If You Were Curious....

If you were just a little bit curious about one way to china paint here is one of the methods I like to use. It's a "wipe out" method that I find very relaxing. Just layer on the color, blend and wipe out your image. Fire.

A clean piece of porcelain

Add color


Blend the color with a silk sponge.


Wipe out image and then fire.

More to be added...

What's up

Peasant Stomper in silver bay

Hello!

Well, this week came and went fast. I've been trying to get online and get bloggin' for days now and it just hasn't happened. Every time I tried I was interrupted. Also being without my little pocket camera has made capturing images rather difficult, which, in the end puts my desire to update the blog at an all time low. I really need to get a new battery for that camera. Jump starting the dead battery with a 9-volt didn't give it enough juice to make it work properly.

China painted porcelain egg

As you can see things have been movin' and groovin' in the studio. From commissions to painted porcelain pieces I've been rather busy. I guess not being online is a good thing in retrospect. Anyhoo, the Peasant Stomper was a commission. I ruined one side of his magnetic base and decided to create a nice wooden one for the owner. I just felt badly that I ruined the original base. I rather like the way he looks on his new ground.

I've also been working hard on china painting. I began experimenting with my little kiln "Spanky" (the Quickfire from Paragon) and I LOVE the results I'm getting when I china paint small things. I can fire up in 15 minutes and the colors stay. The blending is smooth and nothing comes out with a matte look. It's all shiny like it suppose to be. From these kiln tests I was also able to begin testing some new painting techniques that feel more at ease with my illustration style. I honed in on a water color look and feel this works very well for florals and organics. I just love how this teapot is coming along. My idea transferred perfectly from sketch to porcelain. From here on out I'll be doing more sketching before I approach a larger piece of porcelain. Having that guide was totally beneficial. I know better than not to use a sketch but some days it's just easier to skip this step. Lesson learned.

Sketch for porcelain painting

Painting on porcelain teapot for one

Blogger's Block

Bringin' out the harvest on porcelain

Perhaps it's the mice, the joy of using lots of orange paint on everything "harvest" themed or just the full moon itself, but I'm fairly sure I have blogger's block. I just can't seem to write anything quick and smart to accompany my pictures. I've been groaning at the thought of hoppin on the blog or reading other blogs. It's just not like me....at ALL! I love bloggin and reading blogs. I guess all that moving and groovin' and workin' away is just getting in the way. I just don't want to stop.

That isn't a bad thing, is it? Bad to wake up anxious to work? Bad to hate having to go to bed cause you have to sop working? Anywhoo....some goodies coming for the harvest pictured above with more on the way. Much more.

This Week's Silence

Chaney "Andalusian" custom glazed
Currently for sale.

This week's silence has been a mixture of lots of deadlines peppered with one heck of a heat wave. The computer is in the kitchen. The kitchen has no air conditioning. The best place to be in NYC during a scorcher is in a pool or under a fire hydrant. Luckily we have a pool and have been taking advantage of it every day. Unfortunately, work online gets relegated to early morning when the heat isn't so bad.

I can tell you that without a doubt it has been BUSY here! I'm juggling a ton of projects and all at once. I even pulled my wheel outside today and pulled some pottery in between swimming. It was probably the most productive and relaxing time on the wheel I have ever had. So, without any more chit chattin' here in the swealtering heat of the kitchen, I give you a few photos of what has been happening:

New pottery pulled today out
in the open air.

Finally got that white crackle
glaze to crackle. So pretty.

Commission for a 25th Wedding Anniversary.
Loved painting a bird. Must do more.

Detail of one of the raku bowls

A few new raku pieces

Play date with girl next door

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

T-Storm-n-china

Chaney "Dauntless" in bone china

We've had some beautiful thunderstorms lately. One is brewin' as I type so I'm going to share the latest equine piece and run. I hate lightening. This little boy is currently for sale and I'm offering him via lottery today. You can check out all the information on his sales page: Appaloosa Sale.

Talk tomorrow! Stay cool and dry!

Only Tuesday

"The Winner" medallion
fully hand painted

It's only Tuesday and I'm neck deep in a ton of projects. Above is my donation to Breakables Live this year. I was honored to have been asked to donate and to be included with the other fine ceramic artists in our industry. I'm very pleased with how this piece came out. The shading is subtle as I envisioned it and the colors are bright and not muddied. I've been extra careful to keep all my brushes clean during the china painting process.

There is more, but time is limited today.