In the French Tradition

 

In fashionable households in 18th century France, it was common to see serving dishes made to appear like whatever they were meant to serve: asparagus soup in a tureen shaped like a bundle of asparagus; chicken casserole in a hen-shaped vessel.

Though the term used for these is trompe l'oeil, which means "fool the eye", these were unlikely to fool anyone (unlike the actual trompe l'oeil ceramics of, say Marilyn Levine or Paul Dresang.) The French vessels were more like visual jokes, all the funnier if the food within were completely different from what the exterior led one to believe. A sweet custard in a fish-shaped tureen? Hilarious! [Read more...]

Spraying the Soda

 I get a lot of questions about how soda firing works. It's pretty simple, really: when the kiln reaches ^9, I spray a mixture of baking soda, washing soda, and water through ports built into the kiln wall for that purpose. The sodium in those compounds turns into a glaze on the ware (and everything else in the kiln.) I use draw rings - little loops of clay - to determine when I have sprayed enough soda into the kiln. Pulling the draw ring out through the spyhole is my favorite part of the process! Well, except for unloading. 

Check out the whole video (free!) for members at my Patreon page. (You can buy the post for $3 if you prefer, but it's free to become a member. )

Surprise Butter Dishes

So, you might have noticed that I'm a goofball. I used to try to pretend I'm not, that I am in fact a very serious artiste making very serious art, which you must take very seriously. Then I figured out that everyone is a goofball of one stripe or another.

Anyway, today's goofiness is: when I went out to grind kiln shelves (UGH) to be ready for the next firing, in the shed I discovered not one but two butter dishes I had forgotten existed from the last firing! Surprise!
Eventually I will take better photographs & list them in the shop, unless...one of you would like one? They're $60 ($54 for paid Patreon subscribers!), which includes shipping in the continental US. I was quite pleased with the toasty, speckly color. Butter dishes always go pretty fast, because I don't make many of them, so if you've been waiting, here's your chance. 🙂 Shoot me an email - info@finemesspottery.com - & I'll send you an invoice, or we can do Venmo.

October Shop Update!

I unloaded a great firing last week, so I'm super excited to update the shop this time. I've got mugs & sippers, a serving bowls & ikebana, even a coffee cone. Check out the new work at this link! If you see something you'd like to buy, consider subscribing to my Patreon at the Water tier - that comes with a coupon code for 10% off! 

Raku Season Winding Down

 

Technically, of course, there's no reason why raku season has to wind down; You can raku all winter, if you want. I don't want! I'm sort of a recreational raku firer, so it's fair weather or nothing for me. 

This firing was a little...interesting! There was barely enough propane, and no combustibles, but luckily one of the participants lives nearby & had a big bag of pine shavings in her garage - she keeps chickens. We also had three pieces stick to the kiln shelves, which is a thing that has never happened to me before. 

Otherwise a nice firing, though. I only had one piece in it, glazed with Laguna's Tutti Fruiti. 

It's vastly different - and better! - than the test tile at the link. That's raku for ya. 
 

So, that was last night. I spent today grinding, pricing,  packing pots as I sorted them for their various destinations. Hoping to have a shop update by Wednesday of next week; subscribe to my Patreon to get first access (& a discount code) when that happens. 
Thanks for reading! 

Before & After

 Just because I haven't done one in a while, and this was an especially nice firing. Note to self: 500 grams soda ash, 600 grams baking soda, 2 gallons of water. Three rounds of spray. (I did have quite a lot of solution left.)

These aren't the only variables, of course, but they are important ones. 

Today & the rest of the week will be grinding, sorting, pricing, packing, & delivery. Next week I'll photograph pots for the online shop & get those listed. Patreon subscribers at the Water tier & up get first access & discount codes! If you're shopping, the discount alone might pay for your subscription. 😊😊😊

September Firing

 I spent Friday & Saturday glazing and loading; today was firing. After a brief quarrel with one burner (as usual! lol) the firing was uneventful, which is just how I like em. 

Though the kiln will be ready to unload on Wednesday, I will not! My mom has a doctor's appointment, so the kiln will have to wait until Wednesday afternoon. Someone once told me that if you aren't eager to open the kiln, it's time to change up your work. I never have that problem! 

I'll post the unloading video on Patreon. Paid subscribers get first dibs! Watch, too, for new work in the pottery shop. 

Thanks for reading & wish me patience! 

PS. I peeked through the spy this morning - Monday - and OOOOOO the color looks amazing! Honey-brown & glossy. Can't wait 'til Wednesday! 

Pumpkins 101: Thrown & Altered

 Check out the full video over on Patreon! 

Throwing a 6 Pound Pasta Bowl

 

ETA: I have no idea why this post got so much traction, but if you are new here & you liked this video, check out my Patreon page! 

The Pottery Stairs Are Out!

 It’s only been a couple of weeks since the last time I put the stairs out, but I got a tranche of really good mugs from the kiln at Portland Pottery. Also, my birthday is Friday, and I plan to use sales this week to celebrate. 🙂

Slab Built Oval Butter Dish Part One: The Invisible Seam

Butter dishes are some of my favorite things to make. They are more work, for sure, than something like a bowl or a pitcher, and I probably don't charge enough for them - but there's a deep satisfaction in making such a functional form beautiful and doing it well, so the oval lid fits the oval tray without rocking.

I do sometimes throw the pieces & then stretch them into ovals, but just as often I will build it out of slabs. I did this for my classes last week, and took photos:

It all starts with the lid. I roll & cut (and compress! but that should go without saying by now) a slab to 17" long by 3 inches wide. This will make a tallish butterdish - taller than necessary, so if you prefer a lower profile you could make it 2.5" or even just 2".

Stand it up on its edge in an oval shape, overlapping the ends by about an inch or a little less.

The interior space should be 6.5" in the longer dimension. It can be a little bigger, but no smaller...[Read more]

July Shop Update

Spent yesterday photographing pottery, then processing the photos & creating the online listings. This is the first shop update since May, due to one damn thing after another interfering with my firing schedule! But it's up now. 🙂

A few listings I was particularly pleased with: 

• This bowl! I didn't love this bowl when I first unloaded it. I thought the gray was too dark & the contrast too harsh. Over the last few days of sanding, sorting, pricing, & packing, I kept coming back to this one. It's not harsh, I decided; it's dramatic. If I put it on a banding wheel & spin it (which I did, lol) it looks like, Sunrise, Sunset; Sunrise, Sunset. 
  
• I made a set of mugs! Not entirely on purpose; I just made a couple dozen of a similar design & 6 of them happened to match surprisingly well. I'm never trying for identical - that's a standard that we've absorbed through out machine-driven culture, & it doesn't interest me. But almost matching? That creates an interesting tension. I almost never make sets, & who knows when I'll be inspired to declare one again, so if you've been looking for a set of my mugs, now's your chance. 
  
  
  
• And, of course, the little sippers! I made so many of these. They were just too fun to stop! 
  
  
  If you are thinking of making a purchase today, you might want to become a paid subscriber to my Patreon - there's a coupon code for 10% off in the most recent post - and paid memberships start at just $1.50 a month. If you're purchasing something, that membership would pay for itself right out of the gate.

Thanks for being here & stay cool today! It's meant to be in the high 80s here in Maine with 74% humidity. It's 10 o'clock in the morning & I'm glowing like a horse! Hope it's cooler where you are.