Rediscovering Art

There's no rush

2011-10-15T21:17:00.007+01:00

Time for a little update - I haven't had much clay time, but I have had some!

That bowl/vase/I hadn't decided yet, turned out to be a large candle holder:

The clay has dried out here so it looks very pale, but once fired and glazed the blue slip on here will be dark blue. I've scraped some off, and I'm hoping that it will produce a streaky cloud effect. It's just an experiment really, so we shall see!

I have made more shot "glasses" as well:

The frustrating thing is that despite using a stencil each of them seem to have come out a different size! It probably has something to do with me being extremely impatient and not letting the clay shrink a little after rolling it out or something. I'm also using a different clay at the moment. My white stoneware clay didn't come out quite as white as I wanted it to, so this is from my bag of St Patrick's white. It's quite grainy actually, so I hope that doesn't effect the glazing of the pieces. These each have something different written on them.

And then finally, another unfinished piece:

It doesn't look like much at the moment, but this will be another candle holder. I want to experiment with the shape at the top of this one. I'm enjoying experimenting, and after all, that's what it's all about - experimenting, growing, learning, and having fun.

After doing a little run of shows last year I struggled a little bit with my feelings about my art. Partly because no one seemed to really appreciate it, and partly because I felt like I was just producing it for other people. I've been invited to do a couple of shows this winter, but I think I will give it a miss, continue to work at my own pace, and if next year I have a body of work to show then great, but at least there is no pressure. Art shouldn't feel pressured. So I'm hoping that working at this relaxed pace I may be able to produce something amazing, but we shall see. I shall keep you updated anyway :)

I'm also looking forward to making more tortoises! None of them sold at the shows, although my sister bought a couple, and the rest I gave away as gifts, but I really enjoyed making them! So that may be next on my list, just to keep changing what I'm making to keep it fun.

"Best laid plans" and all that...

2011-09-25T12:41:00.012+01:00

So what happened to this amazing idea I had of making 12 animals over 12 months? Umm... well, I haven't started it yet! I broke the panda into pieces to recycle the clay, put it in a large bowl with water, and then forgot about it. When I finally pulled the bag off to have a look, it looked like this: WARNING: THE FOLLOWING PHOTOGRAPH MAY MAKE YOU VOMIT.

Eew! What do I do with that?? I mean, seriously, if I drain the nasty, slimy, brown water away, can I still use the clay? I think not. This is paper clay by the way, I've never had this happen with any other clay.

Clay isn't the only thing that got left this summer...

I know I should probably cut it down, but it looks so pretty growing on the inside of the house :)

So what exactly did I do all summer? Well, I don't really know. I've had to look through my photos to remind myself!

After my holiday, my family came to visit from Norway for 4 weeks. It feels so long ago now :(

I also went to a classic American car show this summer...

... I went to a party...

... I saw some owls...

... and occasionally took photos of pretty stuff...

... and that was pretty much my summer.

And then suddenly, yesterday, I had an urge...

It's not an animal, but it's clay! Six shot "glasses" and a bowl/vase/I haven't decided yet. For those who are non-clay people, the clay will shrink, so the shot glasses look extra big at the moment! Scott thinks they look really good, I just think they look... wonky! Why is everything I make always wonky?

Back from holiday! Lots of news!

2011-06-25T14:40:00.002+01:00

Hello everyone! We're back from our holiday! Actually we've been back for a week, but it's taken me this long to get round to updating my blog!

All week I've been thinking that there is so much news and so many photographs to share that this will be one incredibly long post! So I've decided to cut the waffle, give you the news in brief, and put all the holiday photos in a slide show at the end!

So on with the news...

Umm... yeah. I can't remember it all now! Umm... Oh yeah, well, after sleeping for nearly our entire holiday, I got my blood test results and they are all clear. So unfortunately I have nothing that can be cured with a little magic pill.

About the holiday - we slept a lot. It was so quiet and peaceful - exactly what we needed. It rained most days, but we had fabulous weather on the Tuesday so we went to the zoo! It was incredible. The animals are so beautiful. I wish I was allowed to stroke them! I did get to feed an elephant and a giraffe though!

Despite being so tired, I had a crazy idea this week to make 12 animals in 12 months! I was shopping for a diary, and saw a calendar with a different animal picture for each month, and the idea was borne! What this means is, I will have to scrap what I have made of the panda so far, because I will need to keep each animal at a reasonable size to be able to finish each one within a month. Of course, I suppose this also means that it will be 12 months before anything is fired or glazed, so I won't have any finished work for a long time. I'll play it by ear...

And the final piece of news is that I have lost half a stone in weight! Go me!

Now on with the photos...

Plan? What plan?

2011-06-10T08:28:00.003+01:00

The panda is well under way...

Umm... ok, I know it doesn't look like a panda... actually, Scott said it looks more like a toilet! As usual, I have no idea what I'm doing and I'm just sort of making it up as I go along. I usually have a better idea of what I'm doing the second time around... ok, I know that didn't work with the squirrel, but I built the second swan much quicker, and it came out better... until I glazed it...

Anyway! So I wanted to make a smaller panda first, and then make a bigger one once I knew what I was doing, but this one sort of... got big. It's not as big as it would have been if I had decided to make a big one, but it's not really that small either! (You know it's big when I have to wrap it in a black bin bag!) You see? No plan. There's never a plan...

He's done!

2011-06-08T09:32:00.005+01:00

Yep, I finally finished Mr Squirrel and moved him to the "drying cabinet" today! (which is really just a portable green house, but it works just as well)

Last night I hated him - today, not so much. I "tweaked" him this morning, so he looks very slightly different to these photos from last night. Not much, just a little in the wrists, which I think look a little deformed here (well, mostly the other one, which you can see in the 3rd photo).

This is the best I could do with his hands.

He kind of looks like he's sitting down instead of squatting on his feet. I tried to correct this a little by bringing the bottom of the legs in, but he still looks a little... laid back.

And I'm still not really sure about the tail, although it's not quite as flat as it looks in the photos.

I made this one to replace the squirrel I gave away (you see, I don't really want to part with them). In some ways I think this one looks better (the hands and the face, and the ears are positioned better), in other ways not so good (I like the tail on the other one, although it should have been wider at the top, and the other one was rounder and leaning forward more), but I'm hoping overall this one will be better once I have glazed him. Looking back, the glaze on the last one was awful!

The "other one"

I gave this one to my brother and sister in law as an anniversary present, and I must say, they looked very disappointed! Last I heard it was being used to keep a cupboard door shut!

Time for my panda!!

You can't have it - it's mine!

2011-06-07T23:41:00.006+01:00

I know I'm strange, but my feelings about my art seem to change more often than the weather, and in the UK the weather is always pretty changeable. I think it must be because I haven't been doing this for very long, and maybe it takes a while for us to decide where we want to go with our art? I mean, one minute I want to have a successful exhibition (successful = lots of sales) and the next minute... well, they're mine! I want to keep the things I've made!

I think part of it comes down to the type of objects made. Maybe if I sat at a wheel all day and made very similar items I wouldn't mind parting with them (and I'm not suggesting for one minute that this is easy or not art). But when you hand build sculptures, each piece is a unique and time consuming project, and I suppose you kind of "bond" with that piece. And I suppose there is always the question of whether you can ever recreate that piece again.

Believe me, using a wheel isn't easy!

I still want to learn how to use the wheel, but actually I really enjoy making animal sculptures, and I've kind of decided that that's the direction I want to go in. I have tried to sell my animal sculptures previously, but now I'm glad they didn't sell. And I know deep down that if I successfully manage to make the large and detailed sculptures that fill my mind each night, that I won't want to part with them either. So I suppose I'm destined to be a poor and unknown artist after all!

I find hand building much easier

Ok, I know that last image is of a vase, but the shape was a fluke, and I like it, so I want to keep it. And please don't ask about Mr Squirrel. I hate him, and yet I know I won't want to part with him either.

The squirrel is driving me mad!

2011-05-31T01:17:00.005+01:00

This is the progress so far...

As you can see, he now has a tail...

But he still has no hands or feet...

You see, last Tuesday I managed to sort his ears out, but I just couldn't get the tail right. In the end I gave up, exhausted.

This time I managed to get the tail right, but I just couldn't do the hands! I must have made the hands 3 or 4 times tonight. It's driving me insane! I suppose I'll have to be satisfied with only completing one part of our friend each session.

OK, so it's not a Panda...

2011-05-22T01:06:00.007+01:00

On the day I decided to make a panda, I didn't actually have enough paper clay for the project (which is the clay I decided to use, because I can build quicker without it slumping). So I decided to gather all my dried up pieces together to recycle them, when I came across this:

Remember this? This is the squirrel I started in December as a demonstration piece at a craft fair (umm... just ignore the face, I was having a bad day!). Over the months it had completely dried out and it's head had been squashed as well. It didn't matter, because as all clay people know, nothing is set in stone until it has been fired - and set to stone! So instead of recycling it I decided to rehydrate it and finish it off while I was waiting for more clay for my panda.

I should have taken more photos of the process! The bottom fell off, so I had to stick that back on, and I didn't just cut his head off, but I cut him down half way down his back to make it more curved. This how far I have got with him:

I should have him finished by now, but I can't believe how much I am struggling with confidence! I even find myself cleaning dishes in an attempt to avoid unwrapping my clay! (Yeah, how weird is that?) The stupid thing is that I know that if it goes wrong it doesn't matter! Now I'm annoyed with myself because I've wasted a whole day of potential clay time. If someone could explain this crazy head of mine to me, I'd really appreciate it.

Anita seemed to understand it. She said it's like that fear of facing a blank canvas and not knowing where to start. Do other clay people get like this?

What am I doing??

2011-05-15T16:49:00.006+01:00

Hey, no posts in three months and then two posts in as many days! What's going on?? :)

I just thought I'd share my thoughts with you today because I feel like I'm losing myself somewhere. Being tired and busy with other things has just sucked the enthusiasm right out of me, so any energy and motivation I can muster up is precious.

I have this show coming up in July that I said I would take part in, although I haven't officially booked my stall yet. Deep down I know I'm too tired to get ready for it, but I can't bring myself to send that cancellation email because I was really looking forward to taking part. This would be my biggest event yet, and there will be so many other fun things going on, like live tribute bands. I can hear them from my house every year and they sound great!

Now, the thing is, I actually have some items already that I could display, so if push came to shove I wouldn't actually need to make any more to have a full stall, but these are mostly larger items that people are less likely to buy. If I want to recoup my stall fee I know I need to make some smaller items, so with my limited energy I need to ask myself if I can really do it. And realistically, I am not going to fill my kiln, so is it worth it? And do I want to waste my energy making saleable items, instead of pieces of art?

Yes, I know the sensible answer is to just send off that cancellation email...

And I'm starting to think I should have bought a smaller kiln.

Update: 16/5/11 I've sent off the cancellation email! The deciding factor was seeing a program about Pandas last night, and now I want to make one! :)

What's three months between friends?

2011-05-14T16:35:00.003+01:00

Hello everybody! I just thought I would come online to announce that I am not dead, and I am still alive and (just about) kicking!

I have hardly been creative at all since... well, since last year really, which is shocking! I have made a few decorative plates and a few coasters, but that's about it. The worst thing is, I haven't even been keeping up to date with everyone else's blogs! Unforgivable! I don't even really know where all my time goes! I've been struggling with all of the usual struggles, which I won't list because it's so... boring.

In other news, I bought a new camera :) mainly because the camera on my new phone is so rubbish! But also because... we're going on holiday this year! Yes, our first holiday in 12 years! So I wanted a decent camera because we plan to go to the zoo and the sea life centre, and I want to get some good photos (for reference maybe). I have mixed feeling about these places because animals shouldn't really be kept in cages, but on the other hand it's a fantastic opportunity for your average Jo Bloggs (i.e. me) to see these amazing creatures in the flesh, and sometimes these places do good things in breeding rare animals and raising awareness.

So that's my little bit of news, now here's the photos...

I tried to make some porcelain pendants, but they started cracking before I'd even finished making them!

These are some decorative plates I made using wall paper!

This one is actually diamond shaped which doesn't show very well in the photo.

And I also made some coasters.

It's gonna take me a very long time to fill my kiln at this rate!

It's been a while...

2011-02-16T17:10:00.003Z

Oh dear, it's been such a long time since I have updated my blog, but worse - it's been even longer since I have done anything remotely creative. I seem to have lost my enthusiasm somewhere. And my confidence. And my motivation. I am, however, enjoying reading quite a bit at the moment, so maybe I am simply recharging my creative batteries? After all, things were pretty hectic at the end of last year.

I'm looking forward to the warmer weather. It's not very inspiring to be cramped up in my kitchen, so I'm looking forward to being able to get back out in my studio, but it's too cold at the moment. And I really want to learn to throw this year. So maybe all of my goals for various shows will have to go out of the window. I want to make whatever my soul desires instead of saleable items, and take time to learn and grow.

I haven't renewed my membership for the FPAA yet, and I still haven't decided if I really want to. Just the thought of all the snobbery and pretence drains me.

I am enjoying being at class with Sophie though. I don't make anything myself when I go because I am there to support Sophie, but it's lovely to be with such creative people who are normal and down to earth. Sophie has a real natural talent, and has really progressed in such a short space of time. Here is one of her latest pieces:

I can't wait to see it glazed!

I hope to be able to post again soon, maybe with pictures of my own creations?

I want to know...

2011-01-09T02:30:00.005Z

... how much of your own art do you have on display at home? And if you are a potter, how much of your own pottery do you use?

I usually only keep my rejects, but on display at home I also have pieces like my Swan that has been on exhibiton everywhere but not sold. I also have one or two other pieces that are slowly creeping in, like my Marianne vase. I said I wanted to keep my brown tortoise trinket box, but when someone offered to buy it I sold it. Why? Why did I do that? Why am I so desperate to get rid of my pieces when actually... I love them. Yes, I love my own art. Isn't that the point of making it? So why are all my pieces boxed up waiting for the next show or sale?

"Swanee, no-one loves ya, no-one loves ya..."

What has led to these thoughts tonight? It's a mixture of things really. I received the FPAA news letter today, which contained a review of the exhibition in November, and my pieces didn't even get a mention. It kind of left me feeling unappreciated as an artist. And then of course there are the lack of sales... and I'm trying not to care, but I do.

I need to make myself a replacement of this now

But why? Why do I care? First and foremost I should make art for me. I should make it for the enjoyment of the process, and because I love what I'm making. And I do. So why are my pieces boxed up for other people?

My Marianne vase. Yup, mine. I don't particularly want to part with my Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy vases either!

So tonight I have been unwrapping pieces and placing them around my home. Because they're mine. And I appreciate them even if no one else does. It doesn't matter what others think of them because I made them for me. My home will be filled with original pieces that no one else has!

The year in review and my goals for 2011

2011-01-02T21:28:00.003Z

Yes, it's that time of year again when people start reflecting on the past year, and the one ahead. Since my confidence yoyo's more than... a yoyo, it's good for me to reflect on what I have actually achieved over the past 12 months.

The goals I set myself for 2010 were to be more prepared for upcoming shows, and to create and expand a Jane Austen Collection, as well as making at least one more animal. I'm pleased to say that I achieved all of those things this past year. The ones I didn't do were trying out slip trailing, finishing my second tree fairy vase, and finishing the portrait of Scott when he was a little boy.

Month by month review

In January I took part in the One World One Heart give-away for the first time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I look forward to taking part again this year. More news on that soon!

I also made a start on developing my Jane Austen collection, starting with this jug as a prototype, with my Marianne design.

Marianne Jug prototype

The final design

The highlight of February has to be when I received my surprise gift from Philippa King! I also went to an exhibition of hers in February, and it was fantastic to see some of her work in the flesh!

"Hearing Hallucinations" by Philippa King

As for personal achievements, I started on Fred the Head during this month.

In March, Fred the Head had a gender re-assignment and became Freda the Heada! In class, I made my very first pot on the wheel! And it was awful!

My first wheel thrown pot!

I started a 28 day challenge in March but I completely lost all motivation when my class was cancelled and I lost access to a kiln. This was definitely the lowest point of the whole year, especially as I couldn't find any other options available to me.

In April I spent quite a bit of time with my nieces and nephews while they were off school, which was great! They are so creative, and it's so inspiring. I worked more on Freda the Heada, and spent a lot of time online looking for a kiln after exhausting all other options (such as hiring kiln space). And then... I bought one!! :O

My rather large kiln

May was an incredibly creative month, due to the fact that I only had that one month to prepare for an exhibition in early June! I expanded my Jane Austen collection to include an Emma design, and I made a Marianne vase, as well as developing a Woodland collection.

Tree lady vase before firing

It was also a very stressful month trying to get the kiln wired in, but finally it was done and I did my first firing in my own kiln!

The exhibition in June was a success, and I sold three pieces! My first sales! And I received a fantastic gift from Cindy :)

My mug by Cindy Gilliland

In July I made tortoises :)

I spent a lot of time with my nieces and nephews again in August, but I'm glad to say that my clay time didn't suffer too much because of it. I continued with decorating my tortoises and then expanded my Jane Austen collection further by including designs of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr Darcy.

In September I used paper clay for the first time. I must say it was very clean and easy to use.

Swan made with paper clay

In October I made lots of Woodland pieces, and pendants. The Rabbit I was making was going a bit wrong, so I made some changes to it and it made a very nice Meerkat!

November was a busy month with glazing and firing. There were a couple of disasters, but mainly my firings were a success. I had a couple of exhibitions during this month. At one of them I did very poorly compared to the summer exhibition at the same venue, but at the other one I did much better.

December was a lazy month! The only clay time I had was a demonstration I did at a craft fair! I shouldn't be so hard on myself though - it's only through writing this post that I realise how productive I have been this past year! It's so strange looking through posts for the past year and thinking "Was that this year? It feels so long ago!"

So that's the past year pretty much summed up. I never did finish Freda the Heada, so I suppose that will be on my list for 2011. After the disastrous time I had at a recent craft fair (see last post) I have spent some time thinking about which avenues I want to use in 2011 to sell my art. I don't think I have completely given up on the craft fair route, because there are a couple of fairs in the summer that bring in thousands of people every year, so I'd like to give them a try.

