From the past...labyrinths

Several methods, of which I'm still not certain I would do them again, of glazing a finger labyrinth.

The designs are from our ancestors, way way back.  The triple spiral is found at Newgrange, Ireland, and the island of Malta.

The other occurs at Chartres Cathedral, in France...at a sight said to have been holy before the Christians came there.

Both labyrinths are to be followed meditatively with a pencil/pen/toothpick etc.  To spend a moment away from screens of digital images, and thinking of the continual spirals of our lives, in out around and back to come to center.  Which is what a labyrinth is all about.

Now remember, a maze is full of dead ends and aims to confuse one into never getting to center, or even returning.  The labyrinth is to attain center, slowly, to spend that time on your own movements, and perhaps to think slower, and feel better.  That's what I've heard.

Green eyes

Willow goddess...

Celadon platter with Stroke n Coat glazed design, outlined by the new Mayco Designer Liners.

Lady bug, lady bug...

I have no idea what the rest of that rhyme is...do you?

But I was inspired by something to paint a couple of lady bugs on slabs of clay the other day...and on the side of a bowl.  The slabs were fired, and one went to a vendor at the Tailgate Market early Saturday morning.  She needed a birthday gift, and the Mud Buddies are always happy to help her with her gift giving  needs.

These are meant as wall hangings, as many of my recent pieces have been.

I'm still waiting for the market to discover wall hangings...especially these with little pockets for something personal to be added.

Plate painting

I've run out of blank plates...this week I went back to throwing more, trimming more, taking to the BMCA studio, then waiting for bisque firing...and sometime this next week I can start painting some more designs.  No two alike, as you may have noticed.  I love doing trees and Celtic type designs of my own.  (No copying other designs out there!)

What else hangs on a wall?

Not ice cream cones, but weed pocket cones...for indoor or outdoor use.

I got six of these made with different colors...and shapes.  Fun to make, can't wait till they are used!

More wall hangings

... these pillow shapes have their own little pockets in which something might be stuck by the ingenious decorator.

Updated blog

I tried last month to update my blog tabs so newer pottery would appear up at the top of this page (just below the header.)  And yesterday I did a revision of that, posting some newer things again.

Now I'm wanting to have the slide show effect that others have on their sites.  I don't know how to do that however.

If you know how, and can point me in the right direction, I'd be so happy to learn about it.  I'd like to have about 7-8 slides of my work at the top of the page, and skip the header picture.

Just saying...if I could wish for a change, maybe I can make it happen.

I do have power point, never used it, but perhaps that's the way folks make slide shows...???

tailgate Gratitude

The booths at the Tailgate Market that have lines before we open are usually the fresh produce booths.  And the fresh baked goods.

There was an inordinate amount of people in Black Mountain yesterday, for an overcast cool day...and everyone dropped by the Tailgate Market.  Amazing.

Charles talking with Marsha

Our Mud Buddies did well.

Marsha's grandchildren had their annual lemonade booth, with a canopy in case of rain.  But Marsha said "It's not going to rain."  Just like that.  Like the sky is grey...she knew.  We all believed her.  And she was right.  I'm listening to her more often!

But because it was cool, less lemonade sold than if it had been typical August weather.  However, it was better than last year when it rained on the kids booth.

We also were blessed to have a bee demonstration, complete with hive within a glass case, and extractor, and the bee suits that kids got to try on.

And did I mention live music right next to our booth!  We were serenaded by one of my favorite acoustic groups (and I can't think of their name right now.)  No mikes so we were still able to hear all the customers questions.

Of course one person always says "is this lead free?"  Yes, everything is food safe and dishwasher safe. (Except the decorative raku wares, of course.)

A cute little fella in line with me for baked goodies (for his owner of course)

 

I enjoyed the best gluten free carrot and walnut muffin from Auntie "M"s pie and baked goods booth.  And I took home a couple of her brownies which are unbelievable that they're gluten free.  I also had to get some fresh and frozen seafood, and some locally grown organic produce...I came home tired and happy.

Good friends would sit and listen to the music while children danced and played

Tomorrow...

Butter fly wall hangings

There's basically a plate design turned back to the wall, making a pillow type shape.

Some of these I add a little pocket in the front, where the decorative person might add something hanging out...ivy? grass? twigs? flowers?

Geometry approximati

 I like geometric shapes, but not mathematically accurate.  I never use patterns to cut my slab shapes.

They are approximations...I would say (more sounding like Latin that really being correct) approximati.

Or would it be approximates?

Anyway, the flat backs are something I'm having some issues with.  I tossed out a couple that had warped badly.  Maybe the raised shapes are the best idea.  Funny, that's what I started with, and I thought these could be more delicate.  Well, they certainly do require different handling.

I pressed the 2 sunshine shapes between wallboard for a couple of days, but their tips still wanted to curl.  Then I painted them with wax, hoping they would be less inclined to dry faster than the middles.  They've been under plastic for 2 days now.  So I shall go to the studio soon and see how they are doing.  (The plastic, rather than continuing the wallboard, is because I've now merged the pocket with the backing, and it's three dimensional.)

