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.