I have Feet!

Well, of course I have feet but now I have feet as well :)

This is what the body parts look like before I clean them up :)

This what they look like after I give them a "pedicure"

But, My feet are ugly and I hate them (yes, I have conjoined toes)

As you can see, they are rather ugly

These are the first part of the "What I hate" composite sculpture I am creating this year. It has a counter part, "What I like," also a composite sculpture.

Semester started

*Bells, whistles, and all that hoopla*

that is all

Pondering something

How does someone go about asking anouther person if they can make a mould of their torso for an art project? Without coming off as a nut or pervert or something? I'm being serious because I have an idea and I need guys that are fit to make moulds of.

NCECA Preview

So there's a crystal glazed cactus outside the convention center...

I decided it needed to be fondled...

Inspecting the cactus

Just wanting to lick it, it's so pretty!

BTW, if anyone is thinking of something to get me for christmas... *wink wink, nudge nudge*

Hey Brian, new post!

Ok, so I haven't been very postful this semester.. Mostly I've been doing the same things, fighting with the translucent slip and all... So yesterday I decided to throw a bit.. (Frustration makes men do crazy things..) Here are my results:

A cookie jar or a honey pot with lid

Two pitchers

A small teapot

The feet still need to be dealt with, but that will happen here shortly.

Deflocculant disaster (no photos...)

So I'm at an impasse... my translucent slip refuses to deflocculate... i have abso-(insert favourite expletive here)-lutely no idea why it's getting thicker as i add more deflocculant (the exact opposite of what sodium sillicate and darvan is designed to do) so i'm just not gonna work on that at all today  because I don't want to mix anouther batch and it do the same thing... i guess i shall hand build things today, for a bit anyway... 

Disaster day

So I didn't think today could get any worse after not getting much sleep, but oh it did.

First

Then while making a new sconce mold, a wall fell and plaster disaster #1 for 2009 occurred.  Thankfully, Ashley Bell, was there helping me pour the plaster as I knew there would be a problem, but I wasn't planning on a wall falling... Maybe just a bit of seepage, but not a wall collapse.  So I flounced off to Home Depot because I was a bit pissed off and needed real coddle boards so as to not have this problem happen to me again.. (because it has only happened to me)

But we now real coddle boards

Now I'm off to finish the new mold with real coddle boards so I don't loose my mind... what's left of it anyway...

Crystal glaze powerpoint

You can download my presentation from last semester Here

So it's time for a mini update

Yes, yes, it's that time again. I'm a bit (ok a lot) behind on the updating thing, but hey, I'm still alive so that's all that matters, right?

Here's something to wet your whistle while i prepare for a full update... 

This is a very small part of a major project that is being taken on my Ashley Bell.

More to come later!

Student show (no photos)

So I have two pieces from my last firing in the student show, one is the copper vase and the other is a teapot which I still need to photograph, also crystal glazed...

The powerppoint from my presentaion will be posted later today when I'm at my computer to upload it.

Weeeee for me!!!!!


-- Post From My iPhone

Everybody watch out, the crystals are a'comin! (super pic heavy)

Vases (cast porcelain - Celeste base - top to bottom: 2.5% copper carb, .5% cobalt carb; 5% copper carb.; 2.5% manganese dioxide; 10% cobalt carb on top, 2.5% nickel carb)

close ups of crystals

Firing Schedule from 7 nov 08

and the 10% colorant tests (on eggs):

L to R: vanadium stain, copper carb., cobalt carb., black iron oxide, rutile, cobalt carb in phil hamling's rutile base, chrome oxide (all eggs except for the indicated set were done with the Celeste base) [0-10% top to bottom]

hmmm...

Are you ready?!?

I am!!




-- Post From My iPhone

well hrm (no photos)

I didn't make my 0800 firing deadline, but i only missed it by about 30 min, so all it good... It's on it's way to an 8-10 hour up firing, then about 17-20 hrs of cooldown... I'll post the firing schedule and results as soon as i can get them out of the kiln and cleaned up...

it's time to wash the glaze out of my hair and hit the sack...

I'm beat (no photos, too busy to take any)

Just got done with a marathon glaze night, still have about 2 hours of work left to finish this round of glaze tests/pieces for the student show(if the glazes turn out correctly, I'll be submitting at least 1 crystal piece for the show)... Need to be in there first thing in the morning because I HAVE to get that kiln firing no later than 0800est or I won't have time to finish things for my presentation on Thursday... And I need to get more diamond bits for the dremmel...

Had a disaster in the reduction kiln, not sure what happened but this is why I'm not crazy about that beast.. Bad things always happen... Always...

And yes brian, I did clean up my mess...

Edit: mmm CMC gum gel...




-- Post From My iPhone

Quote of the day

When the going gets weird, the weird go pro. --- Hunter S. Thompson


-- Post From My iPhone

No photo update

Got some things done yesterday... cleaned up all the bone dry castings i made this week, cast anouther vase and 11 more eggs.  also made 17 catchers... now i have enough to do 10 tests, 4 vases and my two teapots... 

and yes brian, i did clean up my mess when i was done...

More fun stuff

Hello all! today was a long day... started at 0400 at school casting eggs and vases; it's so nice and quiet when no one else is there... While the eggs and vases were drying i was making the catchers for them... i want them i need them oh baby oh baby... *chuckles* i'm a bit tired...

anyway, it was a good day over all, though making those vases uses so much slip, i'm already almost out from what i made last week and i've only really cast about 10 things out of the bucket... oi vey... if anyone would like to donate to the "buy nathan a slip-o-matic fund" contact me about a tax free donation... 

Deb and Brian discussing something...  the overthrow of the administration maybe?

Ben spraying glaze 

the eggs before and after cleaning up

I managed to figure out the times for casting and drying for the mold that created the plaster disaster for 2008... here are three vases from today

A to go box Kristie cast today

and i made 60 catchers for when i glaze the eggs

I know they're scrubby, but they will get the job done.

Hopefully my next post will be some photos of the last firing and the crystals from the first round...

an egg-celent day

made 17 eggs today

and cast a vase...

although as you can see above there's a crack in the bottom from where i flattened it... Close-up below

Just an update :)

Here's Brian cleaning out the plaster bucket

and a  teapot that's now bisqued and needs to be glazed...

and that mold that created the plaster disaster of my career...(thus far)