eCourse

Undertaking Diana Fayt's eCourse which started last Monday.  I enjoyed the previous one and thought "what the heck, it's only money and I'm positive will learn lots more".

 This time it's on mould making and after being up to my elbows in plaster

and managing to get it everywhere including in the house and on the leather lounge,

I have included a few photos of my efforts.

After tidying up these are the results of first lesson

I've been a little tardy with my blog lately, shall try to blog and post efforts a little more
often in 2014.  

LAST POST

 

I would like to thank Adriana for welcoming me to join in every week

to post my latest hits and misses.  I have thoroughly enjoyed "making 

new friends" which I would not have done without Mud Colony.  

 

It's only about 18 months ago I came across Mud Colony,

and it opened up a whole new world for me.  Every

week I would eagerly wait for the next installments

in the lives of the many talented potters who contributed,

following their successes and tears while getting

down and dirty in clay.

 

What a life and how lucky are we who get our hands

into lovely squishy clay.

 

I will miss Mud Colony, but intend to keep up by

 following everyone on Facebook.

  

The last couple of weeks I've been trying to "venture outside

 box" with my painted designs.  Below are just a few  images

of new avenue I'm experimenting with.

 

 I'm excited with the result of this jug,

just don't know if I got too carried away and

didn't know when to stop

 

And my gum leaves which are becoming very popular

and one slightly wonky bottle

 

 

Well, that's me forthe last Mud Colony post, but don't

forget to check out Mud Colony for everyone else's

last week.

 

Thank you again Adriana, and a big thankyou in regards

to your help with the gas "monster" kiln.  I've bought a

small electric kiln since then and it gets a workout these days instead

of tackling the gas monster.

 

 

On the waiting list

 

 

Waiting for me to find time to glaze them,

a small group - gum blossoms and leaves

and one of my favourite flowers, the waratah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2nd last post for Mud Colony, check it out before

it is too late and there is no more

 

 

CHRISTMAS IS COMING

 

 

I can't believe it's 1st November already, before we know it, the Christmas season will be here and we'll be frantically organising ourselves buying presents and goodies for the day. I started in January this year so wouldn't have the last minute rush making and firing porcelain decorations.

 

This weekend in Barraba is the bi-annual International Festival  and this year it's the Philipines.  Filipino food, music, markets and an  art exhibition.

I'm participating in the markets,  and have my small Christmas Tree, stand and pottery ready to go.

 

As usual the photos not the best, going to show you anyway.

 

I've enjoyed Mud Colony Blog immensely. Living in a fairly small isolated community,  it has helped me feel that I am not alone with my attempts at creating something out of the lump of clay.

 

I am in awe of the beautiful work shown on this blog and  will continue to follow all my favourite potters - (and that is everyone who has been a participant).

 

Now that I've finished rambling, I'm going to pop over for the last time and check out everyone else on www.MudColony.blogspot.com.au 

 

Wishing everyone a beautiful and happy Christmas

with family and friends.

 

 

 

 



PLATES, PLATES AND MORE PLATES

Excuse the poor photography.  All waiting for bisque fire.

 



KILN

 

 

 

 

                                                            Wow! Whee! 

 

I've bought an electric kiln, small - but it alleviates the problem of waiting till enough pots to fill the very large one at the studio I attend.  It suits me just fine for my needs currently, plus there is still the large gas kiln in the other shed (which is a cantankerous thing) The first week it was going practically non stop to catch up on pots waiting for bisque or glaze firing.  Even received our first electricity bill and not the huge shock I was expecting. 

 

 

 



OUT OF THE FIRE

 

A follow on from last week's post - 

After 3 days the cauldron was cool enough to empty the pots,

lots of good surprises and only a few losses.

 

The largest pot was the best, alas it has a fsmall fine hair crack running down from the rim,

but the result with this pot and a few others has urged me on to keep firing this way.

 

Last post I mentioned going to look at a kiln,

looking for it at the sale, owners said it had been dropped,

smashed to bits and taken to tip,

I think someone bought it privately before sale.

Doesn't matter, there are others out there.

 

Searching on Gumtree, found one that might suit me,

going to look at it tomorrow.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

 

Next project, make a lighting cube, finding it difficult to take decent photos.

 

 

This is the best result, (fine hair crack)
Hand built, white earthenware clay, burnished and bisqued to cone 018
before firing in sawdust and other exciting additives.

Just love the results.

Same pot, other side.

 

  I have been viewing all the posts re last weekend and Open Studios,

check them out on Mud Colony,

there's a lot of fantastic,  creative and talented potters out there.



WOW! What a weekend

 

 

The weekend started off Saturday morning at an Auction Clearance Sale.  We love these, lots of lovely goodies to pick up for a song.  After picking through rows and rows of rubbish, we did bid for a few items for $2, $5 and $10.  The dearest $20 for a wrought iron outdoor setting in good nick.   But it rained all throughout the sale, I was miserably wet, the umberella kept wanting to turn inside out, then the sun came out once all items were sold.  Oh! well! That's the weather for you. 

 

Today, Sunday morning, was planned to set up a pit firing of a couple of burnished pots I've been saving for this occasion.  Lots of nice dry cow manure mixed into sawdust, copper pieces, corn husks (soaked in salt and dried), banana skins, coffee, dried leaves and an experiment (mistletoe leaves draped over pots).  Copper, magnesium, iron, salt and baking soda mixed through the manure/sawdust mix.  Took a lot of photos and here are a few of them.  This fire will probably burn for a few days the way its going at the moment.