Delightful sale

I am sorry to see the vase on the right leave home...but on the other hand, I'm delighted that it's going to go live with my cousin in Arizona.

Yay family that likes pottery!  Thanks so much, Patricia!  I'm so glad to have you back in my life after forty something (ahem) years.

In my usual sharing of how things are made...the bottom is wheel thrown, then the top part is made of pieces of slab that are pinched and smoothed together.  The glazing is a bit of Stroke and Coat for the color highlights then some nutmeg and clear glazes sponged over everything.  Interior is just clear, which shows the Little Loafers' shade of warm white stoneware.

Mud Buddies booth at Tailgate Market

tabs set

If you should hover your cursor over the words just below my header, you might find I've updated my tabs.

Take a moment and see them, and let me know what you think.  Thanks!
Barb

PS, I'm also asking folks to be my friend on FaceBook at Barbara Rogers, Alchemy of Clay.  Then I can post more things over there, which might just be available to more folks than my dear blogger friends.  Not that I don't love you, but when thinking of sharing pottery, the more people that see it, the better!

And if that leads you to the wrong link, let me know.  I'm kind of stuck, cause when I look for the link to it, it gives me my "personal page" rather than the posting one.  Confusing!

Cat paws

She has passed here.

I love the way the matt bronze green has little crystals forming in it, and the shiny white and pink paw prints contrast not only in color but in texture.  Fun!

Incidentally, I updated my tabs above the posts (right under the title) so more recent pieces are displayed.  It would be really great if you contacted me to buy whatever your hearts desired!

Moon dancer plate

I tried slip trailing onto leather hard clay, and the slip trailer kept getting clogged up with clay.  I guess I've gotten used to a technique that works on bisque-ware.  I do love Mayco Stroke n' Coat glazes for the detail work, but it's a pain to put 3 coats on of each color.  I probably will limit the amount of color I apply...at least the Stroke n' Coat colors.

A tree mug going full circle

One version of my tree mugs

One of our former Mud Budies, is still part of the clay community here in Black Mountain.  Elise Reed is a volunteer for Open Studio on Sundays at BMCA clay studio.  And she and I were having a conversation a couple of months ago...that she was looking for a temp job over the summer, since she teaches art during the year.

I had just that morning seen on FaceBook, a posting of a camp looking for someone who knows clay.  I am pretty sure it was on the Clay Club...perhaps just as a blog notice.  Anyway, I gave the info right off my phone to Elise, and she applied.

The rest of the story, well, she was just right for the job, and she loves it.

But more to bring it full circle.  Yesterday she posted this picture on FB.

She shared it because, when she'd been in the kitchen of the woman in charge of the camp, she found my mug.  And the back story must have been shared as well, because by the time she told me where it was, there were 20 "likes." 

I had connected her to get the job at the camp, and someone there had bought one of my tree mugs.  I thanked her, and was grateful for good things going full circle.

Computer and slip trailing

OK, I won't rant at ya...just know I'm among the many out there with computer woes today.

Upgrades always leave us worse off, so why do we do them?  I took 4 months before I finally did it, and I'm SORRY.

Slip trailing...got new pens...tried them with fantastic results.  THen got a new "matt clear" to put on top of things.  Not at all matt.  And I think it's why one of the slip trailers messed up.

In case you haven't noticed, all the heavy lines look like crayons that melted.

Spectrum underglaze black, which worked fine on my first plate (see header, some of the heavy lines on the plate are that and some are Raised Black, but with our studio clear shiny glaze.)

All the heavy lines on this new piece are the underglaze black, and the clear is all the  Matt (ha ha ha) clear.

They were both fired on the same schedule as well.

MudBuddies are happy this week!

Our sales were great on Saturday.
We had fabulous weather, it may have gotten close to 80 by noon when we closed...but there were those great cool mountain breezes too.

More people came by our booth steadily than we often have.  It was great to see such interest in pottery.

Our member, Cathy came down with a cold, so I'm sending her some healing energy before she takes the duty next weekend with Pat.  Pat and I were working our booth for the last 2 weeks.  Being a co-op of 5 potters has meant we only each have to work about half the weekends of the summer.  Not bad.

I've had some disappointments from the kiln this week...glazes and more glazes that just let me down.  But it's all a learning opportunity, right?

Now I've got to work on paying my quarterly sales taxes.

Gone Fishing? (Tailgating)

The various relatives used to go tailgating before a big football or soccer game.  Do people still do that?

My kind of Tailgating is off in a grassy area under some big old oak trees, and under cute little canopies...with tables of pottery...and eatables, and other crafts...all local.

Support the local economy.  You probably already make an effort to do that. 

Yep, there's another of my new wall-pillows...and I've got 6 more thrown that are smaller and white clay.

This is a mid-way done shot of the glazing process for a plate.  Much more slip-trailing to be done...and remember the glazes will darken down with firing.  Just thought I'd tease you!