Steel Stamps

All of the talk in the Mud Team forum on Etsy got me thinking about how special my stamps are to me. A really close friend of the family passed away about a year and a half ago. He was a really great craftsman and had an abundance of truly interesting and just old tools. A while after he passed away, his wife invited my father and me to visit his garage and see if there was anything that we wanted. One of the things that called out to me were the old pair of wooden boxes with numbers and letters imprinted all over them. When I opened them up, there were some awesome serif steel stamps that appeared to be waaay older than me. I didn't know what I would use them for initially, but it wasn't long till they made it into my pottery. I think that they work great and every time I use them, I think about Fred and how great he always was to my family. I miss you Fred.

Salt and Pepper

These are my first attempt at the stopperless salt and pepper shakers. I've been using them for about a week, and find that you have to be careful how hard you shake them. I like a lot of salt and pepper, but it's easy to get a little too much. Anyway--they were fun to make and are interesting to use. The glaze went on a little thick--can't see the S and P very well. After a little more experimentation, they could be pretty neat.

Soda fired teapot

This is my favorite piece that I think I've ever made. It was a pot that I made last semester and fired in the soda kiln at USC. I've been debating whether or not to list it on Etsy. I've gotten really attached to it and I worry that I'll never be able to make its equal. Thanks to intothefire for the photoshop tutorial and the great slides that it produced!
The picture of the interior doesn't do the drips justice. They are really vibrant and contrast with the nearly black glaze very well.

New Vases

These are all variations on a new vase form that I'm working with. I think that it's pretty nice, and thanks to Keith Phillips for the inspiration with the little handles--they are just too neat not to try--and they look great on almost anything. Here's a few pics.

First Post!

Hey everyone! This blog is going to be used as a creative outlet where I can post how my pottery is coming along, things that inspire me and stuff that I want to try. I may put demonstrations if I find some cool techniques/glazes/slips or whatever. Mostly I just plan to rant about whatever I feel like. Enjoy the randomness that is sure to ensue.