Kings Creek Pottery

Versatile

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:34:00 PST

Thank you Meredith of WhyNotPottery.com for giving me the Versatile Blogger Award. I appreciate the many connections made through blogging ~ and I am definitely a better potter as a result of what I learn from people who have been doing this for a lot longer than I have. I follow other artists and designers too...there are plenty to choose from, but here are my picks for today. I am sure you will enjoy their work and blog stories as much as I do.

My nominations for this award are:

Lori - Fine Mess Pottery

Zygote - Fetish Ghost Pottery

Jen - From the Quench Bench

Barb - Art for Daily Life

D. Michael Coffee

By taking this award I agree to tell you 7 things about myself...hmm, let's see if I can make this interesting.

-Recently I decided to do a Raw Food Cleanse and it's changing my life in ways I could not imagine (good ways!)

A Beetific Elixir

-I take a yoga class and the instructor is trying to get us to work on handstands. I suck at handstands- in fact, I cannot do one. Something about relying on my upper body scares the shit out of me!

This is NOT me

- I dream a lot and I remember them. Many are about being in houses with leaky roofs....is that a bad thing?! It's been a while since that one. Last night it was being in a restaurant and my hearing was so bad I could not make out what anyone was saying....it is bad, isn't it?

A little blurry, but you get the idea.
Mom gave these to me, isn't she nice?!

-I have a new found fetish for boots. Fryes...and just got a pair of Lucchese's..I think it's the beginning of a long love affair. (this ties into a foot reference in Meredith's blog!)

Asticou and Jesse

-We have two wonderful Springer Spaniels- Asticou and Jesse. Asticou is named after a garden in Maine, where we camp annually.

Asticou Gardens

-My husband and I do not give each other holiday, birthday or anniversary gifts. Instead we parlay all those events into an annual trip to St. Martin. It's my winter savior!!

Soon we will see this again~

- I have run a marathon. No, really. In 1994 I was going through a divorce and thought that would be a good time to train for a marathon. Of course. I did finish and swore I would NEVER do that again, and did not! Though I did continue to run until two years ago...now I walk a lot.

cool outfit, I know you are jealous.

Can't wait to see what the others come up with.

Weekend in the Studio

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 09:00:00 PST

Weekends go so fast!

We went out Friday night ~ dinner and the movies~ waahoo (usually we are homebodies!). We had an awesome meal at the New World Bistro and saw The Artist...very good film and so weird to be in the movie theatre with no talking...the popcorn bag rustling was exaggerated!!

In the studio I made and trimmed up 10 more goblets. I am getting better at this form and will make more to have in the shop this year. That is IF they make it through the firing process okay.

Trimmed up the pedestal bowls I was working on last week. I'm pretty happy with them. These bowls will be added to a collection of pots for Timberlock. This rustic resort gives out items based on how many years you visit, five, ten, fifteen, etc.
The order will includes mugs, bowls of two sizes, pitchers, and platters. I try to have it all finished by Memorial Day. It's the biggest order of my year.

I also prepped the bisqueware for Cheryl's order. She said she is ready for the set. So, next weekend I'll glaze and fire them. They go in the electric kiln.

A challenge with the pedestal bowls has been to get the imprint on the bottom without schmooshing* the form. So, this year I tried adding a small piece of clay that has already taken the imprint. I add the piece vs. imprinting the bowl itself. I'd like to get it thinner- Currently I use a plain old rubber stamp and am wondering if I should try a different type of stamp... The lettering is often difficult to show up.

After the holidays I was feeling like a whale, the result of indulging in too much sugar and eating gluten, which my body is not a fan of. I went on a three day raw food cleanse and feel better than I have in a long time! In two and a half weeks I have not had meat, sugar or coffee (it took a week for the headaches to stop). After having a bit of pita bread (gluten) on Friday night, I promptly got a headache ~ I NEED TO LISTEN TO MY BODY!!!

So, I am learning the ways of green smoothies and "raw food" delicacies. Hence the photo of my Nori Roll ...delicious and filling! I made a pecan pate to use as the spread, with sprouts, avocado, cukes, red pepper, miso, and a dipping sauce = YUM!

All said, a nice weekend. Hope you had a good one too
:)

*schmoosing: to press to hard, to ruin, to mess up, or otherwise wreck

Love

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:47:00 PST

I was asked to make a Eucharist goblet for one of our town churches. Perfect timing to practice the technique demonstrated by Cynthia Bringle recently. I have made goblets before, but always in two sections. This technique was a lot more difficult than I expected! I had about a 50% success rate and we'll see how many actually make it all the way through. This weekend I will practice some more.

