Another great month for the pottery blogs. A few big names in the world of pottery have started blogs and are now part of the Clay Blog Review. And some of the pioneers are still going strong. Thanks to all bloggers for the pottery information that they share!
Process and Techniques
- Gary Jackson alters bowls, stamps bowls, continues a class demo, demos ovals, and reviews a two day workshop.
- Liberty Stoneware throws bigger pieces, adds handles and takes up a teapot challenge.
- Alex Cluck works on a huge pitcher.
- Hannah McAndrew is throwing and slipping, starts flapping, and fires up the kiln
- A number of blogs share a 2 hour(!) workshop demo by Ron Meyers and Michael Simon:
- Karen Mahoney has a nice tutorial about screen printing on clay.
- Lucy Fagella attaches handles to teapots.
- Togeii fires the noborigama. Check previous posts for full process.
- DirtKicker Pottery makes wheelthrown/handbuilt business card holders.
- Karatsu Pots makes handles… with diapers? and makes more pots
- Lori Watts designs lines of work,
- Ollie Pots shares the basics of the firing process.
- Doug Fitch has bowls, jugs, slip and a nice, steady stream of short video updates. Awesome!
- Scott Cooper posts a progress report.
- Paul Jessop has some pancheon troubles,
- Mom Cave Pottery starts a fern resist and continues.
- John Britt pulls handles and makes plates on a plaster bat:
- Trista Hudzick Reynolds is back in business with pots in progress.
- Diving into the Clay shares a video of throwing a tagine.
- Tony and Sheila Clennell are back at the wheel and decorating and getting away.
- Barnbarroch Pottery is drying out boats.
- Jemerick Art shows of new work by Steve.
- Aaron Sober shows the process of decorating a platter.
- Bfree Pottery develops new forms.
- Dan Finnegan has big fun, starts new tiles and presents his first attempt at film.
- Lorri Buff also goes big.
- Joy Tanner has some hand carved bowls.
- Michael Kline gives the video camera a whirl to show an afternoon at the pottery:
- Kelly Lynn Daniels jumps on the 12×12 bandwagon.
- Ann Tubbs shows how to print on glazed ware.
- Deb Thuman has a variety of work in progress and even more.
- Hollis Engley needs a rest from so much throwing.
- John Britt shares another informative video about firing with horse hair and fuming:
- Charles Hughes works smarter after finding some custom cutters.
- Ron Philbeck shares a circle divider and some of his pots in progress (with good discussion):
- Ron also uses his new ribs, turns some feet, slips a jar and describes his small runs.
- Catherine White talks art+science and sees the unseen.
- Tracey Broome takes a break from dragon slaying and describes her routine and tools.
- Pottery by Lisa trims a bowl with a unique rim.
- Robin Hopper shares some info about slipware pottery and more slipware.
Tips and Technical
- Marian Williams offers a few tips for organizing and mixing glaze ingredients.
- John Britt shares a ^6 recipe for Magruder Red, a post and recipe from Diane Puckett’s new blog, a ^10 Kuan Crackle recipe, and two more ^10 recipes with results.
- Meagan Chaney lets guest artist Cassie Ryalls share a low fire glaze.
- FetishGhost is compiling notes on a volcanic glaze.
- Diving into the Clay gives some tips on how to avoid explosions during bisque firing, links to another good article on the subject, and shares some details about zinc from alchymista.
- Lori Watts tries a shino trick (to encourage ash migration) and shares some glaze recipes that she is changing.
- Liberty Stoneware finds out what happens when things freeze.
- Tammy Jo re-shares the top 10 things she learned during her year long project.
- Hollis Engley shares results from testing a new glaze.
- Togeii used 20% less wood according to his calculations.
Finished Work
- DirtKicker Pottery makes pottery for the ladies.
- Jim Gottuso celebrates an anniversary and shows some work.
- Dawn Whitehand has work fresh from the kiln.
- D. Michael Coffee “breaks the rules” and puts shino over other glazes.
- FetishGhost dances with crows and does a little testing.
- Round Rabbit has pendants, some are reversible!
- Patricia Bridges cranks out the yarn bowls and then goes XL.
- Ron Philbeck videos the kiln unloading:
- Tracey Broome shares photos of new work.
- Linda Starr has some slab built dishes and pedestal bowls and pendants oh my!
- Patricia Griffin shows off some pillow tiles before they’re gone.
- Karen Mahoney has lots of new work.
- Togeii has some photos of firing results.
- Michael Mahan finishes some pots with natural ash.
- Art by Fuzzy unveils some new logo mugs.
- Marian Williams has results from the gas kiln.
- Kim Murton offers a sneak peek.
- The Clennells now create low fire work that is not drab.
- Hannah McAndrew opens up the kiln.
- Hollis Engley opens the kiln and gets more questions.
- Jemerick Art Pottery has handsome and interesting pots.
- Potter Jo shows off some fern imprints.
- Jackie Sedlock shares a few photos with natural backgrounds.
- Lori Watts shares new pots from the last firing.
- Bfree Pottery finished some soda pots.
Thoughts
- Carter Gillies responds to Richard Jacobs and the price of beauty, posts standards of seeing beauty and continues the discussion with another lesson.
- Carter also discusses the Sad Legacy of Pablo Picasso as it relates to pottery students:
Sometimes it gets expressed as “You have to know the rules before you can break them.” And just about every student who tells me this hauls out the example of Pablo Picasso. The mantra is that he had to learn how to paint realistically before he could veer off into cubism and what not.
- He also touches on the creative upside of brain damage and making pots with the master and slave.
- Aaron Sober wonders if we can afford to be cynical towards handmade objects.
Cynicism towards the mainstream craft world, the purveyors of paint your own pottery, the Etsy crowd, and the Michaels Craft world should perhaps be replaced with sincerity and approval.
- Dick Lehman shows that beauty is the vocation of clay.
- Lori Buff applies what she learns at a cake decorating workshop:
Basically, if you’re sacrificing your personal relationships to create something that you’re going to sell for less than minimum wage than maybe you should spend a little less time on this work.
The Rest
- Robin Hopper shares thoughts on designing, making, pricing and marketing pottery. He also talks color and materials in 1, 2, 3 parts.
- Gary Jackson runs into a chargeback on the Square.
- John Britt discovers that there is a ceramics solution page on facebook and shares a couple photo setups.
- D. Michael Coffee shows how he packs a yunomi for shipment.
- Karen Mahoney changes backgrounds for Etsy photos, shares her current hand creams and has reasons to check out Pinterest.
- Lori Watts is already somewhat addicted.
- Kristen Kieffer is completely addicted.
- Diving into the Clay has a pop quiz about problems throwing pots (and answers).
- Tracey Broome finds out what to do to feel miserable as an artist and lets pro photographers shoot her work.
- Carter Gillies volunteers to inspire the youth with clay.
- Jen Mecca doesn’t look forward to her own openings.
- Whitney Smith is a recovery workaholic.
- Jay Wiese Pottery shares 10 lessons for young designers.
- Luke Langholz answers questions from young artists in Guam.
- Clementina Ceramics finds a great tribute to Emmanuel Cooper.
- Linda Starr shows the telescoping folding hand truck she uses for shows.
- Mom Cave Pottery shares some creative process posters.
- Russell Wrankle is nominated for “most graphic description in a post about pottery”.
- Mea Rhee does some heavy lifting.
- Marian Williams tries to avoid heavy lifting with wheels.
As always, thanks for checking in. If you have any suggestions feel free to leave a comment or send an email.
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