Clay Blog Review: July 2015

July was another great month for the pottery blogs. All the great info barely fit in this review! Thanks to all those potters who know that “blogging’s not dead” and continue to share great content. Thanks to all of you good readers who come and peruse the blogs. Don’t forget to leave a comment on the blogs that you like.

If this is your first visit you can find more great info in the Clay Blog Review from June.

The Can’t Miss

What were the “must read” pottery blog posts during the past month?

• Blue Starr Gallery: Making a Drape Bowl
• Future Relics Pottery Blog: Better Kiln Wash and Wadding Recipe
• Tim Lake Ceramics: Images from Art in Clay 2015 by James Hazelwood
• Clay Club: Video from the July Clay Club live streaming experiment
• Hobby Potter – Ceramic Artist Tammy Jo Schoppet Official Blog: Making Efficient Test Tiles – Cross-Mixing Commercial Glazes Week 1of4

• meesh’s pottery: New Tool!
• Alchemy of Clay: The process of Raku
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Not So Basic Bowls : Another Class Demo
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Tessellating Puzzle
• Western Pennsylvania Potters Community: Some Technology Resources for Potters
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Glazing at Archie Bray
• Whistle Creek: Gauges

Process and Technique

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

• Rae Dunn … clay » clay.: aarrgh.
• HaldeBlog: Works-in-Progress Wednesday
• weddwould: Cup of tea and a good lie down
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Throwing for Cone 6
• Love Sown: Handbuilt Gardenware
• Anna’s Ceramics by Anna Ryland: A bisque and good friends
• Arryn Vogan Pottery: In the Studio Lately…
• Claying Thoughts: The Mask
• Gary’s third pottery blog: a sort of watery effect….: Gary’s third pottery blog: a sort of watery effect….
• Gary’s third pottery blog: a sort of watery effect….
• Kyle Carpenter Studio Pottery: #PIABnW
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Jumping In : Demo-On-Demand
• Clay Club: Recap: July Clay Club at John Britt Pottery
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Icheon Masters

• Whynot Pottery Blog: Hot days
• PATRICIA GRIFFIN CERAMICS – BLOG: Wedded bliss
• Alchemy of Clay: Raku fun
• meesh’s pottery: New Tool!
• Clay Club: Michael Kline demonstrates Swirlware 2015

• Tony Clennell: I’m a basket case!
• Tony Clennell: Shagadelic baby, yeah!
• meesh’s pottery: The Sink Glazing Dance
• Pixels And Pencils and a lot of clay!: Eyes “glazed” over……
• Hannah McAndrew: Stripey
• Alchemy of Clay: Just painted the glaze on it
• Clay and Ginger: Multi-chamber flower vase just made. Shipped the last one…
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Stamp. Detail. Repeat.
• Alchemy of Clay: Glaze Test Tiles or Christmas in July
• Blue Starr Gallery: Lots of Pots Drying
• Tony Clennell: Taking handles to Rochester
• Barnbarroch Pottery: Extruded vases and a Long Lost tool
• Whynot Pottery Blog: Trying something new

We have found that no matter how long you are in business, how successful you are, how large or how small, that every few months you should evaluate what you do.

• Blog – Clay By Laura: Color Outside The Lines
• Tony Clennell: Getting your bell ringed!
• musing about mud: technical tuesday: Surface Compilation | ERIN FURIMSKY
• Blue Starr Gallery: Large Maple Leaf Bowl
• Blue Starr Gallery: Maple Resist & Lots Drying
• Blue Starr Gallery: Pinch Pots & Pottery Shelves
• Claying Thoughts: A Meditative Trip to India
• Kyle Carpenter Studio Pottery: Painting & scratching. #PIABnW #pottersmarketinvitational
• Acorn Pottery: solar power
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: July 24th Insta Blog. Faceting Yunomi
• pots and pieces: Struggling with Sawanky’s
• Lucia Pottery: Pitchers on the Work Table, Part 1
• The Smart Cat: Spoons
• Blog – Ron Philbeck Pottery: July 27th Glazing
• Blogs … & Life its own self | Chris Campbell: Stream of Consciousness Backfires
• Gary’s third pottery blog: when monsters stalk and beagles howl….
• Marian Williams Pottery: I’m ADD! Multitasking
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Bubble Plates

Tips and Technical

How can I become a more efficient or knowledgeable potter?

