NOLA Potter

No Faces...

2012-01-30T11:28:00.003-06:00

This is a slight variation from my Crowd of Faceless People glaze but I love the look. It's a little darker and has a bit more warmth. (Sorta looks like the surface of the moon, huh?) Anyway, I like it on this little porcelain bowl.

Now, here's the teaser: There's a couple of things I've been working on that are starting to come together. Pray with me y'all that it happens soon. I think you'll like it.

Lids...

2012-01-18T21:05:00.002-06:00

Working on lidded vessels... I'm happy with the way these turned out but I'm working towards a different shape.

A Crowd of Faceless People Glaze...

2012-01-14T23:37:00.003-06:00

If you're able to zoom in on these pictures, the glaze looks like a crowd of faceless people.
Freaky...

My Little Apple

2011-12-06T00:08:00.002-06:00

This is the last piece I did at school. It's light as a feather, I'm happy to say. I didn't trust it to any of the glazes there so I brought it to Hands in Clay to glaze it. The color is called Brick. I love it on that class clay and it's absolutely gorgeous on porcelain. I use it a lot in my work.

My second favorite thing is the foot. I finally got it perfectly level and tiny. Yay me.

I sing you to me....

2011-11-16T00:20:00.011-06:00

I finally got a bunch of pieces back from school today. As you can see, there was heavy running glaze. Again. The first three pieces are Roo Blue under Pink Rutile. The second two are temmoku under Pink Rutile. They ran the worst. That poor kiln shelf didn't have a chance. The speckled pieces are what happens with clear glaze on class clay. The clear definitely stayed true.

I've been playing around with stamping and am enjoying stamping the foot rim of the bowl. It's a fun little surprise on the bottom of a bowl. I think it's perfect for customizing, too.

"I sing you to me" and "cheeky bowl" (This is paraphrasing. The line is actually "cheeky Bulls") are from one of my favorite movies, 'Australia'. I have more stamped things in production. (Meaning, sitting on my shelf at school waiting to be glazed and fired.) I have soooo many ideas but not the swiftness I would like, to produce them. One day when I have my own studio..... Until then, you get to come with me through all the mistakes. Haha.

Overall, I like everything but the temmoku, glaze-wise. I'm epecially pleased with the speckled look of the clear glaze. I'm so torn about whether or not to take this class again. If I lower my expectations and only figure 2 to 3 firings per semester, maybe I could deal with it. Stay tuned....

Oh, I just purchased laser decal paper. There are some really beautiful images I want to try and transform onto my bowls. Let's see if it's as easy as the instructions sound.

ps.
Please forgive the casual-ness of my blogging. I blog from bed and use my iPhone to take the pics.

Blue Beauty

2011-11-10T02:00:00.004-06:00

Sometimes I like to post pics of other artists work that I love. That said, this is Fritzner Alphonse's, 'Blue Beauty'. A friend once told me I look like her. *Blushing bashfully* I don't know how true that is but I frequently use her as an avatar when posting online.

Texture

2011-11-09T13:27:00.004-06:00

Impressions

2011-11-09T13:22:00.005-06:00

Impressions from home... I think this would be lovely on a wheel thrown bowl.

2011-11-08T18:55:00.001-06:00

I found something unusual today in a Marigny thrift shop. I have no idea what the characters mean or if this has a specific use (other than being decorative). Looks like a blue celadon glaze on terra cotta. I think....
I bought it cuz its pretty.

Pretty sketchy

2011-11-08T12:07:00.002-06:00

I am so inspired by Linda Ellett at L'esperance Tile Works that I sketched an image to try out on a piece of clay.
This is my maiden voyage into the world of carving.
Here goes...I'm practicing Fearless Ambition....

2011-11-06T19:47:00.001-06:00

Good evening, all. I'm testing my mobile blogging abilities. Please bear with me. Plain white porcelain bowl on my mantle. :)

