tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82266451328706591602024-03-18T22:40:47.504-04:00Centered - Focus on Clay and CreativityThoughts about my pots and the creative process.Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.comBlogger114125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-63422972415960809662018-09-09T22:09:00.000-04:002019-01-25T20:56:24.765-05:00Inspired - Dumoine River Art Camp 2017 - Part II<span style="font-family: "calibri";">"The next day we set off to explore, using the buddy system
for safety.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>Several of us set up at Grande
Chute while others canoed further down Robinson Lake to the next set of rapids.
The river trail along the Chute is rough, and has spectacular rock falls with some
boulders the size of small houses.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>One
could only imagine what the people travelling in this area felt thousands of
years ago. Like us they must have been in awe of the power of the water and
like us they also feared the churning rapids – and one could only wonder how
many travellers have been swept away by the swirling currents. </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtno7BOaVn6sMlS-zWT1LThnISYSbmsycxw_427nSawJR2HTj6mBUQibE8kOtlr2TDEEZt0E7LUi0cPpvNVes2zQfLML5DE1oXsawswhD3nFnZ1-s6VzuDpHIDnybQYdEEu4z0qsZfGg/s1600/Hear+the+Rapids+Roar+%2528Plate+by+Eva+Gallagher%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1573" data-original-width="1600" height="392" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQtno7BOaVn6sMlS-zWT1LThnISYSbmsycxw_427nSawJR2HTj6mBUQibE8kOtlr2TDEEZt0E7LUi0cPpvNVes2zQfLML5DE1oXsawswhD3nFnZ1-s6VzuDpHIDnybQYdEEu4z0qsZfGg/s400/Hear+the+Rapids+Roar+%2528Plate+by+Eva+Gallagher%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><i>"Hear the Rapids Roar" wall plate by Eva Gallagher inspired by stay at Dumoine River Art Camp. Photo credit - Scott Haig 2017.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In the evening we sat around the campfire and traded stories
of canoe trips and art experiences. <span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We
also discussed Wally Schaber’s book on the Dumoine, “The Last of the Wild
Rivers” and how important the River was to First Nations people as a north/south
highway. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><b>The Indian Point Pot</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I had brought clay for everyone to make a pot the way the
aboriginal people made them here thousands of years ago as evidenced by the “Indian
Point Pot”. Radiocarbon dated at 2500 years BP (before present), it was
excavated during an archaeological dig at Indian Point across from Deep River
in the early 1950’s and is now on display at the Museum of Civilization in
Ottawa. One evening we sat around the fire, surrounded by the dark forest and
silence, channeling spirits from the past. We coiled the clay into a beehive
shape that was then turned over and pinched, paddled and scraped into a thin
open vase. It could have been an evening thousands of years ago, our hands repeating
the same motions made millennia ago and resulting in pots very similar to the
Indian Point Pot – with a flared lip and a rounded bottom to better withstand
the thermal shock of cooking over open fires.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8Xm4eq3Sf5Q-h-woHlSaFbnbFn0QAVNsL1jBtkIi4z7_ZgjxL2ELfMPBhZobn5IQvGtoA1yUQjPdYGV6Ngo_e6vDjbpw6ob8s2FAsWZR0O3eqXxYcyjaRcdf2EB-Q211KNtyh2cIzpk/s1600/Indian+point+pot+scott+haig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8Xm4eq3Sf5Q-h-woHlSaFbnbFn0QAVNsL1jBtkIi4z7_ZgjxL2ELfMPBhZobn5IQvGtoA1yUQjPdYGV6Ngo_e6vDjbpw6ob8s2FAsWZR0O3eqXxYcyjaRcdf2EB-Q211KNtyh2cIzpk/s400/Indian+point+pot+scott+haig.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><i>Eva Gallagher (center) demonstrates how First Nations first made pottery in this area thousands of years ago. Photo credit Scott Haig 2017.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I came back from the camp energized, ready to continue working on several
pieces that I had started at the camp. In October CPAWS hosted a very
successful gala and silent auction of the donated art in Gatineau at “The Moore
Farm”, a National Capitol Region restored post and beam barn that is open to hosting
various events. With featured guests, singer/songwriter Ian Tamblyn,
artist/environmentalist Robert Bateman, the event raised over $11,000 for the
Dumoine River project." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The idea of an art camp - that idea of bringing together
artists to work on a common theme are becoming more popular and I highly recommentd this type of experience . Hopefully CPAWS is going
to offer another Dumoine Art Camp in August 2019 so in interested look to apply early in the spring.of 2019.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-34729726755316110412018-09-09T21:36:00.000-04:002018-09-14T13:03:53.390-04:00Inspired - Dumoine River Camp 2017 Part I<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><i>Again I am way behind in my blogging so here's my effort to catch up by reprinting an article that I wrote about the Dumoine River Art Camp last August 2017. - my first art camp experience! The Dumoine River is a famous canoeing river that joins the Ottawa River about 20 miles west of Deep River. My<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "calibri"; font-size: 16px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"> article was first printed in our local paper the North Renfrew Times last year.</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">"Mention the Dumoine River and it conjures up scenes of
rapids, lakes, canoe paddles and portages. But art? Not so much! But that is
what The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Ottawa Chapter (CPAWS-OV) was
offering to artists last August – an Art Camp on the Dumoine. There was one
this year as well! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIun47fdLGZC9Sgnsg5ux3W5kKvqah5k7iMJBsErJEpwiSId3WonS8me5xCIZ7jeY5rJ75hes4Y_7OBGNnVomAqOytNeDStqe4-SDgpjJ0LCi13EwxrRNSy9OeK3rxihLV8PPE2hMl9w/s1600/Bridge+at+Grande+Chute+Attracts+a+lot+of+Artist+Traffic+-+scott.haig.photography%2540gmail-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLIun47fdLGZC9Sgnsg5ux3W5kKvqah5k7iMJBsErJEpwiSId3WonS8me5xCIZ7jeY5rJ75hes4Y_7OBGNnVomAqOytNeDStqe4-SDgpjJ0LCi13EwxrRNSy9OeK3rxihLV8PPE2hMl9w/s640/Bridge+at+Grande+Chute+Attracts+a+lot+of+Artist+Traffic+-+scott.haig.photography%2540gmail-2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<i> Bridge over \Grande Chute attracts art camp participants. Photo credit - Scott Haig 2017</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It is all part of CPAWS-OV effort to raise funds to preserve
the Dumoine River as a protected wilderness river for future generations. As
they state on their website, “it is</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"> the last un-dammed Quebec
tributary of the Ottawa River and one of only a few rivers in central Canada
free of dams.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">In return for offering free tent accommodation and meals (CPAWS
staff turned out to be excellent cooks!), the artist would get to stay for up
to 6 days at the camp. They would then donate a work of art, inspired by their
stay, for a silent auction at a gala in Ottawa in October. Here was an chance
to meet other creative people in a unique environment. Always open to new artistic
opportunities I applied as the life of an artist is not a destination but a
journey.<span style="margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><span style="margin: 0px;"> </span>We were to camp at
Lake Robinson, that widening of the Dumoine River just below Grande Chute. To
minimize parking, we met up in Swisha to carpool to the Lake. Kids leaving for
their first summer camp couldn’t have been more excited than our group! It was
a challenge to load all our sleeping bags and mats, folding chairs, boxes and
suitcases of art supplies, easels, cameras, and tripods, including my box of
clay and tools into the few cars that would be driving up the rough road.</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Although it has been many years since I have been up the
Dumoine, I still remember that first drive over 50 years ago – up along the
rough road past the old Bonanza Inn and the long-closed downhill ski hill and tow
on the hill opposite. It was always an adventure there to drive into the
unknown, but one always had to be wary of meeting a fully loaded lumber truck
that might come around the corner. One year we even skied to Grand Chute after
driving part of the way. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNy21MlStnGHtbUd3qknN003DTMEd7fGmcJC2XiHBWebxvP7i-ZZw2OLi9rQMVxKaHYvA-PuSSKa2RivK-LMYc4j9kvCHjjRnCQY2KOtblDI_V67Q8-j9MVYqvvWErFMZhossjXSCNGBU/s1600/DSCN7209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1197" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNy21MlStnGHtbUd3qknN003DTMEd7fGmcJC2XiHBWebxvP7i-ZZw2OLi9rQMVxKaHYvA-PuSSKa2RivK-LMYc4j9kvCHjjRnCQY2KOtblDI_V67Q8-j9MVYqvvWErFMZhossjXSCNGBU/s400/DSCN7209.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Robinson Campground</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The fifteen artists who attended were a pretty diverse group,
not only in age, spanning six decades – but also in artistic media. There were several
photographers, a glass artist, botanical illustrators, acrylic and watercolour
artists, both realistic and abstract and of course potters. We came from as far
away as North Bay, Vankleek Hill, Ottawa, Pembroke, Shawville and southern Ontario.
