Happy Saturday

I took ten tiny samples to sale at the studio's Christmas sale. I am afraid they will not sell and I will be embarrassed. Nothing ventured, nothing gained or so they say. We'll see. I overheard my studio friends talking. One person talked of the 64 pieces she was selling and another spoke of the 300 pieces someone else always sells. Oh my. With the entry fee and the percentage that the school takes, I am just hoping to break even.
I did have an enjoyable afternoon in the studio. I added faces to 2 of the plain mugs that I put handles on Wednesday night.

Then I wandered around the studio looking for stuff that was bisqued or glazed. I found Mug 1 waiting to be fired. The green mark is food coloring that telling the kiln keepers to fire in the next batch.

I think I put Moody Blue glaze on Mug 1.

Then I settled down and threw a few more mugs. I am using 1 pound per mug now.

I guess these are Mugs 11,12, 13, 14, and 15.

The 2 small cylinders will be egg separators. I am selling 10 of those at the Christmas sale and 2 mugs.

I had a happy, peaceful afternoon. I stopped in to check on my parents. My Dad fell last Sunday. He looks like the wrath of God but his doctor thinks all will be well. He fractured his forehead or a bone around his eye socket and may have a bit of a dent in his forehead but at age 85 surgery might not be a good option. We will see. My mom was feeling great after a vigorous yoga workout. Wow!

An Evening of Trimming and Pulling Handles

 Wednesday night is usually my class night. We are out for about a month and a half for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The studio is open so I went and worked on mugs. I glazed mugs 2 and 3. Then I trimmed the next 7 mugs and pulled handles for them. My handles need a lot of work. I carved a bit on the first three mugs. to the right is Mug 4. I like the shape. I wish I had made the carved area wider. I think the handle is OK.

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” 
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
(Someday soon, I hope)


Below is mug 5. I used a stamp with circles but it has too dry for the stamp to make much impact.
You can see the problem with my handles very clearly on Mug 5. The top part is Way too thick. Ugh.

“Never, never, never give in!” 
― Winston Churchill

I suppose that quote is a tad dramatic for my project.

Below is Mug 6.I like the pattern on it the best. I'm not too sure about the handle. I guess we will see when it is finished. 

“It does not matter ho slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”  - Confucius

The final four. I was getting tired and didn't add anything to these but the handles. All different sizes and different shapes. As I cleaned up I walked past another student in my class.She was adding totally uniform handles to perfectly uniform mugs. I wonder if I will ever get to that point.

                                Mugs 7, 8, 9 and 10.

 "Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” 

                                                                                        ― Samuel Beckett, Worstward Ho

So, at the end of a pleasant evening had 7 trimmed mugs. The are covered and setting up. I hope to get back in a day or two to finish them.

A better day

Skulking around the bisque fired pots I spied a really nice mug with perfectly shaped, perfectly spaced square indentions. I decided to copy it. I have no shame. This is mug number 3. I hastily trimmed it and began making square indentions in a sort of pattern. I like it OK. I pulled the handle and after it sat around for a while I added a few indentions to the top and the bottom of the handle. The handle is stuck waaaaay out there but other than that I like the mug pretty much. I've done a lot worse. Then I set about throwing 1.5 lb. mugs for the rest of the afternoon. I ended up with 7.5 cylinders. The first 4 were better than the last ones. One fell apart so it is going to be an egg separator. Hence, the .5. All in all a pleasant afternoon in one of my favorite places. I feel a bit better.

 Here are mugs 4 5, 6, and 7. I forgot to take a picture of the next 3.5. Last Saturday there was a beautiful boy at the wheel beside mine. He was making a soaring pitcher that was perfectly shaped. I assumed he had a degree in ceramics or had been developing his skill for years. How wrong I was. There was a great deal of ohhing and ahhing over his pitcher and it was revealed that he took up pottery 4 months ago. Whoa! I felt so defeated. Even though he was pleasant and seemed like a nice enough person, It was hard to like him.
The strapping young hunk was also throwing today but he was having a bad day. His work sort of fell apart. He cleaned up and left in disgust. Mama said there'd be days like this. I am ashamed to admit that that made me feel good.

Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress.
Mahatma Gandhi

Another weary night with one mug to show for it

This is the second mug with stamps added along with a handle. I tried to square off the bottom of mug 3 and it was a mess. I ended up crushing it. Not too impressive. I am feeling pretty discouraged but will keep on trudging along.

Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than 
unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Karl Kuehn of Kuehn Pottery

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kuehn-Pottery/115827038431295

I don't know if this is an original quote but it sure does fit my situation. We will see how omnipotent persistence and determination are with what appears to be my total lack of talent.
Oy!

Day 1 The journey begins

Mug 1 

Consider the postage stamp:  its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.  ~Josh Billings

Today is my 57th birthday. I spent a pleasant afternoon at the pottery studio where I have been taking classes for the last three years. I love pottery. I love the classes. I don't feel like I am progressing as a potter the way I would like. Part of that feeling comes from having moved from the beginner class to a class filled with very experienced potters. My classmates can make beautiful, huge bowls, platters, pitchers, teapots, and casseroles. I still worry that I will get the clay centered and be able to keep it centered. I have made a casserole. I have made lots of bowls but not large ones. I have made a few pitchers mainly when a cylinder goes wrong. My birthday gift to myself is this journey. I am going to make 100 mugs. Every time I throw I will make mugs until I have made 100.  Will I see improvement in my mug making skills? Will I develop a mug style all my own? When I compare Mug 1 with Mug 100 will there be a clear difference?

I threw Mugs 2 and 3 after finishing Mug 1. I will take another picture of them after I add handles. I may add a face. I like to put faces on my pots. Sometimes I feel a vague disapproval from the other potters. I don't know why I like the faces but the pots seem incomplete without them. I am not trying to make "cute" pots. I just like to add faces. I am going to experiment with to stamping and slip trailing. I used just over a pound of clay for each mug. Notice the size and shape differences. Will I be able to consistently throw a certain size and shape?

Mug 2 and Mug 3

My birthday dinner was a delicious sesame encrusted salmon dish at Five Points restaurant with my sweet parents and my husband.
My dad wants in the worst way to help me set up my studio in the garage. I was the lucky one and my name was drawn in a lottery for the chance to purchase one of 5 used wheels. My choice was a Bailey wheel because it probably has less wear and tear then the more popular Brent wheels. I have an area in my garage where I can set up a studio. I need to clear out a bunch of junk and get it all set up. I'll share photos of that journey, too.

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.” Aristotle