Finally!!

I have not only been away from my blog for ages, but I have also been out of the studio for just as long. I haven't made any new work since before the cruise back over a month ago. My last post made it very clear that I was truly frustrated with not only my current work, but also glazes, firing, etc. I started doing something that I hadn't done in a long time--sketching! I started having ideas for new pots again, and it was like starting all over! The break will probably be good for me--it forced me to rethink what I had been doing with my work. Don't laugh at my sketches, but I thought that it might be nice to see where my work is coming from. I'm going to try to make all of the pieces that I have been sketching. As always, they get changed a little through the process, but the cups I made over the past two days have been pretty similar.



I found myself thinking not just about pots, but what I wanted my pots to represent; what style I wanted to represent my work and myself. I think that I had always wanted to do what many other studio potters are doing, imparting a loose quality to my work--a organic feel that really gives pots emotion. I am sad to say that I just don't think thats my style. Haha. I am just so drawn to clean lines and deliberate movements. Don't get me wrong, I don't want my pots to look machine made, but I also don't want them to have the loose quality that is such a staple of modern functional ceramics.



I still haven't solved my glazing crisis. I am working on getting my crap together to build my converted kiln. I finally got a book on burner building. I toyed with the idea of buying one of the conversion burner kits, but I really would like to do the whole thing myself. Kinda like a big experiment. (Hope I don't blow myself up) I'm going tomorrow to my ceramic supplier and I may pick up the kiln shell then. I am just about out of clay again. I think I might pick up some cone 10 stoneware to mess around with.


I made my first relatively successful attempt at faceting a pot tonight. I found that it is really critical to get the clay at just the right consistency. Too soft and it sticks to the cheese slicer, too hard and it just won't cut. It was fun, and I know that I'll do a lot of it in the future.


I also started carving a little bit in a few of these pieces. My wife Lindsay asked me to do it, and I think it worked out nicely. I was just going to get some iron oxide and brush it on in a similar pattern, or make some black slip, but the indentation will be nice. I may do an iron oxide wash in there and then glaze over that.

Anyways, I'm getting a little long winded, so I think I'll leave it at that.

Frustration

So, I haven't thrown anything new in several days now, and I'm going into withdraw. I have tons of stuff left to glaze, but I truly hate my glazes right now. They are all commercial cone six glazes, and I've had tons of trouble with pinholes. I have done everything suggested to me by my extremely helpful Mud Team, and none of it has worked--at least not consistently. Glazes that normally give no trouble at all came out terribly in the last firing. I basically have three glazes that work well, and I am sick of them.

The predicament that I have right now is that I am soon going to be changing to cone ten, and I really don't want to invest in a bunch of cone six glazes to finish up what I've already got bisqued. Then again, I can't waste all of this work that I've spent time, energy and money on creating. I guess I'll just have a bunch of stuff that all looks alike.

I'm still trying to get everything together for the kiln build--I'll call again tomorrow to pester them to get me what I want!! hehe. I am really anxious to get started experimenting!

In other news, I finally got a graduated background for taking images, and it works pretty well. I will be building a homemade soft box for getting rid of some of the glare. Here's a couple of pics I took the other night while playing around.

Funny story

So I was sitting at my wheel trimming some bowls with the garage door wide open and a little girl that lives down the street walked up to me. I had seen her before and she had told me how much she liked art in school and that she wants to be an artist when she grows up. I would have to say she is eight, maybe nine years old and sweet as can be. Well, today she walked up and said how much she liked my pots, and asked if she could have one. I said sure and gave her a little juice cup I had sitting on a shelf above my head. She was so excited and told me how beautiful it was and that she loved it. She then ran home as fast as she could, holding the little cup with both hands. Her younger sister (about five or six) was standing in the street a ways away, and after she saw that her sister got a new goody, she made her way over to me. I asked her if she would like a cup as well, and she quickly nodded her head. I gave her a cup just like her sister's, only a little smaller. She then said thank you and took off after her big sister.

For some reason the opinion of an eight year old really meant a lot to me, and the fact that she called my humble little cup beautiful with such enthusiasm really made my day.

I'm still waiting to hear back on the burner for the kiln--he assured me that he could give me some more info on Monday. I really can't wait to get started, and I am now thinking that I'm going to try doing my first firing to cone six and do some testing on the glazes I already have. I'm not really expecting it to work, but I've got a ton of stuff made in my cone six clay. If it doesn't turn out, I'll try to use up as much glaze as I can and get all of my cone six stuff out of the way. I'm working on my last fifty pounds of cone six clay, although I have a couple hundred pounds of dry reclaim, but I am a lazy potter and don't feel like using it unless I have to. Have I ever mentioned that wedging is my nemesis? With glazing a close second?

