Ideas For Mom....

It's a Pitcher, It's a Vase!

Made with stoneware clay and then carved when the pot was "leather hard". The carving allows nice areas for the glaze to pool and crystalize. The glaze is a Kings Creek Pottery original and was actually an accident! Thankfully I kept good records and could find my wonderful "mistake"!  The carving technique I learned from the amazing potter, Cynthia Bringle, at the Worcester Center for Crafts a few years ago.

Another option for Mom two mugs and a gourmet pound of coffee:

Also made with stoneware clay, these mugs are imprinted with tibeten wood blocks when they are "leather hard". All Kings Creek Pottery is food safe, microwave, and dishwasher safe too!

Plenty more options at the shop in Gallupville or on the Kings Creek Pottery Etsy shop.

Honey, have you seen my favorite throwing sponge...?

And I wonder why I can't seem to get organized! My studio is a MESS...I truly believe it's time to clear the clutter.  It's hard for me to make the time and I probably won't get to it until the day before the Open Studio Event (June 19th).

Look on the shelf and you can see even the troll wants out!!

Kings Creek Pottery
Open Studio Show and Sale
June 19th 10:00-4:00

Craftgawker

Have you checked out the website- Craftgawker? If not, I highly recommend. The site is a spin off of it's highly successful Foodgawker...which I also recommend, but not when you are hungry! The site accepts only high quality photos and many of us struggle to "get accepted". 

Although their policy will soon be changing regarding submissions, I will still work toward having Kings Creek Pottery photos accepted there. This creamer and sugar was recently accepted:

 
                                          http://craftgawker.com/post/2010/04/12/14629/

Early Spring on Kings Creek Farm

Forsythia

Glory of the Snow

Blood Root
                                          The Mighty Kings Creek

Signs of spring at Kings Creek Pottery

More on Soft Altering Clay- Faceting

A man recently came to Kings Creek Pottery asking if I would do a custom order for his wife's 50th birthday. In his hand was a mug I made three or four years ago. He wondered if I would make four more with matching bowls and plates. My response: "Of course I will!"

It has been that many years since I used the particular technique needed to recreate the look for the set. Besides my hands, the main tool in the process is a twisted wire.

To facet, the pots must be thrown thicker than usual to allow for cutting away sections of the pot. Throw a cylinder, with the rim close to the size you want it. The body of the cylinder will be slightly angled outward to allow for cutting away the segments. 

(click on photos for a close up look)

As the wire is dragged down the pot, I use a zig zag motion to add to the texture of the pot. You can see where I have left space for the lip of the pot, which does not get textured.  To make the wire cut cleanly, I dip it in the water dish after each slice. 

Once the faceting is finished it is time to shape the pot. The pot can only be shaped from the inside, which is more challenging than traditional throwing.  Push out gently, while keeping the lip of the pot steady provides shape.

 

Finally I shape the lip. The cylinder, now a mug, is ready to dry to the leather hard stage. When leather hard it will then be trimmed and given a proper handle.

The mug can now rest up before hitting the kiln for the bisque fire!