Practicing new goblet form

January is the month for me to work on new forms. So goblets it is, and a new shape for bowls. How is it that a curve can be so elusive?! Drives me nuts! I see it perfectly in my minds eye, but cannot make my hands create that curve on a regular basis. Practice more~

Love making pots!

I also work on glaze development during the winter months. I have a stack of books and notes waiting for me to peruse through. With the gas kiln I need a new palette of glazes to work with and lately I've been getting itchy to expand my repertoire of glazing techniques- underglaze, layering techniques, etc. Making functional pottery in cone 10 reduction limits some of my choices.

This is where the part-time potter thing gets in my way. When a weekend comes up I want to be in the studio throwing pots (my favorite part of the process). I like to see the shelves fill up...but other stages of the process also need my attention. Wait- I also love the imprinting stage....maybe I could learn to love the glaze development phase too ???

I just have to suck it up and devote some seat time to work with the books and think. How do you manage the whole glaze development piece of your work?

L.O.V.E.

This is my niece swimming backstroke at a college meet last weekend. She and her sister are the closest thing I have to children of my own. Honest to goodness, I do not know how you parents do it! My heart swells with so much love for these kids I feel like it will explode - and I am just the Aunt!!!

Anyway, it's such a treat to watch her swim. This time the meet was in Rochester, where my father lives. So my sister and I met up at his house and we three went to the swim meet together.

My other niece had her own high school swim meet (they crank swimmers out in N.J.). She and her father stayed home to attend that. I keep trying to convince my other niece to attend college in the Capital District...but, alas, I think I will lose that one... her father's Alma mater beckons!! Regardless we have two years before that happens.

Dad and Sister. Love them too!!

Inspiration That Lasts

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:13:00 PST

When I learned how to make pots at the ripe age of 13, my teacher gave me a book:

The Penland School of Crafts Book of Pottery .

As I paged through the book, Cynthia Bringle's goblets just ~~called~~ shouted to me!

A Bringle Goblet

A Treasured Book

I have been a fan ever since.

Thank you to John Britt for posting this video on You Tube

Awesome Find!

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:55:00 PST

How cool is this stamp?!

I found it in Woodstock, NY. Have you been there yet? It is one of the coolest towns in New York State. We had about an hour to walk around before our dinner reservations on Saturday. If you visit Woodstock make sure you schedule a good chunk of time, or a weekend, to explore. Seriously...an hour is not enough.

We were heading to dinner at the New World Home Cooking restaurant to celebrate Chris' birthday (celebrating 60!). We met his son, Ben and Ben's sweetheart, Julie for a lovely dinner. I don't think I have ever mentioned Ben's work on this blog. You really should check it out- he creates the most interesting jewelry. Here is the LINK! He sells mostly off of Facebook- which is amazing- if you don't see something you like on his Etsy site, go check out his FB page.

I plan to use this gorgeous stamp on some platters this weekend. I made three on Sunday just so I could test this bad-boy out!

Happy Wednesday~

Sacred Spaces

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 07:55:00 PST

I have mentioned it before, but not in a while, that I work in a high school as my day job. Working in public education has its challenges and this year the big one is the budget. We are facing yet another year of major cuts- like 3 million, or roughly 40 full time jobs. That is no small potatoes. Regardless of how you feel about public educators/education, imagining the impact of such extreme measures sends us into a panic- for our students and for ourselves.

Before the holidays I was very worked up with anxiety, creating endless scenarios of what our staffing could look like and how that would impact my job, our department and our school. I was edgy, anxious, and fearful. Though I have long had a desktop alter to remind me of my center- I was routinely ignoring it!

desktop altar

In a moment of sanity (exhausted from beating myself up with fear), I acknowledged that enough, is enough. I cannot live this way, constantly fighting with reality. Where was the Peace? Where was my Faith in the Universe, and the practice of living One Day at a Time? I was not bringing productive energy to my office for our counseling sessions.

Drastic measures were needed, so I came to school during the vacation to rearrange my office and give it a smudging. Not familiar with "smudging"? Check out this link.

It was high time to treat my work space as a Sacred Space- as I do in my studio. Clear out the negative and welcome PEACE! In the studio I need positive, creative energy and so, too, for my day job....Duhh.

I smudged, prayed, and blessed this space for sacred work to be done here.

(taking extreme care not to set off the smoke alarm, how embarassing would that be??!!)

Sacred Work Space

I do the best I can with making an institutional place feel comfortabel and safe. So far, the energy cleanse has worked wonders. The physical change has me literally looking at things from a new angle.

As with my studio time, I take a moment when I first walk in the door to acknowledge the space and welcome positive energy to be here.

