Pottery. Photography. And All Things Handmade.
I have been busy with my last pieces of pottery for the year. Yes. Last pieces! Can you believe it? It seems as if I just started throwing yesterday! Pictured below are before and after pictures: Greenware pieces, dry but not yet fired, to be loaded into my kiln for a bisque firing in preparation... Continue Reading →
We had five spectacular sunny days in a row last week! I barely knew what to do with myself with so much sunshine. 🌞 Do I weed? Mow? Bask? Well, I ended up doing all the above: weeding, mowing and basking.😎 You may recall from my June 21st post, Notes From My Back Porch, I... Continue Reading →
It was May 20th when I finally sat down behind my pottery wheel for this throwing season. It takes me four to six weeks to create pottery from a ball of clay to a glazed piece. My newest addition to my standard mugs are my dragonfly mugs which came about accidentally! The first mug I... Continue Reading →
Finally! A slight break in the rain last week! Three days of glorious sun! 🌞 Which means I have been busy in my back porch studio and back yard. The first job I tackled in my back porch studio was cleaning my kiln shelves. As a potter, keeping kiln shelves in tip top shape is... Continue Reading →
I am back behind my wheel throwing things! Because my back porch studio is open to all the elements and whims of Mother Nature my production is determined by the weather. We have had rain and thunderstorms just about every day for two weeks which is slowing production down quite a bit. Meanwhile, the squirrel(s)... Continue Reading →
A carpet of leaves are scattered across the back porch. I fired my last kiln load of the season. I made new plate settings to go with our new kitchen and I am tickled with the results! The mug on top is a prototype of soup mugs I plan to add to my shop next... Continue Reading →
Time to pack up my tool box and put my pottery wheel away. I have a couple more firings to do of larger pieces that take up a lot of room in the kiln such as plates. I love making plates but because they take up so much room I just don't make many ~... Continue Reading →
It has been a wet, soggy and humid couple of weeks. Ideal condition for the weeds to take over. Meanwhile, on my back porch I've been busy throwing. [Click on the photos below to view a larger image and read the captions.] It was so soggy and humid I thought I would never be able... Continue Reading →
Warm weather has returned to my back porch studio which means I am back behind my pottery wheel! 😍 This is where it all happens: starting with a ball of clay to a finished glazed piece of pottery! I'm actually behind my phone camera taking a shot of my studio surrounded by ostrich ferns. I... Continue Reading →
Finally decided on a "white" paint and painting our kitchen! Gone are the days when we could paint a room in ONE day! LOL Our peas are coming up nicely! Covered with a light mesh cloth to deter the rabbits from feasting on the tender little shoots; although, I don't think rabbits will be a... Continue Reading →
Tying up loose ends before leaping into spring's busy season. It has been a seemingly long two weeks behind my new computer. I never realized how slow and clunky my old computer was until I was forced to buy a new one. Everything so new, pristine and fast! Books I've read over the winter include... Continue Reading →
A steady stream of orders since Thanksgiving. Each piece of my handmade pottery securely wrapped and boxed. Shipping labels printed. Boxes secured. Tracking numbers noted and sent to each customer. Then off to the post office. Unboxing and unpacking Christmas decorations. A sense of nostalgia of Christmases past. Trying to remember where Christmas gifts are... Continue Reading →
My blue glaze finally arrived after being on back order since August. I have been using this delightful blue glaze for over 15 years. My customers nor I have ever been disappointed. So . . . I opened my new jug of blue glaze with great anticipation of glazing a set of custom made bowls... Continue Reading →
Another humid week last week! I don't mind the heat but when the air is as thick as pea soup and there is no breeze I start to feel a wee bit uncomfortable and grouchy. Luckily, my attention has been on things I can do inside in air conditioning! As I mentioned in my previous... Continue Reading →
Did you hear about the big Pottery scandal? Everyone involved was fired. 😁 My latest batch of pottery pieces have completely air dried. At this stage, the dried clay is called greenware. This stage is also when the clay is most fragile. Over the weekend, I fired the greenware in the first of two firings.... Continue Reading →
It was horridly humid and buggy on my back porch over the past several weeks. I took refuge indoors and continued to work with clay. While indoors, I made shallow bowls/dishes from slabs of clay draped over a plaster mold. A clay slab is a portion of clay that has been flattened into a sheet.... Continue Reading →
It does not feel like summer. 😟 It's has been cold, windy and humid. So cold that even my mugs are bundled up on my back porch studio! 🥶 The odd combination of cool temperatures, high humidity and 18 to 20 miles/hour wind has led to uneven drying for the mugs. The rims drying too... Continue Reading →
Just when I was getting into the grove of things . . . Throwing and firing. Firing and throwing. My kiln snapped. My kiln crackled. And my kiln popped! Had to call in my technical guru, other wise known as my husband. 😍 My technical guru checked connections, cleaned electrical contacts, switches and circuits. And... Continue Reading →
Dusted off and updated from an August 2019 post It starts with a lump of clay... A lump of clay is centered onto the pottery wheel then shaped into a simple cylinder and shaped some more. After shaping, the mug is ready to be taken off the pottery wheel and set aside to air dry.... Continue Reading →
Firing my kiln and throwing mugs on my back porch today after two days of rain. My pottery wheel on the left and my Vulcan* kiln on the right loaded with 25 glazed pieces. I started the kiln at 7 a.m. this morning. Anticipating a 12 hour firing which means it will take that long... Continue Reading →
Over the weekend, I started glazing some small bowls, cups and spoon rests that I made and bisque fired over the past few weeks. My glazing techniques vary from dunking pots into a bucket of glaze to brushing glaze onto pots. For my pet dishes and bowls, I stamp a paw print in the center... Continue Reading →
I have been asked by several people about making slow feeder bowls for their pets. I didn't know how to make them and felt a bit intimidated because there is not much information on how to make a slow feeder. But when my Grand-dog asked me to make one for him, I just couldn't say... Continue Reading →
Back Porch Studio 