No Help At All

2011-11-06T12:46:00.002-06:00

No Help

Sometimes I go to see a film but I already know in my heart that it's bad. Still, I see it because I want to have it in my arsenal to be able to critique and complain about it with intense, haughty authority. First, I had to gather all of my evidence. I read the book. (That's just my thing. If there's a book, I like to read it first to be able to compare the two.) Despite my disappointment, I further tortured myself with viewing the film. Everyone raved about it so I took a leap. (My intuition screams, "No".) I saw it, partially hoping that the director would save it, secretly hoping that he wouldn't. (I have a dark side.) Maybe I did this because both were loved so much and I like to be able to tell anyone who likes it that not only are they short-sighted but they're being brainwashed into appreciating and perpetuating stereotypes. This is not something I normally do but I had a connection to the characters and I couldn't leave it up to main stream media to include my perspective in their telling of this little story. This undeservedly loved film had tapped me on my shoulder and like Lot's Wife, I turned to look.
My very first introduction to 'The Help' was the trailer where I spotted one of my favorite actors, Academy Award nominated Viola Davis. She's the reason I paid this film any attention at all, really. My excitement that she had a film about to debut coincided with my distaste that the character she was playing is a maid. I told myself that she would and could make this enjoyable. She led me to this book/film combo like the smell of fried chicken leads me to Popeyes. All of the media promotion touted Emma Stone as the lead. At the time I didn't know any better. Hollywood sure loves those twenty-something starletts. They feast on them. No slight to Emma Stone but at this point, I now know differently.
Now, let's get to the particulars of why I don't like this film. At first glance, it's another movie where upon a white character is placed in the role of hero and comes in and saves the day of the poor downtrodden blacks. (Let me interject here that I am of the generation where I use the words "white and black" to describe these races. It may not be politically correct but it's what I grew up with. It's less of a mouthful.) In this classic layout set in the early 1960's, the white character, Skeeter (played by Emma Stone), a recent college graduate, returns home and finds a job as an advice columnist for a local Jackson, Mississippi newspaper. She is supposed to respond to household cleaning queries sent in to the paper. What happens is that she knows nothing about cleaning but knows plenty of ladies who do, so she enlists the help of the only one of those ladies she feels comfortable talking to, Aibileen. Aibileen (played by Viola Davis) is the maid of her childhood friend. I don't want to give too many spoilers but it has to be done. So, here goes. Aibileen agrees to, basically, spoon feed her the responses. In these exchanges, Aibileen reveals a more personal side to herself and Skeeter snatches an idea of a book from this. Aibileen agrees (again) to help Skeeter with that stolen idea and becomes the major proponent that induces other maids to join in on this "collaboration", thereby creating the book, 'The Help', a personal account of the black maids and what it's like for them to work for white families. This, in my humble opinion, is why Viola Davis is really the lead in this film.
I can't decide if I'm more disappointed in the misplaced praise of Skeeter in the actual movie OR the fact that in 2011 black actresses are still playing maids to get work OR the lack of outpour/outrage from the public over the latter OR that despite all that, the movie is a hit by Hollywood standards (Those standards being 118 million dollars at the box office so far.) indicating that the public loves and is comfortable with us in this role. As a chubby, middle-aged black woman, I feel like this stereotype should be played out by now. In 1939 Hattie McDaniel was the first black actress to get an Academy Award. It was for her role as "Mammy" in 'Gone With the Wind'. Mammy was a maid also.
Films have a huge impact on society. They not only entertain but they set trends, they teach, they inspire, they open our minds to new possibilities, they impact the populace in a multitude of ways. But for the chubby, black women they're still singing that same old Negro spiritual. To that I say, "O lawd, I needs me a new job."
By the way, I just found out that another Academy Award nominated, black actress, Gabourey Sidibe, has a new film coming out next year called 'The Heist'. She's playing a maid. :(

Sneak Peek

2011-11-06T00:53:00.005-05:00

Here's a couple of quick pics of two pieces I threw today. I'm working on size and lids. (I've got enough small bowls. I love them but I have to expand.) The first piece is 8lbs (I could have made it a little bigger but my instructor wanted me to leave the walls fairly thick. I also left a thick bottom because porcelain is so finicky and I'm also working on a deeper foot. You'll see why later.) and the second is 6.5.

The porcelain was very cream cheesy today but I managed. I've never centered that much clay before. Yay me.

Bad Teacher...

2011-11-05T23:56:00.007-05:00

I had such high hopes this semester. I had taken ceramics this summer and was able to really get in a lot of raku experience. Little did I know that it was because there was another student who was equally eager to raku. So, we raku-ed all summer. Yes, it was hot as hell but we loved every sweaty moment of it. Based on that, I signed up for this class again. Big mistake.

Without my classmate (she couldn't return-too much of a heavy academic load) I was left without a partner. No raku for me. In addition to that big disappointment, the "teacher" made no glazes. We had to scrape the bottom of the buckets for what little was leftover from the summer. I offered to do so only to find that there weren't enough ingredients to make any of the recipes I had found. "Teacher" could never remember to bring the recipes he claimed to have that could be made.

