The Art of Patience

Those who are close to me know that I am quite impatient...especially when it comes to creating. When inspiration hits me...i have to get it done. I like to see results...fast! Sometimes, i start even without planning...just dive right in and see how it goes.

With stoneware clay, I am learning the art of patience. In each of my workshop sessions I was able to complete a piece...but for the last day, our teacher asked us to come in with a plan of something we wanted to create combining different techniques we learned in class.

I actually already had an idea for what i wanted to do and the night before class, i sat down and scratched a few doodles on to a piece of paper. I worked on a couple of patterns to bring with me that I would use to cut out my clay pieces. So, I was ready.

In class, I tried to work quickly building my coiled piece but noticed that the clay was too wet to keep building. I had to slow down and give the clay time to dry out a bit. So I learned to relax and build more carefully and slowly since the piece that I was creating was a bit bigger than the usual pieces that i had made...

I had to go home this time, with an unfinished project but, of course, it is a challenge for me to complete this. Now that the workshop is done, I will be working on my final project here at home. There's still a lot of work to be done on it but, I am excited because I know, I've been wanting to make a piece like this for a while... You're wonder what it is? Well, you'll have to be patient too and come back to see how its going before you can find out...

Anyway's here is what I have on the work so far....

Not much to go by quite yet but...just wait and see!!!

In the meantime, i do have mini projects on the side that are quick with instant gratification...here are a few greenware pendants and a stamp I worked on...

I carved the designs out freehand on a piece of slab and then cut out several pieces in oval shapes. I really like the one on the upper right (2nd to the right), It has a concave shape which may allow me to just glaze the front side and leave the back unfinished. I noticed too that i need to make the holes a bit bigger for the pendants..maybe i could drill them a bit to enlarged them...

So, that's what i am working on for now. I also have to get back into the groove at my supplies shop. I have a few orders to process and hopefully I'll get the invoices out today. Busy busy bee!!! Have a great day and keep cool!!!

Ceramics Workshop... Pinch pot

I attended my first session in ceramics/stoneware yesterday and I couldn't be happier! It was a nice small class...three adults and 2 youngsters. Our teacher, Ms Katti Sta Ana is a very good instructor. She toured us around the ceramics studio and we jumped right in to working with the clay. I love the the feel of the stoneware clay. It definitely has a different consistency compared to the polymer clay I am used to working with.

First we learned to prepare our clay for working, a process called Wedging.  We do this in order to knead the clay to get all the air bubbles out and get an even consistency.Then we wrapped the clay in plastic bags to keep them moist. We brought the clays to our table and started with our first technique/lesson...the pinch pot.

We started with a small ball of clay and pressed it in with our thumb. We continued to press the walls, feeling the thickness with our fingers while forming a little pot. We made several and combined the pots together until we formed a ball shape. Each of us was to make a pinch pot animal and since I love owls, it was my animal of choice. Our teacher made a puffer fish, my classmates made a cat, a turtle, a dog and a snowman. We also got to paint our finished creations with underglaze. Then we had to leave it to dry before it can be bisque fired.

We really learned a lot of things like how to make clay glue or also called slip, how to attach two pieces of clay together by scoring and adding glue, how to fix cracks on the surface and so much more. We each get to work with 2 kilos of clay every session and whatever we have left at the end of the session we can take home. I am excited to practice more today with the left over clay that I have...here are some pictures of our day's work...

This is my owl...the horns/ears looks a little funny and it makes him look like a devil...haha..

The two little girls in the class are quite inspiring to watch..they had so many ideas while working!!! Here are their pinch pot creations...a snowman and a dog...