There were two of us from Deep River, photographer Bruce Winterbon and myself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As part of our orientation, one of the CPAWS staff – conservation
biologist <span style="margin: 0px;"><a href="file:///G:/elena"><span style="color: #0563c1;">Elena</span></a></span> Kreuzberg
took us on a nature tour. The Dumoine watershed is huge, covering </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;">4400 km2 with some of the last remaining stands of old-growth
forest in eastern North America. The area is</span><span style="font-family: "calibri";"> also important as a
connection between Algonquin and </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; margin: 0px;">La
Vérendryer</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; margin: 0px;"> </span><span style="font-family: "calibri";">Parks,
acting as a corridor for animals moving further north from southern areas. This
will be even more important as the climate continues to get warmer."</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-39809567260688307682017-01-01T22:22:00.002-05:002017-01-01T22:22:18.867-05:00Rebirth!I see that two years ago in Jan 2015 I wished everyone that creative high - the joy of making. Well for 2016 I really needed to wish that for myself. as this past year has been a very slow year creatively speaking. I feel like I am wading though deep mud or snow, with new ideas stuck and I have had to really struggle to get them out.<br />
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I will give myself another week to clean up my work space in the basement - it is really cluttered with too many things that need to be thrown out. After that I will start sketching again - it is the best way to generate new ideas - and then hopefully there will be a rebirth of new ideas.<br />
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One idea that I plan to pursue is getting impressions from germinating seeds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCtn3oeX-DjJiziviDTWRGMBVsGeCgygmICvKwIhRxt2zcpm0f7uF9X8yoentaz0RYurwm3_peRawKZoSPdnVOWeSB_IsJp39KqMOSzZtNeQCBdEgNs3xYvA5ngOnbSRDeISxfF0bSmQ/s1600/Oct19+2013+431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCtn3oeX-DjJiziviDTWRGMBVsGeCgygmICvKwIhRxt2zcpm0f7uF9X8yoentaz0RYurwm3_peRawKZoSPdnVOWeSB_IsJp39KqMOSzZtNeQCBdEgNs3xYvA5ngOnbSRDeISxfF0bSmQ/s400/Oct19+2013+431.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Germinating wheat seed impressed in clay</td></tr>
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This little tea bag rest (above) embodies a fresh start, a new beginning - it was a serendipidous event! In 2015 I had collected lots of wheat stalks from the Saskatchewan farm where my son and his wife were married. I made a platter with wheat stalk impressions on it as a wedding present. Several days after impressing the clay I noticed that a seed had fallen from a stalk head and was germinating in a little pool of water by the sink where the tap was leaking. I decided to impress it into clay. Once tile was bisqued it was brushed with gosu slip and wiped off and then glazed with Malcolm Davis shino and a little spray of magnesia mat glaze.<br />
It was amazing the details that showed up - even the very fine roots.<br />
<br />
I will have to visit the local farm supply store soon as I think that a platter with rows of different seeds germinating - wheat, oats, peas, corn, etc, would make an interesting piece - and with it symbolizing a rebirth of creativity. Happy new year!Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-165818331269685552016-12-18T10:25:00.000-05:002016-12-18T10:27:08.135-05:00Canoe Culture - A Series of Collaborative Workshops and Exhibitions Part IIThe Canoe Culture project encouraged people to think more professionally about their work, as photos, artist statements and bios were required with each entry. It would also challenge members to try new ideas, techniques and styles.<br />
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I think that we all felt this was a difficult theme and most of us had a hard time thinking about what to make (apart from canoes). I spent many months mulling over ideas, looking up historical facts and so for me it ended up being a very enriching experience. Often when I look out over the river, I try to imagine all those huge voyageur canoes battling head winds and waves as they paddle their furs to Montreal.<br />
<br />
What the jury focused on was:<br />
1. Works that are stylistically or thematically focused on the Canoe Culture themes of water transportation in northern Ontario and how stops along this ancient waterway shaped the communities of Deep River and North Bay.<br />
2. Works that display technical acumen, and/or observation and original style.<br />
3. Works that are important to the cultural discourse of the region.<br />
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We were all allowed 4 entries and below are my four entries that were accepted.<br />
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My work for this exhibit was inspired by the Ottawa River, the fur trade and the design of the "made beaver" - the stretched beaver pelt dried on a wooden frame made by bending and lashing together branches into a circle.<br />
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Over 400 years have passed since the first Europeans traveled the Ottawa by canoe to North Bay, driven at first by a search for a route to China and then for furs, especially beaver pelts that were eventually felted into hats for European customers. For 200 years the stretched and dried beaver pelt - the "made beaver" - was the "currency" in trading with first nations inhabitants.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AXIKWa1oJLKfpsqsXVpDjNdsB1LeHmJ48qdoHfOqboXKSP5AL3t6jg3Jhl7ZRvYF2Ik97BZIe6DNEunFGOcEjY30QI9rOSUhoogUrnEnew8QK2E-mimcYUJ_v8s2yVJ0wRhAoItInKY/s1600/%25231+One+Made+Beaver+Eva+G+%25231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="376" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_AXIKWa1oJLKfpsqsXVpDjNdsB1LeHmJ48qdoHfOqboXKSP5AL3t6jg3Jhl7ZRvYF2Ik97BZIe6DNEunFGOcEjY30QI9rOSUhoogUrnEnew8QK2E-mimcYUJ_v8s2yVJ0wRhAoItInKY/s400/%25231+One+Made+Beaver+Eva+G+%25231.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">"One Made Beaver" - Eva Gallagher, Deep River</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Made Beaver Currency<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> 1 MB = 1 brass kettle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> = 20 fish hooks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> = 2 1b of sugar<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> = 8 knives<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> = 20 flints<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> 2 MB = 1 gallon brandy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> 20 MB = 1 rifle<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Taking into account inflation the price of “one made beaver” in today’s’ dollars would be about $45.</span></div>
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As Deep River is home to Canada's nuclear pioneers, the Ottawa has seen the progression of ideas and knowledge from 10,000 years to the present - from hunter-gatherers that first came here after the retreat of the glaciers to today when scientists work with one of the most important discoveries know to man - nuclear fission.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjWpvT03zPgz_GJUl2Pm9ViRkg0MuiBC-H2oCPAriIpgqWIBbVkzpZjofmu6b0XVq1Yf8Kp2nqTPxcKHfTe2aKvUyMM6lB2QNJIju4_gZI7D-GVfI8kPYimV_bTzLKW2AFax-FpArdcE/s1600/Oct19+2013+264.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtjWpvT03zPgz_GJUl2Pm9ViRkg0MuiBC-H2oCPAriIpgqWIBbVkzpZjofmu6b0XVq1Yf8Kp2nqTPxcKHfTe2aKvUyMM6lB2QNJIju4_gZI7D-GVfI8kPYimV_bTzLKW2AFax-FpArdcE/s400/Oct19+2013+264.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"La Riviere Creuse - From Beavers of Atoms:" - Eva Gallagher, Deep River</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">Riviere creuse is French for deep river and it is what this part of the Ottawa River was called by the early travelers.)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEJl4VmI-TaVbQ8LeyY15itzGAKE2VFk1QsLn0bzBEZ8lW7QAoeFVZ_fsvlk7WJJgtZ2YLfGdcWQe5PLoD5tEK2VZ-07lo8QfOsU5XOCVORyz8sHwBxLIaVL9DyFJpTUGfOSWoGOaO3I/s1600/New+Image.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEJl4VmI-TaVbQ8LeyY15itzGAKE2VFk1QsLn0bzBEZ8lW7QAoeFVZ_fsvlk7WJJgtZ2YLfGdcWQe5PLoD5tEK2VZ-07lo8QfOsU5XOCVORyz8sHwBxLIaVL9DyFJpTUGfOSWoGOaO3I/s320/New+Image.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Portage" - Eva Gallagher, Deep River</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(Didn't have back drop wide enough for picture.)</span></td></tr>
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On the shores of the Ottawa
one can find chewed off beaver sticks and stones, all beautifully weathered and
I have incorporated them into another piece as a tribute to the voyageurs who
risked their lives running the treacherous, rocky rapids to bring their beaver
pelts to Montreal.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HWcb9jzoBSiJqHYWNIO9NcNESzmm5IPWFsf17mZ9TjcRFNed_MzPT8b6AQyn-tyGnN3y3A9h9AHGIx8FwIy4uiSu1A62avYGfl3xFPmKjPaVwvpP_tSWNUfSy0seN8-TYhkjD8X44tc/s1600/%25234+Voyageurs+Tribute++Eva+G.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HWcb9jzoBSiJqHYWNIO9NcNESzmm5IPWFsf17mZ9TjcRFNed_MzPT8b6AQyn-tyGnN3y3A9h9AHGIx8FwIy4uiSu1A62avYGfl3xFPmKjPaVwvpP_tSWNUfSy0seN8-TYhkjD8X44tc/s400/%25234+Voyageurs+Tribute++Eva+G.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Voyageur's Tribute" - Eva Gallagher, Deep River.<br />Stoneware with beaver-chewed stick, stone and leather cording.</span></td></tr>
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This project really encouraged further collaboration between our two guilds and hopefully there will be more joint exhibits and workshops in the coming years.<br />
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<br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-47101631252813938202016-12-17T21:01:00.000-05:002016-12-17T21:01:13.638-05:00Canoe Culture - A Series of Collaborative Workshops and Exhibitions Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
As 2016 winds down I realize that if I want to record the significant pottery events that happened this year I really do not have much time left - so here goes!</div>
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What happens when the oldest potters’ guild in Canada meets
with the newest? The Canoe Culture collaborative project! In 2014 the Deep
River Potters Guild (1954) was contacted by North Bay artist Dermot Wilson, who shared with us the great news that they had just formed a potters’ guild
in North Bay! And would we be interested in collaborating on a series of
workshops and exhibits?</div>
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Dermot successfully applied for an Ontario Arts Council
grant to help pay for the project and the Canoe Culture project was born. Its theme is based on the historic Ottawa River to North Bay paddle path used for thousands of years by North America's First Nation inhabitants and then by the voyageurs and settlers who followed in their wake.<br />
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The project brought together ceramic artists from our two
communities in near-northern Ontario. How does the water route and history
shape our vision of our sense of place? What do we see and feel when we look
out over the river, when we go to the beach, or go out in our boats? </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBPPM3JzqCwa_hKvYM-IW0CjvHJa_QfiFYXTS4256M8b5BrkOTljXQT7O6lhhHul4fnvxynPEDIMcu5qVURK9_rodrFwUibK4Tq0x1zuOPgCrie0NidsvZbRQ35CSKZziYjswnwiqllc/s1600/Oct19+2013+346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBPPM3JzqCwa_hKvYM-IW0CjvHJa_QfiFYXTS4256M8b5BrkOTljXQT7O6lhhHul4fnvxynPEDIMcu5qVURK9_rodrFwUibK4Tq0x1zuOPgCrie0NidsvZbRQ35CSKZziYjswnwiqllc/s400/Oct19+2013+346.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Opening exhibition in Deep River Library April 2016</span></td></tr>
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The project included a series of hands-on pottery workshops. In the spring of 2015, North Bay potter Keith Campbell, gave a workshop in Deep River and
Eva Gallagher, Ligita Gulens and Marg Killey reciprocated in the fall in North Bay,
exchanging ideas, techniques and enthusiasm. </div>
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The project culminated with two month-long exhibitions of
ceramic works created especially for this project The exhibits were juried by
Pat Stamp, a North Bay potter, Cathy Walsh, a Deep River artist and retired
Mackenzie High School art teacher and Dermot Wilson. The 16 artist show opened in
North Bay in mid November 2015 at the Whitewater Gallery and in April in the Program Room of the
Deep River Public Library.<br />
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The potter works ranged from canoes, the fur trade, a paddle, clay fish impressions to more absrtact ideas such as stretched beaver pelts and crows (representing the Jesuit missionaries). Unfortunately I do not have many pictures of the exhibits, but below are a few that I did mange to take of some of the other artist's works.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYej3EzLMiy2TfFXmejQhphSYd087Qsa3n8eKrlduhqYkhWzhdGnbUldN9uEcvjiKxmiDBCkoRm3RegJO9vTOY04h0OdbOwxkzJs-OoETDCo3SfGogWtjq2fGapThhRrq4zNzvnTh2zA/s1600/Oct19+2013+348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYej3EzLMiy2TfFXmejQhphSYd087Qsa3n8eKrlduhqYkhWzhdGnbUldN9uEcvjiKxmiDBCkoRm3RegJO9vTOY04h0OdbOwxkzJs-OoETDCo3SfGogWtjq2fGapThhRrq4zNzvnTh2zA/s400/Oct19+2013+348.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Montreal Ghost Canoe" - Glenda Mikawa, North Bay</span><br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1bF3y1ncSM9lmK_4zUYkm58YjLwvl8x0Mwm3vcUU9Yjtck-he9GbJuCztuvstpszFDZrP0Ey31p4RZRVS_D8TE_GrUp3LNfQQXKhq_xz75JOa2XtIxlTpm7NnSw57lQvfTwOqS4pHe0/s1600/Oct19+2013+351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY1bF3y1ncSM9lmK_4zUYkm58YjLwvl8x0Mwm3vcUU9Yjtck-he9GbJuCztuvstpszFDZrP0Ey31p4RZRVS_D8TE_GrUp3LNfQQXKhq_xz75JOa2XtIxlTpm7NnSw57lQvfTwOqS4pHe0/s640/Oct19+2013+351.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">"Artifact - Sir Samuel de Champlain Paddle" - Keith Campbell, North Bay </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1ZUmB2bp7SZLr0IojXa2aXDwELjl_iCoYHN6cpNm6lRWLCsFOzGx_gjxks8B_NyqOqiiKsc1unfTNuK8xxdhpFos4Akczb6MdGoIPNSJW01NSoqLzJ-B8H8Qz-ccJh2f3gsSQpeK2SU/s1600/Oct19+2013+364.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx1ZUmB2bp7SZLr0IojXa2aXDwELjl_iCoYHN6cpNm6lRWLCsFOzGx_gjxks8B_NyqOqiiKsc1unfTNuK8xxdhpFos4Akczb6MdGoIPNSJW01NSoqLzJ-B8H8Qz-ccJh2f3gsSQpeK2SU/s640/Oct19+2013+364.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption"><span style="font-size: small;">"Voyageur" - Betty Ackroyd, North Bay</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvAmfofHogEaObdONrQED2N5Ve3hDdNKwhijY95uQoc1QouRUk_s_eVscI4Jr3DIGsq5liPfwxRWukUJMs-xqHFPyC_gDrVcKI-NZu7ew2kfNz3zhj3fm1QGed3u6TqG9MtZvcHi0xtU/s1600/Oct19+2013+363.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhvAmfofHogEaObdONrQED2N5Ve3hDdNKwhijY95uQoc1QouRUk_s_eVscI4Jr3DIGsq5liPfwxRWukUJMs-xqHFPyC_gDrVcKI-NZu7ew2kfNz3zhj3fm1QGed3u6TqG9MtZvcHi0xtU/s400/Oct19+2013+363.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">"Birch Bark Canoe" - Peter Brewster, Deep River</span></td></tr>
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Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-86751845923580675882016-03-31T22:08:00.001-04:002016-04-18T22:07:59.274-04:00The Colors of Deep and the Sisters of the Traveling Mug<br />
I have a friend who recently bought one of my mugs. She told me that she carries her mug with her everywhere she goes, so I asked if she would write a guest post about this for my blog. She writes:<br />
<br />
<i>"I am a Deep River gal, born and bred, and I love this land. I love the granite
outcroppings and the abundant fresh water in the glorious Ottawa River, lakes,
streams and wetlands. I love the tall pines and the mixed deciduous/coniferous
forest and I have a deep understanding of the complexities of this ecosystem -
what lives here and why, from the bedrock to the tips of the tallest tree. I
spend time outside every day, just soaking up the beauty of this habitat, this
land, and feeling profoundly grateful that I live here. This is home, in all its
extreme seasonal changes, and I feel connected to this land; it is part of me.
