Unloading the kiln

Pots and jars

Inside the kiln

Most pieces...

These are most of the things we unloaded from the kiln. I heard we have the only gas kiln on the peninsula.

Our stuff

The pots and stuff to the right are HERS...very nice..the ones to the left are MINE..in various stages of beginning ugly! The firing went well except the temp didn't get high enough and that affected the color and texture of the glaze on the pieces. I can tell from what I'm currently working on that I'm already a tad better since I started! I'm glad I used all different colors of glaze and have logged them so I can keep track of what I like and what I don't like!

my best shot this go round

This is a celadon glaze on the porcelain clay body..I like how it turned out!

you never know where...

I was looking at magazines in the doctor's office and came across an archaeology one. There were several articles about pottery finds..so I took it..with permission..to the clay room...Kapua needed an ancient example to use for a project for her grade..this picture is the beginning..already 8 hours into the project. I can't wait to see it glazed and completely done!

screaming eagle

In case you're wondering...I'm piggy backing all of the current paint projects together so as one dries I'm working on another. These are 2 saws I'm working on. The one in back will be hummingbirds. There are turtles to do on TV trays that have been waiting a long time for me! When I'm finished with these painting projects (a total of 8 separate paintings) I will probably take a break from painting for a bit!

sad...

I know it doesn't look like much; most of the beginnings of projects look quite sad! This horse is supposed to get attached to a chariot. After this step I decided to paint the entire board in white (both sides) and then I sketched the horse again. I'm hoping for a handsome steed when it's finished.

tonight, tonight

They don't look like much till they're dried, cleaned up, glazed and fired, but I think the bowl to the right is my dinner bowl. I like those one bowl meals! The new clay must be a stoneware..really gritty and hard on the hands! People left and I had the place to myself, but next time I gotta work on cylinders again!

At the auction..

For the second time this year I went to an auction that was cold, wet, and windy! Upper left is the gauntlet..the cars, boats and vans go through the barn door one at a time for bidding..and then out the side doors. The rest of the warehouse is literally cluttered with rows and rows of boxes with junk (one man's junk, another's treasure) and some rows are filled with furniture and STUFF. Another warehouse held auto stuff..oil drums, shelving with spark plugs, etc. Yet another building was filled with furniture. Outside against the fence people bid on plants..flowers, shruberry and trees. Outside another warehouse were rows of garden things..yard implements, lawn mowers, etc. The bottom picture shows the people all crowded around MORE STUFF..rims, tires, boat engines, lawn furniture and the like. There is a parking area for all vehicles being auctioned..there was a motorcycle attached to a trailer..I guess it was some kind of trike..very unusual. Auctioneers were at each location, hence why we were 3 people bidding under the same number..so as not to miss anything! It was quite a venture!

Helping at daycare

See that post at the top? See more posts in the middle picture, and even more in the bottom left? Those are the holes we dug, those are the holes we mixed concrete 1 batch at a time in a wheelbarrow and filled! The wire fencing is strung and the gates have been added (another entire adventure story)! Best part about it? It's all finished!

pottery

Nope, these are NOT mine..I just needed some inspiration and found these at the auction!! Left to right: salt and pepper shakers, casserole, and bowls. My current favorite is MUGS and I want to master bowls after that...then on to bottles and casseroles!

At the Auction

I outbid a lady on a box of pottery and other miscellaneous items. I went $5 over my goal for the box. My next bid was on a box of china..12 each of these plates..they go with my 8 place setting set and I was $5 under on these. Look out, Martha Stewart!!

New Kokeshi

He's so thoughtful! My son returned from Japan and had this doll sent for me! The rest of the girls are packed away but I love the new addition to the kokeshi collection!

It's been a few years..

No pics..too tired!  Tonight I helped dig post holes, mix concrete and set posts.  Beeker called for help and when I arrived I remembered that I know how to do this!  My body is just not so sure!  I don't remember how many posts we did--it was way dark when we were finished but I think it took 3 hours and we did around 15 posts and I dunno how many batches of concrete we mixed in the wheelbarrow.  Tomorrow the rest of the fence goes up, and the gates.  The daycare kids will be safe in the yard (but never without supervision)!

stamps for decorating

I need to scout around for plastic snowflakes, fern and paisely--maybe a crochet doily to imprint on clay tiles. My handbuilt stuff needs smoothing and cleaning up..before going on the drying rack and waiting for the next firing.

