paintings in the finishing stages right now.  One may even be finished tonight.  Stay tuned.  :-D

Plein Air at Shangri-La Springs

Pottery in Oil
8X10 on linen hardboard

Its been a good long while since I did any Plein Air painting.  It really did feel good to get out and paint.

There group of painters from the Estero Fl. area that get together on Wednesday to paint outdoors and I was happy to join in the fun.  We painted for about 2 1/2 hours at  Shangri-La Springs, Bonita Fl.  This painting is done in oil and is a 8X10.  Sometimes the simplest subjects make the best paintings don't they?  I know I needed a simple painting to start off with. 

YSU Festival of the Arts, Youngstown Oh.

Have to give a shout of thanks to all my customers who helped make the show a success.  I always feel so honored that my art graces their walls and homes.

Sunflowers to Bluebirds

Bluebird
5x7 Oil

The Bluebirds are  back!  So I took a few hours from painting sunflowers to painting Bluebirds.


Their such wonderfully colored birds with a kind eye and I do love to paint them.

Sunflowers, Sunflowers, and more Sunflowers

 Sunflowers are the subject for "A Painting A Day" Facebook page that a friend started.  So here are a couple of quick studies.  Most took only a 1/2 hour or so..
The two lighter paintings which gambit to a lighter sepia tonal color scheme are the result of cleaning up the palette.   Always a good exercise to use a limited palette but I think what was left on the palette was just a bit to sparse in terms of darks.  But they still look pretty.  :)

5x7 Oil

8x10 oil

11x14 Oil

11x14 Oil

Violet and Yarn

Violet and Yarn
8x10 Linen Hardboard

#4 done for the Painting Challenge.  SInce I came in a bit late thats all I'm going to get done for the Still Life Challenge.  Today starts the Landscape Challenge.

BTW..   Yarn as a subject matter for painting will really have to be a stellar addition to the painting to make me want to paint yarn ever again..  ;)

Copper and Fruit #3 in the Still Life Challenge

Copper and Fruit
Oil on 8x10 Canvas

  Here is #3 from the challenge.

  Took about 6 hours to complete the painting and its one of the most involved pieces I have ever done. First because of the amount of subjects. Secondly due to the limited palette I used. (T. white, Alz. Crimson, Ult. Blue, Cad. Yellow Lt. and Burnt Umber.) . Thirdly, since the fruit was fake it was much harder to paint.

   If the painting looks a bit flat its because there are no highlights at present.  I will add them later when the paint is dry to the touch.

Thanks Robbie for the CUTE FRUIT and neat copper bowl.  ;)

Vase #2 in the Still Life Challenge

Vase
12x9 Oil on Linen Hardboard

Number 2 in the challenge. Have three more to get done tomorrow and I'll be caught up.

I've started using a new style of painting.. I have made my own slo-dry medium and have more time to paint wet-in-wet.  I think I do like it better than the liquin.  Its something I have been planning and drafting in my head while I do my pottery.

This challenge came along at a good time.  Helped me get off my butt and get some paint on the canvas.

Tea Cup

Tea Cup
5x7 Oil on Linen Hardboard

Lately I have not been up to the challenge of painting.  To much other arty projects going on.  Mainly pottery.
But when Val started I daily painting challenge page on face book I realized I really wanted to start painting again.

This challenge is a 10 day still life.. Day one for me but I think its day 6 for others.  Always a bit late.  ;)
Took about an hour.. course my tea was a tad cool.  But was fun to just push some paint!

Pots fresh out of the kiln!

 Just a few of the pots that came out of the kiln this past week.  I did a few over that I was not happy with how the glaze turned out.  I'm satisfied with the way they turned out this time about.

Did some sculptured fish vases too..  They sure take lots of time to make but the end effect is well worth it.