insano on his way

this guy is about ready to bisque. had a few problems along the way. ended up extruding the handle and spout, made it thick to allow for play..now it's a bit thicker that the actual vessel, so hoping it's not too apparent once fired. (hopefully that's the least of my worries.. had a structural crack in the first vessel, and now have decided to cold finish after a ^6 firing) anyway, tried to be more attentive and careful this time.

the only other issue was losing some detail after spraying on my slip, but i was able to put it back in without too much work. the wrinkles lost their depth, so i spent some time today with what i call the "awesome tool" carving them in again.

this will get more slip after bisque, if things go according to plan.

redwood elementary

taught a couple of workshops to kindergarden and first grade classes today. they used watercolors and pastels. here is some of the pastel work. talented kids! and lots of fun!

captain insano!

captain insano! though he needs to be cleaned up, given some fun blobby add-ons and a spout, i am enjoying where it's at. also, the first piece snuck into this photo in the background. that one evolved into a wall piece. i sank some cash into acrylics and cannot wait to paint it. i am loading a gas bisque tommorrow or monday with a few others who are working large. fingers crossed for a good firing!!

i have to admit, i'm pretty jazzed about his grill. i made dentures and a tongue, then inserted them into the gaping insane mouth hole from behind. ha!

also working on some magnets to ship to cincy for the crafty supermarket in april. fun to make, less expensive to ship.

other residents

thought it would be nice to post about what some of the artists around me are up to, so here are a few to start. also, all of the residents bio's etc are on the art center's site at:
www.mendocinoartcenter.org



this is the work of arie grie. i work in the same studio as arie, and she's a great artist to have around. she handbuilds porcelain tea sets, also does work with narikomi, and has a great formal eye.

this is a piece by allen chen. he builds steel, wood, or thread armatures and dips them in a big stinky bucket of paper slip.

http://www.allenchenart.com/

though she's into metal, not mud,

another great resident to check out is lindsay mis at :

http://www.lindsaymis.com/

keep the pace steady.....

extruder fun!! finally got a demo on the mysterious pneumatic extruder, so decided to play around with a 5" tube die. also pulled handles for the first time ever! not a bad beginning, but hoping to get better at it....

meow....here are some engobe tests. they work with the thermal screens, which is very exciting. i may be facing a limited color palette, since i will not be using any mason stains. i think it will be a fun challenge.

drying....drying....drying....ended up handbuilding the spouts, and doing a double spout instead of stirrup. has been pointed out to me that it isn't actually functional, as it can only be filled halfway. i think i am ok with that, but if i can have aesthetics and function next time, i'll try.