When I travel, I carry pieces of the land with me, like talismen, to remind me
of where I come from and to call me home.</i><br />
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<i>There are several pocket rocks that have traveled thousands of miles with
me and in recent years, I have also carried a mug from home. There is such
comfort in starting each day, even in a far away land, with a cup of tea in a
familiar and beloved mug.</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCYIoPJ3EtJoV9DX-1zLOiZwYQi-V7-G3I470z_-V_7JVYHM6EP7B2w833uC_efegQ3NhxgJcsGrF8UMuDBsgtCL925A3j99YN7XF1e6VcnX7crsVcPttbA6_hdTZtXZNJ9hWsF3cqgI/s1600/mugshot6.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCYIoPJ3EtJoV9DX-1zLOiZwYQi-V7-G3I470z_-V_7JVYHM6EP7B2w833uC_efegQ3NhxgJcsGrF8UMuDBsgtCL925A3j99YN7XF1e6VcnX7crsVcPttbA6_hdTZtXZNJ9hWsF3cqgI/s400/mugshot6.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Thanks Anne for the photo of my (now yours) "traveling mug" reflecting the colors of the Ottawa River<br />
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<i>I have a favourite mug, crafted by Eva Gallagher, which captures a sense of
the river, the Laurentian Lowlands and the trees and it has become my "traveling
mug". The mug has accompanied me on trips to Bolivia (La Paz, Rurrenbacque
jungle, El Choro mountain trek), Costa Rica (Playa Guiones), Nicaragua (Ometepe
Island), North Carolina, St Joe's Island, and Pukaskwa Park on Lake Superior,
Prince Edward Island (all over), New Brunswick (Douglas), and countless shorter
trips around Ontario by plane, train, car, canoe and kayak. It fits securely in
the cup holder of my car and happily holds a Tim Horton's medium.</i></div>
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<i>I bought the mug at the <a href="http://www.valleyartisans.com/gallagher/gallagher2010.htm">Valley Artisans Coop</a> a few years ago because it
met my criteria - sit comfortably in my hand with good balance and with a
pleasing colour palette. I prefer a slim profile in a mug since I hold it by the
body instead of the handle. </i></div>
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<i>One day, in the fall of 2015, after dropping my son at school, I was
driving along the waterfront near Centennial Rock, sipping tea from said mug,
and was literally stopped dead in my tracks. The sunlight on the hills across
the river, the colour palette of that breathtaking scenery was exactly what I
held in my hand, on my mug. I pulled into the Centennial Rock parking area and
got out, held the cup up in front of me and took a picture (or 10). Eva had
captured the spirit of the river perfectly in the form and colour of the mug.
Beautiful!</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
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<i>Last week, I was in the Potter's Guild, looking out the lovely new windows towards the river and was struck anew of how well this mug captures the essence of Deep River. The Ottawa River is the heart of this community, it defines the landscape, it pulls me home and with this mug, I carry a piece of that wherever I go. </i></div>
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<i>Every day I am struck by the beauty that surrounds me in Deep River and I pause to appreciate the details of the perfection: frost designs on puddles and leaves, dew drops on spiderwebs, fog in the marina, rainbows, sundogs, sparkling snow sculptures. I am grateful for artistic skill which can capture the beauty in a functional and fabulous form.</i></div>
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<i>Today, I leave for Sumatra so the adventures continue. Mug in hand, off I go...</i></div>
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<i>Anne Davies March 28 2016</i></div>
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Inspiring words Anne - and have a wonderful trip! Deep River is indeed a special place to live. Anne had ordered more of the same mugs to give to her sisters and friends so that they too can have a piece of Deep River and they have all become "Sisters of the Traveling Mug"! I decided to donate the proceeds from this commission for our new windows at the Guild - so we can all see that same million dollar view of the Ottawa River as we make and glaze our pots.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4hK52cMVaWuSSKouP-pSq3jb855isWj_6NJJKeHOxvQm-pXcJzWyASb62prGgfUjctiOrXjZGqRPcPFMc4HaCyeA5i4zyB3i0ClnuYLtRP8EJhJZvc8s0RvrrZbFho1YPO7TrqeH14s/s1600/sister+mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4hK52cMVaWuSSKouP-pSq3jb855isWj_6NJJKeHOxvQm-pXcJzWyASb62prGgfUjctiOrXjZGqRPcPFMc4HaCyeA5i4zyB3i0ClnuYLtRP8EJhJZvc8s0RvrrZbFho1YPO7TrqeH14s/s400/sister+mug.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three of the sisters of the "Travelling Mug"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4i9d7G35-mBVBpf5Lji9LZj-vvOS5-2A4BHpxPlcm2gDqtAUeVvQraOybCm-pc1lHueM1UuXrPpcZxSgqtCT2_jc0qi0Ya6TSWO7eS646JBlxVD61fI_n92Lpt2-dmrOJzueeSNLLbXw/s1600/sumatra+mug3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4i9d7G35-mBVBpf5Lji9LZj-vvOS5-2A4BHpxPlcm2gDqtAUeVvQraOybCm-pc1lHueM1UuXrPpcZxSgqtCT2_jc0qi0Ya6TSWO7eS646JBlxVD61fI_n92Lpt2-dmrOJzueeSNLLbXw/s400/sumatra+mug3.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the "Traveling Sisters" in Sumatra with Anne</td></tr>
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<br />
The descending swirl in the cup design was inspired by courses that I took from Steven Hill and Nick Joerling. I then embellished them - I stamp on a few vertical lines with the end of a wooden stick and add stamped swirls.<br />
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For glazing - first Watercolour Green is brushed on and rubbed off, staying only in the impressions. Then the bottom is dipped in a glaze that comes from cleaning out the spray booth - so will not be able to duplicate once I run out! I then brush on some Dan Hill Lithium Blue Slip, near the top and Strontium Crystal Magic near the middle. Then I spray with Hannah Blue Ash, Van Gilder Blue Ash near the top, a Magnesium Mat in the middle, and a very light spray of Aerni Ash (no colorants) on top half, an extremely runny ash glaze, just to ensure lots of movement. It is fired in reduction - gas kiln to cone 10.<br />
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The last batch I found was not quite as pale yellow in the middle as the one Anne bought .It had more more grayish-white than yellow, but then over all the swirl lines were better. It takes a lot of practice to get things right!<br />
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It's been a while since I have blogged but I am determined to give it another go to write more regularly - it really does motivate me to think about what I am creating and why. So another thank you to Anne - for giving me a reason to get back to blogging!<br />
<br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-35306420020056042132015-11-29T22:27:00.002-05:002015-12-02T22:14:36.762-05:00Draw!Last year I attended an estate sale in my town. It belonged to an early member of the Deep River Potters Guild who was a member in the 60's and early 70's. I bought several of his early pieces to give ti our Guild for the "Former Members Gallery". They were bright orange and yellow.- a testament to when lead glazes were popular. However what attracted me was his collection of pottery books - including "Ceramics Design" by John B. Kenny published in 1963. Although dated in terms of design, it is nevertheless inspiring with lots of great ideas.<br />
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In the forward about what is design he writes - ."..to a ceramist, design means more than that (arrangement of detail) - much more. It means order out of chaos; form out of shapeless mass...... It is something for which he must search, and when he finds it, his work is satisfying and good. His quest is never ended - he must go on searching as long as he lives and works." Great words to live by!<br />
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However the best part of the book for me was the chapter titled "Draw!" Very few pottery books go into any detail on how to go about practicing your drawing for pottery - he devotes 9 pages to it and <b>outlines various exercises that one can do to practice drawing.</b><br />
1.Keep a sketch book and use it frequently.<br />
2. If you are not used to drawing he suggests you start by making quick sketches of things you see - don't worry about being accurate.<br />
3. Look at an object for a few minutes and then draw it with your eyes closed<br />
4. Make a drawing of a familiar object without looking at it.<br />
5. Warm-up exercise - stretch out your arms and draw in the air - write your name and write it backwards.<br />
6. Make memory drawings of people doing things - playing an instrument, kicking a ball etc.<br />
7. Do large quick drawing on a blackboard - bold sweeping continuous lines. Seeing white lines on a black lets you see drawings as negatives and you get a different perspective.<br />
8.Try drawing with different things - pen, pencil, bushes.<br />
9. Try using newspaper for brushwork - practice with brushstrokes to show expression, images with just one continuous brush stroke.<br />
<b>To help with ceramic form and decoration -</b><br />
1. Draw outlines of various ceramic forms - symmetrical, asymmetrical.<br />
2. Draw your form - circle for a plate and draw various vertical and horizontal lines, wavy and straight, thick and thin .<br />
3. On square plates try out patterns of rectangles, overlapping different colours, some with designs within them.<br />
4. Try out stencils with dabbing on colour with a sponge. Overlap different sponges.<br />
5. Use dots, wandering lines.<br />
6. Use a "design finder" - cut out a 3" square hole in a piece of paper and and move it over your designs to find the best section.<br />
<b>And his final advice - take good care of your sketch book - it will provide a rich source of inspiration for years to come. I still have my sketch books from the 60's and 70's and it's really interesting to see what how my interests and styles have changed.</b>Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-74961530791952383722015-01-04T13:45:00.000-05:002015-01-07T15:30:24.842-05:00For 2015 - Wishing Everyone that Creative High - The Joy of Making I often think about what the attraction is to pottery for many people - apart from the wish to make pots magically on the wheel. I belong to the Deep River Potters' Guild which has a fully equipped ceramic studio. These past few years have been particularly rewarding as we have had several really keen new members who have introduced the rest of us to lots of new styles and work and who are not afraid to take on new challenges in terms of the kind of work that they make. Many of them have mentioned that there are so many different aspects to clay - something for everyone - that you can never get bored. They mention how it allows them to be creative and that the creative process often gives them a "high" and how they can get lost in the process. I know the feeling well!<br />
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How do you get into that creative high? John Cleese has given several talks on the topic: ( http://www.fastcocreate.com/1680999/4-lessons-in-creativity-from-john-cleese )<br />
Several of his tips really resonate with me. First you need to have <b>uninterrupted time and lots of it </b>- at least an hour and a half because it takes about 1/2 an hour to get really into it and then you need time for those unconscious ideas to percolate. Secondly you should delay making decisions about a project until the last minute. We feel a bit stressed if we have not made a decision but by delaying it as much as possible it gives our unconscious minds even more time to come up with more creative ideas. So leave unfinished work around - you will eventually come up with a more brilliant plan on how to finish it. However once you have come up with a decision, then you need to focus and get the project done.<br />
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That need for uninterrupted time is something that has started to worry me. I have just finished reading a book - "A Deadly Wandering - A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption in the Age of Attention" by Matt Richtel. It is the true story of a teenager who killed two people while texting and driving. The story is interspersed with chapters on past and present research on what technology is doing to our brains and especially to young children whose brains have not fully developed. To be creative we need uninterrupted time - and when I look around everyone is texting/talking/checking emails -so it is getting harder and harder to do! The book explains how each interruption brings a squirt of dopamine in the brain - so these interruptions can become addictive. Then when you need to focus to get your project done - the interruptions again affect your brain's ability - the part that works with the focus and reasoning part - as the research mentioned in the book indicates.<br />
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Another tip from John is to work in a group. I find that I love to look at other people's work as I not only learn from it but can also be inspired by it whether it is a beginner or expert!. Although I work mostly at home I do all my glazing and firings at the Guild. All our firings end up as communal so we get lots of members work in each firing - whether it is in the electric or gas kilns. So kiln openings can get rather exciting as we exchange comments and discuss the results! Lots of opinions and that is what gets the creative juices flowing and what makes belonging to the Guild so rewarding.<br />