My students are enjoying the change as well.

I found this quote while reading some Eckhart Tolle and keep it in sight...

New Year, New Attitude, New Awareness

A New Take On Glazing

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:25:00 PST

Happy Holidays!

Put A Stamp On It

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 11:34:00 PST

Every summer we head to Mt. Desert Island, Maine and spend two weeks camping there. We have been going since 1997. Blue Hill is a funky town about 45 minutes from Mt. Desert, filled with artists, hippies, and musicians living alongside upscale summer residents and a fancy restaurant or two. Years ago, there was a cool shop there called Asian World Imports, it was in the basement of a house. The owner loved to travel to Tibet and Nepal to work with local artisans. He would bring back treasures to sell and always had amazing stories to tell about his adventures there.

Underneath the selves of handcrafted paper books, to the left of the extensive buddah collection, he had baskets full of wood blocks. Black wood with carved decorations that had a slightly oily smell. I bought two blocks the first year and added a few more blocks to my collection the second year we visited. Every year I added a few more- I looked forward to checking in on Jeff and seeing what treasures he found. He often mentioned that if I had a design he would arrange to have it carved for me...but that is not what I wanted. I like working with the old designs of antique stamps.

My first stamps

I started with stamps the way I start a lot of things, timidly. Just a few little pieces to use in small areas, mostly around mug rims- cute....

One year there were no smaller blocks, so I picked out a couple of larger ones and began to work with imprinting larger pieces.

Then he sold the business.

I found more wood blocks in Bar Harbor, on the main street in a shop that sells unfinished wood items. They sell larger blocks and those blocks would need a larger space to work with. That's when I decided to make trivets and soap dishes- a (slightly) larger canvas to play with.

Finally, last year I discovered wood blocks sold on Etsy and this awesome shop: ClayStamp .

LOVE !!

Now I don't have to wait for my yearly visit to Maine. I have crossed over to stamp obsession and need to stay away from the "buy" button! I just checked it to get the link for you and saw about five more stamps I'd like to snap up! I am stamping plates, mugs, bowls, jars, platters, and anything else I make. The platters are my favorite.

This weekend my studio table looked like this:

So much freakin' FUN!
and that's not all of them ~

I plan to do a lot more with these and only wish I could spend more time in the studio...but that is another blog post.

Have a good week!

Graduate?.... Or Not?

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:03:00 PST

Years ago I asked a friend if he would photograph some pieces for me. It was still a few years before I jumped into the etsy pool. My friend is a real photographer- as in, artistic photography; he had never photographed pottery before.

I brought my pieces to his studio and he set up a neutral fabric background. He played with position, lighting, and a variety of camera settings. To photograph five pieces, he took about two hours. This was the first time I watched a professional photographer work AND the first time I saw my work one step removed. I remember feeling proud and thinking: "Those are MY pots??!!". It cost me a few hundred dollars.

Kings Creek Pottery circa 2004

Funny how time changes things...

I continued to make a lot of pots and wanted to photograph them, but could not afford the price of a professional. So, I purchased my first digital camera- a point and shoot canon. It worked great, but I did not have a background or the right kind of lighting. Enter: B&H Photo . They have a spiffy catalog and offer a table top kit.

Later, after joining the etsy world, I read a lot of information on photographing work (example, another example, and yet another) and how to best show our work for the purposes of selling. When I look in books about pottery I always see the photos with a graduated background- so that's what I wanted. Back to B& H for one of these:

Oh and I read about the photo cube and got one of them too! Here is what my set up looks like:

Not bad- this photo does not show the lights, but I have them too. It can be a hassle to set up, needs a lot of space, so I have to clear off a space in the studio (no easy task!) and work around things...but it's doable.

Life goes on and I learn more and more- see more work that other potters do and how they present their work. The books and magazines still show pottery against a graduated background, but many of the esty sellers and bloggers show their pottery with different backgrounds.

by Keith Phillips - Mudstuffing Pottery

Interesting background, it does not compete too much with the mug. What do you think?

Kristen Kieffer - Kiefferceramics

Using a graduated background with other items to highlight the function of the dish and add interest to the photo.

Victoria Baker- LittleWrenPottery

A home made background adding pieces to make it more appealing.

This all got me thinking. My pottery is not high end, gallery material. I just sell out of my little shop in the country. Is the graduated background to fancy for my pots? Maybe not, but I wanted to experiment a little.

Graduated background, fluorescent lighting, photo cube.

Burlap background, natural lighting.
(burlap needs ironing!)

