Friday, August 29, 2008

A Friday Treat for me...

by Eleanor Hendriks

...an appearance on a busy handmade goodies blog...

Photobucket

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Time to Glaze...

by Eleanor Hendriks

I am about to embark on a mini glaze marathon... It's a mega glaze marathon when I have two tables full of pots to glaze -I try to avoid those -they make me sweat!!

...and a few results from the last round of glazing -I tackled the experimental jars that I made during my week of freedom...








Lots of food for thought here -but I was happy enough with them that you can find them for sale in my Etsy shop...


Thursday, August 21, 2008

Studio Update

by Eleanor Hendriks

A quick update on a few of the things happening in the studio right now...

A few special projects just finished...

A trophy for a charity golf tournament...


A fire hydant stopperless salt shaker...and yes, that is a target for a dog...


A mini version of my Orange salt shaker...


And a whole batch of pots in progress...




It's been a busy week!!

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Free prints with Purchase...

by Eleanor Hendriks

My Etsy friend, Debra Linker, is running a great promotion in conjuction with a lovely treasury she has curated. The deal is -buy something from her treasury and spend more than $30 in that shop and you will get to choose a FREE reproduction print from her shop! She has included my Rustic T-light Holder Set in selection -so if you had you eye on these hurry over to check it out. This offer ends when the treasury expires -Wednesday 3:30 pm EST.


What a great idea -thank you Debra!


Here is the beautifully chosen treasury... (the links won't work -click on the ones above if you wish to check out the shops -be sure to look at Debra's too!)

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Barbara Van Sickle Raku Workshop at StudioElan

by Eleanor Hendriks

It was a pleasure to host a Kawartha Potter's Guild workshop this past weekend. Barbara Van Sickle of Acton came to spend the day with a crew of 11 eager potters. She shared two of her techniques with us -Naked Raku and Copper Matte Reduction Raku. Clouds threatened all day but only halted the heavy kiln action for short periods. In all, Barbara fired more than 10 kiln loads of our work, all the while sharing her knowledge, inspirations, and great stories.

Barbara -full of carefully researched expertise, tips galore and boundless good cheer...
The Naked Raku firings started with kilns full of pots covered in soaking WET slip...

The pieces were pulled hot from the kiln and placed in containers of shredded paper...
...we encouraged smoke (yes, I warned my neighbours) hoping for lots of carbonization on our pieces where the slip layer had cracked...

The slip falls (or is laboriously chipped) off revealing the pattern of the crack lines painted on the surface in smoke...

This piece gets a bath to encourage slip removal...

Some results... PINK?? -probably from some iron in the clay...

Yes -that is a bum...with cracks!

Subtle lines and dots...
Serendipitous variation on an elegant form...

If the Naked Raku wasn't fabulous enough, Barbara also demonstrated her finely honed Copper Matte Raku techniques.
Glazed pieces are removed from the kiln while hot and set on a bed of sawdust -which then ignites...

The flames affect the metals in the glaze, essentially painting the pieces with flames...
Detail of the flame painting...

As the pieces cool in the reduction chambers (fancy moniker for metal cans sealed off with sawdust) the marks that the fire has made are preserved on the surface of the piece.
To experience some of the drama of Raku for yourself, stare at these cans imagining the surprises inside until they are cool enought to touch -25 long minutes!

Finally the moment of truth... just look at those colours!

More results...

And more...

I had a completely wonderful day -all clay talk all the time and the generous spirit of Barbara setting the tone for the day.
My sculptures however came through with mixed results...
The clay I used for the piece on the left produced rather faint smoke markings and a surface that I found totally unpleasant. The piece on the right was made with a different clay. It has an interesting surface that I plan to repeat but the poor fellow lost his head!

My Copper Matte adventures were more successful...

And my favourite piece of the day! This is the little sister to the piece that had the blow out in the bisque kiln, and I'm thrilled with how it turned out!
If you have a chance to see Barbara in action, grab it -you won't be disappointed! In fact, she has said that she has a kiln and will travel -get a group together and she will come to you!! Better yet, get a group together and meet up with her here at StudioElan!

Friday, August 01, 2008

Blow Out at StudioElan...

by Eleanor Hendriks

No, it's not a furniture sale... I had a little disappointment in the studio, this is what happens when I rush a bisque firing with pieces that are too wet.. shards everwhere..

I blew the bottom right out of a piece that I was sure would become a favourite. I should never count clay chickens before they hatch -or assume that a new clay body will take the same abuse as the one I usually use.
Why was I in such a hurry to fire these pieces? I'm planning to use them in a Naked Raku workshop that I will be hosting at StudioElan tomorrow. Barbara Van Sickle is coming to share her raku techniques with some of the members of the Kawartha Potter's Guild. This is the first workshop I have ever hosted and I'm quite excited. I'm hoping to do more events like this. Of course, now I have to go and clean the studio... Why is it that I can be excited about cleaning the studio but hate the very thought of housework???


Meanwhile, shelves are filling with pottery for the fall and Christmas season. I love looking at boards full of freshly finished ware...
I'll be back soon with a report from the raku workshop -if I don't get so involved that I forget to take pictures!!!

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