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<b>So here is to finding time, lots of uninterrupted time and making lots of great new work in 2015!</b><br />
<br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-9350197781081885662014-11-29T21:25:00.000-05:002014-11-29T21:25:21.816-05:00You're Invited! Christmas Show and Sale Saturday Dec 5thIt's been a pretty hectic couple of months as I was invited to take part in a Christmas show with 4 other artists - all great talents.<br />
Rosemary Driscoll, fused glass <span style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;"> </span><span class="ft" style="background-color: white; color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">http://artpontiac.com/studiotour/<span style="font-weight: bold;">rosemarydriscoll</span>.html,</span> Catherine Timm, fabric arts, http://www.catherinetimm.com/ , Natasha Walsh, acrylic painter, as well as myself, will be showing at Pam Cunningham's who is a watercolour and mosaic artist.<br />
Copy and paste the link below for more information.<br />
https://www.facebook.com/events/443424999129452/permalink/453428881462397/<br />
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Pam lives a short distance from the bridge crossing in Pembroke on Allumette Island, so if you are looking from some fabulous Xmas gifts or just to treat yourself, please drop by on Sat Dec 5th between 10 am and 4 pm. This is the first time that I have participated in studio show so I am really looking forward to it. <i>Did I mention that there will be live music, treats and door prizes?</i><br />
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Apart from my one of a kind pieces pictured below I will have some of my cups and trays decorated with black sand from the Ottawa River as well as other pieces for the kitchen or for the soul.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cups decorated with black sand from the Ottawa River beaches.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handbuilt Vase - untitled.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Farm #2 - fired in my wood fired kiln in The Newfoundout.</td></tr>
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Now it is down to the wire - I am opening the gas kiln tomorrow and so will not have time to make more before next Saturday - so here's keeping my fingers crossed for some great pieces for the show and hope to see you there!<br />
<b>Driving Directions from Ontario to Pam Cunningham's:</b><br />
From the Ontario/ Quebec turnoff travel on HWY 148 for<br />
10kms. You will pass St. Joseph’s and turn left on to Range 5.<br />
Travel 2 kms and turn right onto Lapierre. Drive 1.5kms to 49<br />
Lapierre on your left.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-70739836351364686812014-08-16T22:09:00.000-04:002014-08-16T22:09:13.522-04:00Kicking It Up a Notch!At our Guild a firing fee for a pot includes bisque, glaze and as many refires as you want. So if I'm unhappy with the results of a firing, I usually try reglazing or refiring- often in electric after a gas firing. Recently I had several pots that just lacked something - were just too boring. What I do with those is that I use an underglaze black pen to kick it up a notch. I find that a fired glazed surface makes using the pen much easier as it does not catch the way it often does on a bisque surface, allowing rapid, flowing marks.<br />
The wall plate below ended up a pretty washed-out shino with some weak carbon trapping in the middle after a cone 10 gas firing. I thought that I would try a design to tie in the carbon trapping pattern and the circle on the upper left using my underglaze pen.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shino platter cone 10 redux - pretty bland before.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shino platter after underglaze pen decoration and a refire in electric at cone 6. </span><br style="font-size: medium;" /><span style="font-size: small;">I also took a page from Nick Joerling and used some blue highlight dots.. </span><br style="font-size: medium;" /><span style="font-size: small;">The refire unfortunately removed the carbon trapping which was pretty weak </span><br style="font-size: medium;" /><span style="font-size: small;">but it warmed up the shino nicely to a more orange colour. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">After cone 10 gas firing - figures do not pop out as much as I would like,</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">After refire in cone 6 electric and with underglaze pen <br />outlines, the figures stand out much better.</span></td></tr>
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I feel that this underglaze surface decoration on a glazed surface would probably not be very good on functional surfaces such as inside of bowls and cups. Maybe not even on the outside of pots that would be often used in the dishwasher as I'm not sure how duraable the underglaze pigment is, especially on top of a cone 10 glaze refired at cone 6.. But on non-functional surfaces it can help a pot to kick it up a notch!</div>
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Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-54206060789580018032014-06-08T21:51:00.003-04:002014-06-10T21:49:56.078-04:00To Decorate or not to Decorate that is the Question - Or in Search of the Simple PotWell during this last mentorship with Dan Hill I have been struggling with my platters- I really do love the undecorated, simple pot - but somehow when I try to do that it just does not work for me. I have tried to make the "frames" for my platters without so many curves to simplify - make them look more industrial. So then the interior of the platters I find needs something. However as I look at all the platters below I see that I may not have decorated some of them in the middle but because of the frames they are hardly plain simple pots - they again have a lot of stuff going on. To make a plain simple pot is much harder than I thought - and I'm still searching!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmcx7rn7SYKicol3pW3Lw5f8mtIKuE4Gx7xRUJZC3zWxNUbbWQw0GYiDHoOsSQ2KWFUZhlb2JwDrMHZ8GxNPdTr0Rv4_7AvJwl8SrvKuGpRCOK7r4nSA8kLDD2e_v-1t8QJ2BSmoV95k/s1600/Oct19+2013+134.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmcx7rn7SYKicol3pW3Lw5f8mtIKuE4Gx7xRUJZC3zWxNUbbWQw0GYiDHoOsSQ2KWFUZhlb2JwDrMHZ8GxNPdTr0Rv4_7AvJwl8SrvKuGpRCOK7r4nSA8kLDD2e_v-1t8QJ2BSmoV95k/s1600/Oct19+2013+134.jpg" height="297" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Platter with curvy, complicated rim, inside colour grading from </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">dark blue green to lighter green in the middle. However that rim says to me it needs </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">something inside to relate to the frame design. For me the plain interior does not </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">match the rim</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shino glazed platter with Kanthal wire additions. Some carbon trapping in the middle. Again not quite sure what to make of plain interior. I do like the circle with the Kanthal wire - will try to do more to get a more industrial look and maybe tie into some of my nuclear theme. However it is too bland and so will add some black underglaze pen design in the middle and refire. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shino glazed platter with blue underglazes and reglazed in electric with white glaze. With this one I feel the frame ties into the interior decoration - the "rock" on the left part of the frame works well with the forest.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Way, way too much going on - shino frame clashes with the slip and white glaze interior. I think it would have been better if it was all the same colour - either all shino or all white. </span><br />
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<br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-37108171443854545472014-06-08T21:43:00.002-04:002014-06-10T21:51:01.910-04:00Torso PotsWith my clay applique vases I use a lot of people imagery. So to get a more free-form abstract design I decided to use again printed slip designs from paper for the people imagery. However I found that the figures did not stand out enough - so had to scraffito in the outlines - sort of defeating the purpose of those abstract slips.<br />
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I did like the the shape of the vase - went well with the figures and the hands and then added the Kanthal wire for the hands. I was worried that with clay hands they would bread off if bumped.- plus I like gimiky things.<br />
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Again the slips did not work out well after glazing. I used a black Bringle slip for the background, topped with blue slip for the dresses, and a rutile slip for the hands and feet and face as well as a bit of red underglaze for the scarves and belts. With a white glaze on top the colours ended up a mostly greyish brown - very dull. I reglazed with a white glaze and black Albany glaze in gas again and the colours were a bit better, but still rather sombre - not what I was looking for.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpmR-zaaU-C1vd77EmCerJGp05g1cRQfwq97BOe5R41dHINmtT5joGbiZHK0HSte7dX744isDNsJxbNx9Tplhori_NCzntzvFVAM3BCyKdl8ZxQVwnEi6UQ51zy300WiTtHjTZONQ2m8/s1600/Oct19+2013+128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpmR-zaaU-C1vd77EmCerJGp05g1cRQfwq97BOe5R41dHINmtT5joGbiZHK0HSte7dX744isDNsJxbNx9Tplhori_NCzntzvFVAM3BCyKdl8ZxQVwnEi6UQ51zy300WiTtHjTZONQ2m8/s1600/Oct19+2013+128.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Front of printed slip vase with underglaze</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QtdWdAsVC8CcmpCfqZS24MmMgSoKCQlHa81Ga1ehgY9AV49CHJHnzPyayH9sDgKCSTalFyqpBSuBp1qNgiACQUHMLXVarEeeSzADCq43y1K6rDgm9zUZ0h74TDfvh6p_3Qhq-HjzeUQ/s1600/Oct19+2013+130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QtdWdAsVC8CcmpCfqZS24MmMgSoKCQlHa81Ga1ehgY9AV49CHJHnzPyayH9sDgKCSTalFyqpBSuBp1qNgiACQUHMLXVarEeeSzADCq43y1K6rDgm9zUZ0h74TDfvh6p_3Qhq-HjzeUQ/s1600/Oct19+2013+130.jpg" height="400" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">So to go more abstract I decided to get the pot to become the actual torso - just the torso. I did put on</span><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><span style="text-align: center;">some slips and wire accents. I used a patchwork design with the slips, stitched together with scraffito lines in black underglaze. This time I used some old cone 6 brown stoneware but had to reglaze as results were not great. After reglazing with Stoney White, Juicy Fruit and Licorice in cone 6 electric the results were better, but the original design of a patchwork dress were lost. - I was sort of looking for the Cinderella effect - patchworks dress on an elegant torso.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdYc2iEMaKUnNB5OzccAdRxVLO8cE9aZVzqjvtwY4e8ey5uKOezaub-R6qc4zvzmMBVb8JSbjGsBRD0WjdONyrqrGHeGYkZMVFfHGZb14wPa9vM_6CO5i62NYQFbhlsTA2241cvBeNPg/s1600/Oct19+2013+127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdYc2iEMaKUnNB5OzccAdRxVLO8cE9aZVzqjvtwY4e8ey5uKOezaub-R6qc4zvzmMBVb8JSbjGsBRD0WjdONyrqrGHeGYkZMVFfHGZb14wPa9vM_6CO5i62NYQFbhlsTA2241cvBeNPg/s1600/Oct19+2013+127.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Garden Ladies - electric on right with slips and gas on left but reglazed in electric.</span></td></tr>
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On another vase I decided to add a head to the torso - again not that abstract! The head is actually a planter and the whole vase could be used for a small succulent planter. Talk about cutesy and gimmicky! The original shino glaze ended up bland and I had made a mistake in mixing up a new batch of Dan Hill blue slip and it ended up metallic black instead of blue and so did not react the same way with the shino.<br />
So reglazed again with the Stony White, Licorice and Juicy Fruit in electric which improved the results a bit.<br />
I still do not have a really good idea of how to get where I want to go - really strong edgy abstract designs. Its hard to break out of my mold into something new that I am pleased with.<br />
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Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-70362595927628055512014-03-30T13:21:00.004-04:002014-03-30T13:21:45.526-04:00Get Rid of Curves!In looking back at my work over the last year or so I realize that many of my pieces include curves, lots of curves. In attempting to do something new - to get a more contemporary, edgy look, with more bold, abstract designs I feel I need to discard the curves. My first series of plates for the Dec mentorship ended up again pretty curved, - discarding and attempting something new is not that easy.. We tend to fall back into the familiar. So small steps.<br />
I also decided to use slips and print them on the pots using newspaper to get a more abstract design. This way in the transfer from paper to pot you get random events such as parts skipping, the paper wrinkling - giving a more spontaneous effect than if it was painted on.<br />
