Handling Sculpture

Worked in the studio some more this weekend.  I trimmed some large bowls, and did some finishing work on some other items.  Keturah set to work on carving handles for the cups that I threw for her the other day.

This handle is a fern frond. 

 

These pictures are of some fish swimming in water.

These two pictures are of a handle carved to look like a tree limb (or maybe some roots, I'm not quite sure).

And these pictures are of an otter "surfing" a wave.

I think they are looking pretty good.  If you have any ideas for a sculptural handle let us know and we will see what we can do.

At it Again

I had the last two days off from work, so I decided to try and work in the studio as much as I could. I ended up working for about 12 hours (off and on) the first day, and about 7 1/2 hours (off and on) on the second day.  Here are pictures of the work I made during that time.

Starting at the top of this first picture are some tea cup/bowls.  Behind them are the lidded vessels from the last post.  Next shelf down are some  spoon rests and soap dishes.  On the bottom shelf there are some planters that Keturah had me make.  She's going to make some orchid planters that hang on the wall out of them.

The top shelf of this photo are some honey pots with lids.  The middle shelf has some more tea bowls/cups, and some jewelry holders.  The bottom shelf has some cups that Keturah will sculpt handles for.

This last photo is of the stamp we put on all of the work that comes out of our studio.  It's an enso, it symbolizes the absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the Universe, and the void (Wikipedia).

I'm going to sneak this photo that I took of a cucumber that is currently growing in our garden.  I thought it was cool because it grew itself into and enso.

Who has Two Thumbs and Made Art Today, (points at self) This Guy.

Finally spent a some time in the studio today, and got some work done.  I've had this idea for making some lidded vessels floating in the back of my mind for a while, so I thought I would get it out and into some clay to make room for other ideas to float to the surface (hopefully).

The first step in making these lidded vessels was to get a piece of clay into a rough cone shape (with the smaller end on top).

I then took a piece of twine, rope, wire, or spring and cut downward multiple times around the piece of clay.  This was the look I had in mind when I thought up the idea (I'm sure I've seen a picture some where of this same/similar idea).

After I finished with the body of the vessel I started to work on the lid (or where the lid will be).  I did this the same way I cut the body.

On this piece I used a smooth wire to cut the planes.

This one I used a piece of twine, which gave it those vertical lines.

And on this one I used the twine, but I move it side to side as I cut downward.  This zig-zag pattern gives it a little more interest I think (at least a little more texture if nothing else).

Here is a (tilted) group shot of the three pots from above.  I made a total of six lidded vessels today.

After I finished cutting the planes on the lid I moved the pot to the wheel. This is where I cut the lid off and began making the solid piece of clay into an actual vessel (meaning it can now hold something inside of it).  I also hollowed out the lids at this time.

Here are all six vessels after they were hollowed out.

I then added a flange to the lids so that they would not just slide off the body of the pot.

Here is one of the lidded vessel finish (well almost, I still need to clean up where the lid meets the body).

And here are all six lidded vessels after I added the flange to the lid.  Just a little clean up left, so I left them over night to stiffen up so I don't deform them when I handle them.

I hope to make the next five or six posts strictly about art work (that is unless I run across a recipe that is really cool, like how to make homemade ice cream sandwiches...) to make up for the last five or six post that were about our garden and the food we made.

"David" Throwing Coils...

I keep forgetting to take the camera with me to the studio, so I had to "make" some photos to show you what I've been working on (meaning those large coil thrown vessels).

So here we go...

This first photo is of "me" adding a coil of clay to the top of the vessel that "I'm" working on.

I will continue to add coils a couple at a time, then throwing them to build up the pot.

After I throw the coils I take a torch to the wet coils so that they dry out. I do this so that they can support the weight of another layer of coils.

I do promise to post "real" pictures of those vases that I'm working on soon.  But I hope you enjoyed the photos of "me" working on these pots.

Sun Seeds and Promises of Art to Come...

So, I roasted all the sunflower seeds that I harvested so far, and it turned out to be quite a bit.  I took some photos of the process from picking to final roasting.

This first photo is of all the seeds that I got out of the largest of all the flowers so far.

I then soaked the seeds in salt water (about 1/2 cup of salt to 1 quart of water) over night.

Here's a close up of the soaking seeds (because I know you guys like that sort of thing).

Then I laid them out on to a sheet pan and baked them in the oven at 350 f for about 30-45 minutes, shifting them around every once in a while to make sure that they toasted evenly.

Then they were toasted and it was time to enjoy the seeds of my labor.  They were quite tasty, and not as salty as the store bought variety, which I enjoyed.

On another more artistic note (I just realized that the last 5-6 post have been about food and not art, I hope to correct this in the near future) Keturah has pulled out her water colors and started a large painting.  I also made her the water color board that her painting is stapled to (that's kind of artistic, right??).
    I'm headed to the Fire House to finish up those large pots that I talked about in a previous post.  I just need to trim them and add some texture around the shoulders to give them a little more interest.  I will post some pictures of them tonight or tomorrow.  I also have some ideas for making some lidded vessels that I will be working on over the next two days (my "weekend").

Deforestation…Yum!!!

So we went to have dinner and see a movie the other night, and we thought we would stop by the Asian Market to check out what kind of candy they have.  We usually get little cookies covered in chocolate in the shape of bamboo or mushrooms.

We found these and then we got a little surprise.  It seems the company that makes these little shaped cookies has expanded their repertoire to include little tree stumps.  When I saw this I thought to myself that I have now seen everything.  When companies start making sweet confections that resemble deforestation, I think it’s really time to reevaluate some priorities.

Needless to say I bought the little stump cookies and they were quite tasty.  

 

I was looking at the package and since I don’t speak the language it’s written in I was wondering if anyone out there could tell us what in the world they are saying on these packages. 

 

My favorite part of the whole package is the little rabbit running in what I imagine could only be fear for his/her life.  This whole concept of candy out of disaster amuses me in a cynical kind of way...