• Earth Work: Reduction of re-fired iron glazes
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: S-Cracks
• Hobby Potter – Ceramic Artist Tammy Jo Schoppet Official Blog: Mixing Commercial Glaze Colors – Organized Game Plan!
• Alchemy of Clay: Test tiles fired!
• Alchemy of Clay: A test glaze tree
• Hobby Potter – Ceramic Artist Tammy Jo Schoppet Official Blog: FINALLY…Glazing Test Tiles – Cross-Mixing Commercial Glazes Pt 3/4

Recent Work

Where can I see inspiring pottery?

• Gary’s third pottery blog: 6 months in the making….
• Gary’s third pottery blog: ground control to Major Tom……
• Phil Rogers Pottery, Rhayader, Wales: PR288 A wood fired Chawan.
• Gary’s third pottery blog: bottled up….
• Kyle Carpenter Studio Pottery: I’m rekindling my relation ship with Tile 6 slip. We seem to be getting along so far. #6tile #saltfired #etsy
• HaldeBlog: Five unique things for your garden and houseplants
• Gaea Ceramic Bead and Art Studio Blog: Dream Boat…
• Sue Pariseau Pottery: Two Versions
• Paul Chenoweth: Definitely NOT in Kansas…
• Alchemy of Clay: Listen to your friends
• Gary’s third pottery blog: the rough draft…
• Future Relics Pottery Blog: Happy Pots From The Soda Kiln
• The Rabbit Muse: Shop update TOMORROW, Wednesday July 8th
• Gary’s third pottery blog: flowery…..
• Gary’s third pottery blog: game of cat and mouse…..
• Tim Lake Ceramics: Images from Art in Clay 2015 by James Hazelwood
• Zygote Blum: My Love is a FireFly
• Blue Starr Gallery: Flower Friday
• this artist’s life: Palo Alto Clay and Glass Festival– this weekend!
• Amy Handmade Ceramics: Bird bowl & Bunny cup
• Jose Maria Mariscal – Ceramicas Mariscal: Nuevos trabajos
• Fine Mess Pottery: New pots!
• Alchemy of Clay: Tree people
• Blue Starr Gallery: My New Favorite Glaze
• Blog – Clay By Laura: Repeating Myself
• Blue Starr Gallery: Three Ring Circus
• Kristen Kieffer: Clover Origin & Deluxe
• Blue Starr Gallery: Couple of Baskets
• Dawn Whitehand: Visual Artist: Exhibition Opening – Manningham Victorian Ceramic Art Award 2015
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Teaser : Textured Wall Pillows
• Daria Claiborne Pottery: 3rd Place in JRAC show, “In Flight”
• WALLYWARE: Playing the Trump card.
• Gary’s third pottery blog: teapot Tuesday…!
• Gary’s third pottery blog: where did the cheerful flamingo come from?
• Phil Rogers Pottery, Rhayader, Wales: PR302 Box.
• Phil Rogers Pottery, Rhayader, Wales: PR295 Faceted vase.
• The Rabbit Muse: Shop update TOMORROW Thursday the 23rd.
• Svend Bayer Pottery: A few photos of Svend at “Art in Clay-Hatfield House ” by James Hazlewood.
• Gary’s third pottery blog: speaking of cups….: Gary’s third pottery blog: speaking of cups….
• GretaMichelle Joachim: Pieces Of My World: It’s the Rush!
• Clay and Ginger: Sampling of pieces for sale at Glen Park Art Festival in…
• HaldeBlog: Five new and restocked ceramics this week at HaldeCraft
• Alchemy of Clay: Saturday market is just around the corner
• Gaea Ceramic Bead and Art Studio Blog: New Designs…
• Kim Murton: Finished fox and a few 1/2 heads w/out toppers
• Gary’s third pottery blog: GRAPES: making tourist crap….?
• The Life & Blog of Two Potters: new work at the Fair
• Clay and Ginger: More zentangle designed pottery with help from @whimsybykelly So…
• GretaMichelle Joachim: Pieces Of My World: That’s Better
• Clay and Ginger: My first vase using a new technique – a bit of alcohol ink. Now…
• Gary’s third pottery blog: majolica’s punky side
• Gaea Ceramic Bead and Art Studio Blog: Toot! Toot!
• Pixels And Pencils and a lot of clay!: 107!??!
• part time pottery: Of Kilns, Refires, and children…
• Blue Starr Gallery: Bowls, Vases and Leaf Dishes
• GretaMichelle Joachim: Pieces Of My World: Step by Step
• Craig Hartenberger Ceramics: New Work
• Gary’s third pottery blog: some more about those grapes….