Slab

Rolled clay with rolling pin, "glued" the walls together and added the rose. The shape of the pot reminded me of a rose.

TV time

I stopped by Kawika's place in the evening with my clay bag. I suppose I have to do all of the basics to hone my skills. In handbuilding you make things by slab (rolling pin, cut out and stick together using slip--watered down clay), coil (roll long, even coils, pile the coils and join them by patting, etc. into a form you like), and the ever elementary pinch pot.

Trishana and I sat at a little TV tray while watching a movie and fashioned many little pieces. I finished this one, a small slab container adorned by a rose (3-D, get out your red/blue glasses!) and made some stamps from clay to help decorate with some other pieces I'd like to do. I like the idea of gargoyles and need to think of a practical use for them...oh yeah....Bookends!!

Well, Monday morning....on with the day!

The Joys of Olympic College

These pieces were created by a guest lecturer who put on a 3 hour demo. By the time he was done, I was ready to be an expert! It was a great time..and I got over my anxiety of getting on the potter's wheel (fear of failure, I guess).

Being on the campus has presented some opportunities for me. I mean, unemployment and job searching, applying, interviewing, and my daily life hasn't yielded any decent employment...I'll continue in that pursuit, but it's time to step things up..whether it means BACK TO SCHOOL or something else, I'm looking into the options.

my first pots thrown on the wheel

I like how these turned out, but they are practice pieces and I got up enough courage to cut them in half and check out the wall thicknesses, etc. It was a bit of a heartbreak but I decided to follow the rules and recycle these student clay pieces. Then I hauled out the new clay I bought and threw 4 cylinders in white clay. I kept 2, cutting the others to check for uniformity and thickness. Ahh me! The 2 I kept should be ready for handles on Monday. They will become coffee cups and I'll continue with cylinders til I have "mastered" them. I should have a nice set of mugs by then! After cylinders I'll move along to bowls..I don't think you can have too many bowls in a Hawaiian/Japanese household! I guess I can stop buying Fiesta Ware!

A NEW GUY (we call him "the new guy") arrived at clay club and he looks to be a really good asset to the club. He helped Karen load the kiln and they were able to fit a lot of pieces in. The great thing for me? Well, this week my porcelain plates will be bisqued and ready for celadon glaze. I'm pretty excited! I paid my $10 fee for this 8 week quarter and bought my $15 clay and some miscellaneous hand tools and sponges. I'll keep refurbishing the clay supply. I feel like I'm getting a really great deal..and the hopes for some nice dishes too (Christmas presents?)!

If dishes aren't everything..well, they need to repair the slab maker and I'll do some tiles..indoor for kitchen and other artwork, outdoor for garden, and then there's always vases and other decorative pieces!  For a few dollars and a few hours a week in the evening----it's a wonderful thing!

Egghunting

She may be a beauty one day...

I bet that's what my parents said when I was a skinny girl with a straight body! So, this is where we are today. A full body! The top and back are mahogany and the sides are koa. There's still a lot to do, but it's exciting because now it LOOKS like something. I'm waiting for some binding to get here and debating decorating  the top edge..it would be good practice, though! What's left to do? AHHmmm..making the fretboard and installing the frets then gluing it onto the neck. Finish shaping the neck and securing it onto the body. Then it's all cleanup..filling, sanding, polishing...and doing the nut and the bridge, then stringing her up. I think I can do this!

It's a body!!

Now she had shoulders, a waist and some hips. I sanded the top down till most of the gouging has disappeared. I know that the neck will hide the joint at the top of the soundhole. The hole still needs sanding and some other work...and you can see inside the hole where I moved the bracing and was supposed to glue a label but I forgot to print one out.

reminds me of "curlers in your hair, shame on you"

Now the top is glued and the spool clamps hold the top and back to the sides as I wait for the glue to dry again....
I'd like to mention that this top is really busted up..I couldn't decide which size to make, which pattern to follow AND the top is something I began about 5 years ago when I didn't have many tools.  So I asked my friend Rick Harrahill to thin down the top..maybe stick it to another board and run it through a planer..well, it got spun around under the rollers and gouged out at the top to the left of the soundhole....but decided to keep it...and more recently to MAKE this an ukulele to use.  I measured the thickness of the gouged out parts and decided there was enough MEAT left to sand it down. The dark color near the soundhole is dried up GLUE!

No experts here!

I glued the bottom on first..and used the spiffy spool clamps..then waited for the glue to set and dry...Jeopardy theme here....