In addition to that, all of the firings (3 so far) were done incorrectly and everyones pieces were ruined. This is a carryover from the summer fiasco that was blamed on weather. Thanks "teach". We even ran out of clay once this semester. I won't even get into his attitude and the fact that he actually taught nothing. Not one thing. I honestly think he is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's.

I won't be taking his class ever again! Tulane grad????? It doesn't show.

Anyhoo, these pics are of one of the ruined pieces. There's lots of pitting and bubbling which makes this bowl nonfunctional as anything but a tchotchke.

I'm back at Hands In Clay and loving it. I'm working with porcelain again and have some new things I can't wait to finish and post.

See ya soon!

The Last Day of School... Sorta

2011-08-03T18:35:00.007-05:00

I squeezed these in on the last day of class. Well, actually it wasn't the last day. Because the instructor didn't manage to have all of our pieces finished by the "official" last day, I came in the following week with another student who also likes to raku and who also wanted to take her pieces home and not wait until next semester. I used the very last drippings of the clear raku glaze (which the instructor let another student make but didn't make them sieve it, so it was quite lumpy) for these two. What the instructor finally managed to tell me was that if I wanted a lot of crackling I needed to spray the pieces with water right before I put them into the cans to smoke. That's what went wrong with the last batch.

I experimented on these two pieces with a blue/green raku glaze from school. If this glaze didn't puddle and run so badly, I might like it. However, that is not the case. Unfortunately, this and the clear raku glaze is all that the instructor made available. I am as perplexed as you as to why that is. I have higher expectations from a school. At this point, I'm going to take this class once again ONLY because I can raku there.

NO OTHER REASON.

I've also started taking classes at Hands In Clay because of my experience at school. I am sooooo discouraged about the amount of affordable teaching facilities in this town. Ideally, Tulane University is the best. At more than $1000.00 per class, this is not an option for me. Will keep searching and trying to learn as much as I can on my own and through the small network of artists here.

Raku and Jazz...

2011-07-15T01:39:00.014-05:00

This week started out with one of my favorite things, Raku. Totally unexpectedly. I walk into class on Tuesday and one of my classmates casually mentions, "I'm rakuing today if you want to add something." Are you kidding? I want to add EVERYTHING!

When I first began throwing clay, I was a student at Hands in Clay on Magazine St. Raku was only done twice a year because the instructor couldn't raku on site and we had to drive to his place in Pointe Coupee. We couldn't fire anything too big and could only bring 3 pieces.

Anyhoo, apparently we can do as much (almost) raku as we want. No one told me. We only have a week and a half of school left. Two more firings, the way I see it. Yaaaaayyyyyy!! Here's some stuff I fired that day. Let me just add, there's not much of a selection of glazes. Extremely disappointing. What's pictured here is the clear glaze and a gold glaze (something new that Allison (my classmate) mixed that morning. It was new and didn't work out the way we wanted. They all look the same to me. Back to the drawing board on that one. Otherwise, I was very pleased with the crackling on these pieces.

I also had a surprise excursion this week to Sweet Lorraine's jazz club. This came via a an invite I finagled from my friend, Ben, who text'd me, asking about one of my favorite musicians, Mario Abney. I first encountered Mario and his band at a little club on Dectur street, doing an open mic night and accompanied by the smooth vocals of Elliott Luv. Funky, funky, loose your shit kind of jazz. I was hooked immediately. I can't tell you how many times I returned. I feel like their mascot. I added some pictures I took of them at one of their House of Groove performances on Claiborne Avenue. Anyway, I had a wonderful evening drinking tequila and bullshitting with Ben while Mario played in the background. Not a bad week so far.

Supakitch & Koralie

2011-07-08T10:17:00.010-05:00

I am such a fan. I mean it. There are some amazingly talented folks out there that are so inspirational, I occasionally have to geek out and talk about it to everyone I know. I get so damned excited when I discover something. This artist is not new to the scene but she's new to me. I'm in awe. Koralie has an intense eye for color, that attracted me immediately. She and her partner, Supakitch, are French graffiti artists and are showing all over the place as well as coupling with other well known artists (see Koralie's work with another French artist, FaFi).

I love their work and wish them all the best.

Enjoy!!

Disaster!!