Thoughts

What can I ponder while making pottery and ceramic art?

• this artist’s life: the cost, the price
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Every answer about pricing is right, but its often an answer to the wrong question

Perhaps the best we can do is to acknowledge that there is no one right perspective, but that we can educate ourselves on the possible variety of perspectives and form our own opinion of how that works for us.

• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Art is the epidemic of human creativity
• Future Relics Pottery Blog: Enjoying Imperfection
• Teaching/Craft: Water
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: On teaching pottery
• CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: In praise of less obvious charms
• Blog – Clay By Laura: Raising Standards

Interviews and Podcasts

What do potters have to say?

• The Potters Cast: A Deeper Meaning | Lucy Fagella | Episode 124
• Lucia Pottery: The Potters Cast Podcast, Interview with Lucy Fagella
• The Potters Cast: Setting Prices for Potters | Sarah Heimann | Episode 125
• The Potters Cast: Artist Burnout | Diana Fayt | Episode 126
• The Potters Cast: Power of Friendships | Marian Haigh | Episode 127
• The Potters Cast: A Bit of a Business Approach | Doug Peltzman | Episode 128
• The Potters Cast: Balancing it All | David Eichelberger | Episode 129
• The Potters Cast: A Parent’s Ultimatum Changed Her Life | Julie Covington | Episode 130
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: 105: Shannon Sullivan on art consultants and working in Jingdezhen
• Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: 106: Richard Burkett on Ecuadorian Folk Pottery and developing Hyperglaze

The Rest

What do potters blog about other than pottery?

• NCECA Blog: Packaging and Crating for Artists – conference content online!
• Ayumi Horie Pottery: PHOTOGRAPHY BASICS: EASY, FOOL-PROOF CONSIDERATIONS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR PHOTOS
• Karatsupots Blog: Unwelcome Visitor
• Joel Cherrico Pottery: Cosmic Mugs in Ceramics TECHNICAL Magazine, July Giveaway and a Chance to Win Two Free Cosmic Mugs
• HAND EYE FOOT BRAIN: WHO WAS DORA BILLINGTON?
• Alchemy of Clay: Penland – some clay studio shots
• Tony Clennell: Heating Up
• DirtKicker PoTTerY: Shimpo Extension Legs
• Tony Clennell: Afterbirth
• NCECA Blog: Art, Accounting, Connection: An Introduction
• paul the potter: Two New Pottery Videos and Ceramic Shows update.

• Leslie Farin: Artistic people…
• Gary’s third pottery blog: WINNING BIG and on to July fest…
• Alchemy of Clay: Outdoor sales time-Dreaming time
• Cori Morenberg Pottery: The Workshop – Gratitude as Free Association
• Joel Cherrico Pottery: Bashing Pottery with a Hockey Stick, Free Cosmic Mug Giveaway and a Double Feature on Men and Coffee

• ang design blog: let’s start with exciting news…
• Gary’s third pottery blog: part 2: what goes into an art fair
• NCECA Blog: What Makes a Teabowl a Chawan – now online!
• Joel Cherrico Pottery: Apollo 11 Bootprint, Bigcommerce Blog Feature and another Chance to Win Two Free COSMIC MUGS
• Rebecca Lyn Beaird – Blog: Control verse Chaos
• Future Relics Pottery Blog: Stretching Your Hands

• good elephant pottery – blog: The Mental Arc of a Show
• Tracey Broome: The potter’s body
• meesh’s pottery: Summer Help
• Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery: Chess Camp : Productive Kids
• Stardust Pottery Blog: How Big Is An Extra Large Cindy Douglass Yarn Bowl?
• Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture: Two Busy Weeks: Archie Bray and Seattle
• Tony Clennell: The Best Wood Kiln in the World
• PATRICIA GRIFFIN CERAMICS – BLOG: Inspiration from Ireland: The Potters – Cormac Boydell
• paul the potter: Some People say Blogging is Dead! Mine’s still Breathing at the Moment.
• Dirty Girl Clayworks: Notes from Red Deer, and onto the Filberg Festival!
• Marian Williams Pottery: Finding One’s Way With Clay- Paulus Berensohn
• HAND EYE FOOT BRAIN: ROTHENSTEIN’S REVOLUTION
• DirtKicker PoTTerY: Blog Theft

If you enjoy this kind of thing you might also be interested in the Pottery Making Newsletter. It comes out once per month and includes pottery tips, blogs, videos and more.