Lab Assistant

I have two giant beautiful Newfoundland dogs.  This is Bailey she came to visit me in the studio the other day, where she promptly decided the best way she could help was by taking a nap in the middle of the glaze room. Of course this occurred while I was frantically trying to finish glazing a set of new bowls.  Again, I am reminded that my dogs have no concept of their large size and are at heart, lap dogs.  I had just picked her up from the Vet and I think she needed a little extra love.

New business card day!

The debate has finally ended!  I have chosen a business card . . . And ordered it. They came to my house yesterday and  I love them.  I think they fit my personality perfectly, and it's a great face for my business.  If you want some to hand out, shoot me an e-mail and I will get some to you.

New Slide Shows

Enjoy the new Pic's. . . I love the red on the rim of these bowls.

While I'm waiting for cone ten to drop.

Cones are used in ceramics to monitor the interior temperature of the kiln. Simply put they are triangles of clay formulated to melt at specific temperatures.  I fire my kilns to cone ten which is approximately 2381 degrees fahrenheit.  My cone pack only has three gages, cone 8, 9, & 10.  Everything else I calculate by the color of the kiln and a good old gut feeling (I know somewhere my college professor just cringed).  I've included a picture of my "cone pack" before and after.

I love this girl.

I brought some mugs to a family dinner thinking I would have some extra time while visiting to assemble a few handles and embellishments.  As soon as the clay came out of the car the spark of inquisitive fire came alive in my nieces eyes. She sat next to me for almost 2 hours making, snakes, dragons, princesses in distress, and telling stories in my favorite english accent (she's 5).  Most importantly though, she might be the best "glue" (slip) application expert I have ever worked with.  Anytime I needed some "glue" and a few times when I didn't she would happily put down her clay friends load up the paint brush, and heap an exorbitant amount of slip onto the dime size spot I had pointed to. Awesome! I probably will have to replace a few paint brushes and a few mugs bit the dust, but spending time with this girl is priceless.  She even named the mugs, all of them, they are exactly the same. I hope she never loses her imagination.  Thanks for all the help baby girl.                                        

Great Accomplishments.

Tonight, in an effort to show more of my work on the blog, I opened a photo-bucked account. Two computers and one fake punch at the screen later, one could find me jumping up and down clapping with joy at my very small accomplishment.  Enjoy the new slide shows.

It's Christmas!!!

In Ceramics when a glaze fire finishes and the kiln is ready to be cracked it is often called Christmas, you never know what you are going to get. Today was Christmas for me. I am so excited for this firing because a couple of my photo transfer cake platers were in it. It's not my tightest packed kiln but I'm happy with the results.

Here we go. . .

This week my Mom and baby sister came to the studio armed with cameras to capture me at work. When they got to the studio I was up to my elbows in ink transfer chemicals. I have been interested in ink transfers on ceramics for a while, but really got into photo transfering in order to teach a class with my friend Spencer Davis at the Utah Art Educators Association (UAEA) conference this past spring. I love the antique, faded look that this process can produce.