2011-07-06T08:17:00.011-05:00

Bubbling, pitting amd running were the culprits of the day. No one escaped unscathed. Frankly, I don't know what happened. I can only guess that the firing was either heated too fast or cooled too fast. Good thing these were just test pieces. Other students who worked sooooo hard the first half of the semester had their entire body of work ruined. It was a sad day but we go on! The white glaze performed the poorest. We won't be using that again. The instructor is going to try and rescue some of the damaged pieces but it doesn't look good.

I guess this is all part of the process. It's like life. We give birth, live for a short time and then die. To quote my friend Jay-Z, "On to the next one!".

Heike Weber Installations--trippy...

2011-06-26T00:45:00.012-05:00

She draws on floors and walls with permanent markers. Amazing and time consuming to say the least...

This looks like it takes a million billion hours to do!

Dog Days

2011-06-24T00:22:00.004-05:00

Dog Days are the hottest most sultry days of summer usually starting in July and lasting until September. So sayeth Wikipedia.

Florence and The Machine says they are over. (I love that song, btw) I don't know where Florence lives but it feels like we have at least nine months of dog days in New Orleans. It won't be over for months. To quote a classic movie, 'Beauty Shop', "It's hotter than a jalapeno's coochie!" This is nothing new to me, really. Every year I suffer. Not in silence but in a whimpering puddle of humidity.

Despite my plight, I faithfully go to the studio with kilns a-burning. I have to. It's school. Ya know, when you take fine arts for credit it's entirely different than a class at a gallery once a week where you're allowed to sip wine and throw clay. It's not as much fun but it's structured and I learn quite a bit. However, it can be monotonous. It's all about cylinders this semester. BORING!!! I appreciate it but I still want to make something pretty.

Alas, here is the fruit of my loins... Leather hard cylinders sitting outside drying. *snooze* Nine done and nine more to gooooooooo...

"And I never wanted anything from you

Except everything you had

And what was left after that too."

~Favorite line from Florence and The Machines song, 'Dog Days Are Over'.

Diary of a Blah, Blah, Blah...

2011-06-20T23:44:00.009-05:00

So, I wake up today late for school. My tv is on since last night. I'm scrambling to get ready.

Slowly I realize there's a movie on which I haven't seen before. It's called 'Diary of a Tired Black Man'. So as I'm getting ready, I hear a bunch of guys being interviewed on why Black women so angry. (I only got to see 15 minutes of this movie.) This immediately caught my attention. Each guy is talking about how we enter into a relationship with all this baggage. They're trash talking sistahs. Everybody wants to know why we're so angry.

Well, I had to leave for school. So, all day this shitty piece of a crappy movie is marinating in my mind. Why are we so angry? Let's start with slavery. You let us get captured, Black man. Then we spent hundreds of years submitting to "the white man", being treated, well, like slaves. You couldn't have gotten us outta that a little faster? Let's fast forward to present day where a huge number of you guys are in prison. (Couldn't outrun Massa?). Yeah, also in present day USA, you guys spread your seed to anything with a vagina and then abandon your young, leaving females to struggle with playing the role of both parents. You'd think with all that free time on your hands that y'all would excel at something. But no... There's still more Black women in college than Black men. We're also left to deal with the horrible stereotype you've created. We try to defend but it ain't easy. Thank God Barack Obama came and threw a little redemption your way. But not much.

Listen, I don't want to fill the world wide with all your short comings. I just want to say, Have a care. You know what the hell we've been through. You put us through most of it!!! And look what it leads to. It creates a viscous cycle. Prime example: Today while getting lunch, a man came up to me begging for .50c. Normally, I'll through a few coins to anyone down on their luck. Ya know what I did today? I told that bastard to get a job!!! I told him that he should be giving me money. I asked him, what kind of man begs money from a woman? He started with his wah wah about how he can't get a job "'cuz of his record". My response, who's fault is that? Get your shit together, I told him. You're a man and have a higher earning potential than I do.

At this point, other women started piping up in agreement. They started telling him where the hell to go and get a job. Problem solved!! I confess, it bugs the hell out of me to see an able bodied man begging for change. Ninety-five percent of them are Black males. This is why I'm angry. No one man can make me sabotage a relationship. It's exponential anger.

So, Black man who I dearly love, have a care when talking about us. I want to hold you in high esteem. Stop making it so hard.

Other than that, I had a great day!! :)

Cheers!

2011-06-20T23:44:00.001-05:00

Leave Tracey Morgan alone

2011-06-17T00:55:00.002-05:00

Lord! He's a comedian!! Everybody is so damned sensitive. If he was a teacher, then go ahead and crucify his ass. But he's not! His whole appeal is his inappropriateness. Is there even such a thing as politically correct comedians? I've never seen one.

