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....