Freda the Heada

So my goals for 2011 are to prepare for the craft fair in July, to have one or two sculptures ready for the FPAA exhibitions in June and November, and to be ready for the Open Studio's event in September, and the Pytchley exhibition in November. That's five events! Am I out of my mind?? Quite possibly, but it keeps me sane :) I'm tempted to take part in a craft fair in April, but it's a three day event and I was so exhausted after doing just two days recently. I've had people offer to help though...

My clay goals are to continue developing my Jane Austen collection. I really want to try to make some lamps. I also want to make some slim vases, so that I have something slim enough to fit on my mantelpiece! And animals! Lots of animals! I also want to work on trying different flowers on my woodland pieces. Ooh, and I'd really like to try some porcelain this year too.

So those are my goals. What about you?

Craft Fairs - the good, the bad, and the shipped in from China

2010-12-26T18:47:00.013Z

Yeah, I thought it was about time I wrote another post! It's been a while hasn't it?

So what have all you lovely people been up to? I mean, apart from the Christmas thing - I hope you all had a lovely time with your friends and family by the way.

I have been feeling much more sociable than usual, which has helped me keep my sanity at the Crafts Fairs I took part in recently. Last time I blogged I said I had one more show to do, which was more of an Arts and Craft Fair. It was very quiet there, and I didn't sell as much as I had hoped, but I did better than the two previous exhibitions put together! But it was mainly those little dishes that sold.

It was very dark in the Tithe Barn, but at least it was warm (once they closed the door!) and we had free hot drinks.

After that I still had so many pieces that I made a last minute decision to take part in an Arts and Craft Fair in another town. It was a disaster. I thought the first one was quiet, but this one was completely dead. I sold less than £10 worth of stuff in a whole day. This was a more expensive venue as well - £25 a day, compared to £15 for the last one. And there were no hot drinks as we had been promised. As if that wasn't bad enough, the organiser decided that we should pack up early. Some of us wanted to stay for the full amount of time we had paid for, but what choice do you have when most of the others have packed up and gone home? Anyone walking through the door at that point would think the Fair was over anyway.

It was much brighter in the Guildhall, and it is a beautiful building, but it was freezing and we had no hot drinks.

The organiser offered me a free table for the next day, and an extra one (since so many people had pulled out) to do a demonstration. It was the second day that my social skills were really put to the test! For some reason, even though I was sitting right next to my table of wares, people didn't connect the two. I have no idea what they thought I was doing! My friend Anita helped me out that day, and we both had to keep explaining to people that I was demonstrating how I make my pieces. Some people were impressed, but many were just confused!

It was busier that day, but still quiet. And I sold less than £10 again. To top it off I also got a parking ticket, after being told by the organiser that parking was free!

This is how I felt after two days of freezing my butt off for less than £20, which didn't even cover the cost of the hot drinks and food I had to buy, not to mention the parking, the table, and the parking ticket! And I didn't even shout at anyone! It's an unfinished squirrel by the way, with no ears, no arms and no tail.

The thing that really niggled me at this event was that many of the people there were not selling handmade goods, or at least, not made by themselves. One lady shipped her leather bound hand made paper books in from India, and the stall advertising "Hand made Leather Bags" shipped them in from Morocco. There was also a stall selling boots, which I'm guessing the lady didn't hand stitch herself, likewise with the childrens hard backed books. The same was true for the lady selling cards, and the lady selling toys, and the lady selling dog treats... in fact, after talking to so many stall holders who just shipped their stock in from elsewhere, by the second day I gave up asking "Did you make these yourself?" and replaced it with "Did you ship this in from somewhere?". Apart from myself, there was only the jam lady, the cake lady, the knitting girls, the felt decorations lady, and another lady with hand made decorations that brought in their own hand made stuff. And not all of those were there both days! No wonder people looked confused by my demonstration!

So, the good points were that at the first Craft Fair I managed to ~~get rid of~~ sell that Ivy Vase with the glaze that didn't crack, and the leaf that broke. I explained to the customer about the glued on leaf, and she wanted it anyway. Mind you, she is my counsellor! Does that sale count??

Another highlight was swapping pendants for home made cake :) I did this at both Fairs.

And of course, doing a demonstration was definitely a highlight, and a first for me, even if it did leave people confused! Having my hands in clay that day definitely helped to keep me sane!

Next Post: The year in review and my goals for 2011.

Bouncing back!

2010-11-28T07:25:00.003Z

Well, I never did sell any more than just those two sets of coasters at my first show of the season. Pytchley was much better although only being a one day show, and sales are very reassuring, so I've put all that negative vibe stuff behind me - it's time to bounce back!

My table at Pytchley

Actually, I'm not doing too much bouncing at the moment because I'm nursing a rotten cold! Scott and I always seem to get them really badly, but on a positive note it's not as bad as the flu we had this time last year!

I still have one more show left to go, and I'm hoping I'll do well there. It's more of an arts and crafts market, and I tend to think people go to markets to buy, rather than to just look at beautiful art, which is what I think a lot of people go to art exhibitions for. Am I right?

Once that's over with I can't wait to get my hands in some clay again! It may seem a little early to start setting goals for the next year, but already I'm thinking ahead about what I want to achieve. The FPAA have said that there will be a limit to how many pieces each artist can exhibit next year, which is fair. Currently artists can only exhibit two paintings, but if you are a ceramic artist you can display a whole table. Next year ceramic artists will also only be able to exhibit two pieces of art, so I really want to exhibit my best. I'm kind of excited about this. I think it will mean no more sales at the FPAA for me, but it will become an avenue for me to display real works of art. I shall have to keep stretching myself to produce pieces that create enough presence on their own.

Back to the present day, the glaze on the swan didn't turn out too well and so I couldn't include it in the Pytchley show. That'll teach me to test my glazes before using them for the first time!

Negative vibe

2010-11-18T00:19:00.003Z

Hello all. Well, what can I say? I'm not sure how to start this post off because all I'm going to do is moan my head off anyway. You don't have to read it, but it's my blog, so there!!

I was "stewarding" at the show today, and each time I do it I come home feeling negative and down. There just doesn't seem to be a very positive vibe this time, or maybe it's just me? I can't decide.

Why it could be me: I seem to need a lot of reassurance about my work, and I'm just not getting it. I "only" sold two sets of coasters on the preview evening, and nothing since. Still, I keep trying to remind myself that someone liked my Jane Austen theme enough to buy the coasters, and that maybe they just couldn't afford a larger piece. No-one has left a comment in my comments book this time though, which mean as much to me as sales.

Why it's probably the vibe from the show: I don't even know where to start with this one! I really hate snobbery and partiality. On the preview evening I was talking to a member of the FPAA when someone else butted in to introduce a posh looking lady who was obviously very "important", and suddenly I wasn't in the conversation anymore, and I was left standing there looking at someones back. I was too tired to care at the time, but with other events this week it's really starting to niggle me.

You may recall that in the summer when Stella (a fabulous artist and a really lovely lady) won both "Best Ceramic" and "Runner up", Scott was outraged. It really didn't bother me at all, but Scott was convinced that it was all fixed. But this time round it is starting to bother me, but not because I haven't won anything, but because I just hate hate hate the favouritism thing. Once again Stella has won the "Best Sculpture" (and rightly so), but maybe others had mentioned that she shouldn't win both 1st and runner up because this time there isn't a runner up!

I started looking around at the other pieces that had won prizes, because I noticed that some fabulous paintings had been completely overlooked, and some of the winners weren't actually as good. What I noticed is that a high percentage of those who had won were committee members of the FPAA (and two of them were there while the judging was taking place). I don't know why this depresses me, but it really does. Other people have noticed it as well, including the actual owner of the Museum, who made a complaint to the Chair Person of the FPAA. She was very honest (despite being a winner herself) and agreed that the person who judges needs to be someone from another town who doesn't know any of the members. But sadly, some other committee members (who have won three years in a row) feel very strongly that the judge stay the same... it just disgusts me, and I don't particularly want to be associated with an organisation like that.

So I'm wondering if all of this is affecting the "vibe" at the show. It just doesn't feel the same as it did a couple of years ago before I was a member. I remember going to the preview evening with Anita and the room was just buzzing. I've never seen it as busy as it was that night and the vibe has never felt the same. This one feels worse though.

All of that being said, I have to say that it is a beautiful exhibition with lots of different styles and media.

Rant over. I'm just not sure about renewing my membership at the end of the year.

Updates and photos

2010-11-13T23:35:00.007Z

Wow, what an insanely busy week I've had! I was glazing all day Monday and Wednesday and I just about got everything fired in time! I unloaded the kiln at about 12.30 Thursday night / Friday morning, and I had to set up my show on Friday!

There were a few disasters along the way... the piece that broke in my hand and dropped into the kiln... but also my lovely swan ended up with a huge crack underneath!

This actually happened in the glaze firing, although the swan wasn't glazed. I know that sounds strange. Well, the swan was made with stoneware but I wanted to use a low fire glaze on it, so I read that I could fire it to stoneware and then glaze it. Previously I would have just low fired it even though it's stoneware and it wouldn't have been fully "mature", but I got it in my head this time that I wanted everything to be done "properly". Anyway, I have managed to repair the damage with more paper clay (amazing stuff) and popped it in with my low fire glaze firing, but it still needs to be glazed. Thankfully, John (from the clay class) has said I can pop it in their kiln on Monday, so I should have it by the weekend for the Pytchley show. Thank you John!

Another disaster was the red vase I made for my sister in law. When it came out of the kiln it looked like the surface of the moon! (but red) I took this photo especially for you dear readers...

... but then when I looked at the photo it struck me how much it looks like a strawberry... which gave me an idea! I filled in the ~~pinholes~~ craters with black under glaze, and then refired the piece with my low fire pieces. So now the dots look like seeds (I hope) and I shall exhibit this as a strawberry vase! The finished result is included in the slide show below. I have no idea what caused the pinholing in the first place though. I vaccumed my kiln, and wiped my vases down before glazing, so I don't think it's dust. And it only happened on the red one...

Apart from that everything has run fairly smoothly, I've just had to make some last minute changes to what I had planned to display and where. This is my table at the FPAA. The drawings in the background are from a kids drawing competition.

A couple of people at the FPAA said that my work is "evolving" and that I'm "coming along well". One lady bought both sets of my coasters on the opening night, then another man asked about them, and my friend was planning on buying them herself! So I know what I will have to start making soon!

There are so many photos to show you I decided to join Photobucket and upload a slide show. I hope you enjoy it. I still have my pendants to photograph once they are on the chains.

My new toy

2010-11-09T15:52:00.006Z

Just sit back and relax, and have the blog post read to you!

Potter at an art fair by icsthrower - enjoy!

Hey, let me know if you like this type of post, I may do it more often!

I finally finished the rabbit... er... meerkat!

2010-10-30T02:13:00.004+01:00

How does something start out as a rabbit and end up looking like a cross between Yoda and ET? I don't know, but here it is.

He looks like he's meditating doesn't he? Honestly, his head isn't really that big in the flesh, the camara lies.

Less than two weeks before my first show now. So am I finished making all of my pieces yet? Umm... no.

Busy doing nothing

2010-10-26T02:48:00.006+01:00

Wow, I have been really struggling to get clay time recently, which put me in an incredibly bad mood today. I can only go so long without clay before I seriously start losing the plot and feel like doing violent paintings again! I don't even know what's been getting in the way, just rubbish things, like gas men, and feeling too tired and things like that. I even followed my counsellors advice and scheduled it into my diary, and it still didn't happen! The end result is that by the time I actually managed to get my clay out today, I had lost my confidence again...

I started on a piece weeks ago that was supposed to be a rabbit, except it looks nothing like one! So I started altering it a bit to try to make it into a meerkat - something that a couple of people have asked me to make - but today I seemed to be struggling with that as well! And I have less than 3 short weeks before my shows begin!

At least I know I will be able to fire my pieces now... oh yes, we've had lots of fun and games in the kiln department! Someone came to change our electric meter (I would say "upgrade" but I hate that word!) and he noticed that the kiln was completely bypassing the meter! So he had to make an "emergency call" to "abort" (yes, he really said that). I was expecting the CIA, to come crashing through the window from an overhead hellicopter...

Needless to say, it is all sorted out now, otherwise I wouldn't be joking about it. But it was extremely stressful and it cost us an extra £153 to have it put right (which we are trying to get back from the electrician who wired it in), but at least they didn't disconnect my kiln, or our whole house supply, or have us sent to prison, despite treating us like criminals even though we had absolutely no knowledge of what the electrician had done.

Rage - from ... umm... a long time ago

So, I have actually made some pendants, because I can just about manage cookie cutters...

... and I made some log things with birds before I lost my confidence somewhere...

... I'm thinking I really need to find my confidence again because I've just spent about a million pounds on glazes... and of course I have those shows coming up, so the timing isn't great. If you see it anywhere, please send it home :)

Busy busy busy!

2010-10-03T06:51:00.008+01:00

Hello people! It's been a busy week here! Specifically, it's been a busy week with clay, I'm glad to say!

My week kicked off with clay class on Monday evening! I don't really need the classes now that I have my own kiln, but I go to accompany my lovely niece Sophie. Sophie is 16 now, so she qualifies for the adult learning course, but she has Autism and so she needs a carer to be with her. And I get to catch up with some of the other students who have re-enrolled!

Sophie is a wonderful artist. She can sketch an outline for a drawing in minutes! She particularly likes to draw Pokemon, but she draws other things too, mainly in that Anime style. What amazes me most is that she draws everything on a graphics tablet! I tried using one of those things recently and I couldn't even sign my own name without considerable practice! There are so many of her pieces that I love, (and I don't have all of them) but here is one that she drew for her Mum recently:

Anyway, she seemed to enjoy the clay class and is looking forward to this Monday coming. I shall have to remember to photograph some of her clay work!

Back to my own studio, I tried to get as many pieces finished in my white clay as possible before getting out my brown/black clay, because it stains everything! I could still do with making lots of little pieces for the Arts and Crafts fair coming up in December, but I wanted to get my main pieces for my two main shows out of the way first. After a very busy week I am nearly finished! Phew!

Some of the last white pieces I made were some Jane Austen coasters. You wouldn't believe how much I struggled to make a few simple tiles! Although I manage to keep them flat during drying, they keep shrinking out of shape! If you look carefully in this photo you can see:

In the end I scrapped the ones I made at first and made some more, but this time I let the clay shrink a little before cutting them out! It seeems to have worked.

Here is one of the black/brown pieces I have made this week:

I only noticed after taking the photo that the news paper that is wrapped around the tube has a picture of someone in an army uniform! Kind of ironic! Anyway, the areas I plan to glaze are painted in white slip. I have made quite a few pieces similar to this bird one...

... but they are all standing on end while they dry! So they're not really in the best position for photographing! (If I lay them down while they are soft they will collapse under their weight)

And that's this week! I have a couple of pieces to finish today, and then I need to make one more animal (maybe a Meerkat, since someone asked me about that recently) and then I should have enough for my two main shows! Yippee! After these three shows I have a whole six months until my next show! So I predict lots of animal sculptures! :D

Paper Clay

2010-09-27T03:58:00.004+01:00

As promised, here is my review of paper clay - so called because a percentage of it is paper or some other combustible material, so that after firing the piece made with it should be lighter in weight. I've also heard that it is supposed to add strength to the piece while building, and can be repaired or added to even in it's dry state.

The first thing I noticed is it's strange texture. It feels spongey, and it does actually feel lighter than clay even when wet. It's very clean and easy to use, and it doesn't even smell like clay, which I missed. I think it probably was a little stronger while building and held it's own weight quite well, but I still had to leave it to set a little every now and then. The only two negative things were the smell and the fact that it dried my hands out much more than ordinary clay. It didn't smell bad, it just didn't smell like clay.

And here is the finished piece. I'll have a better idea about weight once it is fired and glazed.

And no, I'm not tired of making swans yet! This one is a bit bigger than my first swan, and measures at about 17 inches long, 9 1/2 inches high, and 7 inches wide.

In other news:
I have sent off my applications for my upcoming shows and have had a postcard printed to advertise them! Unfortunately I forgot to put the date of one of the shows on the postcard!!

Apart from that it's just go go go, getting ready for the shows!

Kathy asked me, did I ever dream of this? Well no, I didn't, and I don't suppose the man who interviewed me at the college did either! Hahahaha! Oh how I wish I knew what his name was and how to contact him!

Some updates

2010-09-18T15:13:00.004+01:00

Hello blogging friends! Oh dear, what a naughty blogger I've been! I haven't updated for ages! To be honest it's just so easy to write a quick (one sentence) update on FaceBook and upload a photo and forget about the blog. But for those of you who have more sense than to use that (addictive) service, here is an update!

It was so wet during August! You may recall I had 4 vases in the process of being made all at the same time, and I was struggling to get them to set. For those of you who have been wondering, the hair dryer worked very well!

It took quite a while, but I finally got the vases finished!

The one on the right is for my sister inlaw and will be glazed red. The one on the left I have carved an ivy design and I intend to do an iron oxide wash on it once it has been fired. I will try to remember to take photos of the process!

The other two vases took longer to finish as my Mum took very ill and I didn't get any clay time for a while. I'm glad to say she is much better now and is giving up smoking!! These ones have the Marianne design slip inlayed on them, and since this photo was taken I have also added some fancy little handles either side of the neck.

These two came out much smoother because before I had finished them I invested in a whirler! (A whirler is a round stand that spins round, although it's not powered like a potters wheel is) So I was able to spin the vase round and use the steel kidney/scraper on the side to get a more even finish.

I also bought some other essential items - some 12" shelf props, and an angle grinder to try to clean these shelves up! I shall need to do that soon because I'm loading the kiln as I go (which is why I have no photgraph of the vases with their handles on!) I'm running out of surface space, and I don't want anything to get damaged, so I put the vases straight in the kiln when they were finished.