Gay brothers and sisters: Get over it. I've seen more male comics than I could ever count do 90 minutes trashing women. We never hear of women rising up and declaring outrage and asking for apologies. There's no 'It Gets Better' video for us. The guy is in the entertainment business. It's not like this was a drunken rage at your local IHOP. It's his stand-up routine. Comedians make fun of everyone. The shit they say can be extremely hurtful if you aren't comfortable with yourself.

Now, please don't start talking about how gay kids kill themselves and shit. His routine isn't for kids. They should never ever hear it. Unfortunately, now they have because its blown out of proportion and plastered all over every media outlet in the land.

The hullabaloo did more harm than good, folks. Take a breath, say a few ohms and concern yourselves with real problems like education, the economy or global warming.

Namaste

Stop talking crazy, Gayle King

2011-06-16T01:06:00.003-05:00

This is just a pet peeve. I really love her but...

Stop adding an extra "ed" onto words. It's not funny or cute. This "favorite viewer" doesn't like it. It sounds terrible. I'm sure not as many people as you think, get it. Start acting like a professional newswoman. You can still be funny and playful--in another way. You know what kind of barriers are put on us. People already think a whole slew of nonsense about Black people. If not, I'm going to lump you in the same category as "Annie" the Popeyes lady. I really don't want to do it and I don't want others who don't understand to do it either.

Okay, that's all. I HAD to say that.

Toodles...

"Move B*tch, Get Out the Way!!"

2011-06-16T00:34:00.007-05:00

That is a quote from my friend, Ludacris and he must have spent some time driving around New Orleans. You're probably wondering what the hell is wrong with me. Well, I'll tell ya. Summertime is here and in New Orleans, for a lot of folks, it means many more bike riders on the street. Okay, lovely.

Howevah...

These wheely mofo's need to get a handle on the situation. And I'm not talking about that spikey haired knucklehead on Jersey Shore. If you live Uptown, you know that the streets aren't wide enough and right now there's a lot of construction on Magazine Street. Everyday I'm dodging bicyclists who are oblivious to cars. Do they know I'm hot and moody and without patience for this kind of psychotic cycling? I really don't want to hit them but I just might have to. Lessons need to be taught.

These pedal pushers are doing all kinds of swirvy moves directly in my path. Not every street has a bike path. (Oh, and I refuse to recognize the little bicyclists drawn on the ground on the unchanged-in-width streets indicating that now this is a bike path.) Who the flock do they think they're fooling?

I'm trying to keep my cool but they seem to believe that they will survive a showdown. None of them wear helmets. I really pity da fool that crosses my path when I'm flashing. Lawd, I'm trying. Ride on the back streets people!! GET OUT OF MY WAY!!

I just want you all to remember this when you're on the roads: There might be a sweating, moody, Black chick behind the wheel who's having hot flashes, dieting, sex deprived and who's been up all night studying anatomy and physiology. Watchout!!

God Bless

I'm Back in the Game!!

2011-06-13T21:11:00.002-05:00

Oh yeah, bet you thought I had given up. Hellz no! This summer I've got a fine arts requirement to fulfill and guess what I'm doing about it?? You got it, mofo's. My hands are in some serious clay for the next 2 months.

This is unlike what I've been pussyfootin' around with before. This is the artsy fartsy psychotically snoozy, mirror image to my Anatomy and Physiology class. It's all about structure and function of the clay body. See how I'm weaving my two loves together?

It's all about cylinders, boo.

I need 18 quality pieces, 8-9 inches tall with only 3lbs of the hardest clay on this side of the Mississippi. Whew!

What is it that Rupaul always says? Oh yeah, "You betta werk, bitch"!

Amateur hour has begun...

Blame Mr. Snuffleupagus!

2010-04-16T15:21:00.004-05:00

Maaan, I gotta get a grip on this shiz. I've been too busy worshiping the almighty margarita. No excuse. To my massive following: I will do better! For sure.

I'm currently working on a reality themed nola based gig. (Isn't everyone?) Hahahaha.... Yeah, doing research. (Mainly at Juan's Flying Burrito) Got lots of balls in the air. Will be doing double time on the clay front for the next few weeks. You will see amazing things.

