Inspiration for the baked goods final!

Nice ceramic and baked goods spread at the Rosenfields.

Inspiration for Makenna and all!

Emily Schroeder

Kristen Kieffer

 

A. Blair Clemo

More of the exhibition Breakfast can be found at the Clay Studio

Candle Sticks!

Bertie Smith

Anthony Sonnenberg

Pinterest inspiration: http://www.pinterest.com/villaplus/candleholders/

cake stands

reproduction of 1930s-era glass cake stand; D’lovely cake stand, fergusonpottery on Etsy

Kari Radasch’s cake stand with confetti cake

The Husband Catcher Cake, oil painting by Janet Hill

Kristen Keiffer

cake and flowers oh my!

Check out my research for you on Pinterest and look at this amazing multi-use flower brick! Images courtesy of last semester's visiting artist Louise Rosenfield!

Lowfire terracotta in 3 parts

The bottom flips over to become a serving tray as well as a flower brick stand.

For Larry Paul and everyone else too!

Craft in America on PBS
Click here for full episode of Episode XIII: Service
Documenting craft and the military and the power of the handmade to inspire and heal. Featuring papermaker Pam DeLuco, saddler Eugene Burks Jr., and ceramic artists Ehren Tool, Judas Recendez and Peter Voulkos.

For Adrianna and all!

Post by Molly Hatch.

Sneak peek Final Project

Kristen Kieffer

Handbuilt Functional Bowls: Emily Schroeder Willis!

Both bowls made from porcelain and fired to cone 6 in an oxidation electric kiln. Look at those detail. Love the subtle  cutout on the foot. See more of her work here.

For Adrianna

Clay Leonard. This is his work titled, "Oval Bowl Set", hand-built porcelain, cone 6, 14 x 8 x 7,”. See the rest of his work at http://artaxis.org/ceramics/leonard_clay/clay_leonard.html

Could be a nice start for your research conversation cups!

Par le céramiste Joe Christopherson.

Photo: Ayumi Horie

Repaired with brass staples, this dish is a great example of how people would "make do" and save pots for repair by itinerant tinkers, rather than throw them out. The repairs are watertight! Andrew Baseman gave an amazing lecture yesterday at Leslie Ferrin Gallery surveying the history of repaired ceramics. He writes an incredible blog called Past Imperfect. http://andrewbaseman.com/blog/

Cups cups and more cups! Charlie Cummings Gallery

http://claylink.com/zen/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=83_239

A little eye candy for your Thursday morning!

12 expert glazing tips from Ceramic Arts Daily

I have to admit, glazing is not my favorite part of the ceramic process. It’s probably because of its potential to make or break a good pot (and believe me, I have “broken” quite a few with poor glaze application). I tend to be a bit of a sloppy glazer and I sometimes rush through it a little more quickly than I should. Denver, Colorado ceramic artist Annie Chrietzberg is the polar opposite of me in the glaze room: methodical and precise. I know my glazing outcomes could be greatly improved if I followed just a couple of Annie’s tips. So I am sharing them with the community in today’s post (an excerpt from our new free download How to Make Pottery: How to Learn Pottery Techniques and Enjoy Working with Clay). Hopefully you will benefit from Annie’s advice too! – Jennifer Harnetty, editor.

For complex forms consisting of thrown and textured elements, I use a combination of pouring, dipping and brushing to get the color where I want it. Dipping is the easiest way to ensure an even application, and pouring, with a little practice, is the next. Brushing takes more practice, time and attention, and I only use it when the first two methods are not options for a tricky place on a pot. The two troublemakers involved with glaze application are water and gravity. When a bisque pot becomes too saturated with water, it won’t accept glaze correctly, so use the least amount of water possible when glazing, including when you are making corrections. And as for gravity, I doubt there’s anyone who hasn’t experienced the wayward drip of one glaze marring the perfect application of the previous glaze.

This article was excerpted from the Tips from the Pros department of a back issue of Pottery Making Illustrated. To see more of what Pottery Making Illustrated has to offer, check out the latest issue here.