The big problem however has been the glazing. Slips in electric I am familiar with but trying the same at cone 10 just does not work. The last pieces for the mentorship ended up a disaster once they were glazed. I tried 3 different blue slips, 2 rutile lips and three white glazes - unfortunately I did not write down which ones were used on what pot.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paper printed slips for the blue. I also used a reticulated glaze for the white applique but had to brush it on so the reticulation did not work somehow.I don't know why pouring over brushing should make a difference in terms of reticulation as the glaze had worked when poured on other projects. The base was a shino glaze around mostly the edges and then a white glaze (probably magnesia matt) was sprayed over. Again I forgot to write down which white I used on this plate. Plate also cracked - it was made once the heating was on in the house - I was used to drying stuff during the damper summer weather.</span></td></tr>
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Other plates I a tried a more squared off rim - adding clay strips in a more abstract pattern. I'm not a graphic designer so not sure what step I need to take to go abstract - will be thinking about this a lot.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yI19jTYL3LikBMcPenfZ9RjzR8-qlH9PB3qPje2QXrRv-rje1TLZAY_tm9pyejaVfptmfVO3j33Pi_SVMt6CZ6jqdvXNBtb8CZWR0TpAeiT_279cwdPumAtTGLF60TMHmjfKHcNZjaQ/s1600/Oct19+2013+066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9yI19jTYL3LikBMcPenfZ9RjzR8-qlH9PB3qPje2QXrRv-rje1TLZAY_tm9pyejaVfptmfVO3j33Pi_SVMt6CZ6jqdvXNBtb8CZWR0TpAeiT_279cwdPumAtTGLF60TMHmjfKHcNZjaQ/s1600/Oct19+2013+066.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">In order to get a more edgy look and get rid of the curves I decided to use strips of clay - and to reference our "farm" join them with "rivets" and showing a "repair" on the right bottom corner - just like homemade repairs on farm equipment. The slips - blue and bluegreen backgroud - were topped with a rutile slip representing jumbled stone fences from our "farm". Again - don't know which slips were used or which white glaze. Also again it cracked - again the drying was too fast as the central heating had come on. I feel this has possibilities and so should follow up with more, but it is hard for me to go completly abstract which I would love to do.</span></td></tr>
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<br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-51318929840401498632014-01-23T22:32:00.000-05:002014-01-23T22:35:25.169-05:00A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss - New Mentorship with Dan HillWell no sooner had I "graduated" from the Fusion mentorship than I rolled myself over into another one - with Wilno area potter Dan Hill <a href="http://www.hillpottery.com/DanHill/index.html">http://www.hillpottery.com/DanHill/index.html</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cone 6 soda fired urn by Dan Hill</td></tr>
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Dan makes cone 6 soda fired work and he has given several great workshops for the Deep River Potters Guild. I've always admired his work. His insight and analysis of his work as demonstrated during his workshops has always been invaluable.<br />
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There are 7 of us apart from Dan who will also work along with us. Three are from Deep River, two from the Maynooth area and two from Madonna House - a lay religious community in Combermere. So a very diverse group from diverse backgrounds, experience and ages - which should make for an exciting journey.<br />
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Our first meeting was in mid November. In the morning we examined and discussed examples of our work as well as work that we admire - either pictures or actual pieces. I feel that I want to make more contemporary edgy work - I feel that many of my pieces end up being "cutsy". This has been a goal of mine ever since the mentorship with Steven Hill 5 years ago. At that time Steven felt that a more contemporary palette would help - but it is so hard for me to resist the yellow, beige and browns that I love.<br />
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We were supposed to bring an example of work that we admire or work that points in the direction that we wish to go. I had brought John Ikeda's cup that he had given me at my summer group woodfiring. I have always thought John's decoration style not only superb but very contemporary.<br />
<a href="http://www.ikedastudios.com/www.ikedastudios.com/John_Ikeda_Contemporary_Ceramics.html">http://www.ikedastudios.com/www.ikedastudios.com/John_Ikeda_Contemporary_Ceramics.html</a><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Underglaze decorated tumbler by John Ikeda</td></tr>
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John has a strong, forceful, abstract design - nothing cutsy about it. I can look at it for hours - each time seeing something different.<br />
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After lunch we discussed what we would hope to achieve with the mentorship - whether it is a generalization - to make better pots - better rims, feet, bowls, etc or to make pots with more movement, or with more elegance, better design. I plan to continue with the 4 themes that I had with the Fusion mentorship - the nuclear theme, the forest theme, the Bottom Billion, and the dancing girls/women series. With inspiration and guidance from Dan and a mental image of John Ikeda's tumbler I hope to give my designs a more contemporary edge.<br />
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Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-82773562975180352392013-12-04T22:15:00.000-05:002013-12-05T16:35:28.219-05:00Graduation! - An Odyssey in ClayMainly because of the Four Friends exhibit in September I was totally ready for the Fusion Mentorship exhibit in October that marked the end of our mentorship with Keith Campbell. By marking three pieces NFS in the "Friends" exhibit I was able to reserved them for the Fusion exhibit.<br />
Fusion sponsored three mentorships in 2012 -2013. One in Ottawa, a glass one in southern Ontario and then one in North Bay that I participated in titled "An Odyssey in Clay".<br />
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The Kennedy Gallery in North Bay is a great space - a small area for intimate shows, along with a gift shop and then a larger area for large exhibits where one can also host a reception. All this is part of the Capitol Center which also has an auditorium, so people can visit the gallery before a show and during intermissions.<br />
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Everyone had outdone themselves - I was really impressed. The work was very imaginative, well executed and displayed to show its best. Unfortunately the pictures that I had taken were not very good - my camera did not like the lighting so I do not have any good pictures of the work. Keith was able to make it to the opening - he had finally had his heart surgery just a few weeks before so it was great to see him up and about. His daughter Alex is the curator at the gallery and she and Keith put together the exhibit.<br />
Thank you Keith for a great mentorship experience and a great show. We are to meet for our final meeting in January to see where we all go from here. I highly recommend a mentorship experience -especially a group one as you not only learn from your mentor but from all the other mentees as well. It makes for a great group dynamic!<br />
And thank you to Fusion - the Ontario Clay and Glass Association for getting the ball rolling on these mentorships! I hope that many of you will get the opportunity to participate.Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-89290857236122001242013-10-17T22:18:00.001-04:002013-10-17T22:18:48.275-04:00Four Friends, Four Perspectives - Part II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Apart from the "nuclear theme" I had several other themes for the exhibit. I had sort of abandoned for a while some of my themes that I had started in the mentorship program but then returned with "the bottom billion" and the "forest theme"which morphed into the "Ottawa River series". In early April I had attended a talk at a local museum on the Ottawa River and aboriginal archaeology. It really inspired me to think about what it must have been like here over 10,000 years ago at the end of the last Ice Age.</div>
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The Ottawa River levels fluctuated rapidly and widely back then, even reversing flow at one time and flowing into Hudson's Bay. I tried to imagine what this very landscape must have been like back then, a cold, white towering world, with rocks, boulders and ice chunks littering the ground. It is now thought that people inhabited this area much earlier than thought, even maybe as long ago as 14,000 years, living and hunting at the base of the glaciers. </div>
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This inspired me to do an Ottawa River series of platters - again over the garbage can type. They were fun to do! I always remember Tony Clennel admonishing potters to reference thier location. I have always wanted to make rocky mountain type scenery, sort of what Les Manning does, but there are no glaciers here! But after that talk on the Ottawa River I realize that I can use glacier images even though I do not live out west - just include an a short write up on what inspired me and voila! The Ottawa River Series with glaciers is born! All cone 10 redux with MD shino over Dan Hill lithium ship (blue areas) or over white crackle slip. Some overspray with magnesia matt (white areas) and edged in Temmoku.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvcS_xAgqaZCSVzqFxYHap3zGh6nunRaqFKBL_hBhF6RrrWXeY65DapYMf9XXb2BRTRyppBApouGIoBJ7V2xC89dnNAKZGJfCNA_D09oOCVqc1szgvHFhHXA_BnuZ-rgjuQ2Pd8FzI24/s1600/Ottawa+River+Series+II.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvcS_xAgqaZCSVzqFxYHap3zGh6nunRaqFKBL_hBhF6RrrWXeY65DapYMf9XXb2BRTRyppBApouGIoBJ7V2xC89dnNAKZGJfCNA_D09oOCVqc1szgvHFhHXA_BnuZ-rgjuQ2Pd8FzI24/s400/Ottawa+River+Series+II.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I added black sand stripes to the design, sort of indicating erosion, rocks etc.<br />
However it is hard to apply with a brush and I find my brush stokes rather inept,<br />
detracting from the design - otherwise I was pleased with the overall effect - MD shino over<br />
Dan's lithium slip (top right), then white crackle slip (which did not crackle) for the ice<br />
and then some overspray with magnesia mat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXnQP4NwgQGsG7srFpEel_u5g9sw5v5sWndwlr-gtzOU_hIZKrLViKN5Vv3Dp9u__nLWatIZL7urLf5LNJyyaDAj2065aJ9ugHOKKi-aObjPqrtBdCkGBgDVFDgV7fUQDkSzWPqaY6d0/s1600/Ottawa+River+Series+III.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXnQP4NwgQGsG7srFpEel_u5g9sw5v5sWndwlr-gtzOU_hIZKrLViKN5Vv3Dp9u__nLWatIZL7urLf5LNJyyaDAj2065aJ9ugHOKKi-aObjPqrtBdCkGBgDVFDgV7fUQDkSzWPqaY6d0/s400/Ottawa+River+Series+III.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Same problem with the black sand. Also whole design is a bit Disney like - just too<br />
cutesy - expect Bambi to appear at anytime.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ErKzhcfxa1BvCfgdY49BIPh-e9In3KrvO7I0b_-woWNfLd4DGluMJIMZnuZvPBhhyphenhyphenYE3f_VuH1IhSEg6cvgnNz-VePdl-3X14qztuEV2WUUrH4wuJRAcxQeyNO2hbla5sHavji_7mv0/s1600/Ottawa+River+Series+IV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ErKzhcfxa1BvCfgdY49BIPh-e9In3KrvO7I0b_-woWNfLd4DGluMJIMZnuZvPBhhyphenhyphenYE3f_VuH1IhSEg6cvgnNz-VePdl-3X14qztuEV2WUUrH4wuJRAcxQeyNO2hbla5sHavji_7mv0/s400/Ottawa+River+Series+IV.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the first one of the series that I did. The crackle slip on the ice portions was close to flaking<br />
off so I reglazed with a cone 6 electric white glaze to stabilize the surface - those are the white<br />
dots which unfortunately are rather distracting in the design.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The theme still needs more work and the glazing effects are not that cohesive, but I am looking forward to exploring this theme more.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><br />
<br /></td></tr>
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Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-7622476235027068442013-10-12T16:03:00.001-04:002013-10-12T16:05:13.561-04:00Four Friends, Four Perspectives - Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
When a friend of mine asked me last spring if I wanted to get together with her and 2 other friends and do a show in the local library in September I said yes. I thought that it probably would not entail that much more work<span style="text-align: center;"> as I would have to have work ready for the mentorship exhibit later in October in North Bay. However the mentorship exhibit requires just three works from each of us - for the library I had a 30 foot long wall to fill. But I like deadlines. In fact I need a deadline to get things done, otherwise I fritter the day away on various inconsequential tasks. </span></div>
The show was a great success - with amazing work by the other three artists (sun dyed fabrics, fused glass, found art and paintings) and lots of great comments and sales. And now that's it over I've been able to catch up on my blogging.<br />
