A GIFT

Ten years ago former Ceramics student Bill Sevedge,

Class of 1984,

built this blog for me and taught me how to use it.

Before then I rarely used the computer.

I was scared of it,

not having grown up using it.

He dropped by for a visit recently and we talked about how much I've learned

since he gifted me this blog site,

and I wanted to give back to him in appreciation.

I asked him to pick one of my current demo. pieces.

He chose one of my favorites,

this black beauty.

It was thrown last school year for the Intermediate Ceramics students 

to show them an Altered Vase Form.

After completely turning back the lip of the pot on itself,

I stamped the shoulder with the head of a large acorn from the cabin.

To finish the piece I stained it with Red Iron Oxide 

and then poured our Black glaze into the inside

then partially dipped the piece for outside coverage.

I was really pleased with how it turned out,

and was so happy to gift it to Bill.

I frequently think of Bill and how grateful I am to him.

He was one of a handful of students to reach the Ceramics IV level back in the 80's.

He enabled me to connect to so many artists around the world thru my blog,

and to be able to share my students with them.

Thank you Bill. 

I hope you occasionally check my blog

and are proud of your student.

:)

AN ALL TIME FAVORITE

Retired Air Force Servicewoman,

1994 Whitney High graduate,

and Outstanding Ceramics student for me back in the day,

Wendy Hertel,

came to visit me in my classroom this past school year.

She wondered if she still possessed her throwing skills on the potter's wheel.

I told her to go for it while she was visiting.

What was so amazing 

was that after all those years she remembered where I kept the clay tools.

the batts, and the clay.

I loved how she made herself at home,

as if she had never left.

The current students were fascinated with her,

and her confidence.

What wasn't surprising to me was that she had retained all her throwing skills.

We all do who learned this global skill,

like riding a bike,

like learning how to draw, ski, walk.

She threw two pots.  

What she didn't have time to do was to come back the next day and trim the bowls.

So I told her I'd do it for her then mail one to her and keep the other.

This one was my favorite of the two,

thus the packing fuff around it.

It's flying off this week to Maryland where Wendy retired.

What Wendy doesn't know is that I blew it when I was trimming the piece.

I accidently went thru the bottom and made a hole in it.

Dang!!

That's what I should have said in my classroom in front of the kids,

hee hee.

I think I might have said something else.

Opps.

Anyways,

I believe I've told you all before that I love when something goes arye

because it forces me to come up with a more creative solution.

And I was bound and determined to save this piece.

So to her thrown pot, 

I handbuild a false bottom and allowed the seam to show.

Then I found a cool stamp and pressed it into the center.

I also took that stamp and pressed it around the outside top lip

and allowed the lip to stretch and buckle a bit so it would work visually with the organic seam

in center of piece.

To finish off the pot I first bisqued then glaze fired it to 2400 degrees.

Before it went into the glaze fire I stained the whole piece with Red Iron Oxide,

then dipped it into Transparent glaze.

I love how it turned out and I so hope Wendy will as well.

Farewell sweet pot,

godspeed as you make your way to her.

ANOTHER LIL DEMO

It really makes my heart happy 

when I actually finish some art piece that I've started for my students.

This thrown pot was made two years ago as a demo for my beginning clay kids.

I'm crazy about surface design,

 so I grabbed a bunch of stamps and cylinder rolls and went to town

stamping the heck out of this pot.

When I had finished I felt it looked a bit tribal 

and knew I'd probably want to dangle something from the side,

so I pierced a couple of holes along the shoulder.

I stained the outside with Red Iron Oxide 

and glazed the inside with our beautiful black glaze,

then took it home to my studio to see what I could find for the dangle.

This sweet little clay bird, 

which I think came from Mexico on a colleague's necklace that she donated, 

seemed the perfect compliment to the pot,

along with a piece of leather and a couple of brass and silver beads.

The only downside is I can't remember what I did with the darn thing.

This getting old thing really sucks Eunice!

Then today I went for a doctor's appt. to check my hearing 

and the nurse told me to expect a call from the doc with the results.

Seems I'm losing my hearing in my left ear.

What a revolting development!

Well at least I can still see with my trifocals,

although I do practice knitting with my eyes closed,

just in case.

LOL

WHAT DO I ALWAYS SAY?

It's all about SURFACE DESIGN!!

These 3 small pieces are more of my demos that I was able to finish up this year.

In this first vase form I simply rolled a Ball Stamp (one of my students)

around the neck area.

Thanks Manav!

hee hee

Inside this tiny bowl,

 I took one of my grandmother's lace doilies she crocheted,

and pressed it into the plastic bowl before the clay stiffened up.

