A Bloggy Break

My PET CHICKEN

Wow....that was a much needed break.....and the last post quite a mouthful.

That last post was certainly "wordy", but I felt it needed saying. Over the years I have learned that the best way to handle such things is to nip them in the bud. So, all is nipped and to end this ongoing saga of "Penni" the rooster I can safely say that an animal rescue is taking him. I didn't eat him, I didn't just chuck him on the side of the Belt Parkway, and I didn't stop till I found a place (with help from a very good friend) that we felt would be the best solution. He will be safely transported to Pennsylvania on Wed. morning by an animal rescue. I sure will miss him and after having gone to my neighbors to smooth things over just one more time I've found that a few actually enjoyed hearing him in the mornings crowing. Sorta put my mind at ease, if only for another 24 hours or so.

My vacation from the studio continues and finds me fiddling with framed photographs and dusting off curtains in the living room. The living room is the least of the disasters in the house. I have two more rooms to go and then I can center in on my studio which truly looks like someone ransacked the place.

Close up of the crackle.
MMmmm....love that crackle!

The lidded piece with additional "bead"

I did manage to get the pieces I'd like to sell photographed. The photo cube was probably the only area down in the studio that wasn't amazingly covered with a ton of junk. I'd like to hold an online sale if I can manage to finish up removing the rest of the clutter from the house in a timely manner.

The Process...

The Raku Process with a Small Electric Kiln

I have been asked several times what raku is and aside from giving the textbook definition I thought I'd give a visual description of the process. At least, the process that happens here in my studio.

Now, those that are familiar with the process will most likely balk at the mere thought of using an electric kiln (gasp) for the process. It's truly the best that I can do with the whole: "living in the city and trying to find propane" issue. It works and I'm making beautiful art. Albeit small pieces of art, they are still extremely satisfying and beautiful.

Before any other discussion I do have to say that safety is a huge concern with raku. Glowing hot vessels, fire and smoke are all serious. I wear my protective gear at all times and will always suggest any artist do the same with ANY art they are making that revolves around a dangerous process.

And with that, here is how it is done:

First the wares are glazed with special raku glaze.

Wares glazed with raku glaze

Then my station is prepared including the combustible bin. Shredded papers are my favorite.

My paper shredder
has become my best friend

Because the electric kiln is so small I can only fire one ware at a time. The nice part about this particular kiln is that it has a "quick cool down" feature so by the time my piece has finished burning in the bin the kiln is ready to fire up another.

One ware added to
Paragon Quickfire base

After a few minutes I begin to physically check the kiln. When the glaze becomes molten it's ready.

At 1800 degrees or so...
lift the lid and take a peek

Woooo.....so ready for the combustible bin. Look at it glow!!! You have to see it at night! It's really cool.

Glaze is molten and glowing hot

The ware is carefully added to the bin and it automatically catches on fire.

Add it to the bin

The bin is then closed and allowed to smoke. If the cover is lifted at any point there is the danger of the fire flashing up again. I normally don't lift the lid once it's on. I like the results with a bit of flame in the beginning then smoke.

Cover quickly and let it smoke

After approx 20 minutes the bin is safe from flashing to open. This is my favorite part of the process.

Peek in bin

The ware will stay red hot for quite some time so I handle them with care at this stage. I also don't immerse in water. I find that I loose too many pieces to cracking this way. I let them cool down by themselves.

The finished product

And that is it! Raku ware is never safe for food or drink and is only meant for enjoyment. There is something so ancient and timeless about the finished pieces. It is, by far, my favorite ceramic method. It is truly pure enjoyment for me.

Recently finished raku pieces currently in my store.

Beach Goer

Squishing sand in the hands

It's hard to believe that summer is almost over. Just a couple more weeks and the pool will be closed and my son will be back to school. Although I've already begun to prepare for long hours in the studio working while he is learning, I look on my fridge to find a list of "to dos" we had planned this summer that are only half complete.

~ Go to the zoo. Nada
~ Go to the aquariaum. Nope
~ Go to the circus, with daddy. Negatory
~ Go to the beach. YES!

WE HAVE A WINNER!!

So yes, we did finally manage to go the beach this summer and that day was yesterday. It was a long 40 minute walk, but once there my son was thrilled and excited to be in the water. For me it was nerve racking. The surf was rough because of Hurricane Bill and the constant thought of him being swept away to sea was totally on my mind. Awful thought. The water was particularly dirty with tons of crud floatin in it too. Nothing I can't stand more than crud hitting my feet and legs in the water that doesn't feel like a seashell or a piece of slimy seaweed. But I hunkered down and enjoyed my son enjoying the ebb and flow of the waves. I was ill prepared for all the sand though. I hated how the sand was just up in everything, especially on my hands and between my fingers. That really freaked me out. No matter how much I tried I couldn't get the sand off my hands. Next time we bring a BIG, BIG, BIG blanket!

ICK.

Francesco kept waving his arms and sand was flying. He wanted to build a sand castle but the more we dug the more "treasures" like cig butts and coffee tabs we found. The thought that people could be so careless with their garbage right ON the sand really annoyed me. Of course, what did I expect? It is a NYC beach and the one we went to was one of the cleanest around.

