Pottery. Photography. And All Things Handmade.
2023 has presented me with challenges. Challenges that require my energy to be in many places other than my Back Porch Studio. In 2023 -2024 I will be selling only ready to ship items as my time allows. I plan to focus on pet dishes, mugs and wine cups May through October in preparation for the 2023 Holiday Season. If you are NOT in a hurry, please... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
2020 has definitely been a challenge for me as well as so many other people. I lost my Mom in June. I lost my Mother-in-law in September. And I lost Missy Kitty in October. Though social media and blogging took a backseat, I have been blissfully busy filling orders @ etsy.com/shop/BackPorchStudio My inventory is low.... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
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!
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 →
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 →
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 →
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!
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 →
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 →
Though the calendar says it is autumn, Mother Nature says otherwise! I am thrilled by the warm dry autumn days because I can continue to throw pots on my back porch! Most recently, I have been working on plates. I have been using a certain mid-fire cone 6 clay for over 10 years and... Continue Reading →
As the temperature cools, my throwing season is coming to an end. But, that doesn't mean I'm done with pottery! I have more work to do 🙂 Follow me on Instagram for some behind-the-scenes shots!
I have been doing a lot of throwing lately thanks to the good weather we have had this summer. I am currently working on new inventory for my Etsy store including mugs, platters and larger pet bowls! By the end of September 2017, I will start adding the new inventory to my shop. For updates,... Continue Reading →
I have been using 112 brown clay for over ten years and have never experienced the problems with grog as I have this year. The particle size of the grog seems unusually large causing a lot of damage and heartbreak. 😦 Looks like I will be looking for a new clay. Save
Glazed Bottoms or Bare Naked Bottoms? These are my newest pieces: free formed shaped bowls made from a slab of clay slumped over a plaster mold. They are becoming my favorite to make; however, when it comes to glazing I cannot decide whether to glaze the bottoms or leave them bare and naked. Which do... Continue Reading →
One reoccurring problem I have had was making large pet dishes (7+ inches or larger in diameter). In almost every single instance, I would ruin the pet dish when taking it off the bat. I had some extra time over the winter to research alternative ways of taking large pots off of the bat. I... Continue Reading →
We had so much fun at the pottery supply store this week! So many wonderful and pretty things to look at including a huge turquoise ceramic bowl filled with MKM small circular wooden stamps. The wooden stamp filled bowl was right at our grandson's reach. He relished the feel and look of each and every... Continue Reading →
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