And in this little cutie that I gifted to Alumni & Assistant  Alyssa Olea,

I first used my middle finger

 (while the pot was still on the potter's wheel before it had been cut off),

and pushed the clay outward in two places opposite each other.

Then afterwards when I could handle it without leaving fingerprints,

(right before it became leatherhard)

I used a couple of tools to stamp into the clay to accent a few places.

DISTORTION & EXAGGERATION

THROWN & ALTERED POTS

DEMOS FOR CERAMICS II

clay, glazes & oxides

These are a couple more of my demo. pieces that I actually had a chance to glaze & finish.

This first little vase was quite shapely until I was demoing how to take if carefully off the wheel.

Then I had a revolting development.

LOL

It fell flat on it's side and the kids screamed.

Ha ha, I love when they do that!

So I left it on it's side to stiffen up a bit until I could handle it,

then I paddled it's sides all the way around to match that one side that caved in

& wella!

A funky fun piece for the eye.

I also took the opportunity to experiment with our black glaze 

both under and overtop our turquoise glaze for two very interesting effects.

In this next cylinder I showed the kids how to roll the lip over itself for a strong ending.

While it was still plastic on the potter's wheel I took my middle finger

and pushed out all four corners of the piece.

 broking thru the walls of clay.

Of course the kids were mortified and thought I'd ruined it,

but oh contraire,

now I have the perfect opening to inlay pieces of white porcelain for more interest.

Then right before the pot became leatherhard I stamped it with a cool button,

and the pointy tip of my rib.

Black glaze on the inside,

and R.I.O. stained on the out.

In this very simple vase form,

all I did was roll a couple of thin wood stamp cylinders around the bottom 

to balance the Chili glaze I knew I'd be putting on the inside and outside lip area.

Note: the background quilt is a piece by national quilt artist Ricky Timms,

a piece I bought from him at one of his workshops I took years ago.

I like to give these demo pieces as gifts with succulent starts.

This one was stained with Rutile Oxide and glazed with Transparent.

I'VE SAID IT BEFORE...IT'S ALL ABOUT SURFACE DESIGN

WHEEL THROWN BOWLS AND PLATES

CERAMICS II

clay, glazes. oxides, ceramic pencil & wax resist

Second Semester's intermediate clay kids learn to throw on the potter's wheels,

and in the 4th Quarter they do bowls and plates.

They are required to alter the plastic wheel thrown pots before we send them to be fired

for added interest.

And then after the first firing

 are required to try out different decorative techniques with glazing.

In this first glorious piece senior Cindy Ryoo altered her work by cracking off the edges

for an organic treatment.

And the technique she used here for glazing was done with glaze,

wax resist and oxides. 

Both sides were so extraordinary I had to take a pix of each.

I almost forgot,

They also learned to trim the bottom of the bowls and plates 

as you can see below.

Only the piece on the left was altered along the rim/lip, 

so the others must have been for extra credit.

But all of these beauties belong to senior Sameera Ahmed.

Her glazing from left to right:

glaze with sponged on wax then oxide over top,

(top middle) glaze with painted oxide design,

(bottom middle) ceramic pencil with transparent glaze over top,

and glaze with wax design and then oxide brushed over.

These last three all belong to senior Jue Eun Lee.

Honestly,

 I can't tell /remember how she achieved the very atmospheric look on the piece above left,

but it sure is cool!

Piece on right is wax resit design with glaze over top.

And then everyone's favorite was this one Jue Eun did with ceramic pencil

and transparent glaze over.

It was so special from so many angles.

LONG TIME NO SEE

WHEEL THROWN POTS

CERAMICS II

clay, oxides  & glazes

It's been a while since I posted about my Ceramics II kids.  

They are alive and well,

mastering the art of the potter's wheel.

Senior Nicholas Tudor really struggled at first 

but reached his aa hh moment several weeks ago, 

and is now thoroughly enjoying throwing on the wheel.

Mastering the throwing process came a bit sooner for senior Sameera Ahmad.

We only have 5 electric wheels and one kick wheel.

Usually no one wants the kick but Sameera claimed it for her own.

She has the advantage of a nice large tray to set all her throwing equipment, 

a sturdy metal back splash to brace her arms on, 

and an adjustable seat.

Here are some of their finished pieces.

Above we have 3 pieces by senior Cindy Ryoo.

I've required my students for the first time this year 

to alter the surface of each of the pots they turn in for grading.

(they may do whatever they want with their extra credit works)

On this next one by Nick Tudor,

he has tried out ceramic pencil for surface design.