Side by side comparison. I added a weathered wood base and a little greenery in the background- also the wording on the burlap shows a bit....Which do you prefer? Most of the pots I have on etsy use the "new" back ground. Someone told me she thinks the wording on the burlap is distracting...

I found that taking photos in natural light was a whole lot easier than setting up the whole cube thingy.

Then I look at D. Michael Coffee's pots and yum, yum, yum!! He wrote an extensive post about his photo process and showed pictures. Definitely check it out: Delicious Yunomis Found Here!

*sigh*

I'd appreciate any feedback/experience you have to offer~

Paths that Cross

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:04:00 PST

Currently I am working on a set of dishes for an old neighbor. Cheryl used to live in the "Honey House", my mother-in-law's old home. The Honey House used to be a barn where the honey was processed. At one time thousands hives lived on the property.

The Honey House was renovated into a home for my husband's parents in the early 80's. This is what it looks like now:

Anyway, when Marge went into a nursing home my husband inherited the Honey House. It sits right behind our house. Cheryl and Chris were our first tenants. Cheryl was thrilled to be living in the country and was in love with the flock of sheep that lived here at the time. She also loved the pottery. For their first Christmas here I gave her a little creamer. They watched their money closely because they were saving for a wedding and house someday. So, when she asked me to make her a matching sugar bowl I was honored.

Months went by and I would occasionally bump into one, or both of them. One day Cheryl mentioned that she would like a set of dishes made by me after they got married. A few more months went by and I saw Cheryl walking down the driveway- she came to see me because Chris had just told her he was in love with another woman. She was devastated, needless to say.

What struck me about her was that she never said a bad word about him! Cheryl started talking about 'meant to be', 'not meant to be' and I was amazed by the sense peacefulness inside her sadness, if that makes any sense. She told me she would fulfill a dream of moving south- and so she did. They moved out and went their separate ways. We got a new tenant, Margurette.

A few months later, I got a random call from Cheryl! She was happy, renting a room of a house in Virginia and was enjoying her new life. She mentioned the set of dishes and that she still wanted that set someday, but she was not making much money and had built up some debt she needed to take care of. Months later I heard from Cheryl again, she just wanted to say 'hi' and told me she still dreamed of having her own flock of sheep and a house in the country.

I am always surprised to hear from Cheryl. I don't call or write to her, she is not on facebook and, truthfully, we don't have much in common. But she is an amazing woman - her courage, faith, and steady pursuit of a good life for herself. I should be so brave!

Last week my husband came down the stairs holding the phone out to me saying, "Kathy, it's Cheryl " with a quizzical look on his face. And it was Cheryl- She has just bought a house, it's a foreclosure and needs a lot of work but she and her fiance are working to fix it up. The property has 5 acres and he's ok with having sheep someday! She is so happy and would I make her that set of dishes?

Absolutely I will and I will put my heart and soul into each and every one of them.

Holiday Artisan Market

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 02:17:00 PDT

The Holiday Artisan Market sponsored by the Schoharie Valley Artisans is one of our favorite shows of the year. 10-12 local artisans set up their booths and show off fine handcrafted items. From pottery, to folk art, to scarves, and jewelry we have a lot to show you!

This year is especially worth celebrating as we work through the worst flooding Schoharie County has seen, compliments of Irene and Lee. Our creativity survives and thrives in spite of the challenges. Please come support local artists. We will be taking donations for the flood victims at the event.

Our show is held in a beautiful, historic building on Route 443 in Gallupville. It once was the Grange Hall. Now it is a town building available to the community for events.

Others arrive and the Christmas Tree is up.

Putting together our "shops"

Beautiful work by Papier Moon Primitives

Artisan member Lorraine Dewey

Andrea makes amazing jewelry and gorgeous decorative boxes.

Passing Fancy

Betty, of Green Spiral Herbs, is always on hand with a generous smile and extensive knowledge of herbal remedies which she sells. I highly recommend her Comfort Salve for chapped and tired hands- which mine are always, due to my clay work.

Theresa, of Studio 914 will be there with handcrafted greeting cards and so will Kate from Hahn Studio, she creates one of a kind hand dyed silk scarves. Kate also has a selection of fleece items for the winter. Bev Lavick plans to attend once again to sell her beautiful photographs.

Work by Susan James

We always have a few surprises, so come check us out.

Saturday, November 12

The Gallupville House

913 State Route 443

Gallupville, NY.

9:00 am-4:00 pm

(admission is free)

Lovin' the Do-Over

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:45:00 PDT

First I want to thank Tracey, Brandon, and Meredith for giving me inspiration and advice for re-firing Lucille (my down draft, new-to-me, Bailey Kiln).

