Orb Making

Coiling and coiling, smoothing on the inside, as I go.

Looks more like a lumpy egg doesn't it?

Now that's looking better! After the form is closed I scrape it with a credit card and roll it around on my work table. It slowly become ball shaped. I set it on foam and the bottom flattens because it is still very soft. When making a closed form, remember to poke a hole in it with a needle tool.

This is a smaller one that I made the day before. I lightly covered it overnight and yesterday did more rolling and scraping. I left it uncovered all day and occasionally rolled and turned to keep it in a ball shape as it stiffened. Today I will do that to the larger orb and this one will get a coating of slip. Tomorrow the smaller one will be ready to carve.

 Here are a couple of finished orbs that were wood fired in Fred Johnston's kiln last month. The one above is about 6'' tall and the one below is 3" and is also a rattle. Both of the orbs I am working on this week will rattle, everyone likes that surprise when they pick them up.

I enjoy the meditative pace of making these and believe it or not they sell! It's not like anyone really needs an orb, they just like the way they feel and sound... meditative.

while waiting for the kiln to cool...

Finished some mugs...

Even the pigs have become victims of a Dolan carving tool...

oops!

a wood fired vase that was left behind at the kiln and found it's way home today...

Find it on Etsy later this evening.

getting back to work and trying out some not so new ideas

It seems like Jeff and I are having a hard to getting back into production. We really need to get ourselves back on track, because of orders to fill, as well as shows to get ready for. I feel like I have been moving at a snails pace., but some work has been getting done.

I started incorporating leaves into my pots shortly after moving to Seagrove, starting with slip resist (which I still do) and then adding carved leaves. From the very beginning, people were asking if I did ginkgo leaves. So many potters (and jewelers) use ginkgo leaves in their work, that I was resistant to the idea. After more requests this week I figured I may as well give it a go...

 I am fairly happy with the first incarnation. I am sure it will get tweaked as I do some more.


When I get a spare moment I have been creating more rattles and carving them. Some will get fired in wood and others I am going to try wadding and firing in the gas kiln.

I like the way the mermaid in the back, right, came out. Her body wraps around the orb, her flowing hair meeting her tail. Not too crazy about her face though. My carving tools aren't small enough to do a good job. Though I did find a different Dolan tool in Jeff's box today that makes a finer line and is easy to control. I will make a few more so that I can practice making faces... although my siblings would say I had no trouble making faces when I was a kid.

why do i like to torture myself...

with cake stands?

I have made so many of these throughout the years and can say that only a handful haven't warped. This spring I made a small one in this style and it fired quite nicely. We shall see how larger ones hold up. These should accommodate an 8" cake when finished. Of course I had to add all this carving to these so that if they warp it will be all the more painful. I am thinking about bisque firing these upside down. Maybe that will reduce warping... thoughts anyone?

Then there's the glazing, because of course I want them to be the shino and green combination.

back to production

the Celebration of Seagrove Potters will be here before we can blink an eye so we have lots to make. i also had a call from a woman who owns a small shop that occasionally buys wholesale from us... she had just sold a small salt glazed plate with the slip and ivy design and the woman who bought it wants 5 more and the shop owner said she would also like to have 10. the timing was perfect because we are firing the ground hog kiln at the pottery center on Oct. 8th. this also meant that i had to stop whatever else i had in the works and get them made.

they were easy to get finished since they are a small dessert or appetizer plate and only about 6" in diameter once fired. on the downside, loading plates in the salt kiln are a pain. we plan to stack them which means they will have wadding marks on the surface, which i happen to like. i can't remember if the one that was sold was stacked this way so hopefully they will be acceptable. i will just keep my fingers crossed.
aside from finishing up some big pots, jeff has been busy with goblets...

the plain ones will be bisque fired and shipped to a potter who does renaissance fairs. she purchases them from jeff then glazes and fires them to sell at her venues. the special ones will go in the salt kiln...

and wine coolers to match...

yummy!

envelope forms

back to work on ovals... since these are narrow i have been referring to them as envelope forms.

decided to do the leaves and slip decoration on these, typically i stamp them like the one on the left. this morning i threw the parts so i can assemble a few more tomorrow. i have an idea in my head about adding some little feet to the next ones.

finished up a few large bowls today. it's been so humid that these took forever to get to trimming consistency. i wonder how long before they will be dry enough to bisque? no a/c in the studio :-(