Back in the saddle - sort of

I am grateful to have my kiln finally up and running again. It was a mix of emotions every time there was a delay of some sort. 

Now, I need to re-adjust my expectations of glazes at the correct temperature. This glaze on the shamrock pin had a wide range of firing temperatures. When the elements in the kiln were old, it was not reaching the top temperature, but that was OK for things that did not have to be vitreous to hold food and drink (like gnomes and friends...). So, I thought the green on these wouldn't be quite this dark. Don't get me wrong, I love how they look, they just were not the shade of green I was expecting.

Now I need to finish packing and hauling off things to be donated (that we once thought could be in an on-line estate auction) so I can move some of my boxes of things I am keeping out of the corners of rooms and into the closets and cupboards. This is all so I can list the house again. I need to downsize or I will literally go broke. I cannot afford the upkeep of this house. It is also much too much room for me.

Speaking of downsizing, the house I really wanted to buy 2 years ago, when mine was not ready to list, was back on the market. I was getting hopeful as it stayed on the market for several weeks. Unfortunately, it has a contingency offer on it now. 

The right house for me will come on the market when the timing is right.

I hope all are doing well. I'm putting up with the arrival of pollen season here. 

 

This year I decided to make some gnomes with shamrocks on them, but using artistic license, they are round leaflets. I didn't create these as Limited Edition, they are just part of the "Everyday Gnome" collection.

I also was asked to create 4 gnomes with 4-leaf clovers on their hats, one of them is in this photo.

I also have been toying with the idea of creating a shamrock pin in homage to the ones my parents used to get around St. Patrick's Day back in the town I grew up in. (St. Pat is the patron saint of at least ceramic engineers - not sure about the other engineers...).

Their glaze firing is tonight and I will add gold trim around the edges tomorrow. I have 8 in the kiln at the moment with one of those being spoken for.

 

February Check-in

 

I brought in my little work-horse of a kiln so I could change the elements where the temperature is a bit more comfortable. Rick & Alice had removed the old elements in December when they were visiting, with all intentions of putting the new ones in. Unfortunately, I had ordered the wrong size. (Fortunately, they will fit the larger kiln.) 

I then ordered the correct elements. (They have tripled in price since the last time I bought the size for this little gal.)

Once I got the new elements in place, I decided to change the sensing rod for the kiln sitter. I then discovered that the old sensing rod was permanently fused to the collar that holds it in. So, I had to order a new Tube Assembly. The old tube was broken for years, but I was able to use it despite the break as it was supported by the kiln bricks that form the outer shell of the kiln.

The new Tube Assembly arrived and has been successfully mounted. Now to make the connections of the elements to the control box. That will wait until Sunday when I have more time so I can make sure I do it right without feeling rushed.