Since Deep River is the home of Canada's nuclear pioneers, I thought I had better do something with my nuclear theme. I would do the cups with various pro-nuclear slogans. I had no idea how I would put them together into a display. I was stumped. Then on waking one morning just a few days before I had a true insight! (Thanks Johan Lehrer!) I would use my GAIA "bricks" that I had wood fired for another project and put them together with various bricks and soaps from my wood kiln and build as "industrial" wall to stand them on. Good thing the table was sturdy as it sure ended up heavy. Not sure if when they were all together like that that the cooling tower concept came through.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneDzgWtP2yQw6oFyf85znN5O2mNtnJUBfyymQi1huQlgHGqhJUKq9AnWMMO7wJ2i7TkkwyeoQBY0QqBrho0AQDybSQmBg92HfLKWcGa6q1sLM3zLJlNEIglx4V5f3rYKcm-P4kGY1O2g/s1600/Jan+17+2013+379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneDzgWtP2yQw6oFyf85znN5O2mNtnJUBfyymQi1huQlgHGqhJUKq9AnWMMO7wJ2i7TkkwyeoQBY0QqBrho0AQDybSQmBg92HfLKWcGa6q1sLM3zLJlNEIglx4V5f3rYKcm-P4kGY1O2g/s400/Jan+17+2013+379.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuclear cooling tower cups for the 45% - % of people worldwide that support nuclear energy</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqz4hrPL7k2X3Trkm-2kqorZEU-g95wZkX50_n2J7tE-Kr4B90mOa7xt1Af1ZIqDOSqZz9cn0i9G0F3OaPtB7kCrIVPGZXdsAPQh2ju6g7R0YWc74xorK3ZxEN_gBfwn1ERwCncUyNNQ/s1600/Candu+cups+for+the+37%25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNqz4hrPL7k2X3Trkm-2kqorZEU-g95wZkX50_n2J7tE-Kr4B90mOa7xt1Af1ZIqDOSqZz9cn0i9G0F3OaPtB7kCrIVPGZXdsAPQh2ju6g7R0YWc74xorK3ZxEN_gBfwn1ERwCncUyNNQ/s400/Candu+cups+for+the+37%25.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the front Candu reactor cups for the 36% - % of Canadians that <br />
support nuclear energy. Candu reactors are Canada'system of reactors and they do not have cooling towers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjneDzgWtP2yQw6oFyf85znN5O2mNtnJUBfyymQi1huQlgHGqhJUKq9AnWMMO7wJ2i7TkkwyeoQBY0QqBrho0AQDybSQmBg92HfLKWcGa6q1sLM3zLJlNEIglx4V5f3rYKcm-P4kGY1O2g/s1600/Jan+17+2013+379.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>I added a fat lady holding a Candu fuel bundle with the caption "It's Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings." However I don't think that anyone got it - i.e. the nuclear option is not over yet.<br />
The display was accompanied by this write up and challenge:<br />
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s pretty hard to beat a great
slogan!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
For decades “No Nukes” has carried the environmental
movement against not only nuclear weapons but nuclear energy. Nuclear energy in
the 1950’s and 60’s was heralded in by its own great slogan, “Energy Too Cheap
to Meter”.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But today the fuel rods and bundles have all been put on the
back burner by governments around the world and the future of the industry is
no longer glowing brightly. I challenge all that support the nuclear option to come
up with a new slogan that can fight back and help achieve a sustainable future
for our planet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-5862844013194779002013-10-12T15:39:00.000-04:002013-10-17T21:59:00.529-04:00Sculpture Workshop with Darryl FrostWhen Darryl Frost, a New Zealand anagama potter and sculptor, emailed the Ottawa Guild of Potters that he was staying in Ottawa for a few months and would be interested in helping out with a wood firing and perhaps do a workshop as well, the Deep River Potters Guild took him up on his offer of a one day sculpture workshop for the end of August. We started off the evening before with the usual great potluck supper, followed by Darryl's slide show showcasing his wide range of sculptural work and his anagama kiln in New Zealand. <a href="http://playingwithfire.co.nz/about/my-anagama/">http://playingwithfire.co.nz/about/my-anagama/</a> This got us all inspired to think in terms of more sculptural pieces. The next day was hands on, and we continued well into the evening- working on our own sculpture, from small abstract pieces to life-sized herons! He also enthusiastically demoed several of his special throwing techniques. Especially interesting to me were his "tea bowls" - made of a very rough groggy clay that he partially opened and then he inserted a ball of smooth porcelain clay and continued opening and throwing so he ended up with a very rough tactile exterior and smooth functional interior. They were fantastic! He is a very loose thrower and it was a great contrast to most of us who are very tight! Everyone agreed the workshop was a great success - that it was great to get thinking more than just "round pots" and several were even inspired to continue to make more sculptures!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ljTepRsK_UHKTlEe40rrQVbHCt0TpCLNnGbvwzy17y728Y2MMfWiQTkUERnspt4GgkqNqbDhr0TTxhmXVSak9XxfO64j0vaXOEeDRGxWDJae67-QbLR8dd5dw3xULFEkl1M8peO6LU8/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6ljTepRsK_UHKTlEe40rrQVbHCt0TpCLNnGbvwzy17y728Y2MMfWiQTkUERnspt4GgkqNqbDhr0TTxhmXVSak9XxfO64j0vaXOEeDRGxWDJae67-QbLR8dd5dw3xULFEkl1M8peO6LU8/s640/photo.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darryl Frost, helped by Jessica Brabant, holds up his series of rough outside, smooth inside<br />
"tea bowls".<br />
<span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Thanks Darryl - for a great workshop and have a safe return to New Zealand!</span></td></tr>
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<br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-19018880981189003742013-10-06T19:54:00.000-04:002013-10-06T22:40:11.306-04:00A Group Effort - Eighth Firing of the Newfoundout TrainStill playing catch up with my blog! With having to focus most of my work during the last part of spring and early summer on producing larger pieces, especially platters, (which do not fire that well in my small wood fired train kiln), I was lacking enough pots for a wood firing this summer. Fortunately a New Zealand anagama firer, Darryl Frost, <a href="http://playingwithfire.co.nz/">http://playingwithfire.co.nz/</a> happened to be staying in Ottawa for three months. He had put out an email through the Ottawa Guild of Potters that he was interested in helping with a wood firing in the Ottawa area. I contacted him and when we went to Capitol Pottery Supply for him to buy some clay, we met a couple of potters from the Ottawa Guild, Marie Hennessey <a href="http://www.ottawaguildofpotters.ca/see/gallery/marie-hennessey">http://www.ottawaguildofpotters.ca/see/gallery/marie-hennessey</a> and John Ikeda <a href="http://www.ikedastudios.com/www.ikedastudios.com/John_Ikeda_Contemporary_Ceramics.html">http://www.ikedastudios.com/www.ikedastudios.com/John_Ikeda_Contemporary_Ceramics.html</a> . John does earthenware - exquisitely coloured abstract designs that I have always greatly admired. He said he was ready to explore other firing methods and so they also expressed interest in taking part. Then another potter form Madonna House in Combermere - a religious lay community about an hour away from our farm<br />
was also interested. Perfect!<br />
Now I would have enough pots to fill the kiln - and not only that, Darryl had contact with Mike Doxey <a href="http://www.mdoxey.com/mdoxey-pottery.html">http://www.mdoxey.com/mdoxey-pottery.html</a> who has a wood fired kiln about 2 hours way from me and he was interested in partaking as well. Now with 5 people to bring pots and with two expert wood firers to load and fire my kiln I was all set!<br />
Our "farm" and my kiln is located in "The Newfoundout", an abandoned farming community high in the Opeongo Hills of eastern Ontario. It is off the beaten track - up a very steep, rough road and then just a track slaloming through big rocks in the front fields -so I was a bit apprehensive about cars making it in to the back where the kiln is located without hitting any rocks - but all were not only great potters but superb drivers.<br />
Apart from my very first firing this is only the second time that I had a group firing - and it made the job so much more enjoyable, not to mention easy on the back - plus with overnight shifts we were able to fire longer then my usual 14 - 15 hours.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmAcFIfcNuyOALATUFVea0leYIE6NQdE2o5kzg3CjGuVaFv4ECMSEW-S47ctS44D20UULMAQSU_-ed9hpbFdkw5uSNdj9_kiiI-xAGM-4HixyPGTHazC6wjgUlwmvoJ2X-rbHWUaxrzg/s1600/!cid_image346023B4-66B0-493E-8731-3A5CEFFDF9AE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsmAcFIfcNuyOALATUFVea0leYIE6NQdE2o5kzg3CjGuVaFv4ECMSEW-S47ctS44D20UULMAQSU_-ed9hpbFdkw5uSNdj9_kiiI-xAGM-4HixyPGTHazC6wjgUlwmvoJ2X-rbHWUaxrzg/s1600/!cid_image346023B4-66B0-493E-8731-3A5CEFFDF9AE.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Almost done loading!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfPy2q5YQpt4702Sl_d4412lLyrrgalaAH304CeAYjl4Nq7lbMJAYGgKJVftKXY_QsMsVpyXms25ZJuczu65kaBhNXOqLn3YUE2s8qLmunf2tp350uk75Ak13fsT6MhuGsLI93T6B6Pg/s1600/P1000307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAfPy2q5YQpt4702Sl_d4412lLyrrgalaAH304CeAYjl4Nq7lbMJAYGgKJVftKXY_QsMsVpyXms25ZJuczu65kaBhNXOqLn3YUE2s8qLmunf2tp350uk75Ak13fsT6MhuGsLI93T6B6Pg/s320/P1000307.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Fire outside the firebox at the start<br />
<div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM39ja_hMxQDkkHs9OSLRUWIl4J23X8NlmPXpw06wcnQYQv0YbADAboVIm3nU-BlCsldJnid90QFnJkMFiB8gZdDPh77fVGE1gfeD4BUEp-p8RFv4b15Gd62Go0w2ux5VpT2CUC-Hai0M/s1600/Jan+17+2013+352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM39ja_hMxQDkkHs9OSLRUWIl4J23X8NlmPXpw06wcnQYQv0YbADAboVIm3nU-BlCsldJnid90QFnJkMFiB8gZdDPh77fVGE1gfeD4BUEp-p8RFv4b15Gd62Go0w2ux5VpT2CUC-Hai0M/s320/Jan+17+2013+352.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Firing on the hobs</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Darryl loves crusty surfaces - although not my favorite I can appreciate them. He stacked and wadded with seashells and placed his pieces over the channels under the stoking holes where I would never think of placing items- but in the future I think I can make some pieces that would take advantage of this intense ash buildup.<br />
Several things that I learned - bring the temp up much more slowly at the start - even start the fire outside of the firebox at the start - so as not to stress the kiln furniture. I have had lots of problems with the lid shelves on my kiln cracking and that could be why. After just 8 firings that should not really be happening.<br />
<br />
They also side stoked at lot more than I would and the temperature was much more even through out. I think it is just too much hard work when one is firing all by oneself to do much side stoking.<br />
<br />
Darryl clammed up the kiln at the end with a very runny slip mix of clay and grog and applied it with a brush. I was used to using a thicker mix that I applied with a spatula or by hand which was much more time consuming. He also did not fire down before shutting everything up as I did, as Steve Harrison in his book says that you may end up with reduction cooling if you do.<br />
<br />
The results - well we all had some great pots, some failures but all in all a successful firing with results very different from my firings. We had pretty even temps and ash through-out but hardly any carbon trapping. Instead the shinos ending up a very beautiful, lustrous gold!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRtkfrMXoSeMHP-Pgk2zRHhQmXY510UwDxifnZVwZQQGDg56AjntuXyKNwpWesQZ9WVXj-jXL0bLFlovxjTzw225hsMBZeeaIn_yYPEqId4ZZWvuGX1B_m2709imc2a1TcqYq3W-xO4I/s1600/Jan+17+2013+354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRtkfrMXoSeMHP-Pgk2zRHhQmXY510UwDxifnZVwZQQGDg56AjntuXyKNwpWesQZ9WVXj-jXL0bLFlovxjTzw225hsMBZeeaIn_yYPEqId4ZZWvuGX1B_m2709imc2a1TcqYq3W-xO4I/s320/Jan+17+2013+354.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small; text-align: start;">Thanks everyone for all the hard work and a great firing!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gZZblYXABRgZ4k7c6kmf_bhRTZUdN7WEVtTB-XS_vx91eMPWo2G3yJ2h0L9GxL1At58p_qA3YUKv6MmV6Xjpmaj3v8HAY1of-pQ4xHKmrkZuDgInwscsofM2ddAWJDsQhGhM1k7GhiM/s1600/Jan+17+2013+355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gZZblYXABRgZ4k7c6kmf_bhRTZUdN7WEVtTB-XS_vx91eMPWo2G3yJ2h0L9GxL1At58p_qA3YUKv6MmV6Xjpmaj3v8HAY1of-pQ4xHKmrkZuDgInwscsofM2ddAWJDsQhGhM1k7GhiM/s320/Jan+17+2013+355.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darryl's crusty sinkers.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGPsA1FeVx1pLoQTonrS5BCF_OUwuP7KBlSFouQ6udTPZvhKi5KHuwedqTjma42wyHINcTJkIyPMzYFo5SyiRy7-P0mKaf0EibVT-Y0MjKEqZ_dKN-58S5qNX4SmcvZP-iwCRt1QCdjA/s1600/Jan+17+2013+356.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGPsA1FeVx1pLoQTonrS5BCF_OUwuP7KBlSFouQ6udTPZvhKi5KHuwedqTjma42wyHINcTJkIyPMzYFo5SyiRy7-P0mKaf0EibVT-Y0MjKEqZ_dKN-58S5qNX4SmcvZP-iwCRt1QCdjA/s320/Jan+17+2013+356.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Analyzing the results! Lots of ohs and ah and some ughs too! But that's attraction of wood firing!<br />
You never now what you will get!</td></tr>
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Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-72872619489933211502013-09-29T20:46:00.000-04:002013-09-30T14:21:21.744-04:00Fusion Mentorship April MeetingIt's been such a long time since since I started this April report that I am having a hard time remembering what went on and unfortunately I did not take many notes at the April meeting. I seem to have lost the 4 themes that I was working on - the bottom billion, the dancing girls, the forest, and the nuclear theme and have strayed back onto familiar territory again with people appliques - not really what I wanted but somehow I cannot control it.<br />