I moved the shelves away from the back wall about 1/2" and moved the target bricks further in, about an inch- and put a post behind them to encourage more of the flame to head up. The kiln was loosly packed for the re-fire, about 2/3 the original load...because not all the ware needed to be re-fired and, as Brandon noticed, my packing needed a little tweeking. The top was a bit too open, but I had limited wares to work with. Need to keep working on the packing. I fire to Cone 10 with Propane.

Now, THAT'S what I'm talking about!

The kiln did MUCH better! I had good back pressure throughout the kiln and steady reduction. The heat flow was much more even. I still need to adjust things, but feel SO much better about the whole process! It was nice to have two firings so close together- help me gain experience and practice.

I still struggled with the end of the firing- encouraging that heat rise. What is normal during the last hour of firing? Does your heat just keep steadily going up? Or (like me) are you struggling to get that last 150 degrees? Any suggestions on that part of the process? Thanks in advance for any input!

Here are some highlights:

I think this was in a hot spot (back of the kiln, center, lowest shelf), love the effect!

Candy Dish

mmm, Pepper Gray glaze!

Loving the berry color where the white and copper overlap~

Off Target

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 14:31:00 PDT

I fired Lucille for the third time on Sunday. It was a yucky, cold and damp day. Although I candled the kiln overnight, she only got to 202 degrees...I have been afraid to use the fan for fear of blowing out the pilot. BUT using the fan is necessary to get the kiln a bit warmer and it probably does not waste so much gas as leaving it on without the fan...right? Anyway, I lit the right burner at 6:30 a.m. and the left burner an hour later.

The temp. climb was steady and I felt good about the whole firing until around 3:30 pm. Cone 8 started bending on the bottom shelf and nada on the top shelf. For the next hour I watched as cone 9 went down on the bottom shelf and....nada on the top shelf- not even 8. At 5pm cone 10 started bending on the bottom shelf and....nada on the top shelf. Grrr. what to do? I waited another half hour and shut the kiln down. Lack of heat balance led to lack of mental balance and I checked out, fearful of overfiring the bottom and deluded myself into thinking the top would be ok.

Well, it isn't :(

I opened her up and...................dull, dull, dull.

The cones on the top shelf barely moved and the bottom shelf showed a perfect cone 10. I think those top cones were giving me the finger!

Top Peep Hole


Bottom Peep

Cue the pouting.

Lucille lacks balance...boo.

Early in the firing I looked into the burner port holes and it seems the target brick on the left is too narrow, allowing too much flame through. That could account for more heat on the bottom. While loading the kiln I moved the target bricks closer to the back, hoping it would drive more heat up because the second firing also lacked balance and over-fired on the bottom shelf. But it looks like that did not make a difference; maybe I need to move it even closer.

I re-read my manual. Yes, move the target brick closer and yes make it wider to keep the flame from going right into the door. I also read that if there is a large heat split between top and bottom it's best to just shut the kiln down because you will never get it to even out- that something needs to be adjusted.

I plan to re-fire the kiln on Saturday and am committed to staying on target to see it through ~ no matter how long it takes.

Thanks in advance for any input you may have~

How Do You Flow?

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 06:09:00 PDT

When I used the electric kiln regularly for all my glazing I would do all the glazing, loading the kiln and fire it the same night. This schedule made for a long day, but I got it done. My Skutt 1227 has a nice computer do-hickey that allows me to program the firing and it does it's thing. If I turn it on between 4-5 pm the firing done by the time my husband gets up (4 a.m.) to check on it. Easy-Peasy.

Now I am using Lucille for most of my glaze firing. Lucille is about 2 1/2 times the size of my Skutt. It takes a lot longer to create enough pots to fill it and it takes half a day just to decide what color to glaze things. My glaze prep is like the "sorting" in a Harry Potter film. I pick up a pot and wonder what color(s) it would like to be? ....then I move it to a shelf or table with a sign stating the color or color combo it will become.

Sorted Pots

Next, I spend two days glazing ~ that's a shit-load of pots for me! A benefit to this new schedule is I actually relax into the process and find I am not a raving manic- as I am when glazing/loading/and firing all in one day.

Go figure.

The following weekend I load the kiln on a Saturday and fire it all day Sunday. This is my new work flow. One weekend finishing bisque ware and waxing, one day sorting, another weekend glazing and the next weekend loading and firing the kiln. During these weeks I can't do anything else in the studio because every inch is taken up with the bisque/glaze ware!

The last time I fired the kiln was in June...now it's into early October. I do hope my turn around time improves, it's a long time to wait for customers who special order. That works out to be 12 weeks making pots and three weeks for glaze/firing, so a grand total of 15-16 weeks to turn out a load of pots....it used to be 4-6 weeks for me.

