Ceramics Inspiration: Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival July 13 & 14, 2013

There were so many awesome ceramic artists at this festival that I was overwhelmed and didn't linger long, nor bought anything.  However, I did get to talk to one ceramicist about our mutual love of Bmix, Frost Porcelain, and what I've yet to put my hands on--Icelia.  I'm also loving the Coconut Cream I bought at Leslie's which also fires a creamy white.  Above is a sculpture I loved--an inside and outside view of branch caves.  I don't think this installation is for sale:)

Clay body:  Coconut Cream
Glazes:  Minnesota Potter's black pad for rubber stamp image, Black underglaze in text on bisque, low-fire clear glaze

Ceramics: how do i love thee H E A R T

Clay Body:  Sculpture Mix
Glazes:  Western Cone 06 Black opaque glass in text,  Cone 06 Deep Red and Cone 06 Gloss
Text: how do I love thee? let me count the ways.  i love thee to the depth and breadth and height my soul can reach when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.

I love the leather hard stage when hand building is possible.  I had seen my claymate Victoria make a heart wall hanging with an altar inscribed with "Beloved," and was inspired to also create a heart for my wall.  I was fearful that the red glaze would burn out, so I low fired this heart and painted three coats thickly.  I thought the red would come out lighter but am so pleased at the darker crimson.  I started it in Debbie Abarca's Central Park Studio in San Mateo, etched the text at home, and then fired and glazed and fired again in my ceramics class at Skyline College in San Bruno.

Ceramics: Raku Hippopotamus

Clay body: Sculpture Mix
Glazes:  Raku Copper Brick, Pipenburg, Pink Luster and Clear
At first I resented the animal assignment because I was more interested in function ware and improving my throwing, but this hippo grew on me and I came to relish the problem solving.  And of course, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE doing Raku--so freakin' dramatic and hot.  Since Raku can't be done on function ware not even vases because they won't be watertight, sculpture is really the only way to go in raku.  This piece wasn't my favorite, but I consider it my most successful.

Ceramics: Autobiographical House

Clay Body: Soldate 

Glazes: Cone 05 Deep Turquoise Crackle Opaque and Cone 05 Western White Satin Matte

The assignment was to create an autobiographical house, and I initially wanted to instead create a triptych to hang on the wall which would chronicle all the cities and states my family had been stationed in while my dad was in the U.S. Coast Guard.  However, I didn't have time to create the ceramic decals for each panel and want more time to ruminate on completing such a project.  Instead I created my dream atelier...a tiny barn for doing yoga or even better--a ceramics studio.  I plan on putting tea lights in this house and displaying it next to my clear glass candleholders.

Ceramics: Slab Plate with Mishima Etching

Clay Body:  Soldate

Glazes on Mishima etching:  Mayco turquoise, electric blue, bright blue, apple green, leaf green underglazes and Cone 5 clear on bisque

Unfortunately I used a square plastic plate to slump my slap and while etching with my pin tool, I cut through the clay which showed up in the final firing.  I find it weird and fascinating that clay has a memory.  This plate is not functional as a plate, so I plan on just displaying it as wall art.

Ceramics: Slab Bowl

Clay Body: Soldate
Glaze:  Cone 5 Turquoise and Cone 5 Clear Turquoise on exterior

Ceramics: Slab Bowl

Clay body: Soldate

Glazes:  Cone 5 Crackle Black on the outside and Cone 5 Floating Blue on the interior

Ceramics: Raku Vase (formerly closed container)

Clay body: Sculpture Mix

Glaze: Raku Cone 5 Tomats

This was our first assignment in Explorations in Clay and a throwaway piece, but I wanted to see what all the Raku glazes looked like and have something to Raku fire--which was so dramatic and FUN.  I coiled the pot and then made a crown--which broke, so I threw it away--however I LOVE THIS GLAZE in all its gorgeous array of metal lusters.

Ceramics: Slab cup assignment in Explorations in Clay

Clay body: Soldate, rolled with ridged rolling pin

Glaze:  Cone 5 Celadon on interior (on the bucket which said runs, don't use--but of course, I wanted to, and I didn't care that it pooled on the bottom of the cup) and Cone 5 Jade Green on the outside and foot of cup.

Ceramics: Heart from Claymate, Victoria

This beautifully etched clay heart came from my claymate, Victoria, as a condolence gift for my dad's death.  It's already hanging on my bathroom wall next to a collage tile I purchased from my colleague, Zan.  Victoria has inspired my hearts project--more to come.

Ceramics: Oval Slab Bowl

Clay Body: Coconut Cream
Mishima etching:  black underglaze + Mayco leaf green and orange underglaze
Glaze:  Cone 5 Clear on Bisque

Ceramics: Spiral Wall Hanging

Clay body: Sculpture Mix

Glaze on bisque:  Turquoise luster raku + turquoise stained glass, clear glass pebbles

Ceramics: Decorative Spoons

 

In the uppermost picture
1st spoon from the left:  Soldate clay body; brown, black and white underglaze in etching; gloss cone 06 glaze; text reads "SAVOR" on spoon and "The Lapid Dolans" on handle.

2nd spoon:  Cassius Basaltic clay body; white cone 06 glaze in etching; text reads "bon appetit" on spoon and a French proverb, "A good meal ought to begin with hunger" on the handle.

3rd spoon:  Coconut cream clay body; opaque black gloss cone 06 in etching on bisque; text reads "NOURISH" on spoon and an English toast, "Health to our bodies, peace to our minds, and plenty to our boards"on handle.

Clay Inspiration: Trax Gallery, Berkeley, California

I stopped en route to my father's home in Vallejo in Berkeley and visited TRAX Ceramics Gallery.  I was agog at the creativity and raw beauty of some of the pieces.  I took a few pics of my particular favorites like this urn:

I also really like this sake set:

But the piece I was most entranced by was this wall hanging of which I took more than one pic: