some tree hangers

This week I've started to prepare for a market in November and one in December
I'm hoping these go well..
The ones with tissue prints will be fired to temp unglazed (Cool Ice Porcelain so to 1200deg C)

I'll bisque fire the others and the red and blue/green ones will be clear glazed and the plain ones will have coloured glazes..

Remember to check out Mud Colony this week

so enjoyable

The weather around here was just awful today, worse than our worst during winter, snow on the Blue Mtns, wind and rain.  Despite all that my wonderful husband braved the roads and took me to see an exhibition in Paddington by my friend Sadhana Peterson and her talented family, the Donaldson's.

The rain paused while we walked up the street to where the gallery is tucked away, and waited until we were back in our car before teeming down again.

As you can see from their flyer, a really multi talented family and their works all just 'jell' as a group exhibition.

They shared the red dots around and it was so pleasing to see Sadhana's innovative pots, combined with woven materials, being appreciated.

This one titled " Ode to Spotted Gum"

was my favourite:

"Ode to Spotted Gum" ceramic and woven fibres by Sadhana Peterson 2012

 these pit fired pots would be my second favourites, although those others on Sadhana's blog were great too..

"Talking Trees" pit fired ceramics by Sadhana Peterson 2012

it was a nice space on two levels, somewhere to keep in mind if you are looking for a gallery that will allow you to curate your own show.

by the time we were driving home the weather was starting to clear but still rough water on Botany Bay

I have some work in a kiln at the Port Hacking Potters that should be bisqued if the kiln fired OK after some initial hiccups after its move - should be able to open it tomorrow.

I'm also slowly drying a replacement pig sculpture...

and back on the wheel at my TAFE class where we will be using the shellac and wash back technique so will need to get drawing....
but first off to Mud Colony ....

Busy week

This week has been rather busy.  As Assistant Coordinator and President of the Port Hacking Potters Group, I have been back and forwards to the gallery, helping to supervise and filling in on the desk as needed.  Though our members have been very generous with their time, there are always those that have illness or unexpected calls from family. 

We have a sales table and also run a raffle for a local charity.  Sales have a bit slow but little by little the choice is getting less and less.

As the Group will also be having some market stalls in the next couple of months, I've been making a few new pieces.

these are slipcast using a buff stoneware casting slip by Blackwattle Pottery Supplies and decorated with tissue prints.  The upright one is to hold a candle. I've cast a couple more today that will have a different decoration.

If you have visited from my Facebook page you will know I had a firing disaster with a pig sculpture :^(

the big cracks up the one end are most likely a stress fracture as the base was a thrown and altered piece. A combination of the stretch when shaping it to a rectangle and the weight of the pigs when fired.

It looked so good at first :^(

Any way I'll have another go and have started on my pigs -

I find if I do the rough shape, let them firm up and then go back and do the detail, I have more luck with this clay mix.  It has some grog in it so needs to be coaxed along.

this is my rather late entry for Mud Colony this week so I'm off to see what others have been up to ...

Happy to be amongst the mix

Yesterday was the awarding of prizes in the Port Hacking Potters 47th National Competition.

I had one entry in Decorative and one in Handformed- neither of them won a prize but I'm just so happy to have been a part of such an amazing collection of work!

Photos of the winning works are not on their site yet but you can see a list of names.

The Judge was Greg Daly and it was such a privilege to see him in action and then at the opening to hear his reasoning on those that he chose out of over 100 entries. Truly inspiring and just such a nice bloke!

"Free Range"  1200 stoneware clay, hand formed on thrown base with tissue prints _ photo prior to glaze firing

Thrown and altered wood fired bottles

Travels and Collections

Several friends have been travelling lately and it has reminded me of some of my own trips and the lovely pieces of ceramic that I have brought home with me.

My most precious piece is by Robin Hopper and purchased from his own workshop gallery in Canada.

Robin Hopper - 2001

Since then I have collected a number of interesting pieces along the way, some on travels and some while on a day out.  All have special memories.

a little slipcast cup by Steve Harrison - made for a restaurant so slipcast but sold to raise funds for a student exhibition

Mugs, L to R, Air brushed decoration from Slippery Designs NSW, Semi Matt blue by Jitka Kopriva, Slip cast scraffito design purchased in Broome WA

On left, Bruce Pryor NSW, Rice Hull Ash Glaze - on right Crater Dish from Tasmania

 

 

Recognise this one?  Yep my talented new friend, Adriana Christianson's tiny bird dish

And my other new friend, also very talented, Ellen Appleby's little flower dish.

Aplogies for the poor quality images - realised later that my camera battery was low.

Anyway, a busy week coming up where I will have the pleasure to meet Greg Daly as he judges the Port Hacking Potters 47th National Competition.
See you over at Mud Colony or on Facebook :^)

Results!!