Started making some stuff that will surely make me a thousandaire. Well, maybe a hundredaire. Maybe I'll just break even. I will be posting all about it in a couple of weeks. My assistant, who I'll just call Mr. Snuffleupagus, (cuz he's that damned elusive) had better get on his shit. It's mainly his fault. His primary job is keeping me on point. #FAIL

Oh, and the Jazz Fest is right around the corner. All you people who have put your orders in, please be patient. I WON'T actually have a booth at the fest. And unless I score a free tic, I won't even attend. The word on the street is they're going for $60.00. I'll put on my invisability cloak and glide on in.

See ya there!

(Hopefully)

Trying to get a handle on porcelain...

2010-03-04T19:07:00.005-06:00

I'm hoping that in a few more sessions my bowls will be totally wobble free. Also, testing out some glazes. Loving the Brick. The Holly Green looks much better in person. (Even though it didn't look the way I thought it would).

It's like throwing cream cheese. Oy...

Blue Rutile

2010-03-03T05:15:00.003-06:00

Blue rutile glaze on 4" bowl? Mug? Whatev...

I like this shape. Contemplating the start of adding handles, though.

Fantastic potter discovery... Y'all probably know him already.

2009-06-02T08:25:00.017-05:00

These are some amazing pictures from an artist that I am totally blown away by. His name is Jeff Campana.

Hi, I'm back!! Almost. I am so excited because things are looking up and I will have my hands back in clay within the month. You probably can't imagine how out of sorts I've been since I had to take a break from my beloved pottery.

Now, just because I wasn't able to practice doesn't mean I didn't discover some other great artists out there.

Like I said before his name is Jeff Campana. Check out his Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Jeff-Campana-Ceramics/44497883414

He also does an amazing job of photographing the process of his work. Once you see how he does it, (most especially that gravy boat) it'll make you weep. You'll have to study the finished work all over again. It's absolutely fantastic!

Be back soon, my loverlies!!!!!

xxx

Seafoam and Pecan

2009-03-08T10:35:00.005-05:00

Here's a couple of bowls I did in class right before Mardi Gras. It's regular white clay with seafoam glaze on the inside and pecan outside. I mainly wanted to test out this color combination. I love these colors together. The seafoam has a vastly different color and texture than when I used it before in combination with the aubergine.

**************

This is also an example of what can frequently happen when you don't get to handle every single step of the process yourself. (The students take no part in the firings in my class.) Apparently, sometimes bits of the glaze gets knocked off in the handling and it leaves little bare spots with no glaze at all. (Notice the bare spots on the rims.) Sometimes, your bowls may even get cracked chipped or if you're lucky, just warped a little. When I voice my opinion on this I get told, "It's only clay."

What do you think of that?

You like quickies, right?

2009-03-05T10:35:00.004-06:00

Well, I said I'd give the rather unusual batt a try. And here it is. I had to use little balls of clay to keep it on the wheel. Although, as I worked, it started to slide. When I made the mistake of straightening it my bowl got wonky.

It's all about trial and error.

Here is a pic of the motor wheel which turns the wheel. It's made of some kind of stone and in the course of throwing that one bowl, created a burning smell that kinda scared me. I guess as long as I don't see flames I'll be okay.

A different kind of good time rolling...

2009-03-03T10:11:00.007-06:00

I decided to challenge myself and figure out how to use this handmade potter wheel that has been in the studio since the dawn of early man. Just kidding. This was made for the infamous Newcomb potter, Ms. Ormond, by her brother, I think. It's very old. I would tag this at at least 40+ years old. It took a little finagling (is that how you spell that word????) but I threw my first little test piece on it.

She's a back breaker, though. I've never thrown standing and I had to brace myself on some bricks and then prop up one foot to give her juice. All in all, she worked out better than I though she would.

Check her out:

I searched high and low for batts and when I couldn't find anything that resembled them I just went for it and plopped down some porcelain straight on the wheel. Afterall, this is an experiment.

Notice the bricks I used to help balance myself.

Guess what these are? They're the batts I searched high and low for. Lisa came in in the midst of my kerfuffle and clued me in. None like I've ever seen before. I thought they were molds. Whouda thunk it...?

Now the search begins for a stool of the right height which will still allow me to be able to reach the "pedal". Or I may have to install some additional rigging which involves a sturdy piece of string cuz my legs aren't that long. I'd attach it to my head and just nod when I want to give her some juice. Hahahaha...

I know, it sounds like something straight outta 'I Love Lucy'. All I can say is there will be pictures.

Peace.

And now for a little debauchery...