What your glaze prep is like? How do you manage your work flow?

Living in a Disaster Zone

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 05:10:00 PDT

It's been a little hectic around here since Irene came to visit. We live in the upstate NY area that got slammed by the hurricane/tropical storm a few weeks ago. The normally lovely little Kings Creek became a raging maniac...and mania loves company. The Kings Creek meets up with the Fox Creek, which meets up with the Schoharie Creek...thankfully those unions happen farther from our property, but not so good others. The flood created a disaster zone in our normally sleepy hamlet of Gallupville.

Our back barn became an island. Remarkably the hay inside did not get wet...the water staying just below the threshold.

The hamlet of Gallupville is bordered by the Fox Creek which rose, I don't even know how many feet, and ran across our hamlet flooding houses, a church, barns, pasture and farther down destroyed a couple of mobile homes.

A lot of road damage and destruction...and this was just in Gallupville.

About five miles away lies Schoharie, which got it even worse. Many friends and neighbors have been displaced and lost everything. Needless to say, it's all I've been focusing on.

It has been three weeks since the flooding hit our area and although there is a lot of work left to do, the towns are beginnning to head into the construction/rebuilding phase. Our many farms will have a longer recovery period- some lost all their topsoil. It will be a slow, long road back- but it's nice to see small movement toward the next phase.

I am working my way back into the studio. There are many pots waiting for me to glaze and I will get to that this weekend. Hopefully I can stay on track for a kiln firing on Oct. 2nd.

Confessions of a Glaze Hoarder

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 06:37:00 PDT

the back field after first cutting

The new kiln, Lucille, is leading me down an entirely new path of glaze development. I actually don't mind creating glaze tests and experimenting with glaze bases and colorants, it's fun. My challenge is that I will be firing this big old gal only 4-6 times a year.

With the electric kiln I could turn around a load of pots fairly quickly. My gas kiln has 24 cubic feet to fill, while the Skutt a mere 9.9 cu. ft.

My usual routine was: first do a 200g. test, put it on a test tile. In the next firing, if I wanted to see something further, put it on a small bowl or mug in the next firing to see how it worked on a true scale. If all went well, then make up a large bucket and go forward. Over the years I did a lot of experimenting this way. I have 22 glazes for my electric kiln. A few of them will transition to the reduction- just 5.

I guess you could say I like to keep my options open and that means, a lot of choice regarding glaze.

After attending a workshop with Val Cushing this year (love, love, love his work), I lust after his glazes. They are dreamy to touch, like buttah~ perfect for functional ware.

The recent Britt/Bailey workshop helped confirm my love of the shinos. Hollis, of Hatchville Pottery is another big inspiration in that department, as is Michael Coffee.

So, hanging out for our first summer campfire I have my Britt, Cone 10 glaze book and Val Cushing's handbook (he sold at the workshop) out to make my picks.

Here is the plan: Rust Fat Temmoku, Tom Buck Celedon, Jeff's Red, Perfect Gray (already tested- it's stunning!), John's Red, Gustin Shino( already tested), Orange Peel Shino (already tested), Val Cushing Copper Blue-Green, Val Cushing Satin Matt with Iron & Rutile and Val Cushing Rich Matt Blue.

10 glazes!!! What?? too many, need to scale back....but which ones? I love them all!

Asticou looking out for swallows, I look out too- pondering....

I will make them all.

Imagine

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:11:00 PDT

Sometimes I get overwhelmed by the state of things in our world- all the fighting, negativity, unrest....projects like this lift up my heart and remind me that there is still so much goodness on the planet and that there are many people working to spread peace in different ways. I am reminded that we will be okay.

There are many more videos from this organization, you can find them on you-tube. There is also a dvd you can purchase. We just got done watching it ~ I recommend adding it to your library.

Emerald Green Flame

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 11:15:00 PDT

I fired Lucille for the second time last Sunday, a week after attending the Britt & Bailey workshop.
I candled the kiln overnight because it had been very damp in our area for a while and I just wanted to ease into the heat. I packed the kiln better this time...maybe too much?

At 6:30 a.m. I lit the right burner and after an hour lit the second one. This time I understood the importance of letting adjustments take place- gave them time to show an effect...unlike the first firing when I was relentlessly tinkering with ALL the adjustments, ALL the time. Heat built up at a good rate and the kiln did not stall. I was able to shut it down- with a 30 minute hold- at 4:30 p.m.

John Britt described firing a gas kiln as dealing with a race horse- you don't let a race horse just go all out, no, you control the power and ease it into full force. So, when I got anxious I thought of the race horse analogy and it helped me think more clearly!