I followed up on my face vase with another one but this time the face vase holding a vase - however the facial features really bother me - not what I wanted. Lips are really hard to do hard not to make them look fake.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3Re1yMin_xOYUyEGl7HOkJYOTJ-fhGbigGT3XaFAw4HgLIfn35aaJFdeLsepq4d_wyaCiLqqCvFClz-3d2jpFW7o9fOWd4432sHjUGPS3O-HI2pf7F_lXfmhTuT5agUVKK9kBEHsfRQ/s1600/Jan+17+2013+239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3Re1yMin_xOYUyEGl7HOkJYOTJ-fhGbigGT3XaFAw4HgLIfn35aaJFdeLsepq4d_wyaCiLqqCvFClz-3d2jpFW7o9fOWd4432sHjUGPS3O-HI2pf7F_lXfmhTuT5agUVKK9kBEHsfRQ/s400/Jan+17+2013+239.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woman with Vase - just too much going on - fish area glazed with shino and blue underglaze but vase area was tommuku - I find just too many contrasts. Plus facial features are not appealing - she looks sullen. I was going to make some wilted roses for the small vase but lost interest with the project as not sure what I was trying to say with this.</td></tr>
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I tried out two other face vases - but the end result was way overdone! The quick impromptu one was one that I liked best yet could not make myself keep it as it was not really me - sort of hard to understand - maybe not tight enough? I'd give anything to be loose!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxxdGpzFGQz89z_c9vXg1Tr4wV4JlG-lsC3cTcPlzjv61ZH3foKJo6zJoH8WpvwLX_Gc8hmw6era8QElp1ZELSWZmWv2douPEtX317cVPmVOYPqO4luHy-vQlqsRPJMWr8reZmTDPjlI/s1600/Jan+17+2013+267.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMxxdGpzFGQz89z_c9vXg1Tr4wV4JlG-lsC3cTcPlzjv61ZH3foKJo6zJoH8WpvwLX_Gc8hmw6era8QElp1ZELSWZmWv2douPEtX317cVPmVOYPqO4luHy-vQlqsRPJMWr8reZmTDPjlI/s320/Jan+17+2013+267.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quick impromptu version</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMDmlmdL7Sjzn9q7SjkLjm_9945niCcVWPVSZjjpsZJNn1gwCgJrlgPwnJXsK6ax2j06MZ-qdhncS4OGKb0MJEaFyuZeSzcn6dPQNMRq7t0Pj6qtoFPPHToByjcjyog5jIcZu5in_tjk/s1600/Jan+17+2013+266.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBMDmlmdL7Sjzn9q7SjkLjm_9945niCcVWPVSZjjpsZJNn1gwCgJrlgPwnJXsK6ax2j06MZ-qdhncS4OGKb0MJEaFyuZeSzcn6dPQNMRq7t0Pj6qtoFPPHToByjcjyog5jIcZu5in_tjk/s320/Jan+17+2013+266.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final version - totally overdone - sort of mother earth but put just too much hair, leaves etc..</td></tr>
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I started work on some large hand built platters. As I like to cut the edges to end up with irregular shapes handbuilding was the way to go as the rims then remain the same thickness throughout.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8L_8zX3MNTGLW8H9PA4iuWTXNUky3lZTnozH0YwMLi0PbIAs44jDVty9QmCShEk2b3z1gogh0WnSardHoybNcS4pgg9mQLhO63IfQpmDuBaV7OGm3Vr-I7zXR-t2rC-jyW7zcW9KY6rY/s1600/Jan+17+2013+250.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8L_8zX3MNTGLW8H9PA4iuWTXNUky3lZTnozH0YwMLi0PbIAs44jDVty9QmCShEk2b3z1gogh0WnSardHoybNcS4pgg9mQLhO63IfQpmDuBaV7OGm3Vr-I7zXR-t2rC-jyW7zcW9KY6rY/s400/Jan+17+2013+250.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First woman platter - again the lips are totally unappealing. Plus some of the applique cracked.<br />
I reglazed it in cone 6 electric, but it is going to the hammer.</td></tr>
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I am quite happy with my large platters. I feel that I have mastered the rims quite well - adding an extruded rim.<br />
I make the platter over a garbage can -see earlier post several years ago about garbage can platters. After laying down the clay slab I roughly lay on the extruded rim and cover everything with plastic to equalize the moisture for a couple of days. As I use a caulking gun type of extruder I have to use really soft clay for the rims so it is really important that the clays equalize before attaching the rim.<br />
Once the clays have equalized and hardened a bit I transfer the whole slab to a smaller circle support - a large shallow glass lamp shade. Only then do I cut the edges, score and slip to add the rim. Sometimes I have a very clear idea of what I will make - other times I do it on the fly - hoping that it will come out OK.<br />
I have been trying to get the shapes a bit more complex. To add the foot - once the plate is leatherhard I invert on a thick foam cushion. I throw a large ring and slip and score to add it - sometimes curving the foot to flow with the curves of the plate.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ejhH60iS-1zrE5zovSgDsnpEDiJVHvaO_QP7Vqcw_oBOTDRY6irkeDp9l1_Oo2r7E9aByx17dwv3S4s3UYj2E4BkqttmTIm6WBNoP9-2OxHCstvcEd2ZC0ygxg_YABIugBowzLdeiNA/s1600/Jan+17+2013+175.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ejhH60iS-1zrE5zovSgDsnpEDiJVHvaO_QP7Vqcw_oBOTDRY6irkeDp9l1_Oo2r7E9aByx17dwv3S4s3UYj2E4BkqttmTIm6WBNoP9-2OxHCstvcEd2ZC0ygxg_YABIugBowzLdeiNA/s400/Jan+17+2013+175.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">In places I need to roll out a slab and then cut it into a wedge to insert under the thrown foot to level it out.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once I have finished all the rims, if it is a complex design I sometimes start the applique design with paper, </td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KbOVu6OQHpuqIDAmd-59Kjvi9hsPMk_H1-Cw5VPbuCgnDGraIASS1AnvgP8vS0Den6iDe92BnLOXUzHhIZpR3jQXcxWqCv3NNAqBeVSis50dLC1Byr5nL6b6F30PUwZtslK7bTw5TVM/s1600/Jan+17+2013+302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KbOVu6OQHpuqIDAmd-59Kjvi9hsPMk_H1-Cw5VPbuCgnDGraIASS1AnvgP8vS0Den6iDe92BnLOXUzHhIZpR3jQXcxWqCv3NNAqBeVSis50dLC1Byr5nL6b6F30PUwZtslK7bTw5TVM/s400/Jan+17+2013+302.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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With the next platter I made my woman holding a platter but of people instead of what I sometimes have done - fish. Not sure what the people on the platter represent, but I really love cutting out the people .<br />
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There is a sense of urgency now as our mentorship is nearing the end and we have to have several pots for the exhibit which will be in the Oct - I'm not panicking yet but I am starting to feel the stress as I really do not have anything that I am really pleased with.<br />
Out next meeting was to have been in May or June but Keith is scheduled for heart surgery sometime soon and so we left the date it up in the air. Here 's wishing Keith a successful surgery and recovery.<br />
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<br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-12449717830475689292013-04-07T20:04:00.000-04:002013-04-08T16:57:08.589-04:00Fusion Mentorship - February MeetingWell I an getting further and further behind in my blogging. Our mentorship group meets every 6 weeks so our next meeting was near the end of February - and with more bad driving weather - but not as bad as in January. It was a rather short meeting as three of our members were away.<br />
I had managed to glaze some of my work as we had had a gas firing at the Guild, though i did not fire the nuclear teapot as I had broken the lid and needed to make another one.<br />
The slab vase with the woman's face I ended up taking the suggestion from the last meeting and used a white glaze and so ended up glazing with white salt.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUZb37VarZzBP_y0RHPbklHtmprqDzJ1xInWi0zMp4ZO74WJd2dyGN9ShKpIYuUH5K7s2amtdD86GMN2tk6F9AhJPBJLUnrsAiSP2LqTDSWVaEilD2jlH5ol3spEQnIB99Fk59Vm3elQ/s1600/Jan+17+2013+170.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUZb37VarZzBP_y0RHPbklHtmprqDzJ1xInWi0zMp4ZO74WJd2dyGN9ShKpIYuUH5K7s2amtdD86GMN2tk6F9AhJPBJLUnrsAiSP2LqTDSWVaEilD2jlH5ol3spEQnIB99Fk59Vm3elQ/s640/Jan+17+2013+170.jpg" width="472" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Glazed face vase with earring and nose stud not inserted yet.</td></tr>
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However I just could not limit myself to one colour as had been suggested so that it would look like a stone carving, but had to add some Shaner Oribe with a bit of Temmoku at the base. I forgot that I had used Bmix, which tends to turn the white salt yellowish as it picks up the iron from the clay. So was not that pleased with the piece. I plan to reglaze in electric with some white glaze over it.<br />
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For the Bottom Billion I had added some gold to the piece - this is the first time that I had used this type of china paint and I put on two coats and so a lot of it ran.. This totally obliterated the hands on the piece and it just looked a mess. I will bisque fire it to see if I can make the gold disappear.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bottom Billion - with gold lustre addition that ran</td></tr>
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The second version of the Bottom Billion with the book (to indicate the book "The Bottom Billion") at the top, I used a gosu (black) slip for the hands and then some blue slip under the hands. It was all glazed with Malcolm Davis Shino plus some Temmoku on the bottom. There was also a fish that was glued just under the neck and a tap in the middle under the hands - it was supposed to symbolize a tap to turn on the oil well. Well the whole thing did not turn out well - the hands ended up looking like sea anemones, the book on top was kind of lost - just way tooooooo much going on. However the shino get great iridescence. Will have to revisit this concept from a fresh start.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second version of the Bottom Billion - standing on an oil slick.</td></tr>
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I was going to do a large plate with a woman holding a platter with something that would tie it into the bottom billion. It sat on my bench for a couple of weeks before I just ended up with a face on it. It was done over a garbage can (see post on garbage can platters from several years ago) and I added the extruded rim out of paper clay a few days later. I had some trouble with one of the large applique pieces lifting off - so not sure how it will fire, though I tried to fix it with paper clay. So that was it - I brought the bass player that I had also glazed as it was the only thing that I was really halfway pleased with. I seem to have diverged from my themes. I will have to try to stay on course in the next few months - get back to working as well on the Forest Theme, and the Nuclear Theme. I think that I wil drop the dancing ladies.Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-91450001603106060362013-03-04T19:40:00.000-05:002013-03-08T21:16:07.671-05:00Fusion Mentorship - January Meeting Part IIFrom feedback from the Novmber meeting I tried working on expanding my vase forms to make them more interesting. I was going to make a three part vase - with interlocking and matching sides - and carry out the forest theme from our farm - the virgin forest, the clearing of the land and then the return to the forest. I did not have a clear picture in my head and the vases did not fit together that well, so ended up making three pots with three separate designs.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Trying for a three part composition of vases - but did not have a clear picture in my head.</td></tr>
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One was just the forest trees as I have done before, so I did not bring it to the meeting as I could not really come up with anything new there, but I persevered working on it as sometimes new ideas come up when doing repeats.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Forest vase again! - but did try to bring out the shape on the left.</td></tr>
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The second ended up as bass players as the evening before I had attended the Messiah played by the Deep River Symphony Orchestra and the Choral Group. There were three bass players and the way they played and stood with their instruments really made for an interesting composition. I ended quite liking that as the pot also flowed with the figures. I left that at home as well as it did not seem to fit into my themes.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bass Players - front and back</td></tr>
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The last pot with a side panel I had a lot of trouble deciding what to do with and at first I made several holes that went all the way through, but ended up filling them in again. Eventually I ended up with a face of a woman, with a nose stud and earring as I felt it needed to add something a bit more interesting. Besides I like gimmicks.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homage to Keith</td></tr>
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I called it homage to Keith as he wears an earring. The suggestion was that I glaze it all in white so that it looks like it was carved out of stone. It would not be a colour that i would have chosen but we'll see. So this 3 part project did not turn out as I had originally expected - but that is what makes working with clay so much fun.Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-47336839665280819862013-03-02T22:14:00.000-05:002013-03-02T22:14:31.437-05:00Fusion Mentorship - January Meeting - Part IWell I am well behind in my posts, so I'm playing catch up again.<br />
