EPONA……Women and Horses in Mythology

Really what is it about HORSES………

It’s no Secret that I have had this Love affair with horses since I was little.  In fact, for my  first Bedroom design I wanted  horses to my mother’s dismay (she would have preferred I have a “Pink Ballet” motif).  I had cowgirl designs in mind with horses everywhere, bed spread,curtains,etc.  Later I was  to have the ballet designs in Pink….. 

I grew up on the South side of Chicago which doesn’t lend itself to a horse environment.  My father grew up on a farm in Indiana and my Mother grew up by the stock yards of Chicago.  Makes for a weird blending of  parental experiences.

Epona, like the horse goddesses from Celtic and other cultures, links the horse, the divine and the feminine. These ancient myths and legends can still inform us today and may help us understand the incredible draw that so many girls and women have to horses. Epona, depicted so beautifully on top of the English hill, reminds us of a time when women and horses were sacred, honored, and free. So, who was Epona? What did she represent? And how does she speak to us today throughout the millennia?   http://www.epona.net/

I have often wondered what this attraction is to horses?  I have owned several in my life and even quit riding for long periods of time only to be drawn back to them again…and again….and again.  And now they are appearing on my CLAY.

 

This box would make a great COOKIE or CANDY jar It has a removal Lid and will be food safe.

 

Hummmm I may never know what “IT” is but I guess it really doesn’t matter…..all I know is they fascinate me when riding,grooming, showing, grazing, and now in my clay pottery work  HUmmmmmmm!

 

Vases with a TWIST!

  Since my last sets of Vases have sold out I decided to focus again on shape and design.  These two beauties are oval in shape, about 14-16 inches Tall.  The design is again something that my Grandma hand made and I used that slab roller to imprint her design in the clay.

  The details that my grandmother was able to get into cloth is amazing to me but dollies and such are not something I want to display in my home at the moment.  Still I enjoyed her work and wanted to use her designs in something I was interested in  CLAY.

  I like the different patterns that she was able to do and want to reflect that in the clay.  I used only white stone ware prior to the last set of vases and I am branching out into some brown stoneware as well.  I’ll post the finished glazed pieces in a few days so stay tuned!

I’m otta here……

TIP plates with little or no WARPING

Ah the never ending challenge of throwing Plates on a wheel only to have them warp when drying,bisque firing or worse yet the last stage Glaze firing.  I seem to have designed a system that works for me with little warping.  This system also allows for repeat designs and consistently thrown plates. 

Here’s the secret TIP!  I throw a plate that I like in shape and design.  Something that I would like to repeat for a dinner set.  I than make a mold from the plate so I can repeat the same shape,design for the matching set.

    Steps to throwing repeat Dinner set Plates:

1.  Throw a plate on the wheel and let it dry.                                

2.  Take that plate and make a mold from it using pottery plaster and a frame for the plate to hold the plaster in while it drys.  I use a ROUND mold shape/frame so that it will fit on my wheel.  You can also buy a plastic mold      http://www.bigceramicstore.com/supplies/SlumpHump.htm  would be an example of some slump/hump molds.  You are limited in their design tho and if you throw your own plate, well it will be your design only not really reproduced by anyone else.

3.  When the mold is dry in a few hours, I use a bat as a stencil and poke through the holes for the bat pins on the bottom of my mold.  That way it will sit on my wheel head while I throw a foot for a plate,etc.  If the bottom is uneven you can sand it to get a smooth bottom or just use a layer of clay on the wheel head for the mold to stick too and a better fit.

4.  Than I use a slab of clay and drape it over the mold attached to my wheel head and throw a foot.  I take the mold/bat off the wheel head and let the plate dry just like that.  The air and plaster seem to allow for same or even drying so no warping or cracking.

5.  I bisque fire the plates when completely dry and I use plate setters for the larger plates that do not fit on a half shelf.  I will fire two plates rim to rim in a bisque firing but only one plate at a time, on a plate setter, in a glaze firing.

This system  seems to work for me.  Good Luck!

 

Shape and Design for Vases

Shape and SIZE does MATTER  <G>    

Well, I have been working!  The vases I did recently (6 of them) with Variegated Slate Blue MC6G and Black on top were a “Hit”.  They sold out!  Amazing to me still…so I have been thinking about shape recently and of course Vases.  Oval and Rectangular are my new forms for vases still varying the height.  I was focused on groups of 3 but somehow these groups of 4 are appealing to me as well.

I received some good feed back recently about my photos.  I like the dinner Set Rustic contemporary with a wooden table and silver in the background.  The vases I did recently though didn’t show up very well next to a pine tree and grass.  There were alot of suggestions about photos and cubes,natural lighting,etc.  So I am trying just plain Jane white photos to show off my vases.  No shadows,no blue lighting,etc.  Just basic white background with no color just the piece itself in all it’s glory!  Hummmmm…..not really sure if I like it but I will give it a try just the same……Thanks for the FEEDBACK!

My current Temp firing is as follows for cone ^6 glazing for more a matt type glaze affect.

1  100F/hr  220F temp no  hold                                                                                                                       

2  350F/hr  2000F temp  no hold

3  108F/hr  Cone ^6 (2232)  15 hold

4  500F/hr  1900F temp   10 hold

5  125F/hr  1400 temp  no hold

Afterwards, depending on how cold it is outside ( we got snow today and it was 75 yesterday) go figure, I will shut off my kiln or let it cool down a bit slower.

Still experimenting with MC6G glazes and some I have found on the Internet.  I would like to get about 6 I like and work with those but we shall see.  Right now I am just experimenting and taking REALLY GOOD notes regarding glazes and firings.

I’m otta here……. 

Rustic Contemporary Dinner Set

New line of Dinner ware.  “Rustic Contemporary in Design” with earth tones and a twist.

I like the colors and how they came out.  MC6G glazes with a twist in the chemicals.  Almost a olive “Rustic” metallic with purple and blues.

Glazing TIPs on a budget!~

Well it’s not “OTTER’s” Bowl Exactly…….I had to put my other Lab down recently “TAOS”.  She was a buddy and faithful companion to myself and Otter.  She also was a search and rescue dog from Summit County ,COLORADO whom  I trained up there since she was 6 weeks old.  Taos was 18 years old and that’s a long time for a Lab.

Anyway, what to do with Taos’s dog dish set-up?  I didn’t really want to get rid of it but I didn’t need 2 sets anymore sooooooo.  I found the bottom holds 5 gallons of glaze with 2-3 inches to spare at the top.  I mix about 7,000 grams of glaze for approximately 5 gallons of glaze.  I was struggling with my 14 inch plates and larger platters with glazing and dipping.  These plastic tubs work great for that!

I get my USED Buckets from the grocery store ( in the bakery).  They just throw them out so the ladies and gentleman now save them for me instead of the land fill.

Remember that doggie dish?  Well I use that too on my scale for measuring chemicals.  Fit’s perfectly.  I use a 5 gal 80 mesh sieve over my buckets with a spoon instead of a brush.  I am working out of my garage (so no water source) so I have to use as little tools as possible to minimize the clean up.  The spoon works great to mix as well and help sieve the glazes.

Taos in her younger days…teaching OTTER ( my yellow lab) the ropes!  And of course I didn’t really know what to do with Taos yet soooooo I made an URN for her until I decide where her finally resting place will be….