*** Frustrating update - because the parts are not labeled on the website as to which kiln-sitters they fit. I, of course, ordered the wrong one! It is too short and does not clear the bricks, so it is not useable for me. I have ordered the longer version and hope it will be here by Tuesday, USPS willing... they delayed the last one's arrival...****

~~~~~~ Update! The correct part arrived, has been installed, test firing completed, as well as a bisque firing and one glaze firing! ~~~~~~~~

Next, I tried creating a new Friend... This is one chunky, floofy-tailed squirrel! 

Stay tuned for more new Friends.

I hope you all are having a good start to the new year. We have had snow this winter, the first in 3 years! I know it is nothing compared to what is falling up in NY, PA, and elsewhere with it being measured in feet rather that fractions of inches. 

My heart goes out to all of you dealing with WAY TOO MUCH SNOW! 

(Not to mention the frigid temperatures!)

May your New Year be Bright

 Enjoying a quiet Boxing Day before heading back to the store tomorrow. 

Yesterday was  filled with family, love, and laughter. I am blessed to have such wonderful people to call family.

Today, my younger brother is headed to town from NC. He will stay with my nephew until tomorrow before heading back to NC. He and his wife have offered to replace the elements in my kiln. I have them on hand, I just have not had the time (when I have had the energy) to replace them myself. I am grateful to have the help. ** They tried to replace them, but when I ordered the replacements 2 years ago, I ordered the wrong ones. These are for one of my larger kilns, not for my little one that I use most of the time... I just ordered the correct ones. **

My "excitement" this holiday season was being the "victim" of squirrels snacking on the power cable running from the power pole to my house. Luckily, the worst of it happened while I was home after work on Friday. The Christmas lights began to fade in and out, and blink (they were to stay on steady), and so did the tree across the room. I unplugged both. Then, the ceiling lights in the sunroom burnt out. Next, as there were multiple times the power blinked off and on, my microwave made a loud popping sound and died. The house smelled like hot electronics. What I didn't notice right away is that the electronic control panel on my gas stove also died. 

I put in an outage report to Duke Energy, stating that there were power surges and partial outage in the house. They arrived within 20 minutes or so, I think. He spent a while up in his bucket truck working in the wind to repair the line. 

I thought all was good to go. But, there is one breaker that keeps switching off almost as soon as I reset it. My brother said he can take a look at that as well. It controls the ceiling lights in 4 rooms and the lights are all turned off. But, I have been managing with what I have. If my brother cannot fix it, I will contact an electrician. I was waiting until after Christmas to call one anyway. I didn't want to pay the extra fees for one to come out on a weekend or holiday. And, I did survive 6 days without power after the hurricane came through.

Regardless, I am still grateful for all I have, especially the emotional and moral support of my family and friends.

May you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

We are almost there!

 To say that 2020 has been crazy is a vast understatement.

I did finally get some angels fired with the new glazes, as well as some of the old favorites. BUT, various kiln problems with all 3 of the kilns I have running resulted in some disappointing results, as well as some that were fabulous!

I was able to make most of it work, despite the firing challenges.

Now, to get the kilns repaired and up and running again so I can hopefully get the desired results from some of the new specialty glazes.

Here's to a MUCH better 2021 for one and all!

Thinking too much...

It is February again and the dreaded Valentine's Day is just 2 days away. How I wish I could just hide away from everyone and suffer in silence.

I do have family and friends who love me. I know that. But I feel so alone this time of year, I have difficulty seeing all the couples laughing, snuggling, kissing...

By Saturday it will all be over!  That is something to celebrate!

On another note, I have received the application for Mistletoe Market 2020. I am applying again and hoping the jury will approve my entry. I just need to get the kilns fixed so I can make some more pieces.

Speaking of fixing the kilns, I have a potter friend who will come by and see if he can diagnose what is ailing the kilns. I am grateful for the friendships my creativity has forged.

OK, now I need to stop thinking too much and get back to doing.

PS - I survived! It wasn't as bad this year as last.

The latest to be completed...

I have been working on creating for stock and for Mistletoe Market again.  Most of what I have at the moment are my angels.

First, what they look like after the first firing but before glazing and assembly (no, the pumpkin and the bowl will not change into angels...):

Once they are glazed and fired again, I add gold highlights and the heads and halos.  There is a hook at the top to hang on a tree if desired, but I have a lot of people say they leave theirs out on a shelf all year round.

9/29/16 update - B3, R1 and P2 have sold.

I do have more I am creating, after-all, I did sell over 200 of them last year (YAY!).

The angels are one-of-a-kind, no two exactly alike.  I create whatever the clay tells me to when I pick it up.  If anyone requests anything the guidelines are: size (larger/smaller - none are over 3" to the top of the ceramic robes), arms or not, and color (from the four colors I routinely offer - Blue, Purple, Red or Green - as shown in photo).  I can also personalize with a name in gold at no extra cost.  Other than that, it is whatever my hands create, I cannot even have people choose wing style, because they are what they are at that moment.

The cost is $20/angel with shipping additional, if needed.

I wanted to update everyone and let you see some of the results.

Off to a new pet-sitting job this evening... an adorable Westie!

Keeping busy...

It has been a busy month.  

Mom has had some rough patches in her chemo treatments, including an adverse reaction to an antibiotic when she had a sinus infection.  This left her pretty sick for a while.  But, she rallied and was feeling better when my sister Regina and her family, plus my sister Sue came for a weeks visit.  She went into work for the first time all month just yesterday.  Today she is feeling a bit tired, as is natural for the 3rd day after chemo.  But she is definitely stronger than she was after that sinus infection/antibiotic reaction!

