A LITTLE EXPLANATION

MY PROCESS ON MAKING POTTERY

I thought it would be a good idea to let you know what happens from the time you order a piece of pottery custom made until it is finished. People ask about "time" and it really depends. 

So here is a little explanation of the steps:

The first thing that happens is I make the piece

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

Then it has to sit for a few days to become "bone dry". This is the Greenware stage. The piece is still just clay but hard enough to paint on. At this stage it can break very easily and can be added to water and recycled if need be.

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

Then it is painted

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

Next comes the first firing. The Bisque Fire. In order to fire the piece I have to fill this kiln...can't just fire one or two pieces.

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

After it is fired the first time it has to be glazed

(This piece is glazed. Image is under the glaze)

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

And then this kiln has to be filled and it is bigger and takes a little longer. 

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

Once it is filled and fired, the piece is ready. The kiln takes about 7-8 hours to fire and then at least 24 hours to cool down enough to empty.

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

As you can see, this is not a speedy process. 

The best case scenario is you order something I have already in the green ware and ready to paint, and at the same time, the bisque kiln is almost full and ready to fire. That is when it can go fast. Other than that....be patient. It's worth it :) (I think)

HOPE this helps!

Thanks,

Suzi 

LEARNING CURVE - HANDS IN CLAY

Several of you on my facebook page

Suzis Art (come join if you haven't)

have been bearing with my learning process in my journey with Pottery so I wanted to share this batch just out of the kiln.

The first batch was a disaster and I showed some of those on the facebook page. These are better (much better) but still have some problems but I am getting a better grip on what those problems are and how to proceed. So here are a few of them and a little about them. Remember....some of these are the very first pieces I threw on the wheel!

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

First of all is the little kittie kat mug which turned out pretty cute :) The glaze is good. It's a small cup, 21/2" high, 21/2" across top, 31/4" across bottom. Some of the colors did not come out as planned but I now know the whys and hoping it will just get better.

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

Love my little St. Francis mug and little it is!! 33/4" high and only 2" wide. In the pics it looks flared at the top but is not. It is a straight cylinder. The disappointment here (and in several other pieces) is the terra cotta which turned brown and a brown brown at that. The leaves on the handle and rim were originally green but fired out brown because of the terra cotta. However, he is still precious and I'm pretty ok with it.

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

Next is my little girl walking in the woods bowl.

This is really the nicest of the batch. Good glaze and nice size for a soup or cereal bowl. 31/4" high, 33/4" across top, 3" across bottom and 5" across in the middle. Again...colors didn't do all what I wanted. I painted her a rose (flesh) color which fired out completely so she is ghost white! But I think she is sweet.

The inside is a nice bright orange which turned out good

The tree had some terra cotta in it which turned brown in every case and made it blotchy. 

All in all I like this little bowl very much.

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

And last but not least, my little houses mug. It did okay. Again, learning how to use my under glazes to get what I want. Another small cup (I am getting bigger!) 3" high, 21/2" wide at top, 3" at bottom

Thanks for your interest!!

Suzi

POTTERY PONDERING

27 Years ago I took a Pottery Class in St. Louis at the Craft Alliance in University City were I lived.

I had just moved there after living in my hometown 

for 43 years in South Arkansas.

Talk about culture shock!!

During this time I did a series of cartoons 

to document my experiences there.

The Pottery Class was one of them.

Today, as I write this 27 years later, 

I am embarking on pursuing this ancient craft once again.

Just wanted to share this little cartoon strip 

I did during my first experience!

Hope it turns out better this time :)

The main character, of course, is me but her name is Effie which was my grandmother's name and the real Effie was a pioneer woman if ever there was one!

So meet Effie and enjoy :)

Watch my FACEBOOK page for pottery progress!

FALL and YARN

There is just something about the fall that makes me want to get into the yarn!

Last year it was my scarves of which I still have a few for sale, but this year I've gone into creating 

YARN BASKETS!!

I have always had a "basket" fetish from wayyyy back.

If you have ever been in my house or studio, you have witnessed this obsession.

These are just a small sampling!

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

I've been doing a lot of painting lately and frankly, need to sell some, so decided I needed to take a break and, as always this time a year, out came the yarn. 

I had in my mind what I wanted to do. Colorful fun baskets using up some of the yarn I had left from the scarves, but didn't know just how to do what I had in mind.....so....off to good ole' You Tube I went and started looking at different basket making vids.