This week I have started a project using paper clay! More about that next post!

Ok, another question!

2010-08-26T21:30:00.002+01:00

I started another couple of vases yesterday, but before too long they were too floppy for me to work on, so I started another couple of vases while I was waiting for them to set a little.

So now I have four vases on the go and one big problem - the weather. I'm leaving the vases unwrapped, but the air is so cold and damp that they just don't want to stiffen up!

I'm thinking about actually using my hair dryer on them! But I know that usually quick drying results in cracking. Do you think it will be ok since I'm not completely drying the pot?

I saw a video on youtube once of a man using a blowtorch on his pot! I really thought it would make the pot crack, but apparently not. So, surely a hair dryer will be ok?

Inspiration struck!

2010-08-25T15:18:00.004+01:00

Well, as I said, my original plan for those vases was to slip inlay a Jane Austen character on each one, but I just wasn't feeling excited about that and I didn't know what to do with them. Then... inspiration struck!...

I looked at my little sketches of Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. How could I bring their characters to life? What was there about the sketches that said "Mr Darcy" or "Elizabeth Bennet"? Nothing really.

I thought about the story. Neither character really has anything about them individually that makes them easily recognisable, like Emma and her snobbish match making, and Marianne and her love for hill walking and her pining for Willoughby. Except...

...their love and hate for each other! Of course! The two need to be together to bring the story to life! And so on one vase I have them turned away from each other, and on the other vase I have them turned towards each other! I was so excited about this idea that I had to do it straight away! So I was up until about 6am!

My slip inlaying never seems to photograph very well, so I have no photo of the other vase and this one might not be very clear, but I hope they will come out well after firing.

I must say a big thank you to Scott and Kim for their advice on my last post. Although I won't be using low fire glazes on these pieces after all, the advice won't be wasted as I plan to try the idea on another piece. Thank you!

Need some advice from experienced potters please!

2010-08-25T00:36:00.005+01:00

I finally finished the two vases I was coiling and I'm very happy with them. Here they are:

These are made with white stoneware, and I had originally planned to slip inlay a couple of my Jane Austen designs and just glaze them clear. But now I'm thinking how lovely these would look with one of Mayco's Crystalite glazes. The problem is that those glazes are for earthenware...

...bear with me now while I think out loud...

I know a bisque firing would normally be between 955c and 1060c, bearing in mind that the more the clay matures the less absorbent it will be for glazing... yeah, I'm thinking I might have just answered my own question...

Reader: What question?
Me: Yeah, I talk in riddles in person as well.

...Well, usually with stoneware you would (obviously) glaze fire at a higher temperature than the bisque fire, but with low fire glazes on earthenware it's the other way round because the clay won't mature at the low temperature required for the glazing. But the glazes adhere to the surface because... they have something in them to make them sticky (apparently). So... and here's the question...

I'm wondering if low fire glazes are sticky enough to glaze stoneware if the piece is fired at a stoneware temperature first??

You see, I don't want the piece to be under fired, and previously I have used low fire glazes on stoneware that wasn't matured and the glaze cracked on the inside. (I know, I know, that's why there are high fire glazes specifically for stoneware!) But the low fire glazes are so pretty... and I can't coil with earthenware. You see my dilema.

I'm thinking that if I go ahead with this plan it's just going to be an experiment isn't it?

Breaking news: Inspiration struck at about 4am! Update to follow!

Soooo behind with the blog thing...

2010-08-20T01:31:00.006+01:00

Hello everyone. It's me. Remember me? That's ok, I forget who I am sometimes too :)

It feels like such a long time since I have updated my blog! Or read any, for that matter! My apologies if you write a blog and you've been wondering where my comments are!

This summer has been a little bit crazy. I've been trying to spend as much time with my nieces and nephews as I can while they're off school. The problem with that is that I get exhausted very easily and I struggle to juggle everything else. "Everything else" including down time, which I need quite a lot of for the sake of my sanity. "Down time" meaning no communication with the outside world, and that doesn't include when I'm asleep!

Today I finally had some clay time all to myself! (as opposed to clay time with nieces and nephews - not the same at all) This isn't the first time I've had clay time since I last posted though... I have a vague memory of having some clay time before... once. After the tealight swans I made yet more tortoises, the same design as the trinket boxes but money boxes this time. The nieces and nephews have seen them (oops!) so now I'll have to make many many more!!

Today I started on a couple of vases, using the white stoneware clay that I had used before. I'd forgotten what a dream it was to coil with! Or maybe I just didn't really appreciate it until I tried coiling with that awful earthenware clay!!

And that's really all I've done, clay wise. The kids have been making some amazing stuff! I really wish I had the energy and the patience to have them round all the time! They are so creative! Here are just a couple of examples...

Elliot's (10) mask...

and Dylan's (9) scary castle...

I'd love to tell you about all the other things we've got up to this summer, but it would be the length of a novel!!

I hope you are all having a great summer, whatever it is you're doing! :)

ps. You can keep up to date with me now on Facebook! All the news without the waffle! See the side bar!

I can't help it...

2010-08-02T03:27:00.003+01:00

... I like swans :)

I'm going to have a table full of swans aren't I? Oh well.. :)

I actually broke the neck off this one this evening, so I shall have to attach another tomorrow. Ooops!

In other news:
I gave some of my pieces away that didn't sell last time. I'll never have an inventory at this rate! I don't know why I keep doing that. The recipients were very happy though :)

And my big shopping spree will have to wait a while (damn bills!) but I plan to get some more clay this week. I'm down to my last scraps, and recycling pieces as I go. Actually, that's not strictly true... I do have a freezer full of clay (it's not switched on, because that would be silly) but I can't remember what's in there... some crank... some terracotta... I'll have to sort it out. The terracotta was rescued for me from a school that was clearing out it's art department. I've never used it because not all glazes show up on it particularly well. I could make some terracotta vases though...

Yo-yoing

2010-07-28T18:25:00.005+01:00

Yep, I seem to be in this continual yo-yoing cycle at the moment. Not with dieting, but with life, clay... it's been a week since I last had some clay time!

So I got my clay out today. Last time I got my clay out everything kept going horribly wrong! The legs kept falling off my tortoises!! But thankfully everything was fine today! I didn't produce much, but I had a great time playing around with some new ideas. It's lovely to sit in my studio with the doors wide open, getting some fresh air and listening to the rain.

Yes, I'm slowly getting used to calling our conservatory/lean-to "my studio" now. Although it's still full of junk, it's where my kiln lives and it's where I've been working on clay recently. It's much better than sitting at the kitchen table!! But it took me a little while to get used to the "move", and I still don't like going out there when it's dark, although I have a light. So I don't know what I'm going to do come winter when it's dark by 4pm!

Anyway, I made yet another mug for my Mum today! Can you believe that she said the last one was too big?? How is that even possible?? My Mum's cup is never empty and her kettle never has time to cool down! So today I made a slightly smaller version. The thing is with clay is that you never quite know what size anything is going to be because it shrinks. It shrinks while it's drying, it shrinks while it's being bisque fired, and it shrinks during the glaze firing. It has more shrinks than a psychiatric ward!

Here it is so far. I still need to attach the handle.

Oh yeah, and I did this.

Just recycling some old clay. :)

Two down, how many to go??

2010-07-19T16:23:00.004+01:00

Here's two tortoises, finished, drying, and waiting to be fired... probably in October!!

They measure roughly 5 1/2 inches wide and just under 7 inches long, although each one is slightly different in size. The depth is a little difficult to measure.

I'm just waiting for the other two to firm up enough to carve, so I'll probably update this blog later today with those.

The question is, how many do I make? How do I know if they will sell or not? Does it matter?

Can you imagine a really really big one of these in the garden? (Like, 2 foot wide) :D

Update: I've finished the other two now.

The green one will be glazed in yellow, making the flowers yellow. The green will still show through. The blue one will be glazed in purple, making the centres of the flowers purple and the rest of the shell... a darker purple? I can't really use my pink on the shell because it's too opaque (that's another story) and I don't think the carving will look very good. I'm thinking I might use it on the body though :)

Yeah, about the pink. Although I like the colour I'm convinced I got "Tea Rose" which is opaque, instead of the "Pretty 'n Pink" that I ordered and was written on the bottle, which is semi-translucent. Oh well.

I'm on a roll!

2010-07-18T17:39:00.005+01:00

Well, I didn't get any clay time at all yesterday. I shouldn't complain, I was enjoying good food and good company instead! I didn't really want to go (because I'm miserable like that) but I'm so glad I did :)

And today I seem to be on a roll! I've made three more tortoises, and shells for two of them, and I'm not ready to stop yet!

To support the shells while they dry I've been using old wash balls!!

I can't decide whether to put handles on the top of the shells or not. Scott thinks they'll be fine without. What do you think?

Now let me see... what shall I make next...

Little and often

2010-07-16T20:20:00.006+01:00

I'm not feeling that great at the moment (so what's new?) but now that I have finally got my clay out I'm trying to get (back) into the routine of having clay time every day. So it seems "little and often" is the order of the day. I made a second swan yesterday.

These are only about 5 1/2 inches in length, and 3 1/2 inches tall. Since making these I have had a lot of other ideas for swan pieces, but I don't want to end up with a table full of nothing but swans! So tonight I made a start on a tortoise. I'm going to make it so that the shell comes off, like a trinket box or something.

As you can see, the head still needs supporting at the moment.

I'm looking forward to glazing this one because I'm going to use that Fuji brown crackle glaze that didn't crack! Last time the glaze came out mottled, but I'm thinking this piece will look good either way. I'm going to paint the shell in brown slip and carve a pattern into it, so that will be fun too! Just out of interest... what do you think about this piece in pink and purple? It's just one of those crazy ideas that passed through my brain during the small hours...

I finally got my clay out!

2010-07-15T14:15:00.003+01:00

The temperature dipped for a while yesterday and I finally got my clay out! I made this little swan and a few stamps.

I'm not really sure about it, but Scott insists that although it doesn't look realistic, it looks elegant, and that people will like it. I plan to make more swans and other little animals for the upcoming shows. "Little" seems to sell, don't you think? So although deep down my soul is crying out to make a sculpture the size of my kiln, my bank balance is telling me to make what sells. And lots of little sums add up to a big sum (hopefully).

In a week or so (when we have more cash) I'm going to do some serious shopping! New clay and glazes always seem to motivate me creatively :) I can't wait!

Fighting my muse, and my clay

2010-07-07T21:36:00.005+01:00

I've been pretty unproductive for some time now. Straight after my show I was ill, and I was desperate to get creating again. But since I've been well enough I've been struggling to find the motivation. I didn't know if it was the heat, or just because I feel run down from being poorly, or what. But today I think I've finally figured out what my problem is...

My diary is telling me that I have 3 shows to prepare for. That means more vases, more woodland themed pieces, more Jane Austen... but as happy as I was with those pieces for my last show, I'm bored already. I've designed a couple more characters for the Jane Austen range, and I have plans to make new pieces, which should be interesting and challenging.... but I'm really itching to start making some larger pieces.

I watched a program on tv today about white lions and tigers. They're sooo beautiful! I want one! And it has always been my desire/plan to make one. And my Mum told me today that she would like a fancy bird bath for her garden, and immediately I feel inspired to try... but if I tackle these larger pieces now I won't have enough pieces ready in time for the shows.

So I have to make a decision. Do I continue fighting my muse and make pieces that will (hopefully) make me some much needed cash for this expensive hobby, or do I go with it and start on a bigger piece? I keep telling myself that if I just get on and fill the kiln ready for these shows, then afterwards I can make whatever I want. But if I continue fighting my muse will I just continue to do nothing?

It doesn't help that when I did try to make something recently it all just went horribly wrong. I tried to make a start on a couple of round vases, but coiling them was a nightmare! I was saying to myself "Umm... hello? You've coiled a swan and a polar bear, what's your problem?" and I actually think the problem is the clay. It just doesn't seem to have enough strength, even after I let it set a while, to support the pressure of me adding more coils to it.

I gave up at this point. I know they might not look sooo bad, but I was just fighting with the clay constantly and it wasn't enjoyable. Mind you, I have to ask myself, was I less willing to persevere because I didn't want to make them anyway? But when I think about it, I have mostly slab built with this earthenware clay. The only other thing I have coiled with it was that tall Marianne vase I sold, which was also a nightmare to coil. So I think I shall have to change my clay again.

I plan to go back to using stoneware eventually, but in the mean time I'll have to use some earthenware too because I have glazes to use up. Sigh. It would have been so much easier if that first tutor had just let me use my own glazes in the first place...

I'm a mug for mugs!

2010-06-30T14:08:00.005+01:00

I have a lot of mugs. I've been collecting them since I was 17. As you can imagine, I've had to limit myself otherwise the whole thing would have got completely out of hand. I try to stick to just chocolate mugs but occasionally I see something that I just can't resist.

This isn't the whole collection, but I ran out of wall space! My sister came round one day to help with my dishes and when she saw loads of mugs sitting on the side she thought they were dirty too! But I just don't know where to put them all!

So today the postman brought me something completely amazing, and exactly what I needed...

... a mug!! But not just any old mug! Oh no, it's a very special mug, made by Cindy! :) Exactly what I needed because of it's message (I've been feeling low).

So, I'm starting a new collection of mugs - hand made by awesome potters! I already have... ummm... two. Hehehehe :) Great collection eh?

That other awesome mug is by Leanne by the way :)

So I suppose I'll have to clear some space for my new collection by getting rid of some of these old factory made things. But which ones? Hmmm... not an easy decision!

So, as I mentioned, I've been feeling low lately. That will be why I haven't made anything with clay... or is that why I feel low? I never know which comes first.

Anyway, time to catch up with your blogs. And if anyone is feeling generous feel free to send me one of your gorgeous mugs for my collection!! :D

Art or not?

2010-06-20T10:09:00.006+01:00

In my last post I may have given the impression that I don't appreciate modern art. I'd just like to clarify that I have respect for all forms of art - as long as it actually involves some form of art!

I watched a very interesting program on TV today about modern art, and I have to say that I really liked most of it. But there are some forms of "art" that I really struggle with.

One such piece consisted of a couple of dummies demonstrating waterboarding - a form of torture I hadn't heard of until seeing this piece of "art". Is this art? I have to ask myself honestly; am I reluctant to admit this is art just because I don't like it? Obviously someone had to sculpt the dummies. Still, it's something I would expect to see in a museum rather than an art show.

There are lots of pieces of art that I don't like, but I can't deny that it is art. I hate the spider sculptures of Louise Bourgeois, simply because I have a phobia of spiders, but it is still art.

But some pieces of art really do push the limits. Poo in a tin? Not art. Obscenities, scribbled on a toilet wall? Not art. A messy bed with dirty knickers? Not art. Half a cow? Interesting, but not art.

On the other hand... knitted or sculpted poo - art. Spray painted stencil drawings - art. A painting of a messy bed with dirty knickers - art. A sculpted replica of half a cow - art. A piece of rump steak - dinner. (Oops, how did that get in here?)

Well, that's just my view anyway. Surely art has to involve some sort of artistic action on the part of the artist? What do you think?

Rejection

2010-06-19T09:01:00.004+01:00

So, the headline news today is - Swanee and Polo were not selected for inclusion in the Open Art Exhibition.

I wish I could even articulate what is going round in my brain right now. Yes, I'm upset, but I'm also annoyed, and yet I know I shouldn't be either.

The standard for the paintings and drawings was exceptionally high. If the standard was equally as high for the sculptures I could accept the rejection. It's when you feel that your work at least equals that of another that it's so hard to take. Sometimes it's merely a matter of taste.

The other pieces I saw were very modern. I try not to pass judgement on other styles of art and try to appreciate the creative thought process and effort that has gone in to each piece. But it's difficult to think that way when you know that something that required no artistic skill whatsoever is going to be chosen over your hand coiled animal sculptures.

I know at least one of the artists in this catagory has graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree with Honours. I suppose that's what they teach these days - not so much artistic skill but "creative thinking".

I remember quite a while ago, John Black, the founder of the FPAA, told me that I had natural talent, that I don't need an art degree, and that art college would ruin me. This "creative thinking" is exactly what he meant. John is of the old school, and appreciates traditional art over "thinking outside the box".

Also in the post today came my cheque from the FPAA, for the pieces I sold at the exhibition. It wasn't much, but as Mona says "Sales trump ribbons any day of the week". I'm taking comfort in her words of wisdom from years of experience: "I tend to think you should feel more honored with the idea that someone is willing to part with their hard-earned money in order to have your work in their homes". It's true. I seem incapable of impressing snobby art critics but I'm glad to know that the people who matter most appreciate my work. And honestly, do people really buy those modern installation pieces??

I'm not going to change my style to produce some "new clothes" for the Emperor (although I have had an idea for a joke entry in the next Open Art Exhibition in 2 years time!). I know where I want to go with my art, and I like the direction it's taking. Some people will like it, and some people won't.

I feel much happier now that I have written this post :) I just wish I could go and collect my pieces today instead of having to wait until Thursday. I don't know why they want to hold on to them for so long seeing as they're so hideous to look at!!

Surely sales mean more than prizes?

2010-06-14T23:22:00.002+01:00

(even if the prize is £600??)

