Sketchy Sund... er... Friday....... whoops, where the heck did this week go?

SO.... these are some sketches... and it is definitely not Sunday... Oops.

Sorry everyone, this was a crazy whirlwind of a week! To make up for it, here are not 1, not 2, but 3 sketches for you viewing pleasure, straight out of the ole' picture book (and painted with coffee).

This time around, my pottery class is focusing on creating ceramics inspired by Asia for our annual spring show. Everyone is creating beautiful vases, dishes, rice bowls, tea sets, and so many more things. I, however, am finding myself developing a deep obsession with Sumo Wrestlers and Geisha Girls...








These pictures are really studies for future ceramic pieces. I am most excited about the sumo wrestler, just because I think that they are hilarious in the whole and will be awesome in clay. I actually started putting one together yesterday in class, so I'll let you know how that turns out!

On a side note, My new favorite place is a little hole-in-the-wall coffee shop in Strongsville called "the relaxing room". It has just opened and has delicious coffee that is inexpensive and padded booths that I loose hours in every week. It is my quiet time to draw in my sketchbook, and I cherish every minute I spend there. Owner Nate makes a mean cup of Joe too (um... by "mean cup of joe" I mean my usual gingerbread soy latte ;) What can I say?! I like sweet girly drinks! So Sue me!!).

Anyway... it is really fun to paint with the coffee and Nate asked if I would contribute some work to decorate the walls! Hmm.... I think its about time to develop a deep obsession with coffee and switch gears to make some beverage inspired work!

ToBeTreasured

I am SO proud to announce that my Etsy Store - selling lovely handmade ceramic necklaces - is officially up and running!!








Please go and pay a visit! http://www.etsy.com/shop/ToBeTreasured

Fuite Plates Finished

I just realized I never actually posted all the plate/tile pictures!












There are a few imperfections (clear glaze too thin here, glaze bubbles there) but overall, they came out quite good! Everyone liked them in my class, which is always good but is especially nice to hear from artists that I really respect and admire.

I have a ton of stuff yet to glaze though. Yikes! I've got my work cut out for me!

A few more fruit plates

Here is the finished under glazing on the pomegranate, fig, and plum plates. ... I am so in love with them, I am not entirely sure that I really want to sell them. I guess I will decide when they come out of the kiln.








These are tiles that I painted a bit earlier and am going to make into coasters. I was really inspired by this tile book that I got at the library. Tile is one of those mediums that is often overlooked, but there is some pretty incredible stuff out there! I have been especially into it ever since I figured out that tile is a lot easier to paint on and a hell of a lot easier to make than the thrown pots. Since painting has been more of my focus lately, this is a good thing.




Coolio, glazing is done on these 8 pieces! So, the next step in the process is to put clear glaze over the underglaze. I dab the glaze on first with a sponge because the dark colors, like my dark brown outline, can smear if you just dunk the item in without some padding. I screwed up a bit on the goat tile because I didn't stir the glaze enough before dipping it in, so hopefully the clear glaze will live up to its forgiving reputation. As anyone who works with pottery knows, this is often not the case with most glazes and they can also be unpredictable, so we shall see!



Btw, these are the squeeze bottles that I mentioned in my last post. I ordered them directly from Amaco, and they are a godsend! (And a relatively affordable one too).



You just have to make sure you clean them carefully after use cause they clog easily. I like to store mine with a pin in the needle tip to keep the paints flowing. I also keep a small funnel on hand to fill them.

Everything went into the kiln room today, so check back next week for the finishes! Hopefully they will be done by Thursday when I have class.... Joan, if you read this, that means load the kiln please? Pretty Please??? ;)