1.  The big cauldron bought from a Clearance Sale
for just this use
 
2.  Plenty of fuel layed out on bottom of cauldron
and a large heavy grill placed about 1/3 way up.

3. The pots placed on a bed of sawdust/manure mix which has been laid on grill. Lots of other goodies placed in, on and around pots.

4. Another layer of sawdust mix,  placed carefully placed over pots and a layer of timber on top of that.

5.  Fire is lit under grill and away she goes

6.  "Lucky" guarding the fire, but it will be too hot soon for him to stay

Well that's the best I can do with these photos
they do what they want, not what I want
them to do. 

Don't forget to check out MudColony and see what the other "Muddies" are up to.

DILEMMA

 

Had a couple days away with my daughter and her family and came home with a horrible tummy bug.  Have been feeling miserable since came home, so to cheer myself up thought I would throw a few pots with new stoneware clay I have been saving for just the right occasion.   It worked, felt much better concentrating on clay and speed of wheel, thinking of nothing else, with just the radio on in the background.  Then spent a lovely couple of hours this afternoon turning the pots.  It's been a while since I've spent any time on the wheel and had forgotten how much I enjoy it.

 

 

 

So that has brought my dilemma to a head.  I keep bouncing around from wheel to handbuilding,

slab to moulds, creative to functional, etc. etc.  I just don't know where I'm heading and can't seem

to get a handle on just what path to follow.  My problem is I like it all, and I'll end up a jack of all

trades, but not proficient in any.  I love sawdust/pit firing but also like sgraffito and painting on my

pots pre bisque. 

 

Has anyone else found themself in this situation, how do I get myself sorted out???

 

Anyway, enough of my rambling on , must pop over to MudColony and check out what others are up to.    

 



LATEST POTS

These are the latest ones I've been working on

Not much else has happened, except

finally caught up with everything except the garden.

Oh! well, might get out there this afternoon. 

Don't forget to pop over and check out Mud Colony

Frost Over Barraba Art Festival

 

 

What a week and it's not over yet.

Since Saturday 22nd I have been involved in the setting up of this Exhibition.

The Tamworth Leader (newspaper) sent out a photographer

and I was captured on film organising the hanging of the Exhibition -

paintings, pottery and photographs.  We had just short of 500 entries.

Whew! what a huge job, but we did it with the help of lots of volunteers

and last night was our Official Preview Night.

I was over the moon, one of my pottery entries received 1st and

2 of the others a Highly Commended, then to top it off I sold one.

 

So you will understand why I have not been potting much lately, we still have

this weekend open, then Monday pack it all up for transport back to

depots for pick up by Artists. 

 

 

I can't wait for this to be behind us, so I can get back to my clay.

 

Don't forget to check out Mud Colony to find out what everyone  else is up to.

2 DAYS PAINTING AT ART IN ACTION, KURRAJONG

Last weekend I spent 2 days painting with 3 of my very good

"arty" friends .  Every year we trek off to Kurrajong

and spend a glorious couple of days dining out,

sipping on the occasional?  wine, painting and catching up

on the last 12 months.  Lots of late nights and early mornings,

but we love it.  Oh! I forgot to say we stay in this

fabulous B & B and are pampered like you wouldn't believe.

Sometimes I think we do this weekend just for the pampering

at the B & B.  

 

 

First day painting was landscape scenes,

this is Bendemeer, NSW

 



 

********************** 

 

 

Second day was a different technique of painting.

Jackson Pollock style - throwing, dripping and

dribbling paint on the canvas -

mine ended up an aerial view of the Red Centre

  

 

*******************

 

So, that is the reason no pottery blog this week,

but don't forget to check on the other potters

at www.MudColony.blogspot.com.au

 

 

JUST OUT OF THE KILN

 

VOILA!  MY FIRST BATCH OF PENDANTS

 

I have been working towards this day for a few weeks,

yesterday I fired these pendants in sawdust and

anxiously waited for them to cool down.

They have been polished with beeswax and

 hung on thin leather cords.

 

 

 

 

Also working on another range of pendants

which will be glazed front and back.  Just sorting out how I

will hang them in the kiln to fire. 

Can't wait to finish them. 

 

Don't forget to check out Mud Colony to see

what other potters are creating.

 

 

 

SUNDAY MORNING

 

 

 

 

Winter is waiting in the wings,

feel the crispness in the air morn and night,

leaves turning, falling to the ground,

my view from kitchen window,

 lovely ornamental pear edging our drive, 

wearing a beautiful coat of many colours.

 

 

(This image does not do them justice)

 

A LITTLE BIT OF PAINTING

 

 

Made these two dishes with white earthenware,

following Gail Kennedy's technique.

A bit bland, but wanted to keep them white

with a clear glaze, hence a bit of

underglaze painting.

 

 

 

Don't forget to check out the works of other potters at Mud Colony. 

 

 



FRUSTRATED WITH THIS BLOG

FED  UP ....... I'm just about to tear my hair out with this blog.  Wanted to use the Dynamic Screen, but had so much trouble with it, have reverted back to "Simple".  As I'm Simply Annie, I suppose

that is what I should stay with.  Have been dithering back and forth with different blog

"looks" for a few weeks now, finally will just leave it as it is now. 

 

Have added a photo of the new look egg cup + egg.  Sorry couldn't add the toast fingers,

it has not been bisqued yet.

 

 

SUNDAY, BUSY SUNDAY

The results of trying something a little different

Part of a new range, these are egg cups, underglaze painted only at this stage.