Saturday Shelfie - 10 September

this is my #SaturdayShelfie for today...

I picked these up from the class I've been doing at a local community centre, just for fun...

Its a hand building class but the teacher was happy for me to help fill the kiln with some wheel thrown pieces.  I used the same clay which is a white raku and will put the bottles aside for a raku firing I hope to do next winter.

the little pieces in the foreground are a marquette for a garden sculpture that is a community activity coming up soon.. I'll post about that soon

The blue pig is hopefully for a sculpture mini installation...

Have a great weekend everyone

Made the List for August

A big thank you to Pottery Making Information for including this blog again on their
Clay Blogs for August.

They do a great list each month of interesting clay related blogs and video clips...

Here is the link to see those listed for August including myself and a couple of other Aussie clay bloggers: http://www.potterymakinginfo.com/news/

Sunday Selections - Spring

#Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
  
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.

Spring is springing here in the bush 'burbs of Sydney..


This little orchid is beginning to open - It wasn't doing so well in the garden so I planted it in a terracotta pot and put it in the shade and now it is rewarding me...

Of course the longer days of sunshine mean more weeds are growing too so I've spent the morning weeding a section of garden.

this pink grevillea is indigenous to our area

Running Postman (Kennedia-rubicunda) is a creeper from this area and is flowering in a local garden

so enjoy the Spring weather and happy Father's Day to all the Aussie Dads.

Sunday Selections - Spring

#Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
  
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.

Spring is springing here in the bush 'burbs of Sydney..


This little orchid is beginning to open - It wasn't doing so well in the garden so I planted it in a terracotta pot and put it in the shade and now it is rewarding me...

Of course the longer days of sunshine mean more weeds are growing too so I've spent the morning weeding a section of garden.

this pink grevillea is indigenous to our area

Running Postman (Kennedia-rubicunda) is a creeper from this area and is flowering in a local garden

so enjoy the Spring weather and happy Father's Day to all the Aussie Dads.

Now on Instagram - took ages

I've finally joined up with Instagram after a few false starts..

Over there I go by the tag @potterybyanna

for some reason it wouldn't let me use annasceramics...

So if you are already on Instagram let me know and we can follow each other there too.

At the moment I'm using this image as my avatar:

see you around...

Handbuilding versus the wheel

For the last few weeks I have been doing some handbuilding at a local community college (see previous two posts) and quite enjoying getting to know some new clay buddies...

However, when I got home last Saturday I had a yearning to throw some pots..

The clay is a new batch and quite wet which is good as it is a grogged clay (it has bits in it) which can be rough on your hands but this was OK.

The first pot was very cooperative, I lost the next one after trying to turn it into something that lump of clay did not want to be..

The third go was good and I have a nice shaped bottle underway...
Now if only I can trim them before they dry too much.  That is the struggle with clay all the time but with wheel throwing the timing to trim the pot is crucial...  too wet and it will be messy, too dry and you will blunt your tool and take much too long trimming or the tool will just bounce off and you will have to give up.

If these work I'll be putting them aside for a raku firing in the future.

Playing with clay on a cool Saturday arvo

After class today I still had some clay I'd rolled into a slab and not used (because underglaze painting took up most of the class time).

So when I got home I decided to have a play with it.

I'd often thought to try this technique but only have a small piece of this egg carton foam...

I quite like the result so far... these little teapot shaped dishes (to hold that used teabag) are cut out with a nice big cookie cutter, placed on the foam and then I used a plaster cylinder to press down in the middle and presto, a nice little dish...

I'm not quite sure what will become of the cactus... some glaze tests perhaps?

Have a great weekend everyone

just quietly carrying on

things are a bit quiet on the making front at the moment as I am busy with the preparations for the Port Hacking Potters National Competition... not making for it but helping to put the show on...
so much goes on behind the scenes...

If you are an Australian potter you should consider putting in an entry - link here to learn more about it: http://porthackingpotters.blogspot.com.au/p/2016-national-competition.html

so I am doing some handbuilding just to keep the clay withdrawal symptoms at bay...

the surface is stamped with the design shown which is a bisque fired stamp of my own based on the lilly pilly fruit.

we have several lilly pilly trees in our yard but this one gets the most fruit.

Teapots on Show

My teapots are now on show at the Inner City Clayworkers Gallery in Glebe

See my previous post for more details...
These are the ones to look for as they are throughout the display...

In the foreground is an owl teapot by Tanya Bechara of Hop'n Frog Pottery with her Butterfly teapot at the back.  Mine is the buff coloured one with red hearts in the middle.  

Here mine is the one with orange decoration around the lid.

This is my favourite this year... titled "Hibbertia" the decoration is based on a local yellow flowering creeper, commonly known as 'Guinea Vine'.  

If you are in Sydney do try to get over to Glebe to see the show... there are some amazing creations and the show runs until the end of the month.

a Busy Weekend - exhibition, stall, prep...

I'll have a busy few days this coming weekend...

Friday night

Official opening and prize giving at the Innercity Clayworkers Gallery, Glebe.  I have fingers crossed for my pottery friend Tanya of Hop'n Frog Pottery. My own teapots might find a new home to go to perhaps.

Saturday morning

Stall to support Assistance Dogs Australia at the Shire Farmers Market in Sutherland

Saturday afternoon will be the handbuilding class I started last week... (teacher: Anna what are you doing here you have so much experience already?  Me: its somewhere warm to work! )

Sunday afternoon:  Meeting of the Port Hacking Potters at Hazelhurst Arts Centre to start preparations for the community activity to make a garden sculpture while the National Competition is on.

I hope to sleep in on Monday!