Welcome to a new year of the Clay Blog Review! Where the bowls are always super!
If this is your first visit to the CBR, welcome aboard! This is a monthly review of all the great things that potters have shared on their blogs. You can also see the best pottery blogs of the past year or check out editions of the Clay Blog Review from the past.
The Can’t Miss
The best of the best. Top posts from the past month.
- Liberty Stoneware has started a 52 Form Project for the new year.
- Shawna Mayo Barnes shares a Textures/Stamps Tutorial.
- Gary Jackson tackles A Long-Awaited Studio Project
- Melissa Rohrer gives a pictorial finials lesson.
- Lori Buff has a great tip for Saving Falling Rims.
- Liz Crain offers some math for Figuring Out What an Electric Firing Costs.
- Michele Hastings shows How to Make a Bead rack for Raku Firing.
- Patricia Bridges does some neriage with students In the Studio.
- Lucy Fagella posts A Little Video on Throwing an Urn:
- Ivan Wozniak shares some tips about How to choose your pottery kiln.
Process and Technique
Instruction about pottery techniques and images of work in progress.
- Tony Clennell has achieved his own section of sub-bullets. Mostly for his great images of pots that he has just made but also for his pottery thoughts and humor. And it’s a lot easier to keep the links straight…
- Lori Watts is Slipping Right Up to the Line and answers the question: Whatcha Doin’? Also, gets a Curve Ball!
- Michael Kline is circling.
- Doug Fitch wishes you a Happy New Year! He has a bunch of great videos of his work with the Funny and lovely Hannah McAndrew. Including Tuesday at Hannah’s, Hannah’s and back and a looooooooong day.
- Hannah McAndrew says it’s Mug Time and then it’s Firing Day and Decorating Day.
- BPracticalPottery dreams in black and white but makes in colour!
- Blue Hen Pottery wonders: Is there such a thing as too many ideas? and Taliharjapäev.
- Good Elephant Pottery makes a Faceted Teapot.
- Steven Colby works on Saturdaze.
- Michele Hastings is making Squished pots.
- Barb Rogers Lets the clay guide her and shows Tree creation Two and three.
- Matt Grimmitt has some new Slipware.
- Linda Starr shares some images from Akira Satake Workshop Day One and Day 2.
- Meridiana Ceramics considers The challenges of building big.
- Liberty Stoneware updates the 52 Form Project- Week 3 and Week 4 and has A Lesson in Kiln Furniture.
- Molly Hatch gives a Progress Report: High Museum.
- Whynot Pottery is getting off to a new year.
- Judy Abdelaziz shows new Canisters and a Cookie Jar.
- Anna’s Ceramics works on Australia Day teapots.
- June Perry shares an Interesting video on making a tray for a non round form.
- Gary Jackson has a A Night of Stamping.
Tips and Technical
Glaze recipes, material discussion, and tips for potters.
- Lori Buff asks To Freeze or Not To Freeze?
- Sue Pariseau has Frozen Pots.
- John Britt and a few others shared a video: Simple Pottery Tools- “Ball Opener”.
- DirtKicker Pottery puts a new spin on the Ball Opener.
- June Perry found a Wonderful post on converting an old electric kiln to gas.
- John Britt shares a recipe for Alka-Seltzer Celadon.
- Peter shares some thoughts on Tenmoko.
- Gary Jackson prefers his clay to be Homogenized : Slice. Stack. Slam. Repeat.
- Paul Jessop has a pretty simple Turning Chuck.
Recent Work
The pots! Potters get a chance to show off their fantastic finished pottery.
- Inge Nielsen shows The Best of 2013….
- Rachel Dorn has some photos of the Ericano Bulb Installation and Finished Sculpture for Biomorph.
- Petr Novak presents Gem number twenty one.
- Patricia Griffin is ready for a New year in bloom.
- Michele Hastings: Here comes the bride… and Here’s what I have been up to…
- Round Rabbit has a Shop update TOMORROW January 10th! and January 28th!
- Heat Work shows Pots From First Firing.
- Gary Rith talks about his pots 24 years ago and today…. and a TILE BACKSPLASH and 2 bowls and a pitcher..
- BPractical Pottery posts Photos of pots.
- Kyle Houser takes us to Logo Land/North Pole.
- Sheila Graham has GONE COLOUR CRAZY.
- Tracey Broome gives us a Cotton picking house.
- Liberty Stoneware has new Compost Crocks.
- Jeanette Zeis has an Update and a SALE!
- Jose Maria Mariscal gives us (a blog in a language other than English and) Reducciones.
- Barb Rogers has Another learning experience.
- Whynot Pottery takes some Gallery snaps.
- Paul Jessop has some Fresh Jugs.
- Wallyware gives us Lobster Girl and The Big Red Sale!
Thoughts
Thought provoking posts about pottery, art, creativity and more.
- Michael Kline is cooped up and enjoys the timelessness of night and the sweetness of light.
- Carter Gillies:
- Emily Willis shares some thoughts by Shawn Spangler: Community, Collaboration and Social Media.
- Scott Cooper shares the garbage version that’s so bad it will make everyone hate you and you have notifications, pending.
- Barb Rogers finds another article about Ceramic art vs craft.