I managed to collect my unsold pieces on Saturday without collapsing on the floor in a coughing fit. While I was packing up a lady approached me and, pointing to the Thrush, said that if I ever made a Robin she would be interested. I offered to make one for her as a private sale, but she seemed happier to wait until the next FPAA exhibition in November. I'm not sure if this means she's not really that serious, or if it is due to her loyalty to the Art Fellowship (they make 20% from sales at the shows). And let's face it, they could do with a few more sales. It's quite expensive to hire the venue, and roadworks meant less visitors this time. What do I care? I made 3 sales! :D

At these shows there is usually a "best painting" and "best runner up", but I have no idea who these were. I do know that Stella Benford won "best sculpture" (no surprise there) and "best runner up sculpture". I was happy for her because she is a wonderful artist, and such a warm person, but Scott was outraged! He said "when people run in a race they can't win first and second place, it has to be one or the other!" I see his point, but what surprised me more than that was actually the pieces that won! I really thought her sculpture of the lady would come first, but it didn't! I didn't get photos of the winning pieces but you can just about see them in this photo - in the top left is her Green Man oil burner, which came first, and in the bottom left is a pot/vase with holes carved out, which came runner up. (click for larger view)

Stella was as surprised as I was. She said "Personally, I was more excited about my raku fired pieces!" What can I say? Obviously the one doing the judging has a different artistic vision to the rest of us! He should have gone to specsavers!! (a UK joke) Scott's obviously upset because he wanted me to win something, bless him. But what do I care? I sold 3 pieces! :D

So today I dragged myself out again to drop off Swanee and Polo to the Wellingborough Open Art Competition and exhibition. I was sad to leave them there! Especially Polo. I gave him a pat on the head and told him to behave himself (which was my way of saying "I'm gonna miss you buddy") and the lady taking in the entries looked round to see who I was talking to! The judging is tomorrow and I should hear in writing by the weekend if my pieces have been accepted for the exhibition or not.

As I said before, I don't expect to win, but it would be nice to have a piece accepted this time. I had a look around at the other entries while I was there, and to be honest, none of the sculptures blew me away, not like last time. Last time, as soon as I had clapped eyes on Stella Benford's piece I knew I had seen the winner.

Stella's previous winning piece

This time there are a couple of pieces that I think might win just for being a little bit "different", but they're not my cup of tea. I suppose it depends on whether these judges have been to Specsavers or not!

But what do I care? I've sold 3 pieces!! :D

I sold another piece!!

2010-06-11T23:46:00.000+01:00

I was really happy today to hear that a lady from Sheffield came to see the show, and she really liked one of my pieces but it had already sold. She took one of my busniness cards though, so hopefully I shall hear from her in the future.

Then this evening I heard more news that another one of my pieces had sold!! That's 3 out of 9 pieces! Last I heard I had sold more than anyone else! It's probably because I'm new, so my pieces offer them a style they haven't seen before. Not that I'm playing down my success - I'm as pleased as punch!

Wow. I feel like a real artist now! In yer face Art College man!!

Health wise I'm still not doing well. I have to pick up the rest of my pieces tomorrow, but I'm not really looking forward to going out. I wish this thing would hurry up and go away so that I can get on with making more stuff!!

A question and a gallery response

2010-06-09T17:34:00.003+01:00

No new clay pieces to show you I'm afraid - because I'm poorly again!! I tell you, Scott and I have never been so poorly as we have been the last 6 or 7 months. It all started with that nasty flu in November, and we just keep getting chest infections and chesty coughs since then.

It doesn't stop my brain from working though, and inside my head is an absolute riot of ideas! I can't wait to get going again!

I've been thinking about trying a teapot, but I have some questions about that for you more experienced potters. Do teapots have to be made from stoneware? And if I use earthenware, will I have to glaze inside the spout? I think I already know the answer to that one, but I just want to check.

I had a response back from one of the galleries I contacted about exhibitions. I have to apply 2 - 3 years in advance, and they want photos of the pieces to be exhibited included with the application. Hello?? Do they think I'm going to have pieces sitting around for 3 years just waiting to be exhibited with them? And I'm thinking a persons work can change a lot in 3 years! Oh well, I'll probably give them a miss then!

When the rush is over - what comes next?

2010-06-06T17:52:00.007+01:00

Well, I finished the 28 day challenge on Friday and already I feel lost!! I can't wait to just rip open a bag of clay and get going again!

This FPAA exhibition runs for a week, and then Monday is the day for submissions for the Wellingborough Open Art competition, run by the local council. I was hoping to enter Freda (the heada) but I gave up on that idea about a month ago, because I knew I would never be able to finish her on time and get ready for the FPAA show at the same time. So I will enter Polo and Swanee and see what happens. The standard was high last time, so I don't expect to win, but as this is a jury selected exhibition I will be very happy if my pieces are chosen to be exhibited.

So what's next?
I really love the shape of that pink vase I made - the one that Leanne carved and Charise glazed - so I'm tempted to start straight away on another vase that shape. But I need to finish Freda the heada. Poor Freda has been sitting there with no hair, wrapped in plastic for ages!!

Apart from that, I plan to start getting ready for November! I know it seems like a long way away but I was shocked at just how long it took me to prepare for this current show, and I have two shows to get ready for in November. Realistically, I'm guessing it would take me about 3 months to fill my kiln, based on how long it took me to make the pieces for this show. Once I'm prepared for the shows, I'll have time to concentrate on larger animal sculptures! I can't wait!

I am really enjoying the creative freedom that having my own kiln gives me :)

I SOLD!! I SOLD!!

2010-06-04T23:47:00.001+01:00

Yippee!! My first ever sale and it was the first sale of the night!!

And then Anita bought one of my pieces too! She assured me it was because she loves it and not just because she's being nice to me :)

These look much better in daylight don't they? So here's the rest of my pieces... again.

And here is my whole table.

I can't believe that I was unpacking my kiln at 9pm last night, and then less than 24 hours later I have sold two pieces!! In fact, for an open evening, not many pieces sold at all, and I sold two!! I had a lot of people looking at my table too, and a lot of people returning to my table again and again. So who knows what will happen over the next week...

These are my two favourite pieces from the show. The painting is by Michael Peachy and the sculpture by Stella Benford (of course!)

Thank you again to everyone for all your advice and support. I really can't thank you enough for helping me get this far. Of course the biggest thanks has to go to Philippa King, who inspired me to take up art again in the first place!

Wow, I can't wait to start getting ready for November's shows!!

Glazed pieces out of the kiln!

2010-06-03T23:04:00.002+01:00

My kiln cooled down much quicker than I expected today, probably due to the fact that I didn't shut the lid properly last night! See that gap?

So that meant I was able to unload my kiln this evening instead of having that long wait until the morning! I'm really glad, because it meant I had extra time to think about pricing, which I have been absolutely agonising over!

So here are the pieces. I warn you, the photgraphs are not great. This kind of thing always looks better photographed in daylight.

I'm really pleased with how the ivy came out. I didn't think the veins would be visible after having both slip and glaze applied.

Those dark runs at the top are where the clear glaze ran down the side of the vase when I was glazing the inside. It really changes the colour of the clay. I didn't think it would matter too much because bark isn't usually one block of colour, but in future I will paint the top with glaze resist.

I don't know why, but there is very fine crazing in the clear glaze on the squirrel. It's also a little milky in places so maybe I applied it too thickly. Mind you, the glaze was really thick when it came out of the bottle and I had to water it down to glaze inside the vases.

Unfortunately the fine cracks on the two pitchers still show up. It's such a shame because I think these have turned out beautifully (even though I say so myself!!) I'm really pleased with these, and I will definitely use the wax resist on the images again because I love the contrast in texture it produces.

I'm still going to include these in the show, but at a lower price.

This "matte" clear glaze on the Marianne vase (and the squirrel) isn't very matte at all!! I'm still happy with the vase though.

But my favourite piece has to be... my Mum's mug!! It has finally come out the way it was planned!! And I really enjoyed glazing it too because it's for my Mum :) (The flowers are pink, but are washed out by the flash)

So, overall I am very happy with the results, although there are a couple of things I have learnt. That's the way I like it :) I like to learn so that I can constantly improve, but obviously I don't want the results to be sooo bad that I don't enjoy learning!

Tomorrow I set up my table, and you know what's next? I'm gonna start preparing for my next show!! More aboutt hat in another post. Good night everyone, and thank you all so muchy for your advice and support :)

Feeling Blessed

2010-06-03T15:30:00.002+01:00

No, I haven't opened my kiln yet! But this feeling has been building up and I just have to share it with you.

I just walked into "my studio" to see what temperature the kiln was at and I just thought to my myself how totally blessed I am.

I have the most supportive and most wonderful husband any girl could wish to have, who has just allowed me to spend a fortune on a kiln to enable me to reach my artistic goals. But it's not like he just throws money at me to keep me happy, he really understands where I want to be artistically, and he would walk on hot coals to help me get there.

And I have the most supportive and encouraging readers! Really, the support I have had online recently has blown me away. I want you all to know how much I really appreciate it. It has really encouraged me to keep going.

So whether the contents of the kiln comes out a success or not, I feel really lucky to have the equipment I need to fullfil my artistic needs, and to have the support of people who understand why I need to fullfil it.

Everything is fine again :)

2010-06-03T12:59:00.003+01:00

Wow, what a rollercoaster!!

I was able to postpone setting up the show for a whole day! So I don't have to set up until tomorrow afternoon now. Phew! So I went ahead and used the 11 hour firing schedule that I found on the net.

My business cards came today too, which I am very happy with. What do you think?

And that's about all I can tell you today! There isn't much I can actually do in preparation for the show today. The kiln won't have cooled down until late tonight. So I shall have to get my clay out again because it's clay day 27 and I have to do something!!

Someone, please help me!!

2010-06-02T17:10:00.003+01:00

I don't believe it. Everything is going wrong again. I'm running out of time and I can't even find a blinkin' firing schedule on the internet. The only schedule I could find for cone 06 firing was 11 hours long! I thought the glaze firing was supposed to be shorter than the bisque firing?

I haven't even finished glazing yet because I forgot that I had to take my Mum to the dentist this afternoon, and I've just spent the last hour or so looking for a firing schedule.

And I don't even know how I'm going to get my stuff to the show. I found out today that the MoT on the car has expired, and all my friends with cars seem to be busy.

Is it normal to have to face this many obstacles when preparing for a show??

Edit: Ok Linda, calm down and think rationally. Just do the 11 hour firing and see if you can postpone setting up until the evening. And if it comes to it you'll have to get a taxi there with your pieces (and just hope that he/she doesn't drive like a maniac like they usually do, and that your pieces survive the journey). See? Problem solved :)

Closer inspection of the kiln contents

2010-06-02T12:38:00.008+01:00

I did as much glazing as I could last night, until I was ready to collapse into bed. I still have more to do today, but I'm right on schedule for set up tomorrow. :) I can fire this afternoon and the kiln can cool over night. My business cards still haven't arrived yet, which I'm not very happy about, but anyway... back to the pots.

When I got the tiles out of the kiln I took a closer look at them. Scott inspected the break for an air bubble, but just as Kim predicted, there was no evidence of an air bubble at all, it was a really clean break. What I did notice was a strange discolouration in the centre of all of the tiles.

I searched the net for this but couldn't find a thing. Then I remembered reading about carbon coring. I looked this up and it was described exactly as it appears on the tiles.

For those who haven't heard of carbon coring (as I hadn't), it occurs when the bisque firing is done too quickly (I wish!) or when the "reduced" atmosphere (as in reduced oxygen) is introduced too early in the firing, by putting the bungs in the holes too soon (likely). I placed the bungs in the holes at just over 300c, and the other pieces seem fine, but as these tiles were piled up on top of each other it would have been harder for the carbon to evaporate. Carbon coring can weaken the piece as well, so maybe this contributed to the breakage?

Other pieces that weren't as perfect as they seemed at first were the pitchers/jugs. They both had very fine cracks in them along the crease where the pitcher starts to bowl.

These were only surface cracks, they didn't go all the way through, but I thought they might still be visible if I glazed them with clear glaze as I had planned. Thankfully I had a tub of wax resist and a big bottle of white glaze!! So I painted over the image with the wax resist and then glazed the rest of the piece in white.

Another thing I will have to remember for next time is to be careful of contamination. After painting the squirrel in brown slip I must have handled it with brown clay on my hands. Although not visable before the firing, when I took him out of the kiln he had dark brown finger prints on him!! I've glazed him anyway, and I'll just have to see how he comes out. It's pretty much the same for the whole kiln load though isn't it? As Whitney Smith says: "Clay is one thing. Glaze is another. Combining the two is a path taken by crazy people." I suppose I still won't really know if I have a show or not until tomorrow!!

Kiln opening day!!

2010-06-01T12:14:00.006+01:00

~~Watch this space!! This is the post that will be updated as soon as the kiln is opened!!~~
Updated!! Scroll down to see!!

Well, I was trying to stay up with the kiln all night, but I was so tired I had to go to bed around 3.30am. I got a couple of hours sleep, and then Scott checked the temperature for me at around 5.30am. It had finished it's ramping and was about 5 minutes into it's 15 minute soak time. I cancelled that seeing as it's just a bisque fire, so that I could go back to sleep without wondering if it had switched itself off or not. I figured the pots should be hot enough without the soak. If it only reached 950c in parts of the kiln, that would still be hot enough, but the elements surround the whole kiln from top to bottom, so it should be fairly even in there. I'll still soak for the glaze firing, just to make sure.

After 590c the kiln was on full power, and it managed to go the remaining 410c in approximately 1hour and 20 minutes!

It was very warm in the conservatory this morning! Well, I suppose I can call it my studio now, but it still needs lots of clearing out before I can set some shelves up and get all my clay and glazes out there. Anyway, what I did notice is that there was no smell! So it was definitely the carbon and sulphur burning off the pots. Scott said he thought the smell was like a struck match.

The kiln is cooling down much quicker than I expected. In 6 hours it had cooled down by about 700c. I thought it would take as long to cool down as it had to fire, minus the soak time.

So this afternoon I shall go out and buy some silts for tomorrow's glaze firing, and maybe by the time I come back the kiln will be cool enough to open! :)

Update: I am sooo tired! But I suppose it wouldn't be fair to keep you all waiting any longer to find out what happened.

Thank you to Kim for the advice on when to open the kiln. After reading your comment I went right ahead and opened it.

So now for the answers to the two big questions - Did everything survive the firing? and Will Linda still be having a show on Friday?

Well, sad to say, no, not everything survived the firing. It didn't seem to hit me straight away, but once it had sunk in I felt like crying...

with JOY!!! Only one thing broke!! Woooohoooo!!! I had you going there for a minute didn't I? Yeah, sorry about that, I couldn't resist. :) Wow, I couldn't believe it, a near perfect firing, and the one thing that broke was something that I least expected - a tile! See how the broken one has completely moved from under this pile...

These were bone dry, so I'm guessing that this was an air bubble. Dylan's mask broke before going into the kiln, so now that it is fired I shall glue it together before he paints it.

Despite being damp when they went in, the pitchers/jugs were absolutely fine, which I'm relieved about because if they exploded they would have damaged everything else in the kiln as well. This white clay is absolutely beautiful. I hope it stays close to this colour after I've clear glazed them. I just want to eat them!

And even the tree fairy vase, which I broke and repaired while it was in it's bone dry state, survived! It looks like the feet on the squirrel are fine too. You see how the brown clay has darkened?

Phew! I have a show!! I am sooo excited now! I feel like this is my first proper show and I feel like a real artist now because I have done everything on my own, even the firing! I couldn't have done it without all the wonderful advice and support from you guys though, so thank you so so much!! Wooohooo!! :D

And now, I have lots of glazing to do!!

Update on the firing

2010-05-31T19:59:00.006+01:00

Well, I don't think I will be having any clay time today - I am still so anxious about the firing, I just don't know what to do with myself. I thought this was supposed to be good for me??

The kiln has been soaking at 90c for about 4 hours now, and there is still moisture coming out of the kiln, so I have programed it to soak for another hour.

In the mean time, I have been a good little potter and detailed everything in my "log book". Ok, it's just a note pad, but it's just as well because I made such a mess of my graph earlier that I had to rip several pages out! (er... I made a mess several times over!) I should have paid more attention in school. (or maybe it's just been too long!) Let that be a lesson to you kids! You never know when you are going to need these "pointless" skills that you learn at school!

(Ok, so I spelt schedule wrong, but today I am having trouble spelling my own name!!)

I found I needed to write out the schedule on paper first to help me to key it in to the programer, because I was in such a state! So I didn't just write it out for future reference. And the graph is to help me "visualise" it.

I have to say a big thank you to everyone who has given me advice and support. And Keith's post on log books couldn't have come at a better time!! Thank you all!

Edit's with updates likely!

Edit: Hmm... it's getting really smelly out there now! At first I thought it was maybe the smell of the carbon and sulphur burning off, but it smells a little like an actual burning smell now. Is this normal? We've checked and we can't see any evidence of scorching anywhere, and actually the surrounding floor and walls aren't hot at all. It's only up to about 320c so I have quite a while to go yet! I just can't believe how smelly it is! I should have left the conservatory door open, but it's dark and I was worried that every cat in the neighbourhood would see it as an invitation to move in!! I have opened the door slightly now though. The door between the conseratory and our house has been kept closed though, except when I go out there to check on things of course, but then we have the draftiest double glazed door in Britain so it's no wonder the smell is seeping through! It won't kill me, will it?? :)

Oh, and I remembered what the really important thing was that I had forgotten... stilts for the glaze firing!

PANIC ATTACK!!

2010-05-31T14:06:00.007+01:00

I'm having palpitations, my stomach is in knots, I'm dripping in sweat and I'm hyperventilating, and I want to burst into tears. It can only mean one thing - I'm firing my kiln today for the first time!! I thought this was suposed to be fun??

I had a look on the internet last night to see what I could find out about firing damp pots. A couple of people stated that they put their kiln on "a slow bisque firing" and everything was ok. Not very helpful is it? I can only assume these people actually have a setting on their kiln that says "slow bisque fire"!! Well, rightly or wrongly, I have set my first ramp at 30c up to 100c, and then 50c up to 300, then 100c up to 600, and full up to 1000c. Scott helped me load the kiln, because I can't actually reach the bottom!

Edit: A big thank you to Kim for her advice on this. I have now altered my program to soak at 90c for 30 mins, but I will keep checking for moisture and will alter the program accordingly. Thankfully I can change the program even while the kiln is firing. Thank you so much Kim!

How come I've worked so hard for so long and produced so few pieces?

This firing has every ingredient for disaster - I've repaired pots that were bone dry, a couple of the pots aren't dry enough, and the kids pieces are probably full of air bubbles - and yet I'm hoping for a miracle!

Here are the jugs/pitchers by the way, finally finished with their handles.

And here is the comparison to the previously made jug.

