Sleeping in the Workshop

By: ornamento.blog
Art, Boris, work space, workshop, , , 2 Comments on Sleeping in the Workshop

Sometimes Boris comes down to the workshop to “help” me but usually he ends up jumping into his Sleepy Box and napping.  I have two rock tumblers going at present and they don’t seem to bother him.  Nor does the soldering, sawing, hammering, banging and other assorted sounds I make.

I pulled out boxes of metal and polymer scraps and am trying my hand at making metal boxes with lids.  I am also tumbling a summer’s worth of porcelain beads and pendants that I made at The Clay Studio.  I am rooting through my tools and hardware for items to use in the mixed media sculpture class I am taking at Fleisher.  I found some 6 gauge copper wire at a house sale and I am making huge jump rings with it.  I am finishing some old projects little by little and trying a few new things.  I am not the one sleeping in the workshop!

 

Tarpaper Technique

By: ornamento.blog
Art, Ceramics, Fleisher Art Memorial, pottery, , , , 4 Comments on Tarpaper Technique

 

I am having a good time in the pottery studio experimenting with the tar paper technique.   The items below are white earthenware in different stages of finishing.  The tar paper supports the soft clay slabs and allows you to make all kinds of crazy shapes. Of course I have to see how far I can push it.  Stay tuned.

 

 

9.TP60548_2

Beware of sharks in the slip bucket!

 

What I Learned in Claire Maunsell’s Class

By: ornamento.blog
Art, Art Education, art, creativity, crafts, inspiration, , , 6 Comments on What I Learned in Claire Maunsell’s Class

11.Class

I learned how to make hollow stacked beads and hollow pod-shaped beads.

I learned that hollow pod-shaped beads were only a starting point and that I could take the clay wherever I wanted it to go.

I learned how to assess whether a given paint would work with polymer clay.

12.Paints

I learned that Claire is an incredibly generous teacher who prepares illustrated handouts bursting with information, ideas, resources and more.

I learned why Pan Pastels look so ##@&^#$@ gorgeous on polymer and I discovered that I need to buy them in all my favorite colors.  Like right now.  Or sooner.

I learned different techniques to crackle, seal, antique, enhance, texture,  carve, wax, paint, emboss, finish and (whatever else you can think of) polymer clay.

I learned about some new software that just might change my life. (Ok, that’s an exaggeration but Repper is pretty cool.)

If I have to  stop to think about whether I really want to leave my clay to go for Chinese food with Sherman Oberson, you know that it had to be a great class.  Here are some pictures of  what I made.   The ideas keep coming. Thank you Claire Maunsell for a great class!   

 

Pottery Experiments

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Art, Ceramics, pottery, , , , Leave a Comment on Pottery Experiments

And that is what they are:  experiments.  I spent the summer trying different hand building techniques and seeing what I could do with white porcelain.  I threw a lot of what I made away mostly because of mishaps during the glaze firing.  And I made a few pounds of unglazed beads, pendants and trinkets that are colored with Mason stains. Those will get a ride in the rock tumbler which should give them a smooth, shiny satin finish.  I also made a few  bead trees so I can make glazed beads.  So, here is what I ended up with:

 

Some bangles (I wish I had made more of these) some nerikomi dishes, one mug, a platter with a feathered slip design, and two mid-century modern-looking vases that I will find good homes for.