this week - neighbours and drying

This week has been about managing the drying of my mini installation works...

The weather has been very hot and dry so it would be easy for it to dry too quickly...

I also had a visit from my neighbour and her two children.

She asked if they could see me making on the wheel... too boring for young ones I thought so I prepared some slabs as well.

They are 9 and 5 years old.  The 9 year old managed to produce a little bowl with some help while the 5 year old didn't have the interest or temperament and couldn't reach the pedal anyway.

They enjoyed decorating the slabs while Mum had a go on the wheel -- unfortunately her great expectations were disappointed so I'll have to get her back for another go on her own. (when we can both concentrate).

I'll put these in my next bisque firing and they can take them home to use.

Progress and slow drying

I have been working on my latest project for a few weeks now... starting with some sketches and then deciding on what clay to use all before getting started.

I now have the main piece constructed plus the added extras that I plan to go with it to make up a mini installation...

 The main structure is based on a 1.5kg bowl...

 lots of coils  

slurry and hand tools

These rubber ended tools are great for hand building...

I needed to keep it all moist during construction...

And I'll need some more work to fill up the kiln...

These are now all drying slowly before being bisque fired...

Native Violets - still flowering

The Australian Native Violet  (Viola hederacea) is a favourite of mine...

The weather has heated up again after a couple of days respite and they are still flowering...


Weather will be back up in the high 30s tomorrow... its 7pm at night and still 34 degrees Celsius outside...

A high of 32 forecast tomorrow and a bit cooler on Thursday so there must be a cool southerly on the way, hurrah!

Native Violet

a big surprise and a colourful visitor

While looking around Facebook this morning I discovered this blog has been listed on Feedspot as one of the top 40 Ceramic websites and blogs... how good is that!!

You can look the others up on Facebook...

and this morning this colourful fellow came to say hello.  He brought his girlfriend back this afternoon and she let me give her some seed while I held the container so that the cheeky Sulphur Crested Cockatoos couldn't take it from her.

a little progress - the story of an extruder

Getting started on my exhibition works has been quite challenging.

For one thing I am constructing a piece using thin coils and in this hot weather they are drying very quickly and some have already snapped..

In the hope of not losing too many pieces I have blended paperclay and a buff stoneware clay for colour.

blending clay - nearly there

home made extruder attached to studio wall

I have a home made extruder in my studio which I purchased from a retiring potter some years ago... I don't use it often as I prefer to throw pots on the wheel for my functional wares however, for this project it is priceless.

It came with a spare die and just as well...

top is spare die, bottom is existing die with small hole

I need two sizes of coil and so thought if I combined the sizes of hole in the one die it would save time... not quite right...

die showing new holes of two sizes



The new die worked well except for one thing.... the larger holes allowed the clay through at a faster rate so the smaller coils were not keeping up and came through much shorter... in comparison to the larger hole.

new die showing different size and lengths

Fortunately I still had the spare die... and a clever husband to drill new holes in the spare...
It has worked a treat... The old die is not lost either..  the small holes have been filled with small nuts and bolts and the larger holes can now be used on their own.

new die with small holes works well.

so we live and learn... always something new to learn when working with clay...

Thank you Clay Blog Review

A big thank you to the author of the Clay Blog Review over at "Pottery Making Info" for once again including me on the list of monthly reviews of clay blogs.  This blog is on the list for December 2016.

Here is the link: http://www.potterymakinginfo.com/news/clay-blog-review-december-2016/

2017 is off and running

Well goodbye to 2016... it was a challenging year for so many of us I do hope we can all enjoy 2017 with fewer stresses.

Having said that I have given myself a major challenge by accepting an invitation to do a duo exhibition with my friend Thea, who is a pastel artist supremeo...

Watch this space... the show isn't until August but I have a heap of work to get done ... so thankful I have my own kiln and making space. It does mean I will need to keep focused and work hard...

So I feel relieved to have been in the studio this morning to start...

I made heaps more plaster than I needed for two small moulds but by pouring the left over into an ice cream container I now have a small oblong plate hump mould which could be useful...

These will take several days if not a week to dry depending on the weather...

Have a great New Year everyone....