2009-03-03T09:57:00.004-06:00

So.... I've been on break (along with my instructors, of course) from my pottery classes because Mardi Gras happened. Now, I'm sure you all have notions of what it must be like. And you're probably right. I have to say it's not as exciting as it used to be for me because I've grown up with it. So, I'm used to debauchery on the regular. I'm not phased by it.

But the pics above is a little nibble of it for those who aren't...

What's in a name?

2009-02-22T13:15:00.004-06:00

Now my instructor said this is a bowl.

She said this is a plate with tall sides.

She said it's all in the shape of the inside of the vessel. She said the inside of a bowl should have a rounded or curved shape--not flat.

I see what she means I just don't understand why the flat surface inside makes it NOT a bowl. I didn't even know there was a rule about this sort of thing. Humph... What say you folks?

Btw, this is more raku clay with brick glaze. The raku just doesn't like the glaze. Just as well... I was only being thrifty and using the last bits as not to go to waste. From now on its porcelain or white clay.

My instructors are on holiday (Mardi Gras) for a couple of weeks so I won't be back in the studio until March. I'll have some new glazes and a new bowl (made from a mold) I'm testing. Can't wait to post some pics.

Everyone have a great Mardi Gras!! Laissez les bon temps roulez!! (Let the good times roll)

Wrapped in A Thousand Beautiful Things

2009-02-05T02:07:00.005-06:00

This quilt is made by a phenominal artist, Tony Fitzpatrick. Please do yourself a favor and check out his work. It's stunning...

http://www.tonyfitzpatrick.com/blackwater/index.html

Do you Noodle?

2009-02-05T01:21:00.010-06:00

I'm a noodle lover. There, I said it. I'm not ashamed. What I've learned about myself and my clay habits is that I tend to make food specific bowls. So, here she is. My prim and proper porcelain noodle bowl wearing a rich, ruby glaze.

Her brother is a little less colorful. He's made with raku clay and therefore I experienced the same type of color mottling. Now, up until now, I've been completely okay with that. This time, however, the brick glaze nearly completely disappeared. UGH!!

He's nekkid for gouda's sake. Oh my... :o(=)

*I also want to add that these are quite nice for a serving of gumbo, too. :)

Scratchin' and Surviving... Good Times...

2009-02-03T05:10:00.004-06:00

This is a little tester I made of porcelain. I think the brick glaze definitely pops more on the porcelain. Additionally, I put a clear glaze over it all and love the reaction.

Now, I don't want you to think this is all I've been doing. It's not. BUT this is all I have to show because the instructor had a personal tragedy and couldn't fire all my other pieces. I'm hoping that by the time I go to class on Wednesday they will all be finished. Plus, I've been doing some tile work in the Uptown studio but that's going so slowly too. The owner has been renovating her house and hasn't had any spare time for me. I'll post some pics of that process tomorrow.

The perfect baked potato bowl. :)

2009-01-28T13:38:00.011-06:00

I love the very idea of making my own dinnerware. Partly 'cuz I love to eat. Hahaha...

Seriously, to start with a lump of mud and end with a satisfying meal. I'm extremely proud that I can do that. Honestly, anything that ends with a satisfying meal is good in my book. Anyhoo, I had a little Raku clay I needed to use and it worked perfectly. I'm loving the way the brick glaze worked on it. (Incidentally, my idea of a set is the colors. I have no rules about a certain number of a specific kind of plate or bowl. I just make 'em all in the same color scheme and that makes them a set.) I intentionally didn't double dip it because I wanted that very look. I love the perfection of imperfection. To me, it's one of the many bonuses of handmade items.

When I started, I had no idea what I was going to make. It wasn't revealed to me until the finish. Let me tell you, I couldn't have planned this. Both of these bowls filled a need I wasn't even aware that I had. And that, is the perfect baked potato bowl. (Especially if you're having one of those humongous potatoes from Houston's.

MWAH, MWAH, MWAH!!!! *I'm blowing kisses at my bowls...

I Luvs it!!!

Below is a shot of one of my babies in action.

As you can see, I like my potatoes like I like my men. Covered in bacon and butter!! :)

And then there was none... Tout alle!!!

I'm Baaaaaaack... :)

2008-12-29T10:11:00.013-06:00

Okay so it's been a while and I'm sorry...

So, while I was away (I still manage to read all of y'alls blogs, though. I love them. I'm addicted to them.) dealing with LIFE, I still managed to get my hands in some clay. Raku even.