The spout and collar is much bigger this time round, and I think the "bowl" part looks rounder. Scott thinks they look better this time, and so do I. I probabaly should have made a stencil to use in the future. Oh well.

Wish me luck with the firing!! You never know, I might even have some clay time today - I'm going to have a long wait watching the kiln!!

Clay Day 23!

2010-05-30T23:44:00.000+01:00

I can't believe I am near the end of the challenge!! I have been so tired lately (so what's new?) and to be honest I'm not sure which wears me out most - the clay time or the blog time!! I'm having to really push myself now, but I can't give up when I'm so close! And when I have a show in 5 days time!!

So, here are the jugs, nearly finished. I just need to scrape the surface to neaten up the slip inlay, and attach the handles, which I hope to do tonight.

These are no where near going to be dry in time for the firing tomorrow. But my ex-tutor John said that pots can be fired at about 10 degrees centigrade per hour to dry them out. Does that sound right to you? I'm going to scour the internet tonight to see what I can find.

Once again I've kept the slip inlay design simple. Scott said he prefered it this way. Let's hope the buyers at the show do too! What do you think? I thought Emma looked better with no face as well!

Also today I got myself a little comments book ready. This is what it looked like to start with...

... and this is what it looks like now...

Ok, I'm not a great mixed media artist, but it looks better than when it had Tesco written on it!!

There was something else that I thought of the other day, something really important, and now I can't remember what it was!! Oh dear!!

Right, I must see if these handles are ready for me to attach, so that I can go to bed!

Clay Day 21 and 22 - good news, and a thank you :)

2010-05-29T23:03:00.005+01:00

Yes, yes, yes!! The good news is that my kiln is now properly wired in and ready to go!! Yippeeee!!!

I was planning to fire it tomorrow, but with all the disruptions I still haven't managed to finish my jugs/pitchers. I confess, I didn't actully have much clay time yesterday, but I did try! I rolled out my clay and cut out the pieces I needed for the "collars", but they were too floppy for me to do anything with, so I had to leave it until today. Here is the progress so far.

I'm wondering if I've gone too big on the collars this time, but maybe they won't look so big once the spouts are attached. I shall add the spouts after uploading this post, and then it's time for bed!

I'm getting very excited now! Up until now I've been concentrating on the clay side of things, but with less than a week to go I now have to think more about the display. At my lowest point (Wednesday, clay day 19), when I wasn't even sure if I would still be taking part in the show, I found it quite theraputic to remove myself from the kiln situation, have a break from the clay, and to go into town and shop for the other things that I will need for the show. So I didn't do much clay that day, but I was still working towards the same goal.

Thank you all for your encouragement over the past week. It means so much to have support from people who know what this means to me.

Clay Day 20 - Jane Austen won!

2010-05-27T16:06:00.005+01:00

Well, there was a bit a of a struggle with that vase I finished yesterday! The vase wanted to stay plain, but the ivy wanted to grow all over it, and even Jane wanted to stamp her mark on it! In the end, Jane won! It had to be done I'm afraid, so that it would fit in with my theme, but I tried to keep it as simple as possible. Sorry girls!

Just an outline of Marianne, with no hills or houses.

The plan was to coil a couple of matching vases over the next couple of days, one for Marianne and one for Emma, but a couple of days just won't be long enough, so I've opted for jugs/pitchers instead. I can slab build these, so it will be much quicker.

Just a week to go before the show!! I set up on Thursday morning, ready for the opening evening on Friday!

Later, on day 20
The start of a couple of jugs/pitchers.

Looking like a cauldron so far! Hmmm.... now there's a thought....

Everything is sorted - I hope

2010-05-26T19:34:00.006+01:00

I ended up in tears today. I rang this morning to borrow the little kiln from the kiln repair man, and I was told that he wouldn't be able to come out until Wednesday afternoon to fix the wiring on my kiln - which would be far too late for a glaze firing, even if I managed to get everything bisque fired in the little kiln by then. He gave me a number for another electrician, who he thought would be able to come out tomorrow, but he couldn't come until late next week either.

So I cried. My lovely Scott even considered calling a man he doesn't get along with, because he's heard he's a really good electrician! In the end he called the kiln repair man again and told him I was standing on the ledge of a tall building, so he agreed to come out on Saturday! (I'm joking about the ledge thing!)

So, all going well I shall bisque fire on Sunday and glaze fire on Tuesday. Wish me luck!

In the mean time, I ordered some business cards (thank you for the reminder Cindy!) and bought some other bits and pieces that I needed for the show. I suppose deep down I had faith that it would be sorted out!

I still don't know what to do with this vase. I don't know why I don't know what to do with it, I just don't. I obviously had a plan when I started it, but now I've changed my mind. I was going to cover it in ivy. I still could, but Scott likes it how it is. I thought maybe I could paint ivy on it instead, with iron oxide?

Tonight or tomorrow I will start on a couple of Jane Austen vases, and make them at the same time to get them as similar as possible.

What clay day are we on now anyway? I've lost count!

Losing motivation

2010-05-25T18:57:00.004+01:00

So, today I discover that Monday is a bank holiday and the kiln repair man won't be coming. I don't know when he will be coming. Any later than Monday and the show is definitely not going to happen. I was pushing it time wise as it is.

This is the vase I was working on. The vase part is finished, but I was going to add fancy handles today. Now I can't be bothered. Maybe later.

And that's it. I don't know what else to tell you today.

Clay Day 17 - a disaster

2010-05-24T17:05:00.009+01:00

The only clay time I've had so far today is repairing the pot I broke this morning.

When your day starts this way, you know it's gonna be a bad day. And it was.

The kiln servicing man came today and found that most of the elements in the kiln were not working, even though they are in good condition. So he took a look at the wiring... it wasn't wired properly, and it's probably a good thing that it wasn't, because the wire isn't thick enough to carry that sort of current and it could have started a fire.

Now as it happens, the electrician was coming round today to drop off a fuse for us anyway, so the kiln servicing man waited for him, to explain the problem. The electrician was very good about it, and actually he's a really nice bloke, but he had taken some bad advice from a fellow electrician, and it was this fellow electrician who had done the wiring wrong inside the kiln, as he tried to convert it from 3 phase to single phase.

The conclusion of the matter is that the electrician is going to come back to replace the wire at no extra cost, and the kiln servicing man is very kindly going to rewire inside the kiln for me, but we will have to move all our furnature again and the electrician will have to lift up the floor boards again.

And I won't have time to bisque and glaze fire before the show.

But thankfully the kiln servicing man is going to lend me a tiny kiln, for me to bisque my pieces in. I will have to fire it every day until all the pieces are done, but then hopefully my own kiln will be working in time for me to do the glaze firing before the show.

That man is a life saver. Literally.

And now I'm going to eat my take away dinner (did you think I was gonna bother cooking after all that??) and then get on with some coiling, which I'm sure would seem much easier if I only had a bottle of Malibu...

ps. And then I dropped my dinner on the floor.

Edit: I've had a sleep and I got up again thinking I could start my day over again and it would be better this time. But the previous problems are still there. I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to be ready for the show in time even if I use this little kiln. I have 5 days for firing at most, because the electric will have to be switched off when the wiring is re-done. The question is how much can fit in the little kiln? I plan to do a couple more vases and they will probably have to be fired one at a time. This is a disaster. Why is the whole world always trying to stop me from getting to where I want to be?

Edit: The solution
There is only one way round this that I can see. The kiln should be wired up properly by Monday evening. I shall have to stay up all night on Monday to do the bisque firing (I don't want to leave the kiln alone as it will be my first firing). Then the kiln will cool down during the day on Tuesday and hopefully be cool enough to unload Tuesday evening. Then I will have to stay up all night on Tuesday to glaze everything and load the kiln again in the morning. Then glaze fire during the day on Wednesday, and let the kiln cool down during the night on Wednesday night, ready to unload the kiln on Thursday morning, which is when I have to set up my table at the show. Talk about cutting it fine. It's not ideal, but I can't see any other solution.

What do you other potters think? Is this do-able?

Clay Day 15 and 16

2010-05-23T22:36:00.004+01:00

Well, the vase is coming along... really slowly! I'm having to stop after every coil or two for it to firm up a bit, so I'm kind of working on it off and on throughout the day. I really had trouble with it yesterday. The coils seemed to be drying in my hands and it wasn't blending well. I'm making very short coils as I go along now and keeping the clay well covered in between. I think it must be the heat.

I can't decide what to do with this vase. I don't know whether to leave it quite open at the top and have ivy growing out of it, or whether to put a neck on it and have ivy growing around it, or just forget the ivy, add a couple of nice handles, and carve a Jane Austen design on it. I'm leaning towards the latter just because I don't actually have much of a "collection" of Jane Austen pieces - only a few tiles, and that's it! But I do like the ivy. Whatever I'm doing I'd better do it quickly because I'm running out of time! To think, I put off making a rabbit because I didn't think I would have time, and so far this silly vase has taken me four days!!

Clay Day 13 and 14

2010-05-21T17:34:00.005+01:00

Phew! The last few days have been absolute scorchers! I can't believe the difference in weather since last week! It's really nice to have everything flung open to let the summer breeze through the house and to hear the birds singing. What a shame about the flies, kids, motorcycles, and Scott's music from upstairs!! :)

I tried to get another photo of the tiles I was working on the other night. This photo is much better. I'm not sure if it's because they are drying or because it was taken in daylight, but here it is.

And here is the vase I have been working on for the last couple of days...

erm... not much like a vase is it?! I'm hoping to do more this evening, but I keep having to stop to let it set a bit because otherwise it just flops around!

And that's me, up to date. Oh wow, I've just realised - I've completed two weeks!! Go me! :)

And now it's time for a sandwich before picking up my sister so that she can get the lawn mower out of the shed for me! Hahaha, what a carry on! Scott's gone out and I can't go in the shed - there's spiders in there!!

Clay Day 11 and 12

2010-05-19T23:29:00.001+01:00

Well, it's true to say I have slowed down over the last couple of days, but I have not stopped completely. Yesterday I touched up some slipped areas on some of the pieces and prepared a few tiles for slip inlaying today. And today I have done the slip inlaying and have touched up the slip on the bird piece and given him legs!

The tiles are the Marianne and Emma tiles, but the design isn't showing up on the camera. I'm never as happy with the Emma tiles for some reason. Maybe it's not really a good design for slip inlaying or sgrafitto - her face is too small for detail.

The bird looks much better now. I was tired and being very lazy when I slipped his tummy before. This time I have paid slightly more attention to detail.

He's a song thrush. I think the US have a very very similar bird called the wood thrush, but they're not identical. The wood thrush has more white around the face and is a warmer brown I believe. Of course my bird won't be an exact likeness of either, and knowing my luck there is bound to be a keen bird watcher at the show to tell me so!!

Tomorrow... tomorrow I'm not sure what I'm doing. I really should have cut more tiles tonight but I am just too tired. So that's probably what I will do tomorrow. It's nearly two weeks!!

Clay Day 10

2010-05-17T23:20:00.002+01:00

Well, my clay time seems to be getting later and later in the day... but I'm still sticking to it! The 28 day challenge that is. You know, the one I'm not doing...

Anyway, I probably told you that the heating broke down last week. And as you know, my laptop conked out a couple of days ago. Then there were the broken feet on the squirrel, and the log that collapsed last night. Well guess what? Today the vacuum cleaner packed up as well! Whatever next?? With everything going wrong just lately, I am getting more and more nervous about firing the kiln, and I'm starting to lose my confidence a bit. I'm happy with tonight's efforts though...

Please do not adjust your screens... I've had to stand the log on it's end to dry so that it won't collapse again! The bird is firmly attached, so I think/hope it will be ok.

I've just remembered that I forgot to give him feet! Oh well, I shall have to do that tomorrow. :)

Clay Day 9 and kiln wiring!

2010-05-16T23:16:00.000+01:00

Well, just because I've had a clay day doesn't mean I have to have anything to show for it! And I don't. Quite the opposite in fact.

I was up early today for the electrician so I got going while I was waiting for him to arrive. I added more slip to the plaques and decide to add slip to the squirrel as well. The thing is, this clay fires to a really dark brown colour, and with clear glaze on top, looks even darker. I don't have a brown glaze, so I decided to paint the squirrel with my brown slip (which is lighter than the clay), remembering to give him a white belly. That was fine until I accidentally knocked his feet off!! I think/hope I've managed to fix them back on well enough. We'll have to see when he's fired.

Well, that was the first disaster. This evening I decided to finish off the log with the little bird. I carved the bark and then removed the tubing from inside. I can't leave the tubing in until the piece is bone dry because I'd never get it out! But I thought it was at least dry enough to support it's own weight... It wasn't. It was collapsing at one end and the more I tried to repair it the worse it got! I managed to rescue my little bird, so tomorrow I will have to make him another log to sit on.

And that was my clay day.

On a brighter note, the kiln is now all fully wired in, and so far everything seems fine, the controller has power to it and the light came on on the side of the kiln, so everything is good. I won't be firing it until it's been serviced and the elements have been checked though... just to make sure. Oh, and those "loose bricks" in the kiln? Turns out they're actually broken, but instead of just telling me, the seller decided to prop them in place and say nothing about them. His name is Mr. A. Hole by the way. I'm serious, it really is.

Clay Day 8

2010-05-15T23:36:00.004+01:00

Well, I didn't think today was going to happen, clay wise! I slept most of the day away and then we have been very busy this evening trying to organise the house! (Did I mention that since we had to move a load of furnature for the electrician, we thought we would swap a couple of rooms round at the same time?) Of course, things always look worse before they look better, but I'm pleased with what we got done tonight. A great way to spend a Saturday night eh?

I finally got my clay out around 10pm!! Suffice to say, I haven't finished the piece I was working on, but here it is so far...

Keeping with the woodland theme, it is going to be a log with ivy and flowers and a little bird sitting on top! I'd be happy to stay up and finish it tonight, but Scott keeps reminding me that we need to get up early tomorrow.

I'm starting to feel a little worried about this woodland theme. Do you think people will appreciate the fact that the pieces are all part of a theme, or will they just look and think "everything looks the same"? I do plan to make some other pieces for the show as well, I just wanted to make all my woodland pieces in one go, because the clay is soo darn messy!

Here is a picture of yesterday's pieces too.

These are wall plaques. They're not flat, they're curved, like the bark has just been lifted off the tree. I'm not blown away by them to be honest, but maybe someone will like them? Of course the ivy will be green and the heart "carving" on the tree bark will be a lighter brown. Maybe they'll grow on me once they're glazed? What do you think?

Clay Day 7

2010-05-14T23:23:00.001+01:00

Yes, I am officially a quarter of the way through the 28 day challenge which I am not taking part in! (?) No photos for today though - my computer died today. I don't even know what happened. I was on it earlier, then I switched it off to have some clay time, and when I went to switch it back on - nothing. So I'm typing this on Scott's computer, which is an absolute nightmare because the keyboard is laid out differently and I keep hitting all the wrong keys!

That just about sums up my life really - we just got the heating fixed today, and now my computer has died. And the kiln wiring has been postponed again until Sunday. The longer I have to wait, the longer I have to worry that it's not actually going to work. :(

I'm exhausted. Time for bed.

Clay Day 6

2010-05-13T10:40:00.005+01:00

Clay day 6! That means I'm nearly a quarter of the way through the 28 day challenge... which I'm not doing in case something goes wrong and prevents me from doing it!! Yay!

And I've finally finished Mr Squirrel (I think), although I'm thinking about sitting him on top of a log of wood, covered in ivy and flowers and that sort of thing. What do you think? Log or no log?

He still has paper supporting his tail until it dries. Of course you already knew that, I just thought I would explain in case you thought it was a big fur ball or something!

Are his eyes too high? I keep thinking he looks like a rat! And what do you think to the fur effect on the tail?

Now I just need my own personal masseur to give me a neck and shoulder massage every day! I'm having fun but it's hard work you know!
"Scott!!"

Clay Day 5 - and a firing question

2010-05-12T23:08:00.003+01:00

I am still feeling so tired today, but at least I'm not as cold! Some days I just feel like I've been drugged or something. If it's my thyroid, I wish the doctors would just hurry up and give me something!!

Anyway, I managed to work a little more on the quirrel today. He's looking a little more like a squirrel now, but I can't quite work out how to make a fluffy tail out of a material that's just... not fluffy.

I haven't measured him, but I think he's about life size, although Scott thinks he's bigger than life size. I think Scott maybe saw a baby squirrel. Or maybe I saw a kangaroo and got confused...

He's taking longer than expected, and all the while I am counting down the days to the exhibition. Scott says it doesn't matter if I don't have many pieces, and he's right. But what I'm worried about, and what I need to know from you more experienced clay people, is whether it's ok to fire a kiln that's half empty? Will that affect the temperature? Usually I could just wait until it's full, however long it takes, but obviously I have a time restriction this time. Thank you in advance, for any help you can give.

Hmm... I'm starting to feel chilly now!

Clay Day number 4!

2010-05-11T22:04:00.004+01:00

I've been really tired today, and cold! Can someone please remind the weather that it is supposed to be summer!! I've been freezing, and after two hours of waiting for the house to warm up I then realised that the radiators are not working! And we have no hot water either! Oh joy! So this evening I have sat huddled up in the kitchen with the oven on and the oven door open, trying to keep warm, and working on my next clay piece.

Keeping with the Woodland theme and using the same clay, I decided to have a break from the trees and started on a squirrel. I must say, I was hoping that I would have this piece made in one day. When Leanne makes her rabbits she makes it look so easy! But I suppose she's been making them for a while and this is my first attempt at a squirrel. It's larger than I intended as well. I seem to have a problem with making small things!

I decided to take a break at this point... because I don't know what I'm doing! Hopefully I'll figure it out and have this piece finished tomorrow.

Clay Day 3

2010-05-10T11:30:00.004+01:00

Can you even believe that I have had 3 clay days in a row? No, neither can I! My counsellor will be so pleased!

Anyway, on with the show, and this first photo shows why I really should finish these tree pieces in one go...

