Distinctive Touches

Pretty Pot!

It's finally Friday and I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend. 

Today I want to share something non-paper related...  My very first "I LOVE IT!" pot.   It's not my first pot... oh no.  I've been taking wheel throwing classes up in Tulsa since January and this is probably my 100th pot.  But it's the very first one that I absolutely LOVE!  

It is made with 5 pounds of clay and measures about 8 inches tall and 6 inches wide at the top.  It is the perfect size for a small houseplant or possibly a great container for large kitchen utensils. 

I just finished up the last glaze class and this was my final piece.  I experimented with overlaying two glazes - both with the same base.  I knew that the blue glaze tended to run a bit, so I rimmed that over the green.  I am so thrilled with the results!  The area where they overlapped has a hint of a buttery yellow. 

While I still have a long way to go and a lot of practicing to do, I am excited to see the progress I've made.  Now to talk my hubby into buying me a wheel for Christmas...

Thanks for stopping in today.  Have a super-duper-fantabulous weekend! 
Hugs

I'm Here if You Need Me.

Happy Friday all.  I'm so glad it is finally the weekend!  I'm a bit worn out from all of the running around that I've done this week.  It was the last week of my Surface and Design pottery class up in Tulsa.  I've got some really nice pots waiting to be fired in the kiln and I can't wait to see the results of my glazing experiments.  (If they turn out, I'll share pictures.)  

I have to decide whether I'm going to sign up for a third Throwing class on the pottery wheel.  I REALLY learned a lot during the intermediate class, and I would like to go on to the advanced class... but I just don't know if I have time this fall.  I will have to wait and see.  I've got so much else on my plate right now.  (What else is new right?)

We are ALMOST ready for our Fall Kick-Off over at My Creative Classroom.  There are a few new instructors and TONS of new classes!  I can't wait for the opening of enrollment... be watching next week for that announcement! 

And lastly, I found some time to be CREATIVE this week.  I was browsing though the latest uploads on SCS a few weeks ago and was completely drawn in by this card that Jeanne S. created.  It was simply, it was clean, it was perfect!  I knew that I wanted to use the layout in a card of my own... and so I pulled out my Elegant Flowers set from Gina K Designs and paired it with a pretty matching sentiment from Verve.  The irises are colored with Copic markers, punched out with a scalloped circle Nestability, and then sponged with lilac ink. 

It was really hard for me to NOT use any embellishments or doodle any frames on this card, but I think it turned out really pretty!  It would make a super fast and easy thinking of you or sympathy card.

Thanks for the inspiration Jeanne...  and thanks everyone for stopping by!
Have a wonderful weekend.

It's a First!

This is one of the mugs I made during my beginning pottery class.  Isn't it puuuurrrty?

 

I got tired of making basic straight "up and down" mugs, so this was my first attempt at adding curves.  It's not bad... for my first try!  LOL

This was also the first mug that I added a handle to.  (Does that make all my other handle-less mugs cups?)  Anyway... THAT my friend is MUCH harder than I expected. 

The idea is to have the handle compliment the shape and size of the mug... huh... I was just happy to get one to stay on during the firing process! 

This was also the first piece that I did a double glaze on.  And again... I've got a lot to learn!  Notice how the glaze on the left is really shiny (well, maybe you can't tell in the photo, but trust me... it's super glass-like.)  And then notice how the glaze on the right is more of a stoneware matte?  Yea, I guess I didn't think about THAT when I was dipping away.  The pretty dark blue streak down the center is where the two glazes overlapped... I think it looks cool... the instructor was NOT impressed!  (I guess overlapped glazes have a tendency to run a bit more... making them more difficult to fire.)  Who knew? 

Anyway... I'm pretty impressed with my first attempt.  The only thing is... 

It's a miniature!
 
I totally forgot that the pottery shrinks up to 10% during the drying and firing stages! 

So every mug and cup I now own are the perfect size for a child.  It's hysterical to see all these mini-mugs all lined up on my counter.

Oh...  and they each weigh about a pound... they are so thick and stout.  Whoever hefts these babies for a drink better be strong!  LOL

I guess it's back to the pottery wheel for me!

Thanks to everyone who sent well wishes and healthy thoughts.  I'm taking B12 for a boost of energy each day and I have an appointment with a new doctor in two weeks.  Hopefully he will be able to tell me if this sleep disturbance is the issue and get me to a specialist who can help.  For now... I'm taking it one day at a time!

Hugs!
colleen

Project 52 - #5 Cross Craft Inspiration

Did you know that I'm a studio potter? 

Okay, I'm not REALLY a studio potter... but I want to be... and I'm just practicing the power of positive thoughts. 

What I REALLY am is a pottery student.  And I can tell you with all honesty that some day I WILL have my very own pottery studio.  I am absolutely in love with it!  In college I took some sculpture classes and worked with clay, but I've never REALLY learned how to throw on a wheel... until now.  I drive up to Tulsa for class once a week and I'm learning so much!  It's hard though because my instinct is to throw a cylinder (the basic shape everyone learns to throw) and then try to get fancy... you know, add in a sweet curve here and a rolled lip there... but to actually be serious about it, I need to make cylinder after cylinder after cylinder... and nothing else!  Nothing fancy, nothing artistic, nothing creative... it just kills me!  (But hey, that's the only way I'm going to learn... by doing the basics....over and over again.)

Since I find potting (I'm not sure that is the correct term but I like the sound of it) so creative yet have to stifle that feeling in class, I decided to transfer my creativity to another medium. 

Here's this week's Project 52 sample.  I created this "painting" as a reflection of my feelings about clay, pottery, and shaping the earth.  I call it The Olive Jar.  My husband doesn't get it.  I'm not sure anyone will get it.  Know what?  Don't care... I get it!  That's the fun of abstract/contemporary kinds of art... it can relate to people on all sorts of different levels (or not at all). 

I started by frosting the canvas with some modeling paste to create a bit of texture.  Then I added paint; I worked with three different colors (browns, yellows and greens) to create the piece.  I started with a basic tan and added washes of gradually darker shades over the whole piece.  (I wiped some of the washes off in areas to keep the lighter color.)  I then painted a mustard yellow across most of the canvas.  More washes in yellows and oranges gradually darken the painting and add depth.  I added green to the bottom of the canvas (pulling the color up) and darkened that with a blackish-green wash.  I wanted even more depth, so I gave the whole thing a few washes with a dark brown... making sure to leave some of the paint along the edges of the texture paste.  Then, I highlighted some of the peaks by dry brushing the light tan over the piece.

As I was creating this (with no REAL design or goal in mind... just sort of "feeling" it) I remembered a trip I took to Israel when I was in college.  (Spent a month there on an archeology dig!)  Some of my fondest memories are of the magnificent working pottery there.  Water, grains, and oils were stored in these HUGE jars and stacked along the walls of the market place.  Suddenly I knew exactly where this piece was headed! 

To finish it up I created a UTEE medallion and brushed Perfect Pearls on it to give it an aged-pewter look and then attached it to the painting with hemp twine. 

I LOVE that this project was inspired by one of my current NEW activities and is a wonderful memory of the past as well.

Hope you like it!

Hugs,
colleen