Good friends, food and coffee

Art Coffee was this morning. I’m feeling refreshed and inspired after a morning with other like-minded creative types. Several of us independent artists regularly get together for a morning of casual conversation about upcoming shows, art trends, studio troubles, new projects, gallery business news and of course coffee (I also had eggs benedict...mmm). New people come and go, and there can be as few as three, to as many as 10. I usually get to meet someone new whom I may have heard their name, and get a chance to put a face to the name/medium at Art Coffee. Mary and I usually feel the need for Art Coffee about the same time, every 2 weeks or so. Working on your own can feel isolating at times so we pick a morning at our favorite coffee shop cafe, send out an e-mail and ask to forward it to other like-minded creative types. Today we had a couple of fiber artists, a bead artist, painter, fused glass artist, encaustic artist, ATC artist, metal artist and ceramicist.

Unloaded the glaze load and had nice results for a beginner! The hardest part was that it took a lot of patience for me NOT to open the lid and peak before the kiln had properly cooled!

It was an electric ^05 firing. I tried out several new glazes, Amaco matt, as well as some new Speedball (not sure I like the Speedball but LOVE the Amaco matt). I also used some ancient Raku Crackle white and Copper Lustre...all not too bad. My scrifitto fish turned out way too shiny/glossy for my taste so I ordered some new clear matt glaze.

The picture on the right is of a small wall sculpture layout I want to make using the combination of steel and clay. I'm going to rust patina the metal and use copper wire to connect the clay components. The shell is a giant Alaska scallop I got in Homer this summer, along with the starfish (from my treasure box), using press molds Bill and I made this summer. I think I will be dong a similar sculpture for the fish and a few of the tiles. I like the combination of the steel and clay.

My Private Octogon Ocean

At 21 below zero I was better prepared for the extreme cold and had a warm kiln day! The metal work is going to have to wait until it is at least a balmy 10 above or even zero degrees. It is just way to miserable wearing my respirator and fogging my eye protection with my own breath or having my nose run inside of my welding helmet.

The bisque load I so patiently waited for turned out beautiful. Whew! My New Year’s goal of seeking “Nature’s patience” paid off. I was so tempted to lift the lid of the kiln early and take a peek, but I forced myself back into the studio to make some more fish and clay Shine-a-rellas that are now on the drying racks. The pictures are of the clay sea scape tiles with some of my Nature elements in the background. When I got to the last shelf, the fish looked like my private octagon ocean. The rough scriffito technique on the fish pair was my first attempt. I love the look but the sound and feeling of the marking through the glaze is uncomfortable for me to feel and hear…not sure what I’m going to do about that. One of the first pieces I formed was “Tired Old Moon.” I’m not sure how I am going to finish him but I’m so glad he survived the firing. There are several test tiles that I want to experiment with before I decide how to finish Mr. Moon.

Wanting to feel the creative heat

Primarily as a metal artist working in steel, it was exactly a year ago I dreaded layering up in my Carhartt’s, slinging the frigid 4x8 sheets of steel up onto the cutting table, firing up my welder and plasma cutter and create some art. The concrete floor was as cold as the metal and I could see my breath, even in the heated shop. My creative mind romanced new thoughts of working in warmer “indoor” mediums when the North winds blew and the temps dipped below zero. I had been wanting to work in clay again, especially after an incredible Raku experience I had with Gina last Fall.

Combined with Alaska’s weather challenges that exist in my artmaking and wanting to add some sculptural elements to my steel pieces has lead me back to the medium of clay. I admit, working with a red-hot kiln and feeling warm clay from the earth has always appealed to me. Though it has taken a year to get set-up for the new medium addition to my studio, it has been worth it. I purchased a slab roller this last summer, a kiln this last fall and miscellaneous glazes and clay along the way. With the recent addition of an electric kiln being hard wired with an electronic temperature controller, additional exterior power and professional wiring in the shop I’m ready for the new creative HEAT!

One of the first loads in the kiln will be the clay fish sculptures I made from the press molds created this summer with Bill Sabo. The clay fish and tiles have been on the drying racks for over a month waiting for the kiln install. I’ve included some images from the Sabo-Shake mold making project. Bill is dad to the famous and talented Agnes Barton-Sabo or better known as The New Adventures of BettyTurbo at Etsy. Bill and I made molds using potters plaster and semi-frozen fish. I went on to make various seascape themed tile molds from starfish and sand dollars I have collected over the years and shells I found beach combing in Homer.

I will probably wait until after the New Year holiday when I’m back in the studio full time to have a couple of uninterrupted days for my first firing.