Voodoo Raku with no clothes on

My day started like all my favorites, go to the studio. I had a special mission for today however, sharing Naked Raku. After getting the thick pancake batter like slip together and cleaning up the studio a bit Nancy got the snacks out and we started to get into the groove with My Baby Loves Voodoo.

Best thing you can do when you it comes to Raku is to come with an open mind. The process is so littered with chance and serendipity. Expectations are a real ego killer here.

The sun was shinning with a slight breeze, perfect weather for standing around and listening to the roar of the burner, discussing the possibilities of life. Which is what happens when you are waiting for the kiln to get to temperature.

Not that there aren't things to do while waiting.....

Like talking about the style points awarded for cool protective gear.

So much can go wrong during this process but then again what is wrong? It's one of those questions I ask myself every time I open a kiln or 'finish' a project. Is this my expectations again? Where do they come from and how do I let them go?

My expectations are influenced by so many things; will it sell, how it came out last time, what others like and dislike, pictures I've seen in trade magazines, etc.

But when I am trying to find my own way in clay it is important for me to shut those things off. I've built a box where all those things go and I let them slowly filter through before I ever let them come in contact with my core of ideas and inspiration. At least that's how it works in theory. Usually I'm remembering things and sending them back to their rooms because they upset my ego too much. But it gives me pause to reflect on it and think about it before I adopt it. 

I try to enjoy the process and the people involved in the process. If I think about how it's supposed to come out I get stressed and start worrying about things. Things will be the death of me.

I stay focused on the small bits that give me pleasure along the way. They keep me focused on the process. The here and now. The end results will come zooming into view quickly enough.

As it always does. Well done class, look at your beautiful work! It's been a pleasure to be your guide along this short journey, I do hope you have enjoyed yourselves and I look forward to another journey with you again soon.

A wonderful week of rain, sunshine, and clay

It has been a very busy week. Tuesday was a great day in the studio and I hardly had time to take pictures (due to the fact that I have to wash my hands in order to take a picture.) But I managed to grab a few important moments. First of all Joyce and I went up to see the wood kiln cooling down. It had fired Last weekend and was still quite warm. Not so warm that I couldn't stick my camera inside to grab a few photos! Here is my favorite. It looks so peaceful in there, which is a major contrast from only a few days earlier. Kiln opens this Saturday morning and I have two pieces that I am anxious to see.

I have a special order I am working on for a small distillery in Seattle who makes Sochu, a fermented and distilled Japanese liquor. It tastes kind of like Sake but it is made with pearled Barley. These little cups have a stamped tag on the front with the companies logo and despite my best efforts occasionally delaminate. I slip and score them and compress the seem with a small plastic tool however due to a curved surface and tension from the tag drying it can curl off like the one pictured. Now I cannot press it back down because the tag is now leather hard. 

These are fixable! I started using paper clay to repair these cups and the results are great. 

Paper clay is simply clay, water, sodium silicate (a teaspoon), and a soft paper such as toilet paper, eco batting, or even newsprint. I mix up about a quart as the rotting paper can smell over a long period of time. I have even used this on broken bisque ware and re bisqued......I know your thinking this is impossible but it does actually work!

I got to finish my time in the studio with a small workshop. Teaching one hour workshops to folks with little to no experience is very rewarding. Watching them create and play and see there cup or bowl come to life is hard to put into words. They all have the same expression on their faces, concentration, mixed with joy and wonder. 

As I finish these projects it is often hard for folks to leave. Who could blame them, after all, I still find it hard to turn off the lights and go home.

Naked Raku workshop. Part 1

Yesterday we had a Raku workshop at the studio. Here are the demo pots I made on Sunday. Both are made by slumping clay on wooden cutout templates and putting together the parts. We will be firing them in two weeks with  process called Naked Raku. I'll post more about this tomorrow.

This is Mari throwing raku clay on the wheel. Today is her Birthday! Happy Birthday Mari! 

And this is her cute dog Raffi. He's our studio dog.

Hand building, although a slow process, gives us the ability to build complex forms that you could not make on the wheel. It also offers the opportunity for someone to come into the studio with no clay experience and build something very comparable to what I would build. 

Although it is not for everyone. Some folks are drawn to the wheel like a moth to a light bulb. As I was drawn years ago. The wheel is what got me hooked on clay. I threw for about six or seven years before I ever considered hand building. 

Hand building is often relegated to kids work. True it is easier for them to do as the wheel takes a great understanding of the 'center'. But when mastered hand building shows subtleties that the wheel could never capture.

Both have a place in my studio.

My son made a cupcake. I believe it is gluten free.