Chilling out

It's a hot one here in Sydney (Oz) today - over 28 deg C at 11am..
So after a few chores its time to chill out for a while..

An icey drink, and what I'm reading - a science fiction and the latest edition of the Australian Ceramics magazine :^) (alternatively :) )

Don't forget to check out Mud Colony this week for other posts from busy potters studios or you can check Facebook - my page: Anna's Ceramics or my Fb group - Anna's Aussie Ceramics - think go top up my Lime Cordial...
Chill ....

Mis-catalogued

My latest pig sculpture is in the foreground on the lower plinth.

The previous post showed works by graduating students of the Ceramic Design Studio at Gymea TAFE.

I left out my own work so here are some that were there.

Unfortunately I had to be out of town when the show went up and my pigs were marked on the catalogue as NFS when really I would have happily have sold them.

The bracelet and necklace were for sale but it will be a few days before I find out if they found a new home.

Have you checked out the group blog, Artists in Blogland yet?  Worth a visit :^)  You might have to scroll down to see this weeks additions.

A great show - do hope they can continue

A recent decision by the NSW State government to cut funding to all Arts programs in our technical colleges has been devastating news.
On Monday night I attended the Student Award Presentations and Exhibition opening of the Ceramic Design Studio (Gymea TAFE college) at the Muse Gallery, Ultimo, Sydney.

The work is just outstanding!  I so hope that the protest rally held today and the petitions presented will do some good to reverse the decision.

You can see some of the prize winners on the Port Hacking Potters blog but I thought I would add a few more images here.

work by several students

new works by Tracey Mitchell - see her website for more: Here

Just love this one by Tracey Mitchell

Graduating students, Rosemary Backhouse and Dorothy Shaw

Graduating Students, Mei Ling Wong and Youngme Ohn

several students

interesting slipcast pieces

Slipcast vessels by Ellin Pooley

These following works by Diploma student Nicky Parras are my favourite this year:

October Seater Woman

May Girl Dreaming

Winged Flight

and more by Nicky Parras

Nesting

White Nesting

Best of luck to all the students for their future be it producing more art or ongoing studies.

I'll be linking this post to Mud Colony and its already linked to my Facebook page.

Look familiar?

Today I came across this clip on a Facebook site:

http://the189.com/film/colour-in-clay-1941-short-film/

it dates back to 1941 and is of workers at the Wedgwood factory back then.  The opening images reminded me of our trip to the UK in 2010 when we visited the Wedgwood museum.

Have a look at the clip and see if you agree:

the blue bells were amazing and right on the road side next to the museum.

while in the visitors centre I threw this little pot using their Jasperware - I think perhaps the blue bells inspired Josiah way back then!
think I'll send this post over to Mud Colony and my Facebook page..

Ins and Outs

today these went into a glaze firing along with a friend's flat ware.

Not a tight pack but we are still testing to see if the kiln will get up to temp in its new position.

Earlier this week I was learning a bit about the shellac resist and wash back technique to decorate these bowls - more photos next week about these...

and then Ta Da...
one successful pig sculpture, YAY!

Not as dark as the previous one but no cracks either :^)

Remember to check out the other studio happenings over at Mud Colony and look for me on Facebook and also have a look at http://artistsinblogland.blogspot.com.au/

Fingers crossed

My friends over at Mud Colony have helped me out...
I needed to get these pots fully dried by morning so after consultation and a helpful 'chat' on the Facebook page of Mud Colony, into the kitchen oven they went for a couple of hours so they should be OK for my friend to bisque for me tomorrow..

Just great meeting in Reality :^)

Yesterday I took myself over to a local market where I knew some students from our local TAFE were trying their luck at selling and had a lovely surprise to find the lovely Mrs Peterson

of Mrs Peterson Pottery also had a stall there.

I've been following her blog for a while and admired her porcelain jewellery - so pretty and such fun designs, so it was such a treat to meet in reality and have a nice chat about working with clay :^)

I'm so impressed by her marketing - wonderful posters, a whole woodland theme just sets off her beautiful jewellery so well!

And it doesn't stop there - no plain brown paper bags but funky printed ones and printed tissue paper in matching colours and then topped off with her sticky label

pendant by Mrs Peterson Pottery

so I just had to buy this lovely little red pendant....

Thanks Brianna for the lovely chat and good luck with the Finders Keepers and the Canberra Handmade Markets coming up soon.

running around like a .......

Well Adriana Christianson is cracking the whip again (lol) and so here is my quick post for Mud Colony :^)

Adriana has a little dog to help her in the studio but I just have a hyperactive cockatiel :^)
tried to get a photo of him and all I got was this:

I've been wondering what the Potters Group (Port Hacking) can do with the 8 boxes of cork bricks in their storeroom?

and are these fold down tables worth keeping?

and I found some great little cookie cutters in a little Asian store the other day so have cut some new shapes for future use as jewellery :^)
Oh and Brenda was wondering how to stop the cut out clay from curling - I just whack another bat on top as they dry...

Bye for now and see you over on Mud Colony or my Facebook page, cheers :^)

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 ....