Wood Fired Cups

I know it has been some time since I've posted anything...almost a year, so I thought I would try to keep up with what's going on in the studio on a regular basis.
I have been creating new sculptural work and have also taken some time to explore functional ware.
I have also been working on reorganizing/rearranging the studio to make it a little more efficient with what I am working on currently.

Below is a picture of a finished wood fired porcelain cup that I have been exploring surfaces with.  I designed the cup from hand and then created a three piece mold for the basic form of the cup.  The handle was created using another mold.  I had issues with the handle and slip casting it, so I had to use the two piece mold as a press mold and then created the handle using the two parts.  By doing this it helped to give more stability to the handle as well as a nice balance of the weight, in regards to the weight of the cup form.

I will be posting other glaze experiments over this form until I find a combination that I will explore in producing further down the road. Enjoy.

This is one of two cups:

This is cup #2:

Slip Casting with a new mold

Pictured below are images of slip casting underway.  I created two press molds and then created two slip cast molds of the designed tile work.  I also made the thickness of the tiles thicker to create a more visually interesting design when placed on the wall.

I will post more images of this work as it comes along.  Unfortunately the first tile is sticking in an area of the mold that I will have to clean up a bit more, for easier removal of the cast tile.

Some New Wall Work

I've been working on some new work and have multiple pieces being constructed at the moment in different stages…it's finally summer!

Pictured are three new wall pieces I put together recently, revisiting my tile work and incorporating some slip cast work.  I played around with glazes and surfaces, but stayed true to the form and idea.

I'll be posting some work in progress tomorrow.  I'm glazing tiles for a new wall piece and have to get them into the kiln tonight before I go to bed.  Enjoy.

New Work-2013 (Technological Dependence)

Here is an image of a new piece I finished up recently.  The piece is titled, "Technological Dependence".  I hand built the mechanical form using terra cotta slabs, along with press molded additions.  The phone is slip cast porcelain, which I Raku fired, with a Raku glaze I made.

Raku Test Tiles/Cell Phones-Update

Well I have been working on refining the placement of my phones in the kiln I'm using, as stated in an earlier post.  As that work continues... I'm still working on my cup, vessel,  and a plate I threw earlier.  So, as those pieces are going through the drying stages, I'm getting ready to hopefully put them in a bisque firing this weekend.  Here are some images of those tests I did.  I didn't sieve the glaze I made up, so I'm assuming the glaze could look smoother without the larger particles in the glaze.  I've also made up a white raku crackle glaze, but I'll have to take a picture of those phones and post them in my next post.  Enjoy.

                                                              This glaze test was applied with a single thin coat over a black slip.
The more "copper colored area",  is a result of a thicker application.

This glaze test was applied with two
 "normal coats" of the glaze over a black slip. 

Here I applied two normal coats over black slip,
notice the larger glaze particles within the glaze.

Here is another test, this phone also has two
coats of glaze.  Notice that each of these phones
pictured have been placed in different areas of the kiln
and how it affects the glaze (heat differences).

This phone also has two coats,
as stated in the other tests.  With these tests
I tried to keep the application process the same.
The tests are also about location(placement) in the kiln.

This phone has the glaze applied the same as the others.

Here are the glaze tests all together,
as well as some phones that are without any glaze.

Raku-Firing Underway

I have been working on some glaze testing for my cell phones using raku glazes and will post some images soon.  Here are some images of the kiln I'm using at IPFW and the reduction chamber I'm using as well.  I'm starting to figure out the kiln and how the areas in the kiln, in relation to temperature, affect the glazes I'm creating.  I really love the process and how you the control is really out of your hands in reference to the reduction process.  I'll post some images soon of what the test glazes look like on the cell phones and test tiles.

Cordless Drill Batteries

Here is an image of the cordless drill batteries I have slip cast.  I created the prototype, from images I took of a real battery charger, and then created a five piece mold to use for slip casting.  I didn't want to ruin the battery, so that's why I took pictures and then made the prototype.
I created a porcelain slip-cast clay body and then went to work.  The chargers took a while longer because I was only using one mold to create the form.  I didn't mind though, since I was working on other work as well.  Here is an image of the slip cast battery chargers on my shelf.  I've done an initial bisque firing and will fire them to cone 10.