Thursday, September 10, 2009

Hold me back, please

I just pulled these pots from the kiln this morning and now all I want to do is glaze every pot in exactly this same way. But that would be boring in the end. There's a little work to be done on the brown glaze, applying it in a way that gets the richness I want but doesn't run all over the kiln shelves. I hate grinding glaze off kiln shelves. But overall, I am happy with these. Two firings in a row and I am happy. I am pretty sure I am due for a firing disaster soon.

Here's a closer look at the blue green glaze. It's the same one I use on porcelain and the same one that goes a yuck colour on another clay that I use. This is a new stoneware clay for me and much whiter and so far, pretty good working qualities. You might well ask why I've switched clays when I've deadlines looming. And that is a very good question, one others have in fact posed. Well, the short answer is I took a punt with one of my suppliers and had shipped their in house white stoneware. The other supplier is 8 hours away in Wichita and does not ship. I buy there because I love a great excuse to see my daughter. But neither of us has time right now. So necessity is the mother, right? And it worked out. And I can't tell you how relieved I am!

I've been making these small dragonfly dishes for years. I love dragonflies and I've always loved this stamp that I carved. It was one of my first ever and it's gone through many renditions. But this is the first time I've gotten the glaze the way I really wanted it. There are actually two from this kiln that came out virtually the same. OOPs, shush, I may be tempting fate here.


And this is Alice. She would like me to think that she's been keeping me safe from thunder storms today. She spent most of the afternoon out in the studio just about as close to my chair as possible. We've been having a lot of thunder and lightning and some pretty torrential rain and high winds. So in fact , I think sweet Alice is actually just hiding out with me. Meanwhile her big brother Bob knows that the safest place is in the closet.
Have a great tomorrow all, LeAnn

22 comments:

Unknown said...

LeAnn, these pots are humongous (now I want to see a pic of your kilns!) and absolutely gorgeous!!! LOVE the deep brown. And that these pots are tall. And square. I love squares!

My Maggie dog can sense storms that are a good 30 miles away from us. She turns from a noisy watchdog of a Boxer into 60 lbs of quivering, shaking fear underneath my feet. Poor scaredy dogs

sharon said...

OMG, OMG, OMG, I looooooove these LeAnn!! These are THEE most beautiful pots ever!! I love the glaze, the color combo, the square, the stylized flowers, the dragonfly!! You are amazing and on a roll girl, run with it!!

Prairie Emporium said...

Beautiful LeAnn!!! Just beautiful!!!

Sharon said...

Your work is so earthy and beautiful and I want that dragonfly dish!!!

stregata said...

They are wonderful, LeAnn!! I am hoping you will show us a photo of when you have everything set up - it will be sooo awesome! And the story about trying a new clay in the middle of your deadline - well, that is serendipity!!! Your work is just fabulous!

Esther said...

waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! it's it's it's ... splendid!!

mairedodd said...

gorgeous! i love the dragonfly dish... the others are so wonderful... the tall pot on the left reminds me of an earthy ancient egyptian or greek column, only yours is a strong timber pillar topped with a beautiful capital... the color combination is beautiful as is the balance between the simple vs. elaborate... and no grinding! bonus points... and love the tunic - it's beautiful, glad it gave your mind a bit of a break...

SueBeads said...

Wow - I too can't believe you have a kiln big enough for those pots! They are beautiful, as is the dragonfly dish. I love it!

The Joy of Nesting said...

Oh LeAnn,

These pots are incredible!!!! The color of your glazes work perfectly
together!!! I don't know if you did it on purpose, but knowing you, of course you did!!... These are amazing interpretations of the Arts & Crafts movement!!! Not only the color of the glaze but also the perfect stylization of the flowers!! Wouldn't these be soooooo awesome on the front porch of a vintage Arts & Crafts house?!!

You have been given the most incredible gifts!! And it is so exciting to watch how you create, especially now that your muse is in over drive!! :) I can't wait until I can check you Blog each day to see what magic you have created!!!!

Have a wonderful creative day!!
Pattie ;)
Mazatlan Mx.

Katie said...

Love the pots! I love the rich, deep brown with the greens and blues - very earthy and very pretty!

I hope that the weather gets better so Bob can spend some time not hiding in the closet :o)

Silver Parrot said...

Glaze away! These are stunning. I particularly love the dragonfly design.

Marie Cramp said...

Those turned out absolutely fantabulous {my 9 year old gave me that word btw} I just got the beads and I LOVE!!! them. I am going to make something right away and send you a pic on Etsy, I hope you blog about it :D

Marie

Judy said...

LeAnn,
Your pots are fantastic! I love the colors, textures and shape..beautiful pieces of art!

LLYYNN - Lynn Davis said...

LeAnn, I love the look of the color and the shapes. They remind me of the Arts and Crafts movement, the bungalows and the very graphic designs. Your new pots would look right at home with Frank Lloyd Wright - simply earthy, linear and gorgeous. That glaze is a definite keeper on that stoneware clay, don't you think?

LDWatkins said...

Wow! Those are beautiful!

sharon said...

Dragonfly dish, dragonfly dish, dragonfly dish....say that 3 times fast!!! Had to come back and look again, Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!!! Do looooove the dragonfly dish!!

Cristi Baxter Clothier said...

Absolutely gorgeous! LeAnn, those pots are amazing!!! Wow

Candace said...

The pots and artwork, the glazes -- delightful and so so lovely.
Now how can I get you to load up a caravan of this latest and come to Athens? Maybe I shall have to invite Alice and Bob... no thunderstorms here, kids!
Take care.
Candace in Athens.

Barbara Lewis said...

The pots are gorgeous! I love the blue and brown combination, and the matte and shiny. Just right. I don't blame you for wanting to use that glaze combination again ... and again ... and again! Great work!

Veganosaurus said...

Wow the textures and colors you've used are fabulous! Fantastic creations! :)

Cindy said...

I know I'm late on the scene here but I just had to send more compliments your way! These are just gorgeous. You are such a talented artist. Will there be mini versions coming to your Etsy shop? Maybe bead bowls?? ...could help to make our messy worktables pretty!
Cindy
www.sweetbeadstudio.com

SummersStudio said...

Cindy, I was just thinking today that I might put some bead bowls up on Etsy. So maybe? And thanks so much!