This was taken before the green flame occurred

Thank goodness for the oxygen probe- LOVE IT!! Worth every penny, for sure, especially for this reduction beginner.

During the firing I checked the chimney and the flame was green~ remarkable! I was told, at the workshop, that this can occur with reduction- though I have absolutely no idea why it happens. I should have gotten a photo~ but I was so excited I stopped taking pictures.

I have no idea how the green flame occurs and tried to do some googling on it, but found no great explanation- can anyone fill me in?

During this firing Lucille fired hotter on the bottom, significantly hotter, which I need to work out. It's my understanding that to drive heat to the top of the kiln (downdraft) the damper needs to be opened more (yes?)...but the predicament is that then I lose reduction. Any advice out there? I think I also need to move the target brick to help with heat flow- putting it closer to the flame to drive the flame up... right?!

Malcolm Shino

Regardless I was thrilled with the results and I learned a lot *again*. During the next month I will make a bunch of new glazes for reduction and will experiment with various combos. Additionally I need to work on the gravity levels of the shinos...they were a little thin this time. Have you read the pages on Shino glazes in Britt's book~ wow, so many variations and possibilities!

Thanks for reading and any input you have would be greatly appreciated!

Time to Leap

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 10:50:00 PDT

Something has happened to me as I've gotten older...I play it safe. Yup, I don't take as many risks with my work and it's starting to bring me down. When I was young, I would dip in one glaze and then in another just to see what would happen...who cares if it came out ugly~ it was the journey that was important!

Now, in my 50's I find myself timid- playing it safe. I've become so focused on providing a stable foundation of wares for customers that I use it (them) as an excuse to hold back....even with this new kiln opportunity.

Time to get honest and tell on myself- I am a scaredy cat.
Eww.

Well that is going to stop! I am heading back to the supply store for a few new ingredients and mix up some new glazes- and I will experiment with what I have in new combinations. I want that feeling of discovery back, the wonder of possibility. Safe is working against me right now and I need to push myself to another level.

Time to take the Leap and trust the journey~

Gratitude~

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 04:50:00 PDT

My mom, Gail and her husband, Jerry are visiting for a couple of weeks. As soon as mom got out of the car she asked to see Lucille! I love that :)

Mom and Jerry were a big part of the Lucille adoption. They provided encouragement and support both emotionally and financially....heck, Lucille would not be living in Gallupville were it not for their generous assistance.

Anyway, Mom wanted a full tour and had many questions about how this kiln is different than the electric, would I show her examples of work made in both atmospheres to help her understand? Uh- YES!! It was so nice to share my enthusiasm and that she really enjoyed learning about it. Truly, over the years she has been the biggest supporter of my pottery efforts.

So, Thanks Mom for your support, encouragement and steady patience with my journey. I am truly blessed to have you in my life.

The Mug -

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 01:00:00 PDT

Often the mug is the first piece of pottery a person purchases. Therefore, when I think about price I like them to be approachable, you know, welcoming. "Come on and buy me; take me home, you can afford it!"

...

And yet, mugs take time and more steps than a bowl. I mean, the handle alone...

Steps to make a mug: throw the cylinder, shape it, let it dry, trim, imprint, make and add the handle, let dry more, bisque, glaze, and fire again.

...and costs keep going up.

What to charge? Some potters, with reputation, will charge $45-50. I purchased a mug from a well known potter and paid $70 once shipping was added. (Ok, that was just to much).

So, why do I feel like I am betraying my customers if I raise the price on my mugs? I've been charging $18 for years and recently made them $20. It was easy to just change the price on etsy...but I have an Open Studio soon and will be face to face with my wonderful customers. Suddenly I feel weak kneed.

Weekend Workshop - Britt & Bailey

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Mon, 06 Jun 2011 04:36:00 PDT

About 25 people spent the weekend in Kingston, NY attending a workshop with John Britt and Jim Bailey at Bailey Ceramics.

This workshop came at the perfect time for me as I prepare to fire my second time in Lucille. We arrived Friday evening with pots to glaze. The place was all set up for us and though it was a bit of mayhem, it was fun to work with new glazes knowing we would see the results on Sunday. A couple of copper reds, two celadons, a tea dust, two or three shinos, and an oribe and a black glaze were all available for our use.

Jim Bailey loaded the kiln (an automated down draft gas kiln- A.Mazing!) and programed it to start at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. The workshop took place in the same room as the kiln! Due to his extensive ventilation system we did not melt in heat. John would talk about glazes/glaze theory with periodic breaks to look at the kiln and its' progress, explained by Jim.

