Faces // The back patio and I have been making faces when the days are too hot to do much else. I’m keen on larger-than-life eyes, drawing them larger and wider on each pot. Huge eyelids upper and lower, nose and lips coming into reality as I work. The birds sing, and I sculpt until the kiln is eventually full (not yet) and the heatwaves that keep rolling over the city start to calm. These pots are not what I was planning but sometimes the heat takes us where it takes us. . [image descriptions for 4 images: Image 1: grey clay with middle hollowed in the start of a pinch pot. Image 2: two balls of grey clay with the middle hollowed out in a pinch pot, with the ball closest to the viewer smooth and sponged and the furthest rough. Image 3: top view of a grey clay pinch pot plant pot with a somber face. Image 4: front view of a grey clay pinch pot plant pot with a somber face, and the start of another pinch pot in the background. ] . #sculpture #portraits #pinchpot #plantpot #ceramics #clay #pottery #CanadianCeramics #AlbertaPotters

The beginnings of a sweet little clay village. #ceramics

Glazing #rainbow hearts, day after US moves to #LoveIsLove and day before the anniversary of #Stonewall. #ceramics

The Mother of Pearl on this vase is hard to capture but there’s a subtle shimmer of pink and blue in the light. Paired with our garden roses that are a day away from dropping petals. #ceramics #lustre #yyc

Bonus of living with fiddlers: no lack of strings to make cutting wires! #fiddle #ceramics #pottery

Our kiln came with many bits, bobbles, and boxes. This MED-MAR Metals bottle has “25%” penciled onto the label, and claims to be Mother of Pearl. It’s been sitting on the shelf with the kiln furniture for years, and today, I had a few hours to run an experiment. I’m assuming that it’s a lustre and I’ve coated a clear glazed ceramic piece with this fluid, and it’s currently firing to cone 018 (750° Celsius) to see what happens. The best part of pottery is the magic of alchemy. Also, the worst part of pottery is the magic of alchemy. I’m hoping for the best.

First firing with the “fixed” kiln had some problems BUT this little porcelain + melted glass experiment makes up for it. Now I’m on the hunt for kiln elements sold within Canada, and I don’t want to wait 6 weeks for delivery again!

Hatching ideas, playing with circles and form. #ceramics #creativity

Circles. #YarnBowl #ceramics

First, Silky underglaze over paper mask on greenware. Pretty yarn bowls all in a row. Next stop: bisque fire then glaze!    

Yarn bowls-that-aren’t-bowls, beta test. #yyc #ceramics #YarnBowl

I’m yearning for spring. #YarnBowl #ceramics #yyc

Learnin’ // I’m taking a sculpture course through the University of Saskatchewan and my first challenge was an ear. In class we have moved on to nose & mouth but I’m refining some details on this ear before allowing it to slowly dry for firing. 🏻 I’m enjoying learning something completely new to me as I’ve always worked on ceramic functional pieces. The new advent of video online learning has brought Adrian Golban’s instruction and direct critique into my kitchen! 🏻 [Image description: A large ear sculpted out of grey clay on a black and plywood surface, surrounded by thin plastic.] . . . #sculpture #ceramics #humansculpture #facesculpture #pottery #UofS #EarSculpt Learnin’ // I’m taking a sculpture course through the University of Saskatchewan and my first challenge was an ear. In class we have moved on to nose & mouth but I’m refining some details on this ear before allowing it to slowly dry for firing. 🏻 I’m enjoying learning something completely new to me as I’ve always worked on ceramic functional pieces. The new advent of video online learning has brought Adrian Golban’s instruction and direct critique into my kitchen! 🏻 [Image description: A large ear sculpted out of grey clay on a black and plywood surface, surrounded by thin plastic.] . . . #sculpture #ceramics #humansculpture #facesculpture #pottery #UofS #EarSculpt Learnin’ // I’m taking a sculpture course through the University of Saskatchewan and my first challenge was an ear. In class we have moved on to nose & mouth but I’m refining some details on this ear before allowing it to slowly dry for firing. 🏻 I’m enjoying learning something completely new to me as I’ve always worked on ceramic functional pieces. The new advent of video online learning has brought Adrian Golban’s instruction and direct critique into my kitchen! 🏻 [Image description: A large ear sculpted out of grey clay on a black and plywood surface, surrounded by thin plastic.] . . . #sculpture #ceramics #humansculpture #facesculpture #pottery #UofS #EarSculpt   Nec blandit eleifend congue orci phasellus tincidunt porttitor a ut aliquam, nisl maecenas metus enim purus sollicitudin laoreet at auctor ultrices habitant, convallis id dolor mauris congue dolor primis purus vehicula velit aliquam nostra rhoncus. Malesuada ullamcorper morbi vitae rutrum iaculis in congue urna est nostra, fermentum luctus nostra magna ut purus blandit pretium est mattis, amet feugiat netus ornare arcu elementum in fringilla ligula ante metus quisque mauris habitasse. Sollicitudin adipiscing mattis ad lacus dictumst curabitur nibh donec adipiscing lobortis, augue vivamus dictumst sollicitudin sapien blandit pellentesque habitasse dui vivamus, fermentum nostra gravida ut id a platea auctor curabitur. Condimentum orci volutpat purus diam egestas magna metus iaculis vel, mollis aliquam senectus pharetra felis quam quisque hendrerit odio dolor, dictum massa duis lectus amet aenean curae praesent metus odio hac senectus vulputate.