I left this piece over night and when I got up today it had shrunk around the tube! I had to cut it to get the tube out, which is exactly what happened with the first Tree Fairy vase! You would have thought I would have learnt from that!

Anyway, I finally managed to free her. And here she is, waiting to dry and be fired.

And now it's time for a nap!! I'm just like a cat really... I like to get all warm and cozy and have a nap after any kind of activity :) Hopefully I will get more clay time this afternoon, but it really depends on how long I sleep for!!

Cheerio!

Clay Day 2

2010-05-09T23:55:00.004+01:00

How lovely it would be to tell you all that I am having another try at the 28 day challenge, but the way my life goes, I just know that as soon as I say it something will happen to stop me creating! Not that I'm superstitious, just... pessimistic!!

Anyway, I'm trying to be positive about this upcoming exhibition, even though it's only 3 1/2 weeks away and I don't have any finished pieces yet! With that in mind, I'm going to try to be creative as often as I possibly can and hopefully that will work out to be every day! At the very least it should help to keep me sane, even if I end up not being ready in time!

So here is today's efforts.

This is a remake of the Tree Fairy vase. I still need to carve the bark and add the leaves and flowers. I was hoping to have this finished this evening but I had to go to my sisters house to have a bath and I ended up being there for ages just chatting! But that's a whole other story!

Clay Day!!

2010-05-08T23:20:00.011+01:00

I must be the luckiest girl in the world right now, because not only did Scott allow me to buy a kiln, but this week he let me buy a wheel as well!

It needs a bit of a clean, but it's mine!!

Despite all this, I couldn't stop crying last night and I wanted to run away to a place where no one could find me - that's what happens when I don't get clay time. And I haven't had any clay time in ages. It just shows that happiness is not achieved by the things we possess.

So today Scott ordered me to get my clay out, and despite feeling under the weather himself, he gave me the space to play and didn't pester me for sympathy (although I did cook him a rather nice roast beef dinner, even though I say so myself!)

So I got to work on Freda. Her eyes have been driving me mad for ages. They still didn't want to go right today, so in the end I took drastic action...

... I cut them out!! If there's one thing I've learned about clay this time round, it's that you can't fear it. If you fear changing anything in case you make it worse, you will never be happy with what you have. So I gauged her eyes out and made her some new ones...!

Voila! A new pair of eyes, with a ready made top lid. Ok, gimme a break, I'm new at this!

The next step was to get them in her head...

... too late now, I might as well go all the way...

While I was there I thought I might as well hollow the inside out a bit...

... and then I popped her eyes in and stuck her face back on...

I'm much happier with her eyes now, but now I have to try to get the mouth right! Bah!

After dinner I wanted to work on something quick, easy, and that required less concentration. Here's the first piece of my "Woodland" collection, made with my new yummy brown clay. The leaves and flowers are painted with white slip (although it seems very thin) so that the colour of the glazes will show up better.

And that's me for today! I'm looking forward to more clay time tomorrow, although I'm aware that we have a lot to do in the house - we're moving a couple of rooms around upstairs and having a bit of a clear out while we're at it. Why do things always look worse before they look better?

Anyway, I hope you are all having a wonderfully creative weekend! :D

I think I've died and gone to heaven...

2010-05-01T00:17:00.004+01:00

Oh my goodness. I don't even know where to start.

Well, I was having this conversation with Mariah, and she was telling me about a fantastic school trip she went on years ago, to a Victorian village where everyone was in period dress. She said she watched someone making horseshoes, and visited a Victorian sweet shop, and even went down a mine!! Well, I presumed it was a coal mine. It sounded amazing!

So I decided to Google "Victorian village museum" and found this site, and now I think I have died and gone to heaven. Not only is everything Jane Austen era, but it's only a flamin' clay mine!! With a tile museum and a china museum!! With workshops and demonstrations!!

And as if I even needed an excuse to go, I saw my counsellor yesterday who told me that I should to go to a class or something, as a one off, to feed my inspiration and creativity!!

Wooohoooo!!!

And at £21.95 for a ticket that lasts twelve months it's a flippin' bargain!!

Now I just need someone to come with me... you wanna come? :)

Calling all clay people!

2010-04-29T23:16:00.004+01:00

Well, I'm back on my feet and raring to go (time permitting) but I have a couple of questions for you clay people...

What is kiln/bat wash? And do I need it? The bloke who sold me the kiln said I do, but my tutor said not to use it. So I'm confused.

Also, the shelf on the bottom of my kiln (oh that sounds so good... let me say it again) yes, my kiln, is broken, is that ok since it's just there to protect the bottom of the kiln, or do you think I should replace it? look:

(click for a closer look, and ignore Polo, he was just trying the kiln out for size)

And while I'm asking I might as well add a couple more questions...

Can you see that broken brick on the bottom right of the photo? That's on the top rim of the kiln and exposes some of the element. Do I need to get that repaired before I fire the kiln? Will it affect the firing?

And there are a couple of loose bricks. They don't come out, but they don't stay flush with the rest of the kiln wall either. Is that a problem? (you can see one about four bricks up from the bottom, just left of the middle)

Thank you in advance for your help!

The kiln gets wired up a week on Saturday! Yay! I hope it works! The electrician has been round to measure up and noticed a blown fuse in the kiln - so now I'm wondering if the bloke sold it because it wasn't working!!

Collection of the kiln - in photos

2010-04-24T19:25:00.022+01:00

As I begin to type this, it is nearly 7.30pm. Collecting my kiln has litterally taken all day! I am exhausted, and I did none of the heavy work! My poor brother Anthony started work at 6am and had to drive to London and back before driving me to Gloucester (pronounced Gloss-ter) later in the morning.

The journey was pretty non-eventful, just Anthony making jokes about Robert's tan mostly! In the last few weeks Robert has got a new job working outdoors, and has caught a lot of sun! And quite frankly we've never seen him with colour! He looks permanently angry! Or as Anthony says, like he's been Tango'd!

Anyway, this was the beautiful scenery of where we collected the kiln from.

Getting the kiln on board was pretty uneventful as well, although I have to admit that once I saw the thing in the flesh I went into a state of shock - it was even bigger than I expected!!

I've been far more worried about this purchase than excited, which doesn't seem right somehow. Shouldn't I be zipping around as if I'm on drugs or something? On the way home I asked my brothers - "have I made a huge mistake?" and Anthony said "No. It's better to get a kiln you can grow into than a kiln you're going to grow out of" and that's what I keep telling myself.

Getting it round the back of the house is when the fun started! It was obvious that it was not going to fit through our tiny front gate! So plan B was to reverse the truck into our drive... which was a tight squeeze to say the least! (especially where the front posts are)

Thankfully the truck fit on the driveway, and with the tail lift pulled down the back of the truck was pretty level with the garden...

Is it a chest freezer? Is it a hot tub? No, it's Linda's kiln!
Without a forked pallet lift, this thing wasn't going anywhere!! Just look at the size of it!!

Once they got it to the back gate, we realised we had a problem...

At this point I'd just like to point out that I'm not quite as stupid as this photo makes me look! Of course I measured the gate! Let's just say that the measurements I was given for the kiln were not 100% accurate! There was only one thing for it - the gate had to come off!

But... it still wouldn't fit through! Anthony decided to see if the box on the side could come off...

... but he found that it was full of electrical wires, and not just there for decoration! So then we got a bit desperate...

But it still wouldn't fit through!! In the end, Anthony decided to remove the whole gate post on one side, but the screws wouldn't undo!! He had to rip the post away from the wall with a crowbar!

Finally, the kiln fit through!! The box was an exact fit through the hole that they had cut, but I just missed the perfect shot by a second! And they wouldn't do a replay...

Next was the struggle of getting it through the doors...

This was very tricky, and I have to say, when I was most worried. My main concern was that either someone would get seriously injured (not sure if I mentioned that this weighs about a quarter of a ton?) or that the kiln would get seriously damaged. Then, just as it was inside, completely out of the blue, my nose started bleeding!! What??? What's that all about??

Finally, the gate was fixed, and looking as good as new...

... well, almost!!

... and the kiln was in it's new home...

Phew! Just take a look inside!

Polo wanted to have a look too... He was a little bit scared... "It's a long way down!" he said. It is! I can't reach the bottom!

I'm sure I could fit about 8 Polo's in there!! Scott said I could make a pack of Polo's! Hahaha! (Polo's are a mint flavoured sweet (candy?) here in the UK)

Of course, now I have lots of questions too, which I am hoping you lovely blogging people will help me with! Just a couple to start with... do I need to worry about that broken shelf at the bottom? Do I need to replace it? And what's this kiln wash stuff that the bloke was talking about? Do I need that? Any advice would be greatly appreciated, as always, and I hope you have enjoyed watching our fun!!

Finished and uploaded much later than intended, due to having to eat, a visit from Anita, and a phone call from my Mum!

Kiln day!

2010-04-24T05:02:00.004+01:00

Well, today is the day that I get my kiln. I must say, I thought I would be more excited than this, but I'm finding it hard to get enthusiastic about anything with this lingering chest problem. Yesterday evening Anita helped me clear a space for it in our conservatory, which nearly killed me, and later today I will be travelling half way across the country and back in a van, when I'd much rather be in bed! I'm not sure this is what is meant by "suffering for your art" though :)

Scott keeps giving me loads of sympathy while I cough my lungs inside out, but I keep thinking "How can you feel sorry for me? I've just bought a whopping great big kiln!" Ahh, poor Linda, she's got a new kiln... ?

So in exactly 4 weeks time is the deadline for entries for the art fellowship exhibition. What better time to start the 28 day challenge again? After seeing how it helped Kathy to prepare for her show, it seems like a very good idea... I just need to get well! Being ill is so... inconvenient! But I shall give it a go... again. At least I have some incentive now.

And on the subject of the 28 day challenge, I have to say a big congratulations to Kathy for completing it! Well done Kathy!!

Photo's of my kiln to follow later today :)

A look inside my brain...

2010-04-20T18:55:00.005+01:00

Scott said I can buy it! But now I'm too scared!! What am I doing?? Am I insane? I don't know what to do! Will it be the best decision of my life? Or will it leave us bankrupt and starving and never bring me a moments peace? No, surely that can't be true! How can buying a kiln be a bad thing? Just think of all the sculptures I can make! It will be a dream! But what if it turns into a nightmare? What if the firing goes wrong and everything in this huge kiln is ruined in one foul swoop? What if there are pieces in the kiln by my class mates and I ruin their pieces? But what could go wrong? What if the conservatory burns down? I need to get the walls insulated. And I need to sort the leaky roof out. It's such a lot to sort out! It's so heavy! How will we get it up the garden steps? What if we drop it? Am I sending Scott to an early grave with all the stress? What if I don't feel well enough to make anything?...

You get the idea!

Yes, Scott said I can buy that huge kiln! We can never say no to each other about anything, which is why we're always so poor and so happy! :D I think we'll have to live off baked beans for about 6 months!

But I haven't actually clicked that little "buy it now" button yet! I'm so scared!! I don't know why! It's just such a big decision. Tell me to click the button, and then I can blame you if it all goes wrong! :D

Edit: I did it :O

Look at this sweet, sweet, baby...

2010-04-20T02:03:00.006+01:00

Thank you to everyone for your comments of encouragement and advice about getting my own kiln. And welcome to my new readers! :)

I am still kiln shopping, and while browsing I came across this sweet, sweet, baby. I already know which projects would go in here... I had already made them in my mind long before I even knew you could get a kiln this size... if only I had the funds. Why did I have to pick such an expensive "hobby". Or rather, why did it have to pick me! Maybe I should start a kiln donation fund! :D

But just look at it. Go on, look. What an absolute dream.... come to mamma my sweet baby....

I don't know what to do!!

2010-04-17T22:22:00.003+01:00

I had almost completely made up my mind to go for that old kiln that I saw the other week. I decided that I was just being a snob to want a bigger and newer kiln and that this 18inch square kiln would suit my needs perfectly well. I just needed to get my brother to view the kiln too, as he would be the brains behind the operation of getting it here. I still feel that way, but...

... I decided to have one last little look on ebay, and what did I see? A kiln that's even bigger than the one I was out bid on! It's two feet. Yes, two whopping feet wide and over two feet high!! Can you imagine the sculptures I can fit in that?? But it's still not as bulky on the outside as the old kiln I went to see. Come to mummy!!!

The only problem is that it is probably going to be at least £500 more expensive to buy, and probably cost more to run. That's a lot of chocolate!! But we can't always have what we want, right?

And on the subject of chocolate, I would like to say a huge thank you to Leanne, who has offered to buy some chocolate for me! Any other readers, please feel free to send me as much as you like!! :D Hahaha! Right now I feel like I could steal some from a crying baby! But seriously, I can give it up, I love clay more than chocolate, although I couldn't eat a whole bag. :)

I know, I'm quite upbeat for a sick person aren't I? I think these steroids are doing something to my brain!!

Someone who has been seriously sick though, is the other Linda, who won my tiles in the One World One Heart competition. I was so shocked when I read about her recent ordeal. Please visit her and give her lots of love and well wishes.

If you have any advice on the kiln, any advice at all, please give it to me!! I want to hear your views!

More kids art, incentive to stop eating chocolate, and I'm ill - again!!

2010-04-17T02:14:00.004+01:00

We had a little bit of excitement this week when I had to go to the out of hours surgery with chest pains. I was so worried that I was going to be told I had indigestion and was wasting everyones time! But they took it very seriously and gave me an ECG. Thankfully my heart was fine but I have a chest infection. I was put on a nebulizer for a while, and given anti-biotics, steroids, and an inhaler! I suppose that all sounds pretty normal to you US folk, but in the UK, getting anti-biotics out of a doctor is like getting blood out of a stone! I even asked if it would clear up on its own and they insisted I have them!! And I've never been given steroids for a chest infection before! I have to say, the person I saw was really lovely and very thorough.

But I'm so hungry I could eat a cow. A whole one.

The steroids are making me feel so hungry! Of course it might also have something to do with the fact that my calorie intake has been a lot less this past week due to me giving up chocolate! (Someone fetch the smelling salts for Leanne, I think she's just passed out!)

There are not many things in life that can keep me on the straight and narrow when it comes to chocolate and other goodies - health, weight, even a new dress - they are just no incentive for me at all. But a kiln - now that's different! Scott has told me that if I want to have a kiln I have to save money by cutting out chocolate (on which I would normally spend a small fortune). Suddenly I have found will power that I never knew I had before! I'm also banned from taking the kids out for meals, and expensive bottles of alcohol! Basically, all those unnecessary things that cost a lot of money and are gone before you know it!

So when I picked the kids up on Tuesday we all had a £1 "meal deal" from the chippy and ate it in the car! Hahaha! (Does that sound familiar Leanne?)

Owen (11) isn't really in to art in the traditional sense of the word, but I would still say he's creative. He enjoys computer animations and things like that, so while Lewis (8) and I played with clay, Scott introduced Owen to the world of Flash, and has set him the task of learning it!

Oh yes, Lewis didn't want to paint after all. I know his Mum said that he loves painting and that he wanted an easle and everything, but you know how fickle kids can be, and painting is so last week! So he coil built this bowl instead...

...which blogger has decided to display upsidedown! (Why does it do that??)

Update on kiln and Freda the head-a

2010-04-13T03:23:00.010+01:00

I nearly bought a kiln today. Nearly, but not quite. I've been looking for something that doesn't require a forklift truck to lift it, but has plenty of room inside! A lot of the kilns for sale on ebay were either too big on the outside or too small on the inside.

I went to see a kiln on Sunday and I have been soo undecided since then. The kiln was a great price at £200 but very old and bulky, although still in good working order. It's so hard to resist a bargain! And that's why I have been so undecided. I still can't make up my mind if I am being a snob if I refuse it or impatient if I go ahead and buy it. It's true, it's not very attractive to look at, but I think it's the external size that bothers me mainly, and the weight.

In the mean time I saw a fantastic model on ebay - a top loading kiln with a bigger chamber than any of the others I had seen. But unfortunately I was outbid at the last minute. :(

So now I am trying to be patient. I feel much happier knowing that I have a plan that includes buying a kiln of my own, once the right one comes along. Part of me says I must be out of my mind! But I can't comprehend life without clay now, so it has to be done. :)

As for Freda the head-a (pronounced heed-a, like how they say it up north, so that it rhymes!), look what happened to her!!

She was collapsing under her own weight, so Scott helped me make a dowel.

I cut her head away from the shoulders, and she fitted very nicely on the dowel.

The clay from the shoulders had newspaper stuck to the inside.

I'm guessing this won't be an issue with the clay? Does anyone know? I mean, there's not much paper there and paper clay obviously has paper in it but it still fires the same. I'm hoping it will be ok, because I broke it up into pieces to dry out so that I can recycle it.

Back to Freda, I wrapped newspaper around the dowel...

...and then wrapped clay around it to form part of her neck and the support that will be under her bust.

I'd like to say I did more, but I didn't. I did try to improve the eyes, but it all went horribly wrong. Argh, those eyes!! I'm wondering if I should just move on and leave the eyes for now.

So that's all my news for now. Tomorrow I have my nephew, Lewis 8, coming round to do some painting. Apparently he really loves painting and has been bugging his mum for an easle and canvas!

What a wonderful....

2010-04-10T13:54:00.005+01:00

...week!! Yes, I've had a wonderful week this week, concentrating on spending more time with my family, especially as the kids are off school at the moment.

My lovely Mariah said something to me the other week that really made me think. She said "Auntie Linda, I remember a time when we didn't see you for ages" and I thought, Yeah, I remember that time too, it was when I was really depressed. But it pained me to realise that the kids had noticed I was "missing" from life. As it is, there are certain nieces and nephews that I see less often than the others, and I really want to do something about that.

And have I mentioned my niece Sophie? For various reasons (which I won't go into here) I had never met her before, and she is now 16. She is Autistic and very shy of meeting new people, but recently I have been blessed to meet her. I have seen her 3 times now, and already I feel we are becoming more relaxed with each other. She has a fantastic sense of humor! And she is a great artist too. She tranforms her sketches into computer graphics, which is a concept beyond my little grey cells. I hope she will let me watch her work one day.