ICK.

Contrary to me he loved the feel of the sand though and was flapping and rolling about IN it which sent lots of sand flying....IN MY DIRECTION. All I can say is it was so good to be back home. I have come to the conclusion that I will never be a good beach comber or a great castaway. I like my cushy pool and lounge chair in the sun. Ending the day with a soothing cup of coffee in my new mug and a waffle topped with whipped cream hit the spot...for both of us!

Breakfast for dinner

Of course, taking some time to enjoy the most recent raku pieces out of the new raku kiln was also a comfort. I dare say I am getting better at this raku thing. The glazes from Georgies really and truly make the difference. Such quality compared to the other commercial brands. I feel another Christmas request of, "I want more glazes from Georgies" going on my personal list for the family Kris Kringle. I know they think I'm wacky, but I just can't help myself. Forget the bags and shoes...give me glaze baby!

Latest raku pieces

Here are close ups of my two favorites from this firing. I just love that last piece. The edge has such an antique feel. Like something found at an archilogical site. Yep, I am totally hooked on raku.

Close up of the crackle piece

My favorite from this firing

More Fun In the Sun

Say Cheese!

Much more fun in the sun this week. Lots of swimming with my son and a few raku pieces to show off. I lost quite a few, but I'm chalkin' it up to experienced gained. The ones that did survive are beautiful! I'm armed with proper glaze too from Georgies and as I expected, those glazes out shine the other commercial glazes. You can feel the quality the moment you start brushing the stuff on. Quality really makes a difference in these matters.

My little "wild" clay vessel was also put to the test this week and survived! I was very shocked not to find a crack anywhere when I pulled it out of the reduction bin. It was beautiful and I just sat there holding my new gem reliving how it was found in the woods and came to be in the present. A wonderfully sentimental moment.

There were many other pieces and a few china painted pieces started this week too. I'll just pop their photos below for you to view and then I'm off. It's going to be a very busy social month for me. I hope I can keep up and not go insane being out of the studio so much.

"Wild" clay from home withstands
the raku process like a gem!

More rakuware

China painting projects underway

Swept Away

The reduction bin

My mind has been far away on raku firing. The whole concept just grabbed me and intoxicated me badly. I must admit that if I lived in the country this whole process would be much easier. Set up the raku kiln, have the propane either delivered to the house or pick it up yourself at Walmart and walla....pretty raku things to share in no time.

But its not like that here and carting propane around in a car on a busy city street (with road rage lurking at every street light) just isn't my kind of fun thing to take my chances on. So...I decided to further pursue this "raku with an electric kiln" thing cause I can't make the urge stop and I'm determined to make it work. I don't care if my elements burn out, I must continue on this adventure. It's pulling me strongly for whatever reason. I have been swept away.

My favorite vessel today

Today was probably the most exciting day I've ever had glaze wise. I pulled this blue beauty of a vessel from the reduction bin and nearly fainted!! I've never had such pretty results, even when I plotted and planned carefully. Something always went haywire in the glaze stage.

As one vessel was coming out, another one was being prepped in my bigger kiln in the studio. Heating them slowly on low with the Caldera S eliminated the explosions. I figured out a cool and seamless system for myself and I can honestly say I am in love with my new Paragon Quickfire. It cools down fast and heats up even faster! Prop it open and let it cool. It's like it was made for this kind of work. No pings or pops or anything of the sort as I opened the "hut lid". It's happy to work and I raku fired all day long without any issues. Of course, "Spanky" as he has been named, is small, but I don't care! I'll take it!!

This blue is so metallic

An afternoon of raku firin
and swimming

So out came all the stoneware vessels I never got the urge to glaze. They, along with every badly glazed piece is waiting for a swashing of raku glaze. I was able to save two really crummy vessels today with this raku process and I'm excited! It's as if the fire is magic and everything just turns out cool in the end.

I could go on and on talking but I'll end with the sweetest photo of the day. My son and my dog Kiko relaxing in the dog days of summer. My dog is finally coming around and accepting my son. Up until about a month ago she just didn't want any part of him. I'm happy to see them playing now. So happy!

The dog days of summer

My Raku Adventure

Getting a little fresh air

We've had gloriously sunny weather. It's been a rejuvenating change from a month's worth of rain. Sun as far as the eye can see on the weather report meant I was trying out this "raku" stuff at some point. That point was this weekend. I lugged my little kiln out (can you see how very little it is now?) and proceeded to fire up a small porcelain tea light (which wasn't very well made anyway, but he made the perfect test vessel) in the raku method.

Brave little vessel

Fire on high for an hour or so. Check! Then rip the piece out and submerge in paper. Check! But, not letting it stay in the reduction chamber long enough was a mistake. I believe I would have gotten better results if I left this vessel in longer. I will say though that I love the whole smokey look and the burning that appeared near the bottom. That captivated me. It is haphazard and beautiful at the same time. Of course, I had to try it again:

KABLOWIE!

