Raku Cup

In my Ceramics for Non-Majors Class, I fired the Raku Kiln three times last Saturday with student work and one piece of my own.  Pictured below is a Stoneware, wheel thrown cup that I glazed with a copper sand and white crackle Raku glazes.  The process of pulling out work when it is extremely hot, never gets boring and always has some sense of magic in the end results.  The class was really excited about the results and some not so nice results, but the experience was still amazing!  The really dark black areas were created by not applying any glaze to the clay body and using the reduction process in the combustion barrel to create the effect.

teapots! 9th Invitational at Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery

I was invited to be a part of a teapot exhibition at the Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The exhibit runs from April 10-June 13, 2015.
I was honored to be asked to participate in the exhibit and those who know me, know I don't usually create pottery, or much functional work.  So, I had to sit down and create a teapot for the show.

It took me some time to figure out what type of form and then how the surface would later be developed.  I wanted it to be functional, although that was not necessary.

If you are in the area (Pittsburgh), you should stop by the Gallery to check out the show.  Here is the website for the gallery:  Morgan Glass Gallery

Below are some images of the teapot that I sent to the gallery.

Pottery?

I know it's been some time since I've posted anything.  I've been working on glaze development and forms for some pottery…yes, pottery.  I know it's not something I do all the time, but with teaching, I find it necessary to become well rounded in another spectrum of the ceramic medium.  I haven't stopped creating sculptural work, but have taken some time to revisit an old acquaintance…the pottery wheel.

I'm always looking at ways to mimic natural materials in life and came across an article by Steven Hill, a master potter, who creates glazes to mimic effects of high fire glazes (reduction), in an electric kiln.  I find this really interesting, since I myself don't own a high fire kiln.  I have been looking into glazes specifically for pottery and continue doing tests, until I can come up with a color palette and form I like.  I know this is all subjective, but it's nice to explore new areas that cause me to think differently about the work being created.  I can understand better the difficulties one encounters when creating pottery, which in turn is better for my teaching.

The images below are of some recent work and glazes that I created recently.  The pieces were all wheel thrown, and multiple glazes were used (3 glazes on each cup).  I fired the work in an electric kiln (oxidation), and fired it to cone 6.

Wheel Thrown Vessel Form-Update (1)

So, I know I posted recently about a wheel-thrown vessel I was working on.  Here is a photo of the carving I had talked about previously.  The light colored area in the middle of the form is a light blue slip.  I still plan on building up layers through multi-firing the work.  I just thought I would post an update of the work.

Wheel Thrown Vessel in Progress

Here is a vessel form I threw on the wheel, the picture was from last week and since then I have added a handle to the lid.  I also have carved away some of the clay around the base to mimic the cogs of a gear.  I will post more pictures as the progression continues.  I plan on doing multiple firings and printing on the surface as well.

Fun with Raku-2013

Sometimes while creating you step away from the norm and create for the pure enjoyment of creating.  This year in my mold making class we fired to cone 10, cone 6, and did Raku, for the surface treatments of the students work.  I had a piece that I had thrown on the wheel back in grad school and I never knew what to do with the surface, so it just sat on my shelf of bisque ware.

Well I finally decided to "just do it", and decided to Raku the pot.  The image below shows the finished piece.