Ceramic pencils are oxides in pencil form.

The kids love drawing with them right onto the bisqueware 

and then putting Transparent glaze over top.

Nick also glazed the top and bottom edges with our Tan glaze for a bit of contrast.

And this little cutie is the work of senior Yasmeem Pardo.

Great flowy lip with multiple glazes doing cool things on the surface.

Don't be Afraid to Mess It Up

ALTERED THROWN FORMS

CERAMICS II

clay, glazes, oxides

My Ceramics II kids all learn how to throw on the potter's wheel in their 2nd semester with me.

They start off with cylinders then move on to vases forms and mugs.

As they learn I encourage them to try and alter their pieces by stamping, cutting, piercing, poking, paddling, the list is long.

At first they resist, but by the 4th quarter they start experimenting a bit.

So as I demonstrate I always make sure I alter every piece I make.

In my demonstration above I stamped opposite sides with a tribal button I found as well as pushed out the other two sides with my finger.

To finish I stained it with rutile oxide then transparent glaze over top.

The succulents are from my garden that I propagate.

This piece was one of my gifts to alumni Alyssa Olea for her hard work throughout the year as my Assistant. 

The rest of the pieces were made by my students.

I love how senior Tahnee Thantrong messed with her mug to fold the clay around the rim as well a leaning it to the right.

These small changes makes the piece so much more interesting to the eye.

This next one above was also made by Tahnee and it's so much fun, not only in the altering but in the glazing as well.

The last two below belong to senior Shamara Mustafa.

I believe that when she was trimming the bottom, a piece of the rim chipped off so she chipped more pieces off all the way around to save and balance the work.

To finish she sponged on cobalt blue carbonate then dipped into our blue-green glaze which has transparent qualities.

What a pretty little piece Shamara!

In this piece Shamara simply pinched in the rim on opposite sides to alter then accented it with her glazing.

Lovely!

Wheel Thrown Ware - Student Work

Last years Cermics II kids really got into throwing on the potter's wheel, especially Eddie Ponce.  These two lovely vases above along with the sweet teapot below were his work.

Rita Labib really got into the glazing of her thrown and altered pieces, doing a lot of cool experimentation.

And Stella Park really enjoyed our bowl unit, and then the glazing of them.

I miss you guys, hope all is well, and that you are happy.  Looks like we have another strong crop of second year clay kids this year, so stop by and see what they are up to.

Thrown Pottery - Student Work

During the Second Semester my Ceramics II kids learn how to throw on the potter's wheel.  This is a very challenging time for them because throwing is a global skill, the learning is very difficult and must be practiced often.  And my poor babies did struggle, but not one of them gave up and I'm so proud to show off their work.  And of course a part of the process is glazing the pots.  So these first two were done with ceramic oxide pencils and the kids were able to draw their designs on then put transparent glaze over top.

The top one was done by very talented senior David Hyun, who was also one of my top drawing/painting students.  And below we have senior Hannah Woo doing a very cool geometric design.

I've lost track of who the two above belong to, but my best guess is senior Melissa Garcia.  She has used ceramic pencil on the first plate and multiple poured glazes on the second.

And below we have senior Tiffany Liu with these three very differently finished pieces.  In the first plate on the left she has stained the piece with cobalt oxide then used a transparent glaze over top, the top right piece she cut up pieces of masking tape in the shape of triangles, rubbed them down onto her bisqued plate then dipped the piece in our blue glaze.  And the bottom one was first dipped into our black glaze then she poured a bit of white glaze over top.  Of all 5 of the kids, Tiffany had the hardest time learning to throw, but I really admire her tenacity, she worked so hard, never gave up and managed to throw more pieces then the other four students.  Way to go Tiffany!  And earned her "A"  :)

This next beauty is another work by David, in which he used multiple glazes to finish it off with.

And then senior Alyssa Olea made this cutie below.  She also struggled mightily, but again her determination pulled her thru and she ended up with many lovely works.  This piece was actually one of her rejects but she saved it by adding a face and handle for a really fun mug.  

I'm so proud of all of you.  Thank you for a great year and good luck in your first year in college, I know you start soon.  I'll be thinking of you all.  Keep in touch.

Wheel Thrown Plates - Student Work

Senior Chareena Eleazar, my only Ceramic II student this last year, took to the potter's wheel like a duck to water.  One of her assignments on the wheel was to make 2 plates, one out of porcelain clay with ceramic pencil designs drawn on, and the 2nd plate was to be thrown but altered when it was still plastic.  These are the results.  Very cool pieces Chareena!