...and had little success AND a huge mess to clean up in my kiln. I'm rather glad this vessel shattered though. It didn't just "pop" it exploded everywhere and in bits so small it made for a lengthy clean up job and it prompted more research.

I had been searching and buying books for a while on raku and had always hoped to use my little kiln to do it in and not one article or book had mentioned any ill about using the electric kiln. Of course, last night I did finally find some ill reports and the main issue is that my elements could go bad and go downhill rather quickly if I keep this raku stuff up. I certainly don't want that because "Starbuck" here, although small, still needs to work for me on bisques and glazing and work for a long time doing this, even if a new kiln arrives one day.

So, I cleaned her up and had faith that this one shot raku try didn't harm her, after all, the only way I can even look at a witness cone is to open the lid and expose the elements to a few seconds of air. The use of the electric kiln was easy. Cart it out, pop it on high for an hour and you are doing raku! So, I looked online for more info and maybe a kiln that could handle such an operation and I happened upon this:



I am SO into this!

SOOOO, into this and the darned thing even LOOKS amazing in their garden!!! HOT DOG! So up my alley and DOUBLE DOG....I have a garden! :) It looks like they are putting glaze on the greenware. I know some methods out there require such techniques. My head is whirling. What fun! What an adventure! What a huge amount of wares they got into that kiln! So, I'm off on another adventure for certain!!! And TRIPLE DOG.... I am so glad I have been doing this work out since the middle of April: Chalean Extreme, cause I am truly now ready to dig a hole. (BTW, this circuit training workout is amazing! I can't sing it's praises enough and I have lost a ton of inches and am building muscle. Strong folks...you get strong with this one.)

Alone Time- 4:30 AM

Small decorative bowl

Opps. Been a while since I updated here.

For two weeks I have been struggling to get work done both around the house and in the studio. My son is home now from school and is enjoying his summer break and although I do love lounging by the pool and playing in the yard, work does need to get done, and after two weeks of the loungin' life, I started to get itchy, uncomfy and overall annoyed that I wasn't working and couldn't during my normal hours so I just started getting up before everyone else and getting in three solid hours of quiet, uninterrupted studio time. This new time frame offers very little internet time though and although I've missed blogging this week I have tons of photos to share.

Look at that ooze. So reminds me of raku

Commissions have been first and foremost in my mind during the morning hours. The work has been soothing and relaxing and totally what I needed. Without this work I literally go insane. No one wants to be around me when I haven't been in my studio. Although rising at 4:30 AM sounds nutty it is really a beautiful time of the day to be up. The birds sound so loud here in NYC during that time. It's so pleasant and full of good energy.

The second issue on my mind has been pottery making; raku in general. With this little tiny weeny regularly glazed stoneware vessel came the thought that I might like to really give this raku thing a go, but I don't have a raku kiln and firin up some propane isn't really legal here within city limits, at least not in the capacity I want to use it for my pottery. So, who wrote electric kilns can be used to do small raku pieces? I don't remember, but when I read that on another potter's site and found a link to his book online I bought it. Know what it said? It said that an electric kiln can be used to do raku.

Okay...

So today I will try to pull my little kiln outside next to hubby BBQing and see if I can fire it up on high and get my new raku glazed vessels to fire up and we will see what happens. This is the time for all those bum pieces of pottery to shine! If anything it will be fun to share my love of the kiln and pottery with my husband as he teaches me more about BBQing today. The two of us playing with fire.

NEW: Porcelain horse hair tea light

NEW: Porcelain horse hair vase


Well, the holiday festivities and other preparation await. To all of you out there I wish you a very safe and happy Fourth of July and to all those serving to protect this great country's freedoms who can't be home with their loved ones...thank you for your service.

Checkn' the List

Raku vessels in? Check!
Pots not touching each other? Check!
Kiln on? Check!
Horsehair ready? Check!
Heat resistant gloves ready? Check!
Tongs? Check!
Raku clay (that can withstand thermal shock) fired perfectly? CHECKARONIOUS!

Moments after the technique....crack!

Hmmmm......
I guess it can't withstand THAT much thermal shock! Ah well. Back to the drawing board today.

Celebrate!

Compliments of my friend Barb
Its really, really yummy.

It's a celebratory attitude here. The porcelain egg is FINALLY done (pictures to come tomorrow) and I had 200lbs of clay delivered to the studio yesterday. That delivery meant more time on the wheel and the moment I could get down onto my wheel I did and pulled pottery like a maniac last night! After all my work was done I popped open the special bottle of red wine my friend Barb brought while she was visiting. I had been dying to try it. Last night was the perfect night to pop it open. I sat and enjoyed the wine and enjoyed looking at the egg and all the raku pieces I just pulled.

Raku clay maddness here

I decided to purchase some raku clay that will withstand thermal shock this time when ordering. This clay should suit my needs better when making horsehair pottery. So far, I'm off to a spectacular start. This clay is magic. Creamy, groundy smelling (ahhh-I love that) and perfect to center, pull and even trim. I'm in heaven. I love it more than the porcelain for wheel throwing. I hope it fires well. If so, then its perfect all around and that is also a plus since it's half the price of porcelain.