My niece and nephew, Dylan 8, and Kiera 4, came over on Thursday for some clay time. They really surprised me by their creativity! Especially Dylan, who has never played with clay before and yet needed hardly any help from me! Just look at these wonderful pieces!

Dylan's mask is on the left, and Kiera's face is on the right.

Kiera also made a garden and a beach scene:

And Dylan made a monster!

I'm just so impressed with his mask, which he made almost entirely on his own! He was actually complaining that he wasn't good enough to make a swan!! I had to remind him that today was his first day and that he's only 8! Oh dear, we have another perfectionist in the family! But if he keeps practicing with the clay I predict that he will be an amazing potter and sculptor! (He even asked me if I had a wheel!)

What impressed me with Kiera is that although she needed help to cut and mold the clay into the shapes she wanted, she knew exactly what she wanted! The design of her pieces are completely her own.

So, today I have Charise 12, and Mariah 15, with me. We may do a little drawing or something this afternoon (although they are engrossed on their laptops at the moment!) and Scott will show Mariah and Owen 11, a few table tennis moves later! (I love how they are all interested in different things, but they seem to fit in just right with me and their uncle Scott!)

Tomorrow is a big day!

Yes, tomorrow I go to view a kiln!!! (long pause for dramatic effect)

I've been searching ebay for a kiln but as I said before, they are either really small or really big, and they are all really expensive and too far away! Then Scott noticed this kiln in the local Art Fellowship news letter, which is medium sized and a really good price, and local!! So tomorrow, I go to view it! Yippee!!! :D

yawn... Yippee!!... yawn

2010-04-04T01:31:00.004+01:00

I can't believe how much I have been sleeping lately! But every so often I get up for a few hours to hear some good news, and then go back to bed again!

Today I have had two pieces of good news:

First, Scott passed his table tennis coaching exam! Yippee!! Well done Scott! He was so convinced he had failed, so it was a lovely surprise for him.

And second, today I sold my first commissioned pieces! Ok, they were over 3 months late, but Dave still wanted the cups for his parents! So, yay me!

In other news
I've been looking at kilns on ebay, but the ones that look reasonably portable are only 1 x 1 feet inside. Which is great for a beginner like me, but as you know, I like to make larger sculptures. Dave gave me a very strange look this evening when I said to Scott "I'm not sure if I could fit my head in that" Hahaha :D

I've seen a couple that are 2 x 2 feet inside, but they are so HUGE on the outside that I can't even think of any possible way to move them - unless I drive a forklift truck all the way down the motorway! Oh yes, and then I might actually have to remove some of our doors (and walls, probably) to get it to the back of the house. Hmmmm.... This "buying a kiln" thing isn't working out very well. :(

And on that note... yawn... I'm going back to bed.

Can't be bothered

2010-03-31T22:16:00.003+01:00

Bah, I haven't felt the same since Saturday when I got the letter about my classes being cancelled. I've had positive moments when I realise I must carry on "undaunted", and accept that this is just another challenge to overcome, but the motivation has just... gone. And I'm sooo tired. I'm always sooo tired. I just want to sleeeeeeeeeep.

I take my hat off to Kathy, who has continued with the 28 day challenge, despite her many... challenges. (Yeah, I guess that's why it's called a challenge!) Well done Kathy!

I, on the other hand, have failed miserably. I could start again, but I'm not confident that I will see it through to the end.

The fact that my various messages of enquiry have gone unanswered doesn't help. I've heard nothing from my tutor, who quite frankly seems more concerned about his garden at the moment, and I've emailed two places about kiln and studio hire and had no replies.

I don't care. I don't need them. I have you, my blogging friends :) And I would like to thank you all for your messages of support, advice, and encouragement. I will find a way, but at the moment I just need to... sleep. Sorry about that. I'm not ignoring you, and I haven't given up. I'm just sooo tired!!

Coming up (when I can be bothered): Scott made me a dowel for Freda the head-a.

Day six - excuse my drunken rant

2010-03-28T00:10:00.006Z

Well, I'm not drunk really, I've just had a drink or two. Home measures, which means no measuring hee hee hee!! It's hard work getting drunk though. I'd be a rubbish alcoholic :)

So, the news I bring you today is that my clay class has been cancelled. Yes, it's true. We had this "thing" called a budget, although I don't take any notice of politics, it's all a load of old tennis balls to me. Anyway, apparently they cut back loads of spending on adult education, and the result is that my class has been cancelled. I don't even know if it's forever or not. I won't know if the class is running in September or not until September, which is like 6 months away.

In the mean time I can't fire or glaze anything, which has kind of left me wondering what's the point in making anything in the first place? But then on the other hand, despite suffering from depression, I can't help being optimistic and thinking that maybe the class will run in September and I can fire everything then. That's all well and good, but it means I can't get anything glazed and fired in time for the exhibition in June, or the open art competition in July.

So what are my options? I'm not sure. I can't afford a kiln of my own, or even the electric to run it. It's very expensive to hire the use of kilns. I doubt if there will be any other clay classes in nearby towns since the budget would have affected all adult learning. I can't join a full time course because I don't have the health, and you also need all sorts of qualifications to be accepted. So basically I'm up the swannee.

As for the 28 day challenge, I want to continue, if for no other reason than to support Kathy. I will try to motivate myself later to get my clay out, and I will post a photo of whatever I make tomorrow with day seven's post.

That wasn't much of a rant was it? OK, here's a little rant - don't move to England because they don't support the arts or sport, which is why we're rubbish at everything, and the roads are full of pot holes.

Edit: Obviously pottery isn't relevant.

This broadcast has been brought to you by Linda, in connection with blogger. Thank you for watching.

Update:
Ok, I've been through the shock, the anger, and the upset, and I hope that now my head is clearing a little. I got Freda out and we just sat and looked at each other for a while. She's got a pretty little face, and I'm happy with how she's turned out so far. I wondered to myself how many challenges she faced during her artistic career. Because, let's face it, that's all this is, isn't it? Another challenge. I didn't ask her because... well, she's clay and she wouldn't be able to tell me (and I hadn't drunk that much!) But I did feel a strange attachment. The sort of attachment that compels me to give Polo a little pat on the head every time I pass him, I suppose. I felt sad to wrap her up and put her away again, like saying goodbye to a friend, but I felt no inclination to work on her tonight. I made some mental notes of what needs changing though, and I feel more confident about this piece now. She spoke to me without saying a word. And now I know what I must do. I must carry on, Undaunted.

Day five

2010-03-27T03:24:00.005Z

I had another go at my Mum's mug tonight. Here it is compared to a normal sized mug. Oh, my Mum does like a nice big cuppa!

I know it will shrink, but now I remember where I got the idea from for this plant pot!

And my Mum's plant seems very happy in it!

I'm just letting the ~~plant pot~~ mug set up a bit now before I add the handle. Oh, and I must remember to add those flowers too! Thankfully things ran smoothly this evening. I let the clay dry out a bit before using it, which prevented it from just collapsing all over the place when I was trying to put it together. The lino cut seemed to make a clearer impression tonight as well.

So that's day five. I must admit that I am itching to get my black/brown clay out, as messy as it is. I think its because I'm looking forward to just playing! Me! The one who finds it impossible to just play! But it's soooo messy. I need to get Freda and some other pieces out of the way first, but hopefully that won't take too long, now that I am having clay time every day! :)

Update:

Is this handle too big?

Day four

2010-03-26T04:56:00.006Z

Well, today nearly didn't happen! I went shopping with my Mum this afternoon, and I came home so exhausted that I just went to bed! She bought me a lovely little gift set of of Baileys with a mug, whisk, and chocolate! I can't wait to indulge... :)

But have no fear, I did get up again in the middle of the night to have some clay time! Remember this mug that I made for my Mum?

Well, apart from the fact that the glaze was hideous, it got broken anyway, so I was working on a replacement. I tried experimenting with a square bottom, but it wasn't working, so I took that off and put a round bottom on it, but the whole thing just wasn't working really, so unfortunately I have nothing to show you. I don't feel that the time was wasted though because a) it was MY time, my clay time, and b) I was spending time getting to know my new clay.

I shall see how the mood takes me tomorrow and either try again or work on something else. Freda keeps calling me, but I'm resisting for some reason. I think it's because she kept me up all night last time and I'm worried she'll do the same again.

It was so funny when Mum's mug broke. She rang me and said "Linda I have some bad news". Of course I was really worried. "What's happened?" I said. "My mug got broken". Well, I just laughed my head off! I never liked the finished thing anyway and I couldn't think of a better ending for it! But for some strange reason my Mum loved it. Mum's are cute like that aren't they?

Anyway, remember folks, it's not too late to join the challenge! It's one hour a day of ME TIME!! Go on! You know you want to! :)

Day three - phew!

2010-03-25T01:50:00.005Z

Well, I still haven't recovered from Monday yet! And I had a busy day today, with a trip out of town this morning (yeah, I got up before lunchtime!) and my niece and brother round for dinner this evening. Somehow I still managed to make some clay time, spurred on by my 28 day challenge buddy, Kathy! Thank you Kathy!

Ok, I didn't do much, but I did some! Today I decorated the goblets I made last night.

I'd like to work on Freda some more, but I know I'll get engrossed and be up 'til 6am!!

I'm taking my Mum shopping tomorrow, and I'm supposed to be out in the evening, so it will be another busy day! I'm looking forward to a day at home on Friday to enjoy more clay time and relax!

More on the white earthenware clay I've been using - it seems grainier than the stoneware (if that's even a word) and it's darker in colour than I expected. I hope there wasn't a mix up at the suppliers and I've got the wrong clay! Unusually there is no label on the bag. Hmm... I expect I'll know when I order another bag!

Day two

2010-03-24T00:22:00.003Z

It's day two of the 28 day challenge, and I still haven't recovered from day one! My thighs ache so much from sitting at that wheel, I feel like I've been horse riding! Still, I pressed on, and made a few goblets tonight (slab built - I have no wheel at home), to replace the 3 that stuck to the kiln shelf.

I shall let these set up over night and then paint them with coloured slip tomorrow and carve them.

I used my new earthenware clay tonight. To be honest I'm not sure if I really like it. Maybe it will just take a little while to get used to it? We'll see. I'll let you know by the end of the bag!

I have my bag of black/brown clay now too. I'm looking forward to using it, but I have some other pieces that I need to get done first. I'd rather make my white clay pieces first because this black clay is sooo messy! It will just contaminate everything!

Well, that's about it for tonight. I'm going to keep it short and sweet because I'm just so worn out! (incidentally, I've had my thyroid tested again and it is under active again. I have another test in a couple of months)

But, before I go, I'd just like to welcome Kathy to the challenge! Yippee!! We have a participant!! Remember, it's not too late to join in!

Day one - left handed potter

2010-03-23T01:39:00.006Z

Yes, it's day one of the 28 day challenge - for me at least. Remember you can join the challenge any time between now and 2nd April. The aim is to have all challenges completed by the end of April. For more details click here.

So what did I do today? I went to class of course! (Is that cheating?) I was planning on doing an hour at home as well, but by the time I got home I was exhausted!

Firstly, there was a coiled pot/vase that I was working on, but after being in the cupboard for about 5 or 6 weeks it had become too dry to add to. I decided to break bits off to make it look old and broken, but I forgot to take a photo!! Now we have no classes for 4 weeks, so I'll have to wait 'til then.

Then I decided to have another go on the wheel. Long time readers will remember that the first (and last) time I tried the wheel was probably around Oct/Nov time, 2008! And I wasn't very successful! I managed to centre the clay and that was all. I was quite happy with that at the time though.

This evening I had another go. I must say, this wheel was much more comfortable to use than the one at the last class. Here's the funny thing though - although I am right handed everything that the tutor showed me felt backwards and awkward. I naturally wanted to use my left hand to steady the clay and not my right, and I had to consciously think to do it the other way. Maybe I am a left handed potter? The wheel only spins anti-clockwise though - for right handed people.

Scott is confident that I can learn to throw right handed, but how do I know if I would be better left or right handed? This turned into a bit of a discussion at home. He knows many left handed people who have learnt, for example, to play the guitar right handed because it's so much easier to come by guitars for right handed people. He thinks maybe I will just have to do the same thing. I suppose I will, if I want to use the wheels at class. How about you other potters though? Are any of you left handed? Can you throw both ways? Does it make a difference?

Oh, I suppose you want to see what I made, right? Ok, but don't laugh...

HAHAHAHAHA!!! Ok, you can if you want to!!

I know what you're thinking - "that took you an hour??" Well... yes. You didn't see how many attempts it took! I was doing really well with one pot, and then I must have squeezed too hard and I cut it in half! This is the first one that I didn't kill! Thinking about it now, I think I was supposed to cut around the bottom before I took the pot off the wheel, but no one told me that! Oh well. I'm learning.

So, that's day one. See you tomorrow with the photos from day two!

The 28 Day Challenge - rules and logo

2010-03-21T15:37:00.007Z

So here it is folks, The 28 Day Challenge, rules and logo! One stop is all you need to find out everything you need to know!

What is it?
The 28 Day Challenge is an excuse to do the things we really love, but somehow never seem to have time for, or don't make time for. Creativity is essential to our well being, and yet all too often it comes last on our list of priorities. The 28 Day Challenge is a way of reminding ourselves to put our well being first! This is a celebration of spring! It's time to blow away those cobwebs and be the creative person that you want to be! My hope is that in 28 days time there will be lots of happy and relaxed people!

What is the activity?
Anything you want! Creativity comes in all shapes and sizes. It could be clay, drawing, painting, sewing, knitting, writing, gardening, playing an instrument, singing or dancing! Whatever activity you most love to do which enables you to express yourself and forget about the world around us. Or something else that you enjoy, which helps you to relax, like meeting with friends!

What are the rules?
The rules are short and sweet - you just have to pick an activity that you love and do it for at least one hour a day for 28 days. Personally, I can't wait to start, but if this is a bit short notice for you, then you have until the 2nd of April to begin, so that all 28 day challenges will be completed by the end of April.

Copy and paste the logo into your side bar, and link back to this page, so that others can take part too if they wish. And leave a comment on this post to say what your activity will be.

Take a photo every day of what you have achieved, and then you can either share it on your blog at the end of each day, or post all 7 photos at the end of each week, whichever suits you better, but you have to share! Why? Because you may just inspire others to be creative every day and to look after their well being, and at the very least you will have a visible record of your achievements for you to look back on.

My activity will be clay. What about you?

The 28 day "challenge" and other news

2010-03-21T03:04:00.006Z

Well, hello campers! Hi-de-hi!

What have you all been up to this week? C'mon, don't be shy! I want to hear all about it!

Me? Well, I worked on Freda the head a little more. Those eyes were killing me! And I'm still not completely sure about them. I can't tell you how many times I re-did those eyes! But the good news is that I think they looked slightly better each time. Here they are so far... with the rest of the head... obviously!

I expect it's still too early to recognise who she might be, but guesses are more than welcome!

My clay recycling is going well, I think. I'm just waiting for the clay to firm up enough for me to wedge it now.

Mmmm, looks like yummy cake mixture!

Mississippi mud pie!

I have no idea why blogger keeps turning my pictures round! Anyone wanna lick the spoon?

And that's pretty much it for this week. Hopefully I'll have more to post in the future though, and this leads me nicely onto my 28 day challenge...

My "challenge" is to have some clay time every day for 28 days. It sounds like 4 weeks of bliss to me, but I always seem to have a problem with making time for it. I've seen my counsellor again recently, and she's always trying to encourage me to make more time for clay. I saw the sense in this when my mood picked up quite suddenly this week after spending some time on Freda. I suspect the weather has helped too. Spring seems to have suddenly arrived this week and my counsellor said that many of her clients have reported a change in mood this week. But anyway, clay always seems to help.

So that is the challenge! At least one hour a day, preferably two. Who's with me? It doesn't have to be clay, it could be drawing, painting, sewing, gardening... whatever floats your boat. I might not post about it every day though, I might just save up a weeks worth of photos to share all at once. I suppose it depends on time. But I want you lovely people to join in with me! Hmmm.... I could really do with a logo or something... "Scott!! I need some help with something!" :) See you tomorrow - with a logo!

More glazed pieces

2010-03-17T08:30:00.010Z

"I've never seen you looking so serious" That's what Fiona said to me at class on Monday as I looked at my pieces from the kiln. Was I disappointed? A little, at first, maybe. But mostly I was deep in thought, analysing what I saw before me and deciding what I liked, what I didn't like, and what I would do differently next time. It seems every firing is a learning experience.

I was mostly happy with the jug, there are just a couple of things I need to remember for next time. I'm learning that as a learner I can't expect everything to come out perfect first time (and it's taken me this long to learn it) so I am viewing this piece as a kind of prototype, a test run. (I realise now that I was very lucky with Swannee and Polo)

One thing I found on most of the pieces is that the coloured slip was very patchy in places. I don't mind it too much on this piece, because I think it looks like clouds and mist, but in future I will have to remember to give the pieces several coats of slip.

Whilst decorating it, I had carved more writing on the jug and then changed my mind and tried to cover it, which looked fine at the green and bisque stage, but didn't work too well once it was glazed and fired. Obviously next time I will be sure of what I want to write first.

Also, the crack that I had tried to mend has become visible, but after the time I had with this jug, I'm lucky it came out in one piece at all!

There were mixed results with the tiles. The blue ones warped upwards at the edges, especially the darker one, and the brown ones... well, see for yourself... although they come out flat at least!

I have no idea what's wrong with that brown slip. It's not even the colour it's supposed to be. I'm thinking maybe it was the temperature? Although I don't see why that would make it streaky. The slip is quite thick and I thought I had covered the tile well. I shall try again and see what happens next time.

Obviously the goblets in brown came out the same way.

I was disappointed at first, but to be honest this "distressed" look is growing on me.

Some other goblets just didn't make it. The glaze had run just a little on three of them, causing them to stick to the kiln shelf and become damaged on removal. Out of all the goblets in the kiln (of which I have lost count) I thought three was pretty good. I know other, more experienced potters, still have some losses in each firing.