- Liberty Stoneware: Charisma vs. Personality in Art and Love What You Do?
- Lori Watts: Do What You Love, Blah Blah Blah.
- Emma Smith goes off on A Philosophical Rant.
- Kate Plows shares some interesting thoughts While Waiting.
- Alex Forster shares some thoughts about how to Live with your Pottery.
- Whynot Pottery wonders Why do we buy and use other potter’s pots?
- Lori Buff has some Thoughts on Artists Success.
Discussion of the Month?
- Tracey Broome starts a discussion about Branding, Branding 101 and Brand authenticity.
- Michael Kline adds The Spin.
- Carter Gillies adds thoughts about Unbridled joy.
- Lori Buff shares Lessons About Success From Coach John Wooden.
- Lori Watts adds a Grudge Match: Branding vs. The Eyeroll and A Question (she) CAN Answer and More Thoughts on Branding.
Interviews
Potters and ceramic artists talking to other potters and ceramic artists.
- Ben Carter welcomes Emily Galusha, Matt Jones and East Fork Pottery: Alex Matisse, Connie Coady, and John Vigeland to the ToaRCR podcast.
- Kalika Bowldy is Interviewing ceramic artist Lauren Gallaspy.
- Jen Allen talks to Sarah Jaeger.
- Brian R. Jones interviews Ryan LaBar.
The Rest
Anything else that might be interesting to the clay folks.
- There were some positive reactions to the Top Pottery Blogs list:
- Lori Buff: Top Pottery Blogs.
- Clay Club: NC Clay Club Blog is Among the Best!!!
- Dennis Allen: They say you should always take any credit you can get.
- Tony Clennell: Yeah me!
- Rachel Dorn: Mine is a Top Pottery Blog of 2013!
- Ben Carter: Tales of a Red Clay Rambler named one of the Top Pottery Blogs for 2013.
- Marian Williams: Best Pottery Blogs of 2013! And Why I Blog.
- DirtKicker Pottery has some goals for 2014.
- Lori Buff shares 5 Useful Video Marketing Blogs To Follow and a post about Udu Drums.
- Brian Harper posts some photos of the New wood kiln at IUS!
- Gary Jackson says Thank You Pinterest !!! and is the opposite of the Biggest Loser after reclaiming 207 Pounds. He also gets everything Cleaned. Sorted. Labeled.
- Brandon Phillips makes Brushes! and sells them on Etsy.
- Shawna Mayo Barnes helps answer the question: What is a Kiln God/Goddess?? and is writing a book! Crafting Your Creative Space.
- Sue Pariseau has Flashbacks of 2013.
- Carole Epp wants more emerging artist weekends….. Submit your work!
- Marian Williams has some examples of different things to try while Photographing Your Pottery.
- Diving into the Clay has a fine quote by Ann Patchett.
- Adriana Christianson: 2014 the year of the ….IS THAT MY WORK YR COPYING ?
- Dan Finnegan does something Dumb. (But gets some interesting photos!) And has Artistic Obligations.
- Liberty Stoneware is Dissecting an 1863 4-Gallon Crock and gives the State of the Artist Address.
- John Britt shares some images from the Clay Olympics. Tallest Cylinder, Team Throwing. And the Clay Club MAP by AMY WALLER.
- Emily Reason knows the iPottery E-book’s gonna be cool.
- Brian shares a couple sources for Decals.
- Liz Crain is not just cleaning but Making Way for Awesomeness.
- Tony Clennell calls for a Show down at the OK Corral and shares an article: 10 lessons from a maker.
- Troy Bungart reviews a Soda fired cup by Todd Pletcher.
- Hobby Potter has a Pottery Studio Makeover.
- Anna shares some ceramic books on the Ceramic Sunday link up.
- Angela Walford is stinkin hot… (It must be nice!)
- Paul Jessop gets a New Showroom & Big Pugmill Bargain and is Inspired by Ray Finch’s Potters Wheel.
- Meridiana Ceramics shows a way to Silkscreen print on clay – image transfer and imagination.
- Lisa W.B. Walker shares some words by Christopher Benfey: “The handle of …
- June Perry shares an old video: Pete Pinnell on cups.
- NCECA shares some tips and tricks on getting there and January News.
- Good Elephant Pottery has a Two Week Race with Myself.
- Marian Williams updates the Pottery Studio Redo!!!
- Carole Epp reminds us about The Clayer: Part Two: Surface Patterns & Molds, e-course!
- Scott Cooper is not going to take this sitting down.
- Lucy Fagella has her students try Blindfolded Pottery.
- Newfoundout Potter has a New Mentorship with Dan Hill.
- Lori Langford explains what she looks for when Choosing A Pottery Wheel…..
Don’t Forget!
Pottery Making Info is always looking for more pottery blogs to review. You can see the master list of blogs here. You can submit a blog that isn’t listed here.
I took some time away from this site over the past month to work on some other projects so this CBR is a little later than usual. And the social media accounts haven’t been very active. And I had hoped to interact more with the top blogs. I’ll try to get to more of those things in February.
Thanks for reading!
I’m a big fan of pottery. Thank you for sharing this as well as the links. Good work!