East Austin Studio Tour

I'm starting to find out that this East Austin Studio Tour (E.A.S.T) is a pretty big deal. I'm incredibly excited about it and better get to work mixing glaze so I'm ready for it.

I had just about the best weekend ever and after I catch up on my work I'll tell you all about it.

Sugar Creamers

Been a while since I've made any of these but I'm at the end of my throwing cycle and that's when I usually don't know what to make. I was working out a few design ideas in these four as I was throwing. Sequoia Miller has a new blog and he addressed that idea nicely the other day:

A great thing about making as a practice is that design and fabrication are interwoven. Our culture separates them for specialization (and wealth) but one reason why craft rules is that we can make things and think about them at the same time.

check it out here.

These sets will get some deco and then they'll head into the space being saved for them in the bisque which I'm planning to fire off tomorrow.
Here's that bisque. Almost ready.

Coming up next weekend is the East Austin Studio Tour. I thought I had planned ahead well but it's almost here. I'll mix up a glaze or two tomorrow and hopefully fire a glaze kiln on Monday.

Tough Commute

I hope I can make it back up the hill to our house at the end of the day.

Of course, I'll have to catch my breath first.

Re-Organized

One of the hardest switches down here is that since the studio isn't next door, I can't ask my wonderful wife to come by and help very often. Today, I needed the help to re-organize the studio and luckily...she obliged. We didn't change too much but we were able to make the studio flow a little better. We also created some space for finished pots...which means another trip to Ikea is in the works tonight to get some more display shelving. The East Austin Studio Tour is coming up in a few weeks so I do need to get my finished work out of the boxes and get the new work through the kiln.

Anyways, here's my main worktable with a view to the back of the studio. my office area is on the right by the chair and my lounge(ikea sofa) is on the left. Those boxes next to the sofa will be replaced by som bookshelves soon.
Here's another view to the back with some shelving visible. Apparently...shelving is supposed to be used to organize and hold stuff. The floor is not the correct place to put piles of stuff. Thank you sweetie!

Here are a few pots drying for the next bisque. Not sure how that polychrome piece will do but it may at least make it into the bisque.
Bisqued pots, ready to glaze which means it may be time to mix up a bucket of something.
Another bisque is already started. I'll probably fire a glaze afterwards...I'm used to cycling through for a larger kiln so I need to adjust to just make, bisque and glaze fire a shorter cycle but old habits are hard to break.

Off to Gruene

If you're in the area you should be to.

For more info check out their website.

Trimming

I've never really thought throwing plates is an efficient use of time or clay. Well, not so much the throwing of the plates, but perhaps the trimming?

Time to learn how to slipcast?

Now Back to our Regularly Scheduled Blogging

I fired my first bisque here in Austin yesterday. I had to head home before the kiln had finished and was pleased to return this morning to find out that the kiln works after the move and that the studio is still here after the first firing.

I bought a kiln vent from Bailey. I got the double-kiln vent even though I only have one kiln at the moment. As I was started the kiln I looked at the instructions and it said to get a standard 4" pipe cap if you only have one kiln hooked up. I didn't have the "standard" pipe cap on hand so I made do with what I did have.

On the making front, I got a round of plates thrown. I have to send a plate to an upcoming show at the Ferrin Gallery so I'd like to get these in the next bisque. I'm planning on giving these guys the CityScape treatment that most things seem to get these days.