Anyway, have a great weekend!

What's Happening?

So...I haven't posted much lately, but I really want to change that. I have been reading a lot of really great pottery blogs lately and I am getting inspired to devote a little more time to my own.

I have been working really hard, and it is paying off nicely. I am really liking some new forms and I am just enjoying the creative process. As always, I am constantly inspired by things around me, specifically other pottery online. I've thrown a couple of large platters and lots of new bowls and cups, and it's like I am starting throwing all over again. I am really drawn to smoother forms than I had been making and a couple with some exaggerated feet. Tomorrow I'll post some pictures of work in process.

The only problem is that soon I'll have to start glazing. Bah! I am still having a terrible time adjusting to cone 6 and I thought that I would start mixing my own glazes again, but after selling some work and having some disposable income, I've changed my mind and am now going to build a soda kiln out of an old electric. I really miss cone 10 and can't wait to start experimenting with soda again. I have the kiln itself all lined up, and have placed an order for a burner system, and some ITC 100 HT to coat the inside of the kiln and hopefully make it last a good many firings. Once I get all of the stuff together, I'll post the whole process on here and give as detailed instructions as I can. I found a few examples of kiln construction, but I really want to develop a step by step manual on the process, including all of my inevitable mistakes :)

One day, I will get the property that I want so I can build a REAL kiln and make the next step toward becoming a full time potter. It is my one true dream to make pots full time and I can finally see that dream coming true. I still feel like I need to develop a more complete and fluid body of work, and I think I am finally taking steps toward that. I think one of the hardest things for a potter to do is create work that is recognizable as their own. To have pots that someone can look at and say, Oh that's a pot thrown by Ben Stark. I am not there yet, and even my current work is very common and not anything inspiring, but I feel like I am finally moving forward and that is truly a good thing.

Plates

It seems like forever since I've posted, and it also seems like it's been a while since I've made new work. Part of the reason is because I've been working my behind off on these plates. I got the commission to do 8 dinner and 8 salad plates at my show in April, and it got expanded to ten of each a few weeks later. I had only thrown a few plates before attempting this set and none of them made it to glazing. I truly had no idea how to price the plates, and lets just say I'll be going up on the next set :) I really like the way that they turned out, and I've got to give a big THANK YOU to everyone on the Etsy Mud Team that helped me work through my glazing.

April in Meggett

So--yesterday was my first art/craft show, and it was a great success! I had a great time manning the booth. I sold several things, and I got a commission for a 16 piece dinnerware set! I got some really good feedback and can't wait till I can build back up my inventory and get ready for another show at some point.

The weather was fantastic--about 80, sunny, with a nice breeze much of the day. When we got there, the gnats were atrocious and Lindsay had to make a trip to the store for some much needed bug spray. Definitely going on my list for the next outdoor show! My wife Lindsay was a great help! She arranged all of the pieces on the shelves, made signs and helped me taking money and writing up sales!
It was a small show with about 30 vendors and only about 300 attendees. I thought it was very successful for such a small show and I made about $400. Since the entry was only $25, I thought that was pretty good. Especially since everyone told me that I could leave not selling a thing. Now I can buy the shed that I so desperately need--my studio is in my garage and I want to get all of the non clay things out of my studio!

Pretty much everyone was helpful, and I only had one annoying customer. He picked up a large jug, looked at the price and said, "Whoa, are these prices negotiable," in a very nasty tone to which I replied, "No sir, they are very firm." The jug was priced at about half what I would sell it for in a gallery and he obviously knew nothing about handmade pottery.

Lindsay kept getting annoyed at customers that would walk in and pick up a dozen pieces, comment on how beautiful they were, and walk back out. I thought it was kinda funny.

While doing a show is a ton of work, it is still lots of fun, and if people are buying, can be pretty profitable. I don't think that I want to do lots a lots of shows, but a few a year would be nice I think.

Have a great week!

New Work

So, now that I've made all of the work for my show on April 12th, I've started working on more labor intensive pieces. I actually made this piece along a few others just like it a while ago, and it will be coming with me to the craft show. But--it is a representation of where I'm going--larger pieces, more complex pieces, and pieces thrown from several different parts. I am totally mugged and cupped out! I've been throwing some large bowls, goblets and especially TEAPOTS! I have always had a fascination with teapots--they are my favorite thing in the world to make and they can vary immensely. Every potter can make a teapot his own--incorporating his own style and giving a part of himself to the pot. It can be said that a potter does this with all of his work, but I find it especially true with teapots. I have always wanted to collect teapots, and I think that I'm going to finally start doing so. So--if any potters out there want to do a teapot trade, let me know :)

One more thing--here's a picture of me throwing a pot tonight. I like to see who I'm reading about and don't think that I'm alone, so here I am :)