Classes at The Mercantile have been hopping!  That is a GOOD thing!  We have a total of 11 wonderful ladies taking classes through Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Clemson each week.  They just completed week 2 and have 3 more to go!  And our regular class schedule at the store is also quite full.

I am in the throes of getting ready for my last show of 2010... The Mistletoe Market at the Anderson County Museum... this coming Friday and Saturday!  Casting, trimming, bisque-ing, sanding, glazing, firing...   I have a bisque firing and a glaze firing yet to do before Friday.

I hope you all have had a good October, and that November will be even better!

Somebody I know turns 50 in November...

ME!

The Fox and the Fish

A little over a week ago, I was test firing a new terra cotta clay. For some reason, I have been wanting to make a fish for a few months now (since Art Camp). I proceeded to roll out a slab and cut out a fish (Bass). When the Bass was completely dry, I prepared to fire it. At the same time, I finally fired the small fox head I had made in Art Camp.
I had been carrying around a small ball of clay while checking on the students' progress. As I walked around, I fiddled with the clay, and the result was a fox head. I finessed it and kept it on my work table here at home for 2 months. It was definitely dry... but for some reason, I was wary. When I loaded the kiln, I put the fox head off to the right and the fish off to the left. What you see in this photo is the remains of the fox head and the bare spot the fish shielded. The photo doesn't show the fine details. It literally vaporized! There is a fine terra cotta clay dust covering the entire shelf except for where the fish was and where some larger pieces of the fox landed. Unfortunately, the heavy debris you see near the fishes tail broke the tail off. But there are creative plans for the remainder of the fish...
The good news is, I am glad I got the new terra cotta clay, it survived the firing, which is why I wanted to stop using the old clay (which the fox was made of)... I had too many things explode on me in firing...
A little more good news, I have found another resource for black porcelain (that is closer to home, so lower shipping costs!). I still have to do the glaze test firing to see how it works with my glazes and also how black it actually gets. Those results will follow in a couple of days...

Vacation

As I have been on vacation this last week... so has my brain.

I have been finding it difficult to concentrate on the projects I wanted to complete. And needing to go back and forth to Clemson to check on the availability of the kiln and loading the kid's pieces in the heat of a South Carolina June & July has been draining as well...

I got as much loaded as I could, but their mugs would not fit... not enough shelves... I will have to fire those later, or at a higher temperature here at home...

The photo is of a piece I did a couple of weeks ago to show my students that the technique used for the Swarovski Rivoli Pendant can be used for other shapes and sizes as well. This is a beautiful piece of Fossilized Coral in a gorgeous burnt orange color... the stone chips on the fringe near the bail are Carnelian.

This morning I will check my own kiln to see if my pieces are cool enough to unload...

The Vase!

It is finally finished! I babied this so much, afraid it would crack or something in firing. About 2 1/2 hours of decorating and it fired today...

Now I feel safe enough to proceed with the other ones I have in progress.

PS: Jo - I know the photo's lousy, but it is all I could manage this evening... the vase was still hot from taking it out of the kiln...

Another addition to my line...

These are 2 photos of a vase/decanter that is a reproduction of a Victorian Era vase. With the new kiln, I am now also able to make these again. The photos show the first one successfully cast in stoneware. It is still drying to be bisque fired tomorrow evening. After that, I will be adding glazes to the grapes & vines and firing again. I am excited!
Friday I leave for Clayton, GA and Celebrate Clayton 2009. Here's hoping for good weather and lots of sales!

New Stoneware...

This is what was on the top shelf of the kiln this morning... I think it looks fantastic!

Those are the first stoneware coffee pots. I've got lids glazed in the Chocolate and the Kiwi to start... other colors to come...

Opening the kiln is like Christmas morning every time!

New Kiln

I have finally gotten my new kiln up and running, thanks to Dad running around to find a new breaker switch to replace the old tired one.

I am so excited, I can now start to make the coffee pots again. I haven't been able to make them for years because my kiln wasn't deep enough (by 1/2") to fire them.

Well, off to glaze and then to the storage unit to get the coffee pot mold and prepare it to start casting again.

Happy November to all!

(*NOTE: I have added the photo so you can see my pretty new kiln! - 11/15/08)

It's time for raisins!

I am a sucker for cute pets... this is our friend Tony feeding the bunnies raisins. To the left is Bunnie, Cookie man is in the middle and little Chessie is on the right. This is one of 4 photos Sharon sent me of the bunnies eating raisins, one photo had all 3 of them climbing up on Tony to get their share. Here, Bunnie has already had her share, as well as CM, but little Chessie wants more!

As for my creative side... I bought a new kiln! I have not been able to make my coffee pots for quite a few years because my current kiln is about an inch too short for them to fit. I just bought a lightly used kiln larger than any I have personally owned before. This new one will fit several coffee pots, in addition to mugs and bowls and such... all at the same time. My last personal kiln could fire 3 coffee pots at once, but that was all that would fit. I also used to have use of the kilns at work (where I worked before I moved to SC), as long as they were not needed for the company's production. I am so excited. We just have to clear a spot for it and get the wiring set. In the meantime, a friend is storing it in their garage.

I am casting a few things this morning while my laundry is drying, then it is a shower and off to Arts on the Alley to see what there is and to help some friends.

I hope you all have a great Memorial Day weekend. And remember what the original purpose of Memorial Day is, a time to remember those who gave their lives for our freedoms. They made it possible for us to have BBQs and picnics and fun. We shall be forever grateful to the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for us.