Friday, January 22, 2010

Using Photoshop to "test" Glazes



I was wondering what glaze I would use for my windows series. I used photoshop to test the look of a glaze I was considering, didn't go for perfect photo, just enough --like a sketch to see if I would like it and I do. Just found an item where I had used the intended glaze and cloned bits of that glaze from the pear box where I used it before and cloned it around the window on the piece drying. Not a wonderful photo, but just enough to see that it would work for me and I will try this glaze when item is bisqued. The hardest part of glazing is deciding what glazes to use. If I can think about it now, glazing will be easier.

One more "Window" Box drying


A third vessal, this time a lidded tall box with window and beach scene and grey cat this time. Next to that is a tall cylinder vase with an allover blue and white fabric design with ruffled front, also drying.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Using the Sun's UV rays to burn silkscreen


In case you wondered what that looked like: Photo from a previous class, I am sorry I didn't make a video with sound of Terre singing her homage to the sun (she was a schoolteacher in a previous life), while we were burning our screens. It must have worked though, because the screens all turned out perfectly with even a 3 UV rating last Saturday.

Let there be light!


Thanks to Ginny Eckley's instructions on how to build a light table, I am now able to make silkscreens no matter how bright it is outside. Up to now, I have waited until mid-day to "burn" a new screen, and thanks to living in mostly sunny NC, this hasn't been too bad, but now when the creative urge strikes in the dark, I can whip out the light table my DH made me for Christmas and drive on! Exposure time is 12 minutes (in mid-day UV sun, 1 minute +/- 10 seconds), but I am a multi-tasker and can find plenty to do while timing the 12 minutes.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

New pieces drying

My students in my silkscreen class last Saturday got so excited I was inspired to make a few more --I have been wanting to do a windows series for a while, so these are my first test pieces along with another beach box with shells only. All greenware at this stage.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Friday, January 01, 2010

New year Resolutions----Blah!


Worked at the gallery on the last day of the year and surprised there were quite a few people out and about. We even had some sales. The blue and white beach box in this entry sold after Christmas as did all three of the music themed plates that I took into the shop after Christmas which were like the ones in this posting. I had some very decent sales in December despite the fact that I sold over 60 items at the December Guild Pottery show. I had to take nearly everything out of the gallery for the show since I did not have much hanging about. All in all a wonderful December. I was at the studio today all day and have these things going into the bisque kiln perhaps next week. I have been playing with my fences silkscreen and this is the third item. One is in the shop, see entry below, one is ready to go into glaze kiln (no photo yet), it doesn't look very interesting with glaze on it before firing. The first attempt broke before getting into bisque kiln. Had a couple in shop yesterday who asked me if I would be willing to put more of this theme into the gallery they are opening. Not sure if I will do this, since they aren't open yet and lots of questions are unanswered, but in the meantime, I thought I would play around with some different forms using this screen. Also everyone here loves anything with turtles. We have an active turtle rescue program on our beaches and many people volunteer and support these activities, thank goodness. Thought I might play with the dolphins too.
I have another silkscreen on clay class coming up on January 17th and I am considering making a PDF file to sell on Etsy outlining my process on making and using the screens. Not sure about making it a NY's resolution though. We shall see, it is an idea that I have been playing with.