The paperweight class I’d signed up for at the Mesa Art Center, though cancelled three times in a row, went off fine the fourth time I registered for it, and I was able to make three paperweights. We were having trouble with the crucible kiln not clicking shut properly, and the glass got too cool, …
Jul 24
Florentine-Cobalt Porcelain Cup
This was one of the cups I threw with my share of the batch of porcelain that some of our classmates mixed up. I had some of Kurt Weiser’s cobalt underglaze that Bridget Harper (my ceramics teacher and friend) cadged for me. I’ve done underglaze or stain on porcelain many, many times. This is a …
Jul 21
Green Celadon Cup
This was one of a series I made from my share of the batch of porcelain we mixed up. I tend to throw 1/4 of an inch walls on my pottery, and I’ve gotten out of the habit of trimming down to 1/8 or 1/16 of an inch walls, which is really what this porcelain …
Jul 18
Fish Tray
I made this using the porcelain that Bridget Harper formulated for us. One thing that I discovered about this clay is that it does not like to be thick. I made a set of twelve small trays like this (only smaller) using the same technique (slab rolled, then formed inside a styrofoam meat tray). All …
Jul 15
Latticework Tray
Here’s another thing that people do when they make fused glass pieces; they make slumped bowls and trays. I had less enthusiasm for this, because I’m a potter, and pottery makes functional, sturdy, dishwasher-safe pieces that don’t cost $60 in raw materials. There’s a flaw in one of the bands because I tried to cut …