I can't tell you how much this helped me in understanding what I am trying to achieve with my kiln. It also felt good to be with other potters who were beginners with gas kilns (though there were veterans there too).

Check out that blue box behind the chimney- that's the damper port, which is controlled by a computer program!

I got the chance to see emerald green flame out of the chimney, way cool!

At the workshop I bumped into Wayne Smith, a wonderful potter from Saratoga Springs. Potters are such great people; he shared tips and strategies with me as well. Check out his stuff HERE. Isn't it beautiful?

Here Jim is demonstrating various flames based on fan/gas input. This is an example of what a reduction flame looks like. These demos brought to life what I am reading in the books- SO helpful!

John Britt is absolutely hysterical! He has so many stories and manages to make glaze theory understandable and dare I say, fun??!!. He has a ton of experience (because he is willing to try pretty much anything) and he is extremely generous in sharing it. If you have not already you need to subscribe to his blog.

His book : The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes is also fantastic. If you do not already have it on your shelf, get it. I have already started to re-read mine.

This is John discussing results. I'm not showing any of mine because I played it safe with my tests and, frankly, they were boring. Why do I do that? So afraid to take risks- and then I regret it. Oh well, lesson learned ~ again.

Have a great week everyone!

Blueberry Smoothie - way off topic

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Tue, 31 May 2011 12:09:00 PDT

~Blueberry Anti-Oxidant Powerhouse Smoothie~
I love my morning blueberry smoothie, so much that it is common to hear me declare "I LOVE MY SMOOTHIE" after finishing it every day, which I have for about three years now.

Ingredients:

1 c. Frozen Blueberries
2 'Oh Soy' Raspberry Yogurts (frozen)
1 Heaping Tablespoon of Flaxmeal
1 Heaping Tablespoon of Chia Seed
1c. Soy or Almond Milk- Vanilla Flavored

Directions:

Microwave the frozen yogurt for 50 seconds on high (after you take off the aluminum cover).
Put the blueberries, flaxmeal, and chia into a blender. Add the milk. Now add the two yogurts. Blend. You may need to use a spoon to help the blender along to stir the mixture. Sometimes I also add Gogi Berries as a topping...freeze dried.

Enjoy.

(Makes 2 servings)
P.S. check your teeth before smiling in public
P.S.S. this will help keep your mail moving- guaranteed.

Prep Work

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Fri, 20 May 2011 05:30:00 PDT

Timberlock Order waits for Glaze

New signs to point the way

Trimming and Handles left to do. Greenware waits for Bisque

2011 Postcard

The next four weeks:

1) Finish and Deliver Order to Timberlock
2) John Britt & Jim Bailey Glaze Workshop
3) Load and Fire Up Lucille
4) Open Studio Show and Sale

Still Here

noreply@blogger.com (Kings Creek Pottery) — Tue, 10 May 2011 07:33:00 PDT

I have not disappeared...! I was going great guns with posting to this blog when I hit a wall and nothing seemed interesting enough to write about. Regardless, this is a summary of what I have been up to during the last month:

I've been working on an annual large order for Timberlock to be finished for delivery Memorial Day Weekend. This year they added pitchers to their list, hence my latest obsession with making pitchers. I love Timberlock and am thrilled that Kings Creek Pottery can be a part of their tradition. If you want a rustic resort, a chance to get away from the hectic pace of constant access- then Timberlock is the place to be. Beautifully set along the shore of Indian Lake, the food is fabulous, and the Adirondacks surround providing loads of incentive to get out and enjoy nature. Of course reading a book on the lawn is just as acceptable! Check out the link above for more details.

View of 'The Lady of the Lake' from Timberlock

Spring brings new growth and weeds! I've been growing with the change in schedule for Lucille and a lot of personal work on changing bad habits ~ actually negative thought patterns...which create poor behavior and mostly self torture! Making room for new growth in ALL areas of my life these days.

Weeds or Flowers...it's all a matter of perspective

I was able to arrange my schedule to attend a workshop with John Britt who will be at Bailey Ceramics in early June, which I am very excited about. I still have not found the recipe for my beloved "Indian Lake" recipe... (boo), but am enjoying the opportunity to explore new glazes for reduction (yippee). I have not given up on Indian Lake, however.

Butter/Cheese Dome Glazed with Indian Lake

Moving to a gas fired kiln has changed the whole rhythm of my work. Turn around time takes longer because it takes more time to amass a load of work to fire. I know with time I will get used to it and find my groove. In the meantime I feel like the Little Engine That Could ~ just keep chugging along!

My life is full and it's a blessing- I try to remember that as I negotiate with time and guilt!! I am still here- a bit scattered, but chugging along