And finally, there were the two goblets that were commissioned for Christmas (ahem), yes Christmas 2009.

I suppose there's always this year :)

Asriel's big mug came out of the kiln too. I have to say, that for a first attempt, and considering he's just a kid, I am very impressed with his sgrafitto.

Well done Azza!

Well, that's pretty much all my stoneware clay used up, except for what I am using on Freda the head. I was too impatient to wait for my earthenware clay to come, so I just went ahead (no pun intended) and started with my stoneware. It looks like I'm going to run out of stoneware before I'm finished though, so I'm having to recycle some dry pieces.

(Yes, blogger wanted this photo to be upside down, I don't know why)

I went ahead and ordered some of that yummy black/brown clay too, and I have lots of ideas for it. I haven't even really started on my "Jane Austen Collection" and already my brain is moving on to something else! Oh well. Why tie myself down? I'm learning!

Fred the head

2010-03-14T23:58:00.004Z

So, I pulled my finger out and look what happened! Fred the head had a gender re-assignment! It's true. Fred just wasn't working for me for so many reasons, so he has now become Freida! Doesn't really rhyme though does it? Freida the head.... no.... Jane the... brain... no... I'll have to think about this one.

I was having a complete confidence crisis with Fred, and I wasn't sure why. I couldn't understand it because (although it was a long time ago) I've made a head before, and I like to think I have progressed since then. Looking back I think it was a combination of things. For a start I was worrying too much about doing it the "right way". When I was a kid in school the teacher basically wrapped some clay around some news paper and said "there you go, now shape it into a head" and I just sort of... did it. There wasn't a right and wrong way, it just had to look right once it was finished. But this time I had watched some clay tutorials of Philippe Faraut and although the training was excellent, it threw me into a state of panic! He made it look so easy, but it just... wasn't. I suppose I'm not used to doing things like this in a set way.

It was this post by Jafabrit that helped me realise that I just have to do things my own way. Jafabrit was given some advice about technique for a particular stitch - I mean, hello? Have you seen Jafabrit's embroidery? As if she needs advice! Jafabrit admitted that the advice was very good, but for her, embroidery is another medium for her to express herself, and rules are irrelevant.

The other problem I was having was my subject. The person I chose to make had very... unique and interesting features. But, maybe a little too unique for a first attempt after over 20 years! The subject was Michael Jackson. As much as I love his music, and as interesting as his features are, I just didn't feel inspired.

So tonight, the big square chin had to go, and I started on my female head. If you are a sculptor and technique is important to you then look away now! I have no idea what I am doing and I don't care! That's just how I roll.

It obviously still needs a lot of work! Those eyes will be the death of me! There is still a prize up for grabs for the first person to guess who she is!

Linda, pull your finger out!

2010-03-10T03:13:00.005Z

We do use some strange expressions don't we? Well, my laziness has continued, and I really do need to pull my finger out - although I'm not quite sure where from! I seem to be lacking. Lacking energy, motivation, inspiration. Lacking confidence mainly, when it comes to clay. In between feeling anxious and depressed I've just been sleeping, although I actually did some house work on Saturday and I have no idea where the desire to do that came from - or where it went afterwards!

I am no further along with Fred the head, but I did actually go to class this week. (Yay!) Yes, I dragged myself out of the house and finished off glazing all the pieces that have been waiting to be high fired. Hopefully I will have some good results to show you next week when they come out of the kiln.

In the mean time those stupid blue bowls are determined to be ugly. I've glazed them at least 3 times now (I've lost count) and they still look ugly. I want to just smash them and start again. Surely, you can only glaze something so many times until you have more glaze than clay?! I tried to photograph their ugliness, but even the camera couldn't bear it, and kept making them look better than they do!

Another piece that I reglazed was the white vase. I was hoping that the design I painted on the vase with iron oxide before glazing (and then changed my mind about) would be covered by the glaze, but unfortunately even after a second glazing it is still visable.

This is actually the same photo as before, because... well, it looks the same so I couldn't see the point in photographing it again!

As for the jug... oh the jug! Well, as you may already have read, first the handle cracked and fell off... then the jug cracked when I was adding a new handle... then I fell over when I was carrying the jug... hahaha, yes it's true! I could have put my arm out to break my fall, but I didn't want to drop the jug! So instead I just sort of... landed in a heap, holding the precious jug up in the air! Oh my! I just couldn't stop laughing at myself for ages! Well anyway, then when I was touching up some of the coloured slip before firing, a big chip fell off! Then I had to scrape back the clay to try to make that part look even, and touch it up with the coloured slip again, and finally it was fired! And it came out in one piece! But then a smaller chip fell off while I was glazing it. The jug is doomed I tell ya! Doomed!

One item that I am very happy with is the piece which I cared least about! Quite a while ago I received some clay samples and I just quickly made a piece (which I didn't even bother photographing at the time) to try out one of the clays. It's described as a black clay (although red before firing), but the firing range is really wide and at high temperatures it goes black and at lower temperatures it goes brown. I wanted to see what shade/tone(?) of brown it would be. It has come out a beautiful chocolate brown colour. The inside, which looks darker, has been glazed with clear glaze.

This particular clay was extremely coarse - more so than the crank I had used previously - but the colour is available in two other textures, so if I was to buy it I would definitely go for a finer one. Of course, I wasn't given any sort of price guide with the sample, so it's probably really expensive!

So, that's what I've been up to lately, which isn't much. I mentioned previously that I have been to a couple of exhibitions, so I will have to upload my photos to share with you. In the mean time I must pull my finger out and try out those new tools!

Oh my giddy aunt!

2010-02-26T14:13:00.006Z

Hehehe, have you heard that expression before? I haven't heard it in a long time, but it's one I used to say when I was a kid. I bet Jafabrit remembers it! It's an expression of disbelief, along the same lines as "Oh my God" or "Goodness me" or (and this is the one my sister uses) "Oh my days". Well, today I had an "Oh my giddy aunt" moment! But before we get on to that, I'd just like to say "Linda, I finally posted your tiles!".

Yes, I have been extremely lazy just lately, but I finally dragged myself out, collected my clay, and posted Linda's tiles to her. I also bought myself some new clay tools, which I couldn't afford but I'm convinced I really need them for Fred the head, as he has become known.

Well, my efforts were richly rewarded! When I got home I found two big sacks of wood for my fire on the door step, from my brother Anthony. Thank you Anthony! AND.... when I got indoors a huge parcel waiting for me!! I had no idea what it was, as I wasn't expecting anything. It was sort of big, but flat.... and inside was this beautifully expressive painting from Philippa!! Oh my giddy aunt!!

Notice the texture around the ear? This pieces is called "Hearing Hallucinations", and I think the fear and confusion this causes the sufferer is wonderfully expressed in the face and eyes. Thank you so much Philippa! That has completely made my day, my week, and my month! Whooppeey!

With it came a card with "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" written on the front. Hmm, what a question! What would I attempt to do? The possibilities are limitless. If I knew I could not fail I would sculpt so many things... lions, elephants, horses, and definitely old bones! Yes, it's true. I watch archaeology programs and they find the most amazing human remains, and I sit and think to myself "I'd love to sculpt that". Or what about those amazing people who can tell what a face would look like based on the structure of the skull? It would be amazing to be able to do that. But not as amazing as sculpting mummified remains. Yeah, I know, I need to get out more.

Thank you so much for the painting and the card, Philippa. I'm hoping that the card's message will inspire me to try harder and to think positively about my creative projects.

This kind of brings me on to Fred the head. I continued with the shaping of the head and the face, but everything was going pear shaped. Well, not literally shaped like a pear, just wrong. Just... so wrong. So I filled him in (which is another strange expression for beating someone up!) No, I didn't beat him up, I just filled him in. Like this:

I think/hope the head shape is much better now though?

So I will continue with this piece this weekend, and hopefully the new tools that I bought will turn my sculpting skills into something amazing!

Coming soon: The "doomed" jug and other fired pieces! Plus recent exhibitions I've been to, including Philippa's!

There's a new man in my life...

2010-02-22T17:09:00.006Z

Yeah, I thought that might get your attention! Meet Fred, he's my new man...

Fred very kindly allowed me to wrap his head in clay at 4 O'clock this morning. It had to be 4am, because, y'know, that's when inspiration strikes isn't it?

I've been wanting to make clay head sculptures for the longest time. In fact, I made one at school about... umm... 20 something years ago. Unfortunately that was before the days of camera phones so I have no photo's of that.

Keith Phillips from Mudstuffing Sketchbook has been working on the same thing, with stunning results. His inspiration came from the DVD series of Philippe Faraut. There are some little clips of the DVD's on the web page, and from what I saw, the instruction looks excellent. Unfortunately, those little clips were all I had to go on since I can't afford the DVD's at the moment and I'm not even sure if they are available in the UK.

I put off making a start for a few hours because I didn't really have the right tools - I don't have a dowel to put the head on, and what's that interesting tool they use for the eyes? Plus I wasn't sure if I had enough clay, but that restless feeling got too intense and I just had to make a start.

Here Fred's head looks like some sort of strange patchwork football head! I've re-watched the little clip on the website and I see now that it was all going wrong right from the start! His head should have been more like a light bulb!

I should have taken more photo's as I progressed with the piece, but to be honest I wasn't confident that I was follwing Faraut's instructions right. I didn't seem to be able to get the head shape right. I added the "cap" of clay at the back, which I think was too small for the size of the head, and I kept pressing down on the top of the head to steady it while I worked, which has obviously flattened the top of the head. The result is this strange looking being...

I have faith that I can pull it back though and make something semi-reasonable. The good news is that the person I am making is a strange looking creature anyway! Now there's a clue!

At this point I'm not worrying about the shoulders at all. They're there really just to support the rest of the piece, and will be corrected later. The eyes look too high, but that is probably just because the head is so flat on the top! The nose isn't very big, but this person has a tiny nose! Lot's of clues there!

Oh, what the heck, why not have another giveaway? A tile of your choice for the first person to guess who it is! (And no, it's not Fred! That's just a working title!)

PS. Linda, I'm sorry you haven't received your tiles yet, I just haven't got round to going to the post office! They'll be on there way very soon!

OWOH draw - we have a winner!!

2010-02-16T00:33:00.004Z

I hope you have all enjoyed your magic carpet ride and have discovered many wonderful blogs along the way. I know I certainly have, and yet I didn't visit anywhere near the full 1105 blogs that took part. On many blogs I was blown away by the beautiful art work, and on some blogs I was blown away by the personality of the writer. All in all it was a very enjoyable experience, and I can't wait to join in next year.

But now, on with the important part - the winner! I wrote out each name on a piece of paper and put it in my tree fairy vase, ready for Scott to draw the winner's name. I could hardly bear to watch! It was so exciting!

(I swear, the yellow on that vase is nowhere near that bright in the flesh!)

We couldn't believe it when the name drawn was of someone with the same name as me! What a coincidence eh? Yes, the winner of this years OWOH draw is Linda, from The Briar Rose Gate. Her art work is beautiful, so if you haven't already, I encourage you to take a look.

Congratulations Linda! And a big thank you to everyone who commented, it really gave me a lift. :)

Linda, I hope you like your tiles when you receive them, and I would love to see a photograph showing how you decided to use them!

I enjoyed that so much, I think I shall have to do another draw sometime :)

Clay has rules

2010-02-01T05:17:00.006Z

It's true. Clay has rules. It doesn't matter how big you are (and I'm pretty big) or how clever you think you are, you cannot escape the rules.

One whopping great big fat rule is that you have to let clay dry evenly. You don't always have to let it dry slowly, but it has to dry evenly. So if you have some bits sticking out - say like... ooh, I dunno, a handle, for example - that's much thinner than the rest of the... let's say jug, for arguments sake... then it's better to cover up the whole thing in plastic and let it dry slowly and evenly.

I know that. I'm not stupid. "So why didn't I do it?" I have no idea. "You can't cheat in this game Linda, you have to play by the rules." If you don't dry delicate items slowly and evenly, as the clay dries and shrinks it will put the clay under stress.

"We know all about stress, don't we Linda?"

Well, you can guess what happened. The handle dried out way before the rest of the jug, and the shrinkage and resulting stress caused it to crack and break.

I wasn't too upset; I was convinced I could fix it. I struggled though, and in the end I thought I would be better off taking the whole handle off and making a new one. I made my new handle, and then while it was setting a little, I decided to moisten the area of the jug that the handle would be attached too. You see, I still hadn't learnt. "That was a very silly thing to do wasn't it Linda?" What do you think happened? "Go on, tell the nice people what happened, Linda..."

Umm... the jug cracked. "Yes that's right, the jug cracked. And why do we think that happened, Linda?" Umm... because the clay expands when you make it wet and it put the vase under... stress. Well, it was only a little crack, and I dunno... maybe I can fill it with slip or something? Anyway, the handle is attached and it is now slowly drying. I have no idea if it will stay attached, or if it will crack again. I'll just have to wait and see.

Mean while I decided to reglaze those little blue bowls again. You know, the ones that went streaky? And I noticed that the glaze was separating on the surface of the bowls as I was applying it. "Ah-ha" I thought "The surface must be greasy" so I washed them first...

One of those nasty bowls which I actually love except for the glaze. I know I should just give up and make them again, but I just can't bring myself to leave them looking like this. (And yes, the photo is still upsidedown and won't let me correct it).

I also decided to wash and glaze that little white vase; I'm not happy with the iron oxide showing through from underneath - it looks like someone has drawn on it with a marker pen and then unsuccessfully tried to wash it off...

But as I was drying it I realised that the warm water had made it crack a little. "Ah-ha" I thought "I have a vase that needs cracking!" So I fetched my ivy vase and ran that under the tap. "Crack".

Unfortunately it wasn't the crack I was after - it was one of the leaves that had got knocked and broken! NO!! Why does my stuff always break?? Why?? First the small ivy vase, then the tree fairy vase, now the large ivy vase... and the jug! I wouldn't mind now and again, but I seem to have more rejects than anything else!

The ivy vase with the crackle glaze that didn't crack.

Do you ever have those moments when you just think: "This whole clay thing was just a big mistake"?

Please help me!!

2010-01-29T11:48:00.015Z

To decorate, or not to decorate...

... that is the question! Ok, I know I only posted yesterday, but I couldn't wait to show you my finished (?) jug/pitcher (what's the difference anyway?). I'll show you it from begining to end, but the question I now have is weather to decorate it with some sgrafitto or slip inlaying, as I had originally planned, or whether to leave it bare and find a nice glaze for it.

This is how the jug started out. I had rolled out the clay and wrapped it around some tubing I got last year from a carpet shop.

When it had set up a little bit, I started shaping it by pushing in the bottom to create a "foot" and then pushing out from the inside with a spoon.

At this point I didn't really have a plan for the rest of the shape, but I just felt it needed something more at the top, so I added the "lip" and the "collar". The lip, or spout, took a few attempts, as like I said, I had no real plan for design and I've never made one before.

Next, after letting it set up more, I smoothed it out and set about making the handle. This is what it was supposed to look like:

The little bit sticking out at the top was supposed to be a kind of thumb rest. I've seen this kind of thing on pots before, and always found them comfortable to hold. But, this is what it actually turned out like - held in place here by a pot of glaze and rolled up kitchen towel!

I'd be interested to know how other potters support the weight of their handles while they're waiting for them to set.

And last (maybe), is the finished jug with no supports.

I didn't have the confidence to try to pull this handle, so I actually rolled it out flat and then rounded the edges.

And that's the jug. But the question now is, do I leave it plain, or do I decorate it as I had originally intended? I was thinking of using the Marianne design, but hadn't decided on either sgrafitto or slip inlaying, although I was leaning more towards slip inlaying. Please help me decide!! Here are the two options:

What do you think?

Update: I did it :)

I can't wait to make another one for "Emma", but right now I am sooooo tired.

I'm so excited!!!

2010-01-28T11:29:00.009Z

Well, I don't know where to start! It's so exciting, isn't it? All this "One World One Heart" thing! Already I've had quite a few new visitors to my blog, and I have to say that some of the prizes I've seen along the way on other blogs are absolutely fantastic!! Has anyone else noticed a lack of male bloggers taking part though? The miserable old... anyway, I've noticed a lot of collaging, hand made jewelery, and vintage things. Vintage is good. I like old, that's why I married Scott. Hehehe just kidding!!

But as if that wasn't exciting enough, I have other exciting news too! (my pitch is rising as I speak) Good things always come in threes don't they? Or is that bad things? Anyway, my dear friend Philippa from Loaded Brush is having an exhibition, right here in the next town to me!! How awesome is that?? I can't wait to go!

Plus... yes, there is more... Leanne is coming to England again in March!! (my pitch is now even higher) How awesome is that??

Plus... there's even more... the organisers of Philippa's exhibition said they would extend it, just for Leanne!! (my pitch is now so high that it is only audiable to dogs) How awesome is THAT!!

Phew! I'm exhausted after all that!

On the clay front, after missing two classes in a row, and doing nothing in between, I was itching to get my fingers in some clay again, and yet I was resisting. I have no idea why. Probably too scared of some physical activity! But today I did indeed get my clay out. The idea was to just roll out a couple of tiles ready to try out my new "Emma" design, but I know every clay person (or even every artist) will know what I mean when I say that once I started I couldn't stop! So after rolling out my tiles I also started on yet another goblet (my invitation list for the girlie night keeps getting longer and longer!) and a slab built vase which will be a similar shape to the goblets (all going well).

They're at a really ugly stage at the moment. It always amazes me when something this ugly transforms into something really nice, even though I'm the one making it and I should know what to expect! I shall continue with the shaping this afternoon and update you when they actually look something like they're supposed to!

Meanwhile, last time I was at class I collected my tiles (which you saw in the give away) and the little set of bowls. Remember these?

Here's the completed set:

When my niece Mariah caught sight of them she gasped with delight - without knowing that I made them, and without me asking what she thought of them, which I think is the best kind of compliment :)

Edit: Update on the jug, although it still has no handle yet.