Christmas Kiln opening

Of the half dozen pieces in this wabi-sabi series I like this one the best. After its 3rd firing this bud vase is complete:)

Watercolor into the mache

For this winter reveler slippping on the ice I am using watercolors to add color.

Paper Mache

This is a paper mache Jesus on the cross. It's at the moment when he cries out to his father "why have you forsaken me?".

Time to get back at it!!

Well....it's been a summer and fall since my last post. I have made many pieces since, have boxes and boxes of bisqueware. I also have been working on pitfired pots with watercolors to incorporate imagery into the smoke marked surface. I am liking the results. Since I'm am teaching basic 3-D art classes, I have been working in other materials to make examples. Cardboard relief, paper sculpture, paper mache, firebrick-apple-and soap carving!!!!

I have found my lost love of mache again and am finding that it is lending itself to the characters in my drawings. I might continue to spend more time with this media to see where it takes me.

However, with the change of semester coming up I will be teaching more clay classes again and be able to streamline my clay focus. It's time for perfecting glazes to put on the small army of bisqueware that awaits.

Raku

Ah, spring brings the smell of pots smoking in the reduction cans.

I love raku, spring and raku firings go hand in hand. I don't know what I like more, spring or fall raku. Here is my favorite piece from today afterschool. It is now in a special spot in the family room.

Cryolite chattered bowls

Bowls bisque fired to cone 05. Now it's time to cover with a transparent glaze and fired to cone 5 to see some magic.

Lady

I like to go back into previous watercolor sketches and refine them with pen and ink. In doing this today, I thumbed through sketches and found profiles of women rare in the body of work I've created. So, I chose this one to refine and now will try to purposefully create more feminine profiles in my future drawings. Doing this will balance out gender in larger works with multiple people.