TeaChat

Wow, nice... love the one with the shell imprint! Lovely, and congrats to the birthday girl.

Sarah

i love the pastel type one that chip got the shell type is my favorite one. i use it for impressions.
its hard to find up here in the mountains and i would never subject the ones i have to the whims of the fire. but boy i love what you have done with them on that cup.

do you use them all the time? and do you mix any local sands in your clay?

shell type= long pointed type????? name

Hey Colorado. I don't have a name for them. There is a bin full at the place we fire. I also can get them around. I get most shells for about $1/lb +-. I usually use cockle shells or clam shells or scallops because I like the pattern more than the long ones.

We also have a beach here that is filled with shells. Nothing special, just "junk" shells that I sometimes use.

If you want some for firing, PM me and I can get some out to you.

I do use them a lot. My kiln is small and I am cheap so I stack as much as I can. The impression seems to be best on mildly glossy or matte glazes. This piece was fired on its side and the soda drips built up around it so it looks particularly good I think.

Very happy that Mrs. Chip has it in hand and likes it.

Hey Matt,
Anything out of the kiln this week?

matt

please post some photographs of the kiln

i'd love to see the setup

shells are cool !

pictures man !

we're waiting patiently !

c

Hey all.
My wife is signed up for an intro course here: http://www.cantonclayworks.com/
I am too busy at this time of the year but I want to check it out in the winter.
What do all you skilled clay people think?
And only 15 mins. from my house. Who knew??

woozl,

I think you better prepare yourself to support your wife's soon to be addiction. Clay gets in ya...impossible to break.

Does the course fee include studio time? I think its important to allow students to come in to the studio between classes to reinforce the weeks lessons. I've found the students that "practice" make the most of the course offerings and their advancement is obvious.

Wish your wife good luck with the course and remind her that patience is a virtue.

Michael

Actually they give you a code to access the studio 24/7 providing no on going class.

woozl,

Being only min's away this seems like a great opportunity!
Michael

whoa

24/7 access to a studio and minutes away

a deal !

cheers

Good. But there is a catch. All clay used there has to be bought there at $25/25lbs which is amazingly high. If she really gets into it, she is going to want to throw more even if she doesn't fire more. Getting good involves repetition and developing muscle memory just like a martial art. I guess by that time you are going to have your own wheel (get a shimpo VL whisper BTW) and a kiln (Skutt 1018 is a great size for a beginner BTW)

Once you have your own studio, you should be paying 10-15 a bag for clay except for porcelain like Southern Ice which is imported from Australia... If you buy bigger quantities and go in with a few people, your prices may fall to as low as $5 a bag for some nice stoneware clays assuming you have a clay supplier nearby.

At any rate, get involved. I was a 2d person for years and my first thing I threw, which was a crime, changed me forever. Welcome to the fraternity.

Hey all wanted to share that I was jurried into a show here in California. The Hands on Clay show at the Tidewater Gallery in Stockton, California. This was a goal of mine for 2009. http://bit.ly/bGMru

The piece they jurried in was one of my Orange Crackle Yunomi cups with the tenmoku interior.

Super!
Congrats

Moss wrote:Hey all wanted to share that I was jurried into a show here in California. The Hands on Clay show at the Tidewater Gallery in Stockton, California. This was a goal of mine for 2009. http://bit.ly/bGMru

The piece they jurried in was one of my Orange Crackle Yunomi cups with the tenmoku interior.

I see Bruno Kark is one of the jurors. I met him when he was a kid, 20 years ago. I bought a large vase from him at the Nihonmachi Street Fair in 1989. I also remember his mother. Congrats.

Hey Matt...Mrs. Woozl..That is so weird! I've been throwing for about a week...Teacher thinks I'm a natural...Bad sign! While it is true that the clay is $, the firing costs are very low and I can go there anytime there isn't a class going on so I can practice ALOT. Also, the guy who owns the business almost had to close the school due to a lack of enrollment last year, so I am happy to pay a bit more for clay if it means that the studio will remain open. Hope Woozl knows that I will be spending all free hours at the studio!