The first ones I did are called "Coil Baskets" and I love the look

BUT, a lot of work! It would take too long to make a bigger one.

So back to You Tube and finally combined a few vids and came up with a crocheted basket that goes a lot faster and has a great look also.

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

So now I am off and running!!

And having a great time!

***

Materials: Some are all cotton yarn and jute. Some are cotton and cotton blend yarns and jute.

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

And multiple uses!

I use one of the larger ones to hold my balls of yarn while I am crocheting. 

Are they for sale? Of course! But my debut for them will be at the Arkansas Craft Guild Christmas Showcase

In a few weeks. After that, I will be offering them in my Store and I will be making more....

Can you say "addicted" ?

Hope you love 'em! I do.

Thanks, as always, for stopping by to see me.

Suzi

and, oh yes. What's next?? Rag baskets!!

BARTERING

bar·ter

ˈbärdər/

verb

1. 1.

   exchange (goods or services) for other goods or services without using money.

I love to barter!

Nearly....no....all.....the art in my house has been acquired through bartering.

Now let me say this about that...that does not mean I will trade for anything. It has to be something I really want, have room for, can use or need.

When we had our picture framing business I did a lot of bartering. Extensive dental work was bartered for framing! 

Yes, I love good bartering.

One of my loves is wind chimes. If you watch any of my videos on You tube, you will hear my wind chimes in most of them instead of music. Often I combine the two.

My Dad made wind chimes with beautiful sound to them. He was a welder by trade but this was something he did when he retired and he did a local art fair and made a killing!

This is one of his. I only have 2 left. It's been about 35 years.

He would etch his own drawings (very good ones) into the plexi clapper. birds mostly.

***

When you come to our house, you come to the back because the front faces the lake. We have a 2 car carport and when my Dad was still alive and making his chimes, this carport was lined with his chimes and the sound was what heaven must sound like to me. These were pipe wind chimes and he hung them just right for the tones to be melodious.

We called it "Dickson's Cathedral" (Dickson was my maiden name)

Wish I had a pic of how it looked then but these are some pics of the ones I have now and, of course, they all have stories:

The bamboo one up front, my daughter bought for me when she went back to the Bahamas for her one year wedding anniversary.

The blue one was a gift from "Blue Moon Art Gallery" when they closed. I was with them the 17 years they were open.

**

This one I bought in the Bahamas when I went there in 2008 to my daughters wedding.

**

This is a beautiful Shell one I purchased 

just because I love it! 

The pipe one in the background is another one of my Dad's

This is a large pipe chime I purchased...nice deep sound.

I SAY ALL THIS.....to show you the wonderful barter I did recently with my new friend Jeri Bellini who, among other things, makes wind chimes out of recycled everything!!

When I saw them I knew I wanted and had to have, and when I learned she coveted one of my Journey Journals, well...the rest was history!

****

So here is my new treasure!! Bottle caps, forks and knife, cradle for a casserole dish and the top from an old light fixture on top!! Now, sound is not what this one is all about...it makes sound but not really a chime, more of a "clank"...this one is about taking discarded treasures and turning them into something wonderful!

I LOVE it!!!

And here is what Jeri got.

Journey Journal No. 87

and this is "Sassy Suzi" (Jeri's name) which was inside.

We are both happy campers :)

I've loved being able to have treasures from other artists through the years and loved that they want my art enough to trade. I've only been turned down once by an artist I admire but that is okay. I also have had to turn down offers on my end also. 

Just wanted to share a little about bartering!

thanks for stopping by,

Suzi

WALLPAPER JOURNALS

I have a "couple" of wallpaper books (and this is not all of them)

And these are not just your B grade wallpapers...these are very very nice wallpapers!

I have a friend who is a decorator and I finally had to say "no more"....at least for now :)

I also have LOTS of old books. Some I have acquired and many given to me by precious people like you!

So the other day I was working on an order for a Journey Journal

and got to thinking "Why not make Wallpaper Journals"?

Why Not.....

So here I am, purging some wallpapers and some old books and really having a good time!

******

These Journals will be different sizes but in the smaller (5x7 and smaller) range and mostly gorgeous wallpaper with other miscellaneous papers interspersed.

Here is my first one

To find out all about these journals and price and ordering information CLICK HERE.

Hope you will want to grab one up!

Thanks for stopping by,

Suzi