The January meeting was almost two months after our last meeting in November and with Christmas in between there was not as much time to make work as I had expected. I braved the snowy Saturday morning weather again - with my husband driving this time - to North Bay on snow packed roads but made it on time for the start of the meeting.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdF8ZzoTxiIAlUeNqYAEz6n9DALTKNj9TlsqUcbeKTtoc_Sg7hB5w9LuA3sAYBdy9YgkbmqYXzg45V-C7YVsc-ETYp473DfURiedtV9jXn0TZkpZcfEu86kpzIohKIv0ENVEujqAjjKPc/s1600/Jan+17+2013+040.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdF8ZzoTxiIAlUeNqYAEz6n9DALTKNj9TlsqUcbeKTtoc_Sg7hB5w9LuA3sAYBdy9YgkbmqYXzg45V-C7YVsc-ETYp473DfURiedtV9jXn0TZkpZcfEu86kpzIohKIv0ENVEujqAjjKPc/s400/Jan+17+2013+040.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nuclear cooling tower coffee set, but coffee pot needs to match the cups.</td></tr>
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With my nuclear theme, I had lots of problems trying to get some sort of clear printed words on the pots. For the teapot I used stick-on stencil letters, waxed around them, removed the letters and then brushed on black underglaze. It worked very well.<br />
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The trouble is I was not able to find small stick-on letters for the cups, so tried the gum arabic, stain/linseed oil method as described in Ceramic Arts Daily but my cups were too dry to get a good transfer - they need be a soft leather hard. So I just ended up writing on the cups with an underglaze squeeze bottle and thin metal tip - not what I really wanted. I glazed them with a clear glaze - and as the set was made of B-mix - it ended up gray - having picked up the iron from the body - which I liked . I wanted it to look industrial. - a safe every day process. Because the teapot did not match the cooling tower cups I decided to make another teapot - this time in the shape of a cooling tower, with a steam cloud for the knob, but did not get a chance to glaze that one for the meeting.<br />
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The fuel bundle trivet I glazed in a commercial glaze - Amaco bronze - and it was quite effective as a metallic looking glaze and suited the fuel bundle end section.. However as it was too time consuming to make as a multiple copy unless slipcast it, but I would have to do it in at least two parts. So I drew and xeroxed the pattern and transferred it to the trivets - a faster method though not as effective.visually.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candu fuel bundle end view</td></tr>
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I will need to work some more to see what I can come up with regarding the CANDU reactor as it does not have cooling towers, but a containment building and so the cooling towers representing nuclear energy does not resonate with the Canadian public.</div>
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I glazed the three sopranos with my usually stoney yellow, Hannah blue ash and some watercolour green. The blue ended up too stark so I reglazed with some stoney white at cone 6 slow cool electric which toned it down but the colours are all a bit muddy. I keep forgetting that the Bax is not the best for these colours as the glaze does pick up some iron from the clay. I need to use a porcelain or remember to spray with a white slip first. I really like the B-mix for handbuilding - it is really easy to fix seams or add stuff even if things get too hard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgND7NCwKJlmiWnWfLHhgdqeBkh9I79DXPro4vRn5unjp3pCYKU2DZHUA62EYDGmWYBovlRYR_ehLAelgdbWJ31hpeZiLdjum7IYlnBBPPXmNafBi-V-MbcmLnsf_zeOXBlRu1ua9-IqxI/s1600/Jan+17+2013+153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgND7NCwKJlmiWnWfLHhgdqeBkh9I79DXPro4vRn5unjp3pCYKU2DZHUA62EYDGmWYBovlRYR_ehLAelgdbWJ31hpeZiLdjum7IYlnBBPPXmNafBi-V-MbcmLnsf_zeOXBlRu1ua9-IqxI/s400/Jan+17+2013+153.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Three Sopranos</td></tr>
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For the Bottom Billion I ended up glazing the pot with my usually Dan Hill blue lithium slip, MD shino and temmoku. The glaze ended up really nice - a bit of golden lustre - as the shino sometimes get, but the hands, with some rutile overglaze did not show up well - look more like a tree. The oil slick is in temmoku with some rutile overglaze spray.<br />
I had made another one on that theme - with a narrower base, a book for the top, hands reaching up again and a tap handle. Again there was just too much info and all the messages got overloaded,plus the hands again did not look like hands but sea anemones. I've also been lax in taking photos so do not have a pictures of the Bottom Billion pots from that meeting.<br />
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<br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-72018090031204008542013-02-22T21:19:00.000-05:002013-02-24T22:00:24.787-05:00 Tips for Pulling Handles Off Of MugsI think that handles are one of the main skills that separate the real potters from the wannabes, especially on mugs. Almost every time you see a great handle it was made by a potter who had what I would call professional training of several years at a university, college etc. And most of those have been pulled directly off the mug. I know there are many other types, and lots of those handles are great as well but everyone should have a handle that is pulled off the cup in their handle making repertoire.<br />
I am still working on this. It took me many years to "see" what was wrong with my "pulled first and then attached handle". Three years later I am still working to perfect this type of handle. I suspect that it will always be a work in progress.<br />
One thing that I find is that if you do not time the stiffness of the mug correctly you can easily distort the cup when pulling the handle which may distort again in the firing due to clay memory. This would always discourage me trying to make this type of handle.<br />
In order to be able to attach a handle without distorting the cup when I was learning this type of handle I would keep a variety of fast food cups on hand and stick them into the cup until they fit snugly and make a good seal. For the initial attachment I would put my left hand inside to support the wall of the cup. But once I started pulling the handle I placed a correctly sized fast food cup inside the rim until it fitted tightly. That way - no distortion when applying and working on the handle and less chance of clay memory distorting the cup in the firing. I have a variety of different sized cups on hand for this. Also as a final touch I rotated a tightly fitting cup inside the clay cup to "set" the roundness of the rim.<br />
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Many tips also mention tapping the end of the handle to compress the butt end. You can do this with your forefinger, or tapping on the table or use a wooden paddle. For a long time I just did not see the reasoning behind this until it finally hit me (duh!!). The more compressed the clay, the smaller the distances between the particles and so the less they will shrink when drying - so this prevents cracks from developing at the joint.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tapping to compress the end of the handle prior to attachment</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulled handle pugs prior to compressing on left and after compressing<br />
on right - note its oval shape and smooth edges of the butt end.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rather fuzzy pic - but it shows the scoring that leaves an unscored <br />
edge all round the butt end.</td></tr>
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Another tip is not scoring the butt end right to the edges. This way you have a solid "rim" around the butt and when you apply it it leaves a slight crack with smooth rounded edges all around. You can accentuate this with a pencil after you have attached the handle and it has set up a bit.This slight crack tends to fill with glaze - and depending on the glaze will nicely emphasize the join.<br />
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I never score the bottom join and never compress it either and never seem to have problems on the bottom join. I always cover the cups overnight and after that air dry them. - even speed stuff up after that in the oven or kiln with no cracking.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pX4QRN7LBJFtyO44r3xol-EHOJe7lKIwebnGi-dcE67mEOBiYK3fcQZ3jOfpEV3H8BP-hTPRAvhddbN_klGrdxWuKYkpjE_3s1UOnrA_SXRNm7lB-3qXiE-J2vGXPqech2Nj-mX3uVc/s1600/July+16+2012+035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pX4QRN7LBJFtyO44r3xol-EHOJe7lKIwebnGi-dcE67mEOBiYK3fcQZ3jOfpEV3H8BP-hTPRAvhddbN_klGrdxWuKYkpjE_3s1UOnrA_SXRNm7lB-3qXiE-J2vGXPqech2Nj-mX3uVc/s200/July+16+2012+035.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three cups with the pulled handle</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOfGm48YWRlQwr2W9q6klHDgPFn0agVIQRFJwC0vjGckxifFOQlWoO3pZ9SECc37SQkPEysf7M7-Rja9IToycBtWtjSxeqmxmD_SOH41-Ns4BwoRpYTH7jcMsGGUNdvXq8nOE1QCmkDQ/s1600/Jan+17+2013+120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuOfGm48YWRlQwr2W9q6klHDgPFn0agVIQRFJwC0vjGckxifFOQlWoO3pZ9SECc37SQkPEysf7M7-Rja9IToycBtWtjSxeqmxmD_SOH41-Ns4BwoRpYTH7jcMsGGUNdvXq8nOE1QCmkDQ/s320/Jan+17+2013+120.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhqH0pnuEETRx8XNTu405zPpfTsL9Y5v2qUdvcs1v-dXpYY0Cy04VmRCYkzGKk02pr4YMMn3oVIDvFHth9qrXkaIintWzm91Xzy0SvGATv98709RJzAGz6oeeFHexI6GbWiNafDqAgW0/s1600/Jan+17+2013+115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhqH0pnuEETRx8XNTu405zPpfTsL9Y5v2qUdvcs1v-dXpYY0Cy04VmRCYkzGKk02pr4YMMn3oVIDvFHth9qrXkaIintWzm91Xzy0SvGATv98709RJzAGz6oeeFHexI6GbWiNafDqAgW0/s320/Jan+17+2013+115.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So after three years I find that I have finally managed to put on handles with this method just as easily and fast as those that are pulled first but they look so much better - they seem to grow more out of the cup. However looking at the above three pics I think that they still need work - they seem to stick out a bit too much. It is hard to make them comfortable for two fingers yet look stylish.<br />
<br />
Right now I seem to have gotten into a rut in the shape and style of pulled handle off the mug. My next goal is to work on the blended handle - where the join either top or bottom or both are fully blended into the cup. I really love those, but they are more time consuming to make, though well worth the effort.Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8226645132870659160.post-14684290458676466552012-12-23T14:00:00.000-05:002012-12-23T14:00:00.877-05:00The Gift of Really SeeingAs the year ends with Christmas shoppers hopefully buying lots of gifts of pottery I am wishing everyone success in their journey in clay. My aim for 2013 is to make better pots - especially in terms of form. For this I need to keep training my eye - need to really look at pots. Here is a cup that I bought about 8 years ago. I rarely make bright blue pots and so I guess that's why I sometimes buy them. At the time I thought it was not bad - not great but not bad. Years later I can see that it is a very bad handle and not a very stylish cup at that - not a good foot nor an inspiring form - so actually a pretty bad cup.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcUUxQeF1X_J_E_awEUTSelpWaliAIcU7B9r2D4bJ5wlTJrLs_vIuDfzqzac_g5Mpn8-Aff0fXyeZVVDcfJpb5Itmu4uL2d07__gPvSblq0ntNuzFW1vGOj5BvlWT38eQkUfrzRnmZ1o/s1600/Dec+18+2012+034.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixcUUxQeF1X_J_E_awEUTSelpWaliAIcU7B9r2D4bJ5wlTJrLs_vIuDfzqzac_g5Mpn8-Aff0fXyeZVVDcfJpb5Itmu4uL2d07__gPvSblq0ntNuzFW1vGOj5BvlWT38eQkUfrzRnmZ1o/s400/Dec+18+2012+034.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cup with fly away handle - lacking a good foot and <br />
uninspiring shape that I bought several years ago..</td></tr>
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My mentorship with Steven Hill really helped me to look critically at pots and actually see what I was looking at. I thought that over the past few years I had become much more adept at this - especially at discerning good form. I was quite disappointed recently when I bought a cup and totally missed the handle part of it. I bought it because of the colour - a rutile blue - which we have been trying to get in our gas kiln at the Guild with mixed success. It would be an example of what we would strive for. It was not until I brought it home and looked at it again that I realized how bad the handle was.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27r6XYmdvrqTabqSaWc6DFC4lNRHdCSg0Nvp7OwGbu2n0QYXdw_VfdwX3iJANXdrvxF9Kn7M7TI3pCPBgk8pcbJTHgIXLjalZAhwWq5SK3xLIMG3Ps3PKaH5Ps-o6cNZS3ZDPVuw6OrY/s1600/Dec+18+2012+035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27r6XYmdvrqTabqSaWc6DFC4lNRHdCSg0Nvp7OwGbu2n0QYXdw_VfdwX3iJANXdrvxF9Kn7M7TI3pCPBgk8pcbJTHgIXLjalZAhwWq5SK3xLIMG3Ps3PKaH5Ps-o6cNZS3ZDPVuw6OrY/s400/Dec+18+2012+035.jpg" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handle all wonky - it would not have<br />
taken much for the potter to round out the handle at least.</td></tr>
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Yet it was so obvious - I had been seduced by the colour. I was so disappointed in myself.. It just goes to show you really need to work at "seeing" a pot as a whole. So how can we expect the buying public to choose good design and a well made pot if an experienced potter like myself can't see it sometimes. So here is wishing everyone in 2013 the gift of really seeing - seeing good form, good function and making great pots.<br />
<br />Newfoundout Potterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06962914877696149188noreply@blogger.com1