Clay Blog Review: February 2015

February has slipped past. Many pottery bloggers are dealing with snow and cold but still cranking out their pots and blogs. See all the great blogging below! If this is your first visit, you can see the Clay Blog Review from January or all the previous Reviews.

And don’t forget, if you enjoy some good pottery tips, you can sign up for the Pottery Making Newsletter!

The Can’t Miss

What were some of the very best blog posts of the past month?

• Lori Watts: Slip Slop Oops
• Down to the Earth Pottery: Down Draft Barrel Firing a Simple Set-up for a Cool Effect
• Future Relics Pottery Blog: Cleaner Way to Make Large Bowls
• musing about mud: technical tuesday: carved drawings
• Liz Crain Ceramics: Are You Experienced? 10 Ceramic Skills Extenders
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: My Favorite Class Demo : Bowls With A Twist
• NCECA Blog: Using Social Media as a Ceramic Artist
• Bella Joy Pottery: How a Coffee Mug is Made
• Hobby Pottery Blog: How I Made My New Chopmark – Custom Rubber Stamp
• Rachel Dorn: Mold Making
• Bella Joy Pottery: How a Coffee Mug Handle is Made

Process and Technique

What do pots look like during the process and how are they made?

• ang design blog: mark making on clay…
• Blog – Clay By Laura: Change of Scene
• Tony Clennell: Who do you want to be?
• Carole Epp: technical tuesday: Two Ways to Alter Rims of Wheel Thrown Plates | JENNIFER ALLEN

• Blue Starr Gallery: Flower and Leaf Serving Trays
• Tony Clennell: Narratives, form and surface
• New Day Pottery: Busy January
• Down to the Earth Pottery: Supplies and January Thaw
• Gary Jackson: Score. Slip. Attach. Repeat.
• Ellison Bay Pottery: Winter in Ellison Bay: Art Show–New Dog–New Ideas —Oh My!!!
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: A Baker’s Dozen : Before & After
• MudFire Pottery: February 10, 2014
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: Second Kiln Load and Quiet Inspiration
• Bridges Pottery Blog: Thinking of SPRING – just pictures
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: More Bowl Details
• Molly Hatch: News and Projects: A peek at my visit to WCU Ceramics
• Bridges Pottery Blog: Large Platters
• part time pottery: It’s Spring
• Jenny Mendes: A meditation on Pablo Neruda’s love poems
• Karatsupots Blog: What I’ve been up to…
• Hobby Potter – Artist Tammy Jo Schoppet: Test Tiles & Art Restores Kids Project
• Dawn Whitehand: Visual Artist: Sunday Studio Visit : Having A Play
• paul the potter: Large Leaf Jug and workshop revamp
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Another Stamped Platter

• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Bike Wheel, Spinning and Not Spinning
• Tony Clennell: Lost in translation
• meesh’s pottery: Batten Down The Hatches
• Hannah McAndrew: G G G G Glazes!
• Lori Buff: Creating a Surface
• Nanban Ceramics: Next firing, noborigama
• Linda Starr: More Cowbell
• Rachel Dorn: Throwing Lots of Bulbs
• Anna’s Ceramics: First firing and the Matchbox Show
• Kitty’s Granada Studio: Scorpio Rising (again)
• Blue Starr Gallery: A Few Pinch Pots
• Hints and Tips for the Potter: 44. CAREFUL AS YOU GO.
• Ron Philbeck: Kiln Load Taking Shape
• Kyle Carpenter Studio Pottery: #ropeimpressed #pottery #pitcher
• Patricia Griffin Ceramics – BLOG: Fear-of-Firing
• Bridges Pottery Blog: The Octagon Jar
• Tony Clennell: Articulation!
• Molly Hatch Ceramics: Sneak Peek at my Ceramic Surface Book!
• Courney Martin: Firing XXXI and Everything Else Since September
• Whynot Pottery: For most of us
• Carole Epp: technical tuesday: Back Bay Pottery shares a step by step of how she makes her lovely butter dishes.
• lisa w.b. walker: Neverland
• Tony Clennell: Undulation
• Ron Philbeck Pottery: Thursday Catch Up
• Tony Clennell: Give a man enough rope
• Joel Cherrico Pottery: Mountain Pots: Artistry’s Alliance with Nature
• Gary Jackson: Stamped : Before & After
• Artworks of Johnson Tsang: Lifetime Partner
• Gary Jackson: A Stonehenge of Handles

Tips and Technical

How can I become a more efficient or knowledgeable potter?

• Carol Clarkson: How to clean your pottery silkscreens
• Nanban Ceramics: Repairing blistered glaze using kintsugi techniques

• Hughes Pottery: This little TC mug
• Alchemy of Clay: Great feeling glaze
• Peter’s Pottery: Kitchen and Co-op Windows, Plum Jam, Boiling Glaze, and Peter’s Clear Desperation Glaze for Cone 2 – 3!
• Clay Club: If you spray glazes….try the 3M PPS
• DirtKicker PoTTerY: First Glaze in new Kiln and Studio Tip
• Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Copper Oxide Wash
• Fine Mess Pottery: Pink and Grey

Recent Work

Where can I see some great pottery?