Wheel thrown stoneware bowl, wood fired 2012

wood fired stoneware clay beads (unglazed) and pendants (partially glazed)

Wheel thrown stoneware bowl, Ohata glaze inside, woodfired 2012

underside of same bowl, no glaze on base or lower sides

Here are some to the results of the wood firing I took part in with the Port Hacking Potters Group.  The bowl with the blue sprigs of slip is a sister to the two I have sent to Newcastle for the Bowled Over Again exhibition.

The last bowl, partly glazed with Ohata was subjected to the most intense firing zone, in the throat between the fire box and the chamber.  As you can see there was plenty of ash flying by and while I love the under side, its a shame the rim was so distorted by the remains of the shells and wadding on which it sat.

Hopping over to Mud Colony to see what others have been up to this week...

I might also see you on my Facebook Group, Anna's Aussie Ceramics.

Bowls travelling to Newcastle

Two of my bowls will be sent off to this exhibition in Newcastle (NSW) in the coming week.

Great time up North

If you noticed a certain lack of activity on my blog lately it was just because I was on hols with my husband.  We took a drive north up the Pacific Highway, caught up with family and friends and had a thoroughly good time.

First off, we met up with the lovely Ellen Appleby of the blog, Based in Noosa and then attended the opening of her latest exhibition at Kari out at Kenilworth.  It was a very friendly crowd and the paintings by Chris Brown added to the zing.

Ellen Appleby at the opening of her Equilibrium exhibition

Ellen's clowns and acrobats are beautifully made and the glazes used are the result of much research.
It's a lovely little gallery with an open window letting in lots of natural light.

We couldn't resist bringing 'Stoked' home with us though it was a close run between him and Gazza :^)

After the exhibition opening we drove over to a nearby town called Imbil  where we visited the new 'Gallery Frit'.  Here we found work by Michael Ciavarella - the artist behind The Matchbox Show

Later in the week we met up again and toured some very nice galleries around Noosa, including their Regional Gallery which has the sculpture exhibition/competition, SCAP3D, underway, nice to see some ceramic entries doing well here:

Entry of Petra Svoboda

Award winner by Johanne Demaine

Entry by Rowley Drysdale

We also visited the Wallace House craft centre, had a pleasant lunch at a cafe before dropping by at Quixotica, the home of Rowley Drysdale.

Rowley shows us his new Japanese style bath house which is close to completion

His Ogama kiln

Rowley at his wheel

lots of space in a tranquil bush setting

Lots more to see and do around the Sunshine Coast but it was inspiring to see so many clay artists getting their work out there.  Thanks again to Ellen for making my holiday very special.

Super testing and a book to read

this week I have been testing a new clay from Blackwattle Pottery.  It's a 1200 stoneware which could be very useful if it works with the glazes I have access to at TAFE.

First I made some shrink test bars, then I threw a few little bowls

either I need some lessons from Melanie at  Eucalyptus Homewares or this clay is not so easy to use tissue tranfers on :^)

And I've also been working on a little handbuilt Staffordshire figurine inspired pigs piece

and just to keep me out of mischief I've been helping the Port Hacking Potters with their Wood Firing AND preparing for their 47th National Pottery Competition.  Check their blog for more - Port Hacking Potters Group...

Oh and then I was led to this lovely little book which is a Bio of Dorothy Hope who is the Patron of the Port Hacking Potters Group, titled "Impressions in Clay" it tells of her love of creating in clay back when there were only 2 rough earthenware clays, 1 red, 1 white, available commercially.  Her wonderful supportive husband helped her to set up their pottery near Port Macquarie on the NSW North Coast where they dug their own clay and processed it themselves - a true pioneer.

So that's me for this week.  Remember to drop by Mud Colony or check out my Facebook pages, Anna's Ceramics and Anna's Aussie Ceramics and I love comments, here or there :^)

first pot and inspirations

My friend, Adriana Christianson, posed the question, do you remember the first piece you made?

Well yes, I do, and like Suzi over at The Smart Cat I still have that funny little pot. When I first learnt to throw on the wheel back in the early 1980s,  I was living in Papua New Guinea and went along to a Co-op at the University where a clay studio had been set up to help local potters learn Western methods.  I was given a demonstration, a few balls of clay and told to 'see what you can do with that'.  Well after a few false starts this is what I managed to produce and the lovely encouraging women there even fired it for me.  It has followed around over many house moves back in Australia.

wheel thrown stoneware with 'student' glaze (left overs mixed together) reduction firing

My next 'first' was a hand building night class back in Australia in the mid '80s

handbuilt, earthenware clay, oxides and brown glaze inside pot,

I think my first interest in clay came about when I was a baby :^) when I realised someone with the same name as me had made a living from working as a studio potter.
These are collectables now though very kitch they do have a certain charm - a little ash tray (do they still make those?) by Studio Anna circa 1950s - 1960s.  The 'Aboriginal' design would also be politically incorrect now. Don't forget to check out Mud Colony and maybe say hi on one of my Facebook pages, Anna's Aussie Ceramics (Group Page) or my Artist Page - Anna's Ceramics...