I also decided that I want to get my porcelain on. Oy vey, that schtuff is like cream cheese. It's like learning to throw all over again. Below are a few things I've been up to. My first little porcelain bowl cracked but I still love it. I also squooze (I know that's not a real word but if we use it enough maybe it'll make it into Websters.) out a nice little soup bowl that looks pretty decent. I was also very happy with my raku bowls. I glazed them all with a turquoise glaze and yet they all have different hues.

I'm ever so proud of my little crown ornaments too. They didn't quite make it to the tree but they're still purdy. I know some folks hate it when their glaze runs but I kinda like it. It adds character. I love the way the clear glaze reacted with the brick glaze on my little red bowl and gave it a whole 'nother dimension. (It's my current fave, btw. I now plan all meals based on what I can eat in that bowl.)

Anyhoo, I just wanted to check in and post some pics of some of the things I've done.

*Remember, I'm a beginner still. So be kind. Pleeeezzze...

WE DID IT!!!!!!

2008-11-05T00:58:00.003-06:00

Botero, Inspiring...

2008-07-14T12:05:00.013-05:00

Yesterday I visited the New Orleans Museum of Art and saw an exhibit on Botero. It was beautiful. Not only that but as the title of this posts suggests, inspiring. I awoke in the middle of the night with an idea of something new I want to try in pottery. Keep your fingers crossed that I can bring the idea from my mind into reality.

Here's just a smidge of what I saw:

The sculptures are really my fave.

My favorite of all the sculptures... ^^

In this piece, notice that in the breasts, bellybutton and folds of flesh, there is a smiling face. My friend Virginia was kind enough to pose with her.

I didn't realize at the time that the picture was blurry. :(

The glare from the sun was so bright.

What does your bottom look like?

2008-07-10T08:02:00.009-05:00

You heard me right.

This is my signature (and self portrait) in some nice red clay.

(I dont know why the picture rotated...)

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OOPS...

One of the things I'm working on is color combinations and simple glaze designs. I don't mind how this brick glaze ran down over the seafoam glaze. In fact I like it.

However, I don't like the little bare spots that decided to peek out. Maybe this would have looked okay with red clay.

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Here's my set of nesting bowls (sorta) all together like one big semi-happy family.

Same set with some sunshine added...

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My apprenticeship...

My first (bad) attempt at making an address tile. It's supposed to be smoooooooth...

I'm loinin'. :/

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Chuck molds full of freshly poured clay just waiting to dry a bit before I flip 'em.

And then there was...

2008-06-26T07:16:00.000-05:00

This design element is taken from sidewalk tiles and has been recreated onto everything (t-shirts, mugs, stickers, magnets). They are extremely popular and everyone wants them for their house, now. Anyhoo, we make these tiles, too.

This is a tiny little piece of raku I made a few weeks ago. I'm hoping my photographic skills improve with time. :/

This is my work table with all the essentials. Bottled water, cell phone and a little raku pot of mine for inspiration.

This is a view, midway, of the studio to give an idea of the kind of space I'm in. There's gonna be a lot of cleanup going on.

These are sample address tiles. Yup, this is one of the things I'll be making.

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(The text was supposed to be first, guys. I'm still working out the kinks.)

This is the very beginning for me so I want to thank anyone willing to even glance at my musings. There's some fantastic blogs that I read from potters all over the world. Y'all have really been inspiring. I'm just going to splash this thing with pictures of my very humble beginnings (which are all experiments at this point) of me trying to find my niche in this field along with tidbits from New Orleans and my vida loca.

I've just begun potting (almost three months). I fell in love with it immediately. Since I'm as old as I am, and as cheeky as I am, I just said, "What the hell! If they can do it, so can I.". All of you fellow pottery bloggers out there, I look up to you guys. I'd be honored if you even read this. I'm sure you'll see a little bit of yourselves around here somewhere.

So, here's the deal... I just began a new job (apprenticeship) working for a lady (Lisa) who's mom was a Newcomb College potter that was doing her thang since the sixties but passed away about three years ago. She (Lisa) hasn't had time to go anywhere near clay since then. Enter moi. I'm calling around trying to find someone who I can work and learn from cuz I can't really afford a $300,000.00 degree from Tulane University, ya know... We meet, fall in love (metaphorically, that is) and now I'm about to revive her studio (which means clean it up) and start producing address tiles. I'll be making clay, making glazes and learning as much as I can about balancing the business side and artistic side of the pottery world.

Please comment freely...