• Rachel Dorn: “Mechanical Botanicals” opens this week
• Mashiko Potter in Minnesota: Kung Fu Tea Set
• Nanban ceramics: New work, ash glaze, wood fired.
• Gary’s third pottery blog: all bottled up….
• The Rabbit Muse: Shop Update TOMORROW, Friday the 6th!
• Gaea Ceramic Bead and Art Studio: Color Is Everything.
• DirtKicker Pottery: Loving the Pour-Over Coffee Makers
• Gary Rith: like Monet gardens…?
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: Results from the First Firing of 2015

• Svend Bayer Pottery: A selection of pots
• Rachel Dorn: Wall Installation at Mechanical Botanicals
• Phil Rogers Pottery, Rhayader, Wales: PR255 Yunomi.
• Gary’s third pottery blog: ever feel like…
• The Life & Blog of Two Potters: these things we make
• The Smart Cat: (Late) Whistling Wednesday
• Joel Cherrico Pottery: Cosmic Mugs: Pottery Inspired by Images of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope
• Jose Maria Mariscal – Ceramicas Mariscal: Hornada cristalina en horno de gas
• part time pottery: Oxidation Firing February 2015
• Blog – Clay By Laura: FUNctional
• Down to the Earth Pottery: Trials and Try Again
• Gary’s third pottery blog: total teaset for teapot Tuesday….
• The Smart Cat: Well It’s Tuesday…..So….
• Down to the Earth Pottery: Barrel Firing Second Time Around
• The Rabbit Muse: Shop update TOMORROW Friday the 20th!
• Gaea Ceramics: Tribal and Birds and Stripes! OH MY! New Designs!
• Gary’s third pottery blog: chubby checkmate…
• Down to the Earth Pottery: Last Kiln Opening Before Penland
• Sue Pariseau Pottery: Winter Wood Firing
• Chloe Dymond Designs: Concluding first semester of my final year
• Gary Rith: the wrapup….
• Jose Maria Mariscal: Hornada cristalina en horno de gas

Thoughts

What can I ponder while making pottery?

• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Respect for the intrinsic value of the arts
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Follow up to potters: How important is the instrumental argument?
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Valentine’s Day Special: The artistic importance of self-love
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: What art and toilets have in common
• Blog – objective clay: Bill Strickland’s Vision

• The Hopeful Potter: 23.02.15
• This Artist’s Life: weird shame
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Tales of the butterfly and snake

Interviews and Podcasts

What do potters have to say?

• The Potters Cast: For the Love of James | David Schlapobersky & Felicity Potter | Episode 82
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: Carter Pottery: Bill Daley on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast
• The Potters Cast: Production Pottery | Brett Binford & Chris Lyon | Episode 83
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: Carter Pottery: Linda Arbuckle on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast
• The Potters Cast: Branding for Pottery | Vipoo Srivilasa | Episode 81
• The Potters Cast: Going Thin- Translucent Thin | John Shirley | Episode 85
• The Potters Cast: The Power of Relationships | Tony Clennell | Episode 84
• The Potters Cast: A My-Way Approach | Ginny Sims | Episode 86
• The Potters Cast: Inspired by Nature | Kathy Pallie | Episode 87
• The Potters Cast: Inspired by a Dad | Ryan Archibald | Episode 88
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: Carter Pottery: Patrick Coughlin on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: Carter Pottery: Matt Schiemann on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast
• Jen Allen Ceramics: Joseph Pintz: Potter of the Month

The Rest

What do potters blog about other than pottery?

• Anna’s Ceramics: New Studio now up and running!!
• Around and About with Bulldog Pottery: Kurinuki, Hasu Yoshitaka, Sphere Inside Out
• Molly Hatch Ceramics: Think Big! Going Strong!
• Mashiko Potter in Minnesota: The Firing.
• Mashiko Potter in Minnesota: I once read that my Grand Sensei Shoji Hamada said
• Mashiko Potter in Minnesota: Pottery As Spiritual Practice.
• Mashiko Potter in Minnesota: The philosopher has beauty, but the craftsman only has his character.
• Patricia Griffin Ceramics: Working with your hands = happier
• Joel Cherrico Pottery: Cosmic Pottery Mugs: How One Tweet Increased my Website Traffic by 3000% in One Day
• Marian Williams Pottery: Zsolnay!!!! Wicked Wednesday Wow!!!
• Hobby Potter – Artist Tammy Jo Schoppet Official Blog: Cleaning – Wedging & Playing with Clay – January Recap!
• Joel Cherrico: American Craft Council, “A Potter’s Journey: The Local Blend Business Partnership”
• Hannah McAndrew: New Buddies, Old Friends
• Bulldog Pottery: The Japanese Tea Bowl, Fuku Fukumoto, Shinrin Yoku
• Marian Williams: Pottery Stamps!! Adding Texture
• NCECA Blog: Online Resources for Ceramics
• Clay Club: Need Plaster Molds made?? Alex Irvine is your man!
• Learning to be Fearless: Kiln, Greenware, and Birds
• meesh’s pottery: New Tools
• musing about mud: movie day: Ceramic Displacement

• Tracey Broome: Merchandising matters
• Around and About with Bulldog Pottery: “Book of Tea”, Peter Hamann, “Snowflake” Bentley
• this artist’s life: little demons down dark alleys
• Diving Into the Clay: Where do you think Pollock got the idea to sling stuff around…
• Carole Epp: technical tuesday: dealing with packing styrofoam
• Carole Epp: movie day: The Innocent Glaze – Anagama Kiln
• Liz Crain Ceramics « Liz Crain Ceramics: It’s QUITsy with Etsy
• Around and About with Bulldog Pottery: Shigaraki, Walter and Dorothy Auman, Warm Sound
• Clay By Laura Silberman: Yoga and Clay
• NCECA Blog: Our Highest Awards and Honors
• Hughes Pottery: Online Marketing for? or to? Potters.
• Gary Jackson: Nesting.
• Lori Watts: Winter In the Rear View
• Gary Jackson: My Eight Favorite Tools
• Lori Watts: On Second Thought…

As always, thanks for reading! And thanks for your support through comments, sharing and links.

Have a great March!