Mine Mine and Mine New items will be in my shop next month! Meanwhile, enjoy your summer. Live in the sunshine. Swim in the sea. Drink in the wild air. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Wordless Wednesday From My Back Porch
Life in April
Spring has sprung! 100 pounds of clay! Playing in the mud, indoors, of course! Still a bit too chilly for the back porch. I am making bowls using slabs of clay draped over a mold. Finishing the rims of these three bowls while enjoying while enjoying a cup of coffee in a handmade mug 😉Next,... Continue Reading →
Take Time
The falling leaves gather around my pottery wheel. My throwing days have come to an end for the year. The temperatures have dropped quite dramatically this week making it a challenge to photograph my pottery on my back porch. "They" say it may snow this weekend! This month I have been busy with many behind... Continue Reading →
Squirrel!
Would you look at that! It's mid-October. And here I am running around like a squirrel gathering nuts before the snow falls! Instead of gathering nuts . . . I'm glazing and firing. Glazing and firing. Repeat. Mugs, after their 1st firing, waiting to be glazed. Glazed mugs drying. When I'm not glazing and firing,... Continue Reading →
A View from My Back Porch Studio
Soaking up the sun on our back porch. Why, yes. I made the mug! 😉 Test tiles waiting to be fired then glazed and fired again. I feel like somebody is watching me! This is Midnight. He is the Semi-feral cat we adopted. He seems to be adjusting very well and has become the most... Continue Reading →
Spring Forward
The snow has melted. Temperatures on the rise. Dusted off my tool box. Unearthed my clay. Started some slab work. From a ball of clay to a slab of clay then onto the hump mold. Bowls made from a slab of clay air drying. Resting.
You Can Lead a Cat to Water
The back porch has a half dozen handmade pet dishes filled to the brim with cool fresh water. I made them just for her, Miss Kitty. She prefers drinking from the Tonka dump truck. It used to be our son's now it's our grandson's Miss Kitty's. So, I keep it filled with cool fresh water.... Continue Reading →
Close to Normal Part 2
We are having a beautiful spring although I am having trouble remembering what day it is. Each day is like the day before but it has been nice to watch what pops up in the garden. Dear husband has been working from home now for three weeks. I am back behind my wheel. Not quite... Continue Reading →
Hello! It’s Winter!
Hello from the blustery and snowy arctic tundra! Okay. Maybe not THE arctic tundra but from my back porch. Brrrr! Though it is winter, I have been playing in the mud inside where it is warm. I am looking forward to sharing with you my latest clay projects. Happy Friday!!!
Wordless Wednesday: Straight Out of the Camera
Finally, after a very wet, gray and dreary spring, an abundance of sunshine this week! *** I took advantage of the natural sunlight streaming through a basement window to shoot some new pottery pieces I made with new clay and glazes. I am pleased to say all of all of these pieces are pit free... Continue Reading →
News! Not Breaking but News . . .
After much thought, reading, note-taking and collaboration with fellow potters, I think I have discovered the reason why I have had pin holes. #1: The glazes were too thick. So early spring, I adjusted my glazes. The result was perfect on two of the three clay bodies. #2: It is a particular clay-body. After talking... Continue Reading →
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
Over the past few months the need for a shallow cat dish became apparent. Miss Kitty,17 years young, refused to eat out of her regular cat bowl. I thought it was her food but learned it was her food dish. She developed whisker stress. Whiskers are extremely sensitive, and when a food bowl is too... Continue Reading →
22 Hours Later
It was a crisp November day. I loaded the kiln for the last time of the 2017 throwing season. Flipped the switch on the kiln expecting the glaze firing to take 10 to 12 hours. When 10 hours passed, I suspected something was wrong. The results of the longest glaze firing ever . . .... Continue Reading →
Time Differences
Yes, there are time differences between countries, states and cities, but I've noticed time differences affect photography. The outside light changes through the day. You may not notice the vast difference in light as the day proceeds, but through a camera lens that light difference is magnified! Pictured below is one of my newest stoneware... Continue Reading →
What the glaze is going on here?
New glaze combos. Trusty favorites with a new twist. Unearthed and revived old glazes that I haven't used in years. So, that is what the glaze is going on around here!
Happy Feet
I made another box but with feet! When I made the first one, I intened it to be a planter but it didn't have drainage hole or feet to ensure airflow and drainage. Happy feet! Happy Friday!
Taking A Stab At Slabs
Having a slab roller really simplifies things and conserves my energy verses a rolling pin! I was thinking about making this a succulent planter! However, I may need to rethink its design. A planter needs a pot with a drainage hole or feet to ensure better airflow. This box doesn't have either one. So, what... Continue Reading →
New Project: Nesting Bowls
I have been working on nesting bowls this week. Each bowl is made from a slab of clay draped over clay molds I made last winter. It has taken me several tries to work out all the kinks in the process. The third time worked like a charm! After these air dry, they will undergo... Continue Reading →
A Respite from Winter
Miss Kitty and I are enjoying today's heat wave of 65 degrees! While Miss Kitty roams around the back yard, I set to work on my new molds. Last winter I had one mold to produce unique organic shaped shallow dishes or bowls. Because these dishes sold well, I wanted to increase my production.... Continue Reading →
Before and After
After a lot of hard work dealing with unusual grog particles in my clay over the summer, I am happy to report not all was a loss! Tickled with the glaze results in these two turquoise & brown mugs! Just listed in my shop, back porch studio, on Etsy!
New Clay! Great Things!
Just when I was ready to throw in the towel early this month due to groggy clay , I decided to talk to the folks at my local pottery supply store to see if they could recommend a new clay body similar to what I had been using for over ten years. I am SO happy... Continue Reading →
A Little Bit About Glazing
Glazing is not my favorite part of the pottery process but when my pieces come out of the kiln, glazing is well worth the effort! Most of my pieces have two different glazes applied giving the pottery one color on the inside and another color on the outside. This process involves a combination of pouring... Continue Reading →
Back Porch Studio 