Meet the Bone Guys

Susan Speck's pottery is now available at Eclectics Gallery. These bone guys are to special for words. Stop by and meet them in person.

Black Slip Tea Bowls

Inspired by the work of Fetish Ghost I have decided to try my hand at a new technique. I used newspaper to cut stencils and applied them to my tea bowls. This was much trickier than it looked in the videos, the paper really wanted to wrinkle. After that I covered them with black slip and peeled the newspaper off. I have never used slip before and I am not sure if I am doing it right at all. I didn't weigh or measure anything. I just mixed up about a 1/2 cup of slip and added 3 tsps of black mason stain. I was a little frustrated with the coverage I got. The slipped seems to be a little too textured after application and when I went back to try a touch up the slip just wiped off. I was wanting a nice smooth coat. Good thing this is only a test. I will be firing my bisque kiln this weekend and can't wait to see the results. If it works I plan on making some more for the upcoming Tiki Tea at Eclectics in July.

Broomstick Feet

Enjoying the sunshine today while I throw a batch of tumblers. I textured the sides of these using a metal rib which looks a little like tree bark. I wish I had thrown these more narrowly then reshaped them with more of a hip after texturing. They are just a little too straight. I tend to throw very straight and even, but a little boring. I really struggle with creating movement in my pots, it is something I will be working on. These feet are a new technique for me. I saw this on someone's blog, I don't remember whose, but thanks for the tip. I sawed an old broomstick in half and used it to tap the bottoms of these cups and create the undulating feet. I like where this is going. If you look closely you can see the blue paint the broomstick left behind. Hopefully that will fire out just fine.

Tiki Tea Prototype

Today I worked on tea cups for the Tiki Tea Show at Eclectics. The show is not scheduled until July, but I am trying to plan ahead for a change. Normally I am a thrower, and I occasionally do a little coil building, but I wanted to give handbuilding with slabs a try this time. First I drew this little tiki design. I will carve the design into the clay slab and bisque fire it to use as a cup template. I have never tried making a cup template from clay so I hope it works, if not I will give lino cutting a try. I went ahead and carved one cup from the pattern just to see how it looks. I think this little guy has potential. I especially like the way the eyes bulge out a bit. I am sure he will be tweeked even more over the next couple of months. If all goes as planned there will be tiki cups galore in time for the show.

Baskets in the Works

I spent the day working on some new baskets. I am pleased with how they are turning out so far. Each one is a little different, but they all have rolled rims and long pulled handles. You can see the handles hung over a rolling pin to dry behind the pots. I have about a dozen more to handle tomorrow. They are my interpretation of some Ron Meyers baskets I saw him make during a workshop at Red Star a few years ago. He is an amazing potter and a very nice man to boot. Of course my baskets won't look anything like his. I am making these for the April show at Eclectics. I think they will be perfect for that Easter, Mother's Day Spring time of year. Now I am off to shower and get ready for the super bowl.