Sculpting with Clay

A few years ago, when I was just starting school to study ceramic arts, one of my assignments was to come up with some images of work from other ceramicists that I admired. I found an artist named Jennifer McCurdy who was doing beautiful work with cutout porcelain. I fell in love with her work. And of course, I had to try to try making a cutout piece myself. As a beginner. It fell apart in spectacular fashion of course and I tabled the idea for a few years.

And then a few months ago, Jennifer McCurdy popped up in Clayflicks with a workshop! I signed up immediately and spent an enthralling three hours listening to and watching this talented artist talk about and show how she makes her compelling cutout pieces. Not easy! The entire process ends with turning the piece upside down on a stilt (post) for final firing so that it slumps down with gravity.

Of course I had to try it again, but without the slump firing. I’m not ready for that yet. And I stayed small. I wanted to see if my piece would stand once I took away a good portion of it. It was a bit touch and go there for a while and I had to repair (successfully) a portion of it that separated from the whole, but in the end, I had a not-too-bad cutaway piece that stands 3.5 inches high and 4 inches wide. In one piece, no cracks!

I’m going to make another one, larger next time and with maybe fewer top supports. We’ll see how it goes.

Mortar & Pestle

Summer herbs will be here soon–unless you are like me and winter them over so you have them all year long. In any case, a mortar and pestle is a must in any kitchen where herbs make an appearance. These two pieces are the ceramic version of an old standard.

For a Good Cause

My little mug was sold along with something like 5,400 other cups and mugs at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) conference’s cup sale to benefit the organization. The annual conference was held in Richmond, VA this past week. I believe a good time was had by all. I know I had a good time!

First Deliverables of the Year

Somewhere along the line, I acquired a repeat customer who loves my “Mediterranean ware.” These pasta bowls and French coffee mugs will move to their new home later this week. The four bowls will be added to four other bowls I made…probably in 2022, to make a set of eight. The French coffee mugs are also going to make a set, but one is to replace a mug that got broken and the others are to join the original remaining mug to make a set of four.

This was a challenging task for me because all I had to go on visually was a printout of the photo I snapped of the first bowls and mugs and my memory. The clay is most assuredly different from the original stonewareI used and the new stoneware appears to have had a higher shrinkage rate. The four new bowls will most likely be a bit smaller than the original bowls. Same for the mugs.

The “yellow” color that appears on both the bowls and the mugs was one I originally created by mixing together white, various yellows, and a bit of red and/or orange underglazes. It’s impossible to determine the actual color outcome until the pieces are glaze fired. The newer pieces are much warmer (i.e., orangey) than the original pieces. I think the color is lush and beautiful, but I sure hope they are not so far removed from the originals as to jangle the perception of a set! Such is the unpredictability of making ceramics. I hate it, I love it!

2023 in Review

It turned out to be a busy year. Lots of making, lots of selling. Of pottery. Because this is a blog where I document my progress as a ceramic artist, I feel I need to catch up some. So, here is a walk through some of the pieces I made this year, most of which are now gracing the homes of other people. Many thanks to those who appreciate my work, providing me with encouragement and validation by taking a piece home.

For a Happy Customer

At my Master’s show, I received a commission for a pomegranate planter, two egg white separators, and a two-piece African violet pot (it waters from the bottom). I was happy to oblige. From all reports, my customer was happy.

The pomegranate planter and the egg white separators are majolica or a combination of majolica and underglaze. The African violet pot is white clay on the bottom and white clay painted with red clay slip on the top. The turquoise glaze I used (my own creation) reacted differently with the two different types of clay, as expected.

Duality

I’ve reached an important milestone: my Masters show after over three years of hard work. Now I get to put what I learned from earning this degree into practice. It’s fun getting up in the morning!

And I finally created a rudimentary website as a springboard of what’s to come. Please visit!

http://ceramiclectia.com/

Wings and Wheels

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I’m still really busy working on the final leg of my Master’s degree in ceramic arts, which culminates in my Master’s show in November. But a sideline project this summer was making all of these car- and plane-related mugs for a Wings and Wheels festival I was planning on attending as a vendor in September. Unfortunately the festival was canceled at the last minute due to illness in the family of the organizers. Now I have all these mugs! The person who runs their website was kind enough to post photos of the mugs on their website, but I thought I would post them here and on Instagram as well. Just in case, you know. Someone might need a car- or plane-related mug. I can always save them for next year’s festival, but you know. I can always make more, particularly since I’ll be done with school!

Still At It

I haven’t posted much here lately because I’ve been too busy making. And preparing for my Masters show in November. Here is a sneak peek at some of my pieces. In addition to functional pieces, I’m also working on a possible sculptural narrative. I feel like I still have a long way to go, but that said, I’m heading for a two-week workshop in ceramic sculptural form at the Haystack School of Craft in Maine. Perhaps I’ll come back with new inspiration.

I used paper clay to create the impressionistic people in the sculpture pictured. So great working with paper clay. It’s pliable and light. When it survives through the bone dry and bisque stages without clumsy mishandling (and breakage) to the finished glaze product, it’s as strong as any other vitrified glazed piece.

A Plentitude of Bowls

Still working on mastering majolica and continuing to have pretty good results. I’m taking a break from lemons here (but they will be back in force, never fear!). I got interested in peas for two pasta bowls and two salad bowls. I also tried another herb shredder and was thrilled with the result. It reminded me a bit of an abstract photo I once made of an iris garden on a rainy day. On the fruit bowl, I began experimenting with combining techniques: majolica and mishima (carving out the wet clay, then inlaying underglaze to get crisp lines). The outside of the bowl is mishima. I liked it, although not necessarily the muddiness that occurred from wiping away the excess black underglaze. I came up with a fix for next time. You’ll have to wait for next time.