Raku

I'm not gonna lie and say I don't like Raku.  The process is fun; I mean come on you get to play with fire!  And it serves well for people who have no patience.  After you bisque fire a piece you are ready to glaze and Raku.  Instead of waiting a week for your piece to go through the final firing, you wait... maybe tops: an hour.  But I really don't like that it is not functional.  Or rather not as functional as I would want something to be.  Heat, oxygen and sun can cause your Raku fired pieces to fade, so a candle holder or outdoor potted plant is out.  And I had to treat everything I made with shellac to help keep further oxidation from occurring. It's also not water tight, so no vases that hold real flowers.  AND here is the big one, not food safe.  So it's basically something pretty to look at which to me=clutter.  However art is in the eye of the beerholder and I made use of my pieces (well, most of them).

Pottery Wheel - Semester 2

During my second semester I ended up gifting most of my items.  I hate clutter and I missed the student sale because I went on a cruise to Mexico.  I have always heard handmade gifts are always nice to receive, maybe... maybe not.   I won't be gifting things for xmas again.  I have a few more things to make for people who have requested something and then I may open up shop.  I've been asked a few times if I sell my pieces or have a business card: no on both counts.  Why not?  I really don't feel my stuff is worth it but if people are asking, there has gotta be a market right?  So with a few exceptions, I am going to start selling my goodies.  At least that's what I am saying now.  It depends on my motivation and I don't want to have a supply/demand type situation.  I think it would take the fun and therapy out of it for me.  I may just produce as I have been and then post things up to etsy or a similar type site.  Anyone have thoughts on this?

I also took Raku during my 2nd semester and the pieces are very cool looking but they lack functionality.  I hate things that don't serve a purpose... and to me, art for the sake of art and just looking at it, it's not good enough.  I will be posting my Raku projects in my next post.  All of the pieces below are microwave, dishwasher and oven safe which means they are also food safe; very useful!

***Spoiler Alert:  For hardkoretom, if you don't care for surprises, read on.  If you care, maybe wait a week or so before reading on.  I gotta get myself down to the post office next week.***

Pottery Wheel - Semester 1

I have been lagging at this post.  And frankly with as much as I have improved I have been hesitant to post it.  But hardkoretom has been waiting to see my work for well over a year.  So this is for you and anyone else that wants to see my early work.  I won't say I am not proud, I am just not too thrilled with my first pieces.

Beware, there are a lot of images.  Not as many as my next post will have.  But one thing I start doing next semester which is really stupid is just giving my crap away.... without photographing it first.  And it's hard to photograph ceramics, I could use some pointers.  Natural light works really well but it's hard to work with the sun, it just does what it wants!

Patricia Griffin Workshop

For Valentine's Day I didn't head out in search of a crowded, over priced for the night restaurant or whatever it is people think married folk do on Valentine's Day.  Instead I spent the weekend with a group of ladies at a ceramics workshop.  Laura kindly coined it, "Valentine's Weekend Clay Play". Patricia Griffin is a ceramic artist who conducts workshops in a tiny one room school house located in Cambria.

Return of the Wrath

About a month ago, I posted about my shoes being stolen from the gym.  I have since calmed down.  In retrospect I brought it on myself.  I left my shoes unsecured, I am lucky that was all that was stolen.  Still doesn't excuse the person that stole from me for their actions.  But had I locked my stuff up during my short shower, I would not have had to leave the gym barefoot.

Let me give a little back story into my latest fire fueled rant.  I am sure some of you have gathered that I have been taking a pottery wheel class(es).  If not, I am telling you now.  This is my second semester working the pottery wheel and have also signed up to take a Raku firing class as well.  Fridays are better than Christmas.  Friday is the day the glaze kiln is emptied, so all of your hard work finally comes out as a finished piece.  

Empty Bowls Part 1

Way back in January I had mentioned that I took a ceramics class with my little sister.  Little did I know that the pottery wheel and I would become the best of friends.  After the city class I took, I enrolled in a community college class with my little sister and I became a fiend, more on that later.  I promise to post about my first semester after this post.  Promise!  

Anyhow, I was introduced to a charity called Empty Bowls.  Pretty much the way it works is you buy your ticket, choose a bowl donated by a local artisan and then have soup in it.  You get to keep the bowl when all is said and done.  I donated a few bowls that I made last month to 5 Cities Homeless Coalition.

Pottery

So, I'm taking a pottery class with my sister.  I was hesitant to take a class for my enjoyment when there is a little tyrant running loose in my house that needs a watchful eye.  But that's what his dad is there for so I decided to give it a go.

My first class was Wednesday and I thought it would be structured lessons, much to my surprise you just buy your clay and do your own thing.  So our first day of class the teacher recommended a few easy projects to try to get us used to working with the clay.  The evening escape was the mental break I have been needing.  I had fun, I laughed, I made stuff and I felt relaxed.  Relaxation feels like it's a bit harder to obtain these days... more so recently.  I woke up Thursday morning actually happy, smiling and said good morning to everyone I saw on my way to work.  I guess I must have been wound up a bit tight!

The school district Andy attends has Winter Break from 20 December until 22 January.  So he has been home 24-7, nerves are frayed and patience has been wearing thin.  This year I opted not to take time off during the holiday because work is a place I can handle and am comfortable with.  Andy is a wild card that takes active parenting on both fronts to keep him in line, properly engaged during schools down time and at the same time nurture him so he doesn't feel like we are always on his ass about shit.  It IS getting better, very, very, very, slowly.

Pottery is exactly what I needed.  I don't have to think about life.  All I do is work with my hands, think about the moment and create.  So after my first class I figure I should find something difficult to make or think of something awesome.  Otherwise, I will end up just making a slew of ashtrays... and I only really know five smokers.

I'm thinking maybe a wind chime similar to the one below should take me at least a class or two to complete and I can gift it to the MIL, she likes wind chimes.  I might make hers with an ocean motif; she likes Orcas.  I am thinking of trying to make a small teapot, I may be too wet behind the ears to make it look nice AND functional but I should give it a try.  Any suggestions are welcome.