Ginkgo Leaf Bowls

I have been spending the evenings taking photographs. I need to build up my inventory on Etsy. Winter is slow in Seagrove and we will depend on internet sales to get through the season. Thankfully, winter is much shorter in North Carolina than in New Hampshire. 

The bowl in the first two photos is just under 12" in diameter

This bowl is about 8 1/2" in diameter

Today we are waiting for the bisque kiln to cool, so that we can start glazing. The temperature is under 300 degrees now. The wait is almost over.

Not Piggy Banks

After a the holiday craziness, I have been given a very short reprieve from making pigs. Along with the dinnerware order I made some porcelain bowls and this shallow bowl/plate. It felt good to get back to carving those ginkgo leaves.

Since this is porcelain, and no slip, I will glaze them in celadon. I like it when I have pots planned from start to finish. It makes glazing less of a chore.

Out of the kiln

We unloaded the gas kiln a few days ago and then moved right on to other things. I am finally getting around to looking at the pictures I took while we unloaded. Overall it was a really good firing. 

I was a little disappointed that one of my large carved bowls slumped. It's hard to see in the photo, but in person it's very obvious. The conclusion is that the foot ring was too small to support it. The slump is definitely around the foot ring. I also probably trimmed a little to thin around it. I have three more similar size bowls to fire. I am hoping they will survive.

One is a wedding gift that I need at the beginning of October.

 Remember the creepy face jug?

He came out pretty creepy.

... and look at Jeff's kimchi jar back there, SWEET!

Super size me

Jeff and I are really getting into making and carving big stuff. We moved from the vase to big bowls. This one is about 21". 

I am used to carving bowls by cradling them on my lap and tilting them on an angle. I had to carve this one on my work table, nestled on foam.

I wonder how many pounds of pasta salad this bowl will hold...

Most of the big pots we are working on are for an exhibition at Campbell House Gallery in Southern Pines this coming September. We have a lot of pots to make between now and then!

I have added this post to Sunday Ceramics. Head on over there to see what's happening this week!

Another kiln fired...

Jeff and I unloaded the kiln yesterday and had some mixed results. The turquoise glaze did some funny stuff, it's so darn persnickety! Thankfully my Etsy orders were ok. All of my Etsy buyers were very understanding about having to wait a bit for their items. I did e-mail everyone with an explanation of the delay and I received many kind and thoughtful replies with expressions of condolences. You wouldn't think that selling online could have this personal feel, but it does. Jeff and I cross sell in our shops and we have each gotten orders from the same buyers with personal notes saying "give my regards to Jeff/Michèle."

This firing had a few more ginkgo's carved in porcelain. I am really enjoying the celadon glaze. It's a nice departure from my darker gloss green. I have been using helios porcelain from Highwater Clay. It throws quite nicely. I did have one bowl that had an iron spot in the middle of it. It was a small blemish before firing. I tried to sand it out but couldn't remove it all. It's sort of irritating since you expect porcelain to be a pure white. Iron "pops" seem to be a common problem with Highwater clay. We've had it happen in their other clay bodies as well. With stoneware it's not as problematic as porcelain.

It's going to be a hot one today. I am heading to the market and post office before I get sweaty and dirty working in the studio. It feel great to be back in my regular routine.

The Invasion of the Giant Pig

The pigs are taking over the studio, not only in numbers, but in size as well! I have an order for two large banks the size of one gallon jugs. Jeff threw the bodies on the wheel and I am assembling them. They are a little tricky because the weight of the jug is too much for the legs to hold up when they are first attached...

I have to get the legs leveled, then wrap the rest of the pig with plastic so that it doesn't dry out waiting for the legs to stiffen. I think she looks like she's waiting for her hair color to set up at the salon.

Jeff made extra gallon size jugs and he is turning this one into a fish bank. He did some smaller ones as well. I will try to get photos today.

 I carved a bunch of ginkgo leaf bowls on Saturday and when boredom set in, I did a little experimenting. Some I like and will do more of, others won't be repeated. I feel if you don't experiment and play with your work, you won't grow as an artist. That's the excuse I use for being a little ADD!

the mundane stuff

Nothing too exciting happening around here. Jeff is immersed in replenishing our stock of mugs, which has gotten incredibly low. I spent today finishing sponge holders which I swore I was never going to make again. BUT, I sold everyone that I had made last spring. 

Cutting the slot for the sponge is a pain, so Jeff made me this down and dirty cutter and it has made the job go much quicker.

I have finished more ginkgo bowls and under the plastic are more to be carved tomorrow...

That's all for today!

Festival in the Park, Freedom Park - Charlotte, NC

The gas kiln was fired on Sunday and for the most part with good results. I am really happy with how the ginkgo leaf bowls in the green glaze and shino came out.

 I was afraid after seeing the pattern fired in wood and salt, that the green glaze wouldn't live up to my expectations! I didn't commit all them to this firing, but I will glaze the rest for the next firing along with the mugs I have finished.

Photographing shiny glazes is so hard. I tried the spraying with hairspray trick once but didn't think it made much difference... and then you had sticky pot that needed to be washed! If anyone has any suggestion or hints, I would love to hear them.

This firing had a lot of new piggy banks. This is a new color combination - nuka and shino with copper red over the shino. 

He is available in my Etsy shop, clicking the photo will take you there.

Jeff and I have a busy day ahead. We will be loading pots and our booth into the trailer. Tomorrow we head to Charlotte for the Festival in the Park, at Freedom Park. This is a three day show and the weather is looking good. If your in the Charlotte area, stop in and say hello.