12 Tips for Glazing Success

Click images to enlarge! • Keep bisqueware clean. Lotions, or even the oils from your hands, can create resist spots where glaze adheres unevenly or not at all. Throughout all phases of the glazing process, including loading and unloading the kiln, handle bisqueware with a clean pair of disposable gloves. If you think your bisqueware has been compromised — splashed with something, covered with grime, or maybe handled by a visitor — bisque it again rather than risk a crawling glaze. • Remove all dust before glazing including bisque dust, studio dust and even household or street dust. Use an air compressor for foolproof results, but work outside or in a well-ventilated area away from your primary workspace, as bisque dust is extremely abrasive to your lungs. • Use silicon carbide paper to remove any rough spots you missed before bisque firing. Place your work on a piece of foam to prevent chipping. After sanding, wipe with a damp sponge to remove all traces of sanding dust. Use a damp sponge instead of rinsing, which should be kept to a minimum. Wring the sponge thoroughly and rotate it so each area is only used once. I tend to use half a dozen or so of those orange round synthetic sponges during any given glazing session. • Glazes must be well mixed. I use an electric drill with a Jiffy Mixer attached. If there is dry glaze caked on the sides of the bucket, sieve the glaze, then return it to a clean bucket. • Glaze all the interiors of your pots first by pouring the glaze in, then rolling it around for complete coverage. For complex pieces requiring a number of glazing steps, glaze the insides the day before to give you a drier surface to work with, especially for brushing. • When removing unwanted glaze, scrape off as much of it as you can with a dental tool or a similar small metal scraper to keep a sharp line. A damp sponge removes the remaining glaze with a few strokes, keeping water usage to a minimum. • Use a stiff brush to help clean glaze drips out of texture. • For dipping glazes, select an appropriately sized container for the work at hand. I have lots of different sizes of shallow bowls that are perfect for dipping the sides of my pieces. Wide shallow bowls allow me to see what I’m doing, so I even use them for smaller things that fit into the glaze bucket. • When you can’t dip or pour, it’s time for brushing. Watch your bisque as you brush—glaze is shiny and wet when first applied, then becomes matt as the bisque absorbs the water. If you recoat too soon over a damp coat, you’ll move the foundation layer rather than imparting a second coat. Consider gravity when brushing and hold the pot both to encourage the glaze to go where you want it to and to keep it from running where you don’t want it. • If a drip flows onto a previously glazed surface, stop, set the pot down and wait. Resist the urge to wipe the drip with a sponge. Let the drip dry, then carefully scrape it off with a dental tool or metal rib. Use a small compact brush to wipe away glaze in areas you can’t reach with a sponge. • Don’t brush glaze from the big glaze bucket. Pour a small amount into a cup, then briskly stir it occasionally to ensure that it stays properly mixed. Keep a large, damp sponge nearby to keep the brush handle clean. Stray drips often start with a handle full of glaze. • If you’re glazing pots that don’t have a defined foot, push them across a piece of 220-grit silicon carbide sandpaper. The sandpaper removes some of the glaze from the contact areas, indicating where you need to wipe off the remaining glaze.

Coil Built Bowls on Pinterest

pinterest link

Handbuilding with coils- in class project

Pottery-tips/Making-a-clay-coiled-pot-Lakeside-Pottery-Tutorial

More inspiration at the Rosenfield Collection

Call for Entries

The University of Dallas invites you to participate in a juried ceramic competition featuring artists living in the central south region of the United States.

Eva Kwong,  known for abstracted work that are colorful and sensuous forms inspired by natural objects.

Internationally recognized ceramic artist Eva Kwong will be selecting artists for the 2015 University of Dallas Regional Juried Ceramic Competition. From a selected field of artists, Eva will issue distinctions of "Awards of Merit" and present two deserving artists with "Best of Show" awards. Solo exhibitions will be scheduled in the following academic year for the "Best of Show" award winners.

This show is open to ceramic artists over the age of 18 who currently reside in the states of Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Submitted functional or sculptural works must use clay as the dominant material and must have been created within the past two years.

The postmark deadline for entering this show is November 20, 2015.

To access this year's prospectus, view the show history, and apply online, please use the following link:

http://udallas.edu/constantin/programs/art/undergradprograms/ceramics/competition.html  

Historic cup... our ancestors had a sense of humor

A Pythagorean cup (also known as a Pythagoras cup, a Greedy Cup or a Tantalus cup) is a form of drinking cup that forces its user to imbibe only in moderation. Credited to Pythagoras of Samos, it allows the user to fill the cup with wine up to a certain level. If they fill the cup only to that level, the imbiber may enjoy a drink in peace. If they exhibit gluttony, however, the cup spills its entire contents out of the bottom (onto the lap of the immodest drinker).

CFile

Great website for contemporary clay and class research. I'll put a link in the sidebar too!

CFile

personal pinch cup inspiration

Remember no handles, but you can paddle, carve or model small decorative attachments. Cups should start with a ball the size of an orange at least and need to be functional. Have fun pushing texture, form and your individuality. Make sure they hold at least a glass of water... no espresso mini shots please (unless you make 16, one for each of us!).

stamps: Kristen Kieffer

carving: Matthew Metz

paddled: Brian Jones

Shoko Teruyama

Welcome!

Eastfield  students welcome to Handbuilding Ceramics Fall 2014!
Missing class and not looking at this blog is one way to fall behind so bookmark and check in often for inspiration, assignments info, calendar updates, important news, technical info and artist research.

I hope your ready to learn a few new things and challenge your ideas and expectations about contemporary clay in the world. That said, let's begin:

Lesson 1: Ming Dynasty Fu Dog 1968 AD = Traditional, historic and gorgeous glazed terracotta
or fabulous contemporary functional ware like Margaret Bohls

 Lesson 2: Kristen Morgin= unfired life-like sculpture 

or  Jeanne Quinn's sculptural installations = Unexpected, informative and sometimes even unfired!

Lesson 3: Ai WeiWei's installation of millions of ceramic sunflower seeds = Clay can reference the past and have a contemporary language full of consequence and power.

  "It is a work of great simplicity and complexity. Sunflower Seeds refers to everyday life, to hunger (the seeds were a reliable staple during the Cultural Revolution), to collective work, and to an enduring Chinese industry."-   Adrian Searle's  review for the Guardian

Lesson 4: Form follows Function. Beauty must not overshadow functionality...

Lauren Meaden