While working in clay while living in Los Angeles, I was introduced to this technique of applying images to clay. There's enough iron in the toner that once it has been bisque fired, it leaves an image! (The following video, found on YouTube, is the one that convinced me to find one of these machines.)
When I moved to San Francisco, I sold my copier because I didn't have space to store it. Now that I'm in a place where I have a studio (even if it's mainly fiber art) and I am able to do work in a ceramics class, the desire to get another of these *very hard to find* machines has become overwhelming. Below, you'll see one of my platters from a few years ago where I used this technique... featuring vintage knitting images. I simply HAD to find another copier!
I searched high and low... and finally located one about 1.5 hours outside of San Francisco. After some negotiating (and the aid of a good friend!) I headed out to pick up my new toy. The drive was beautiful and I took a few photos out the car window while we traveled to lovely Lodi, CA to make the purchase.
On Monday morning, I made my image copies and then considered how to get them from my studio to the classroom where I was going to use them. After some pondering I discovered if I fold the paper in half, then fold the blank side of the paper up (maybe 1/2") to create some space, I can tape the edges together and create a pie-shaped holder that will keep the images from smudging. I put these in a little paper bag and carried them gently on the 1 hour ride on public transit to the ceramics studio.
...and so far, it worked! I made two pedestal bowls that day. The second one received the first transfer from my new machine... it's an assemblage of vintage images from the graphics fairy... and as always, I'm stamping text into my pieces. This piece features one from Daisy Whitney:
“We are what we love. We are the things, the people, the ideas we spend our day with. They center us, they drive us, they define us to our very core.Without them, we are empty.”
It's time to re-visit my other favorite craft... ceramics! I dusted off my tools the other day in preparation for day 1 of ceramics class in San Francisco. Monday morning I ventured out early, headed off to class and to meet my new instructor.
He seems very nice... has been teaching at Fort Mason (in view of the Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, & Alcatraz) for around 20 years, and has been working in clay for over 30. It's a different setup than I had in Los Angeles, but I'm happy that the opportunity exists for me to delve back into clay 2 days a week.
I'm prepared to head back tomorrow with my tools at-the-ready, and to remember what it is about ceramics I love so much. (Actually, I remember very clearly - and I'm VERY happy that it's time to get dirty!)
The Golden Gate Bridge says "Good Morning" during the walk across the grounds to campus
Other news includes releasing a new colorway of hand dyed roving. This time it's on rambouillet and is named "Sherwood". Hand dyeing roving is a fun adventure as well - and believe me it's hard to post and sell the roving instead of spinning it myself. (Confession: I dyed 2 sets of this one but promptly took one to spin as a sample... it's on my wheel right now calling my name).
If you're interested in this or other rovings, check out the shop.
Last but not least, I'm really happy to announce custom dyed roving service offered through the shop. With this service, YOU get to select your very own color combination. Want green/purple/orange? OK. Prefer grey/brown/tangerine? Okey-Dokey. NEED purple/lilac/indigo? Whatever your heart's desire, I'll be happy to make it for you. Turnaround should be quick but I specified 5-7 business days.
Click on the "Custom Dyed Roving" image to the left to get started.
Have a great week!
I think the wheel is becoming my new friend - I made 3 bowls last night - 2 of them turned out pretty well (this is one of those) and the third one is OK enough to keep going forward with, but it was a little more wonky... I learned that the base of the bowl should be about 1/2" thick and the sides about 1/4" - I have a tendency to make the bottom too thin - but that makes it almost impossible to trim when it's leather hard...
This is the "first" pot I threw on day 1 of the class this semester... it's not perfect that's for sure - and too small for a "real" yarn bowl (it'd work good for sock yarn I guess) and the walls were too thin for me to cut the notch to the yarn feed hole... but it's still worth working on... someone may want it :) - I plan on making bigger yarn bowls once I know what I'm doing..
I like how this one turned out - you can't see the foot of the bowl but it's there - tucked nice and deep beneath the bowl... we learned the basics of trimming and what makes a good bowl - following the interior and exterior curves so they match each other is important... and it takes practice. I'm happy at this point getting what I set out to do... that's not happening yet but the series of "happy accidents" has been fun!
I got a little brave with the trimmer on this one... the foot turned out good but as I was carving the lines up the bowl's sides, I got VERY close to cutting the piece in half! You can see the mark pushing through on the inside of the pot... I don't know if it'll look good after it's first firing, but it's on the shelf, waiting to be loaded and fired!
The photos are from my cell phone - I am VERY proud of my first bowl that I made tonight (with the help of a few amazing fellow students) - Nick (right beside me) has been making me laugh all night and when I "just do it" I am learning that it's easier... don't worry so much!
Ricky also helped a lot.... and I'm happy to say I have 2 bowls made... it helps to have people around you that have years of experience to guide and teach...
Here's the second bowl I made - the inside is finished much better on this one. I have miles and miles to go before I'll be able to make a bowl and know what I'm making before I stop the wheel, look at it and say "that looks pretty good; I think I'm done" - but even though it's like a "lucky start" I am SO happy! I can't wait till next week when I get to get muddy and messy again! :)
I never showed off the lamb and sheep I made in ceramics - two clays, embossed, engobed, glazed, fired... voila! little lamby friends! not sure who this grandpa is singing "Mares eat oats" but I love him and the song... makes me smile!
It's a new year - and I can't believe that weeks and weeks have gone by without my showing off the giant head I made in ceramics! Forgive the coloring of the main photo; I took it at night with no natural light - it's big - we had to make the pieces at least 12" high before firing. Ceramics lose about 12% of their size in the firing process, and even after that this one is over 13" tall! :) -
It started out as a Buddah head but as I was working I decided to turn him into some sort of Jewish guy - he has a kippuy (yarmulke) and it's a lid - so I can put things (yarn?) into his head! -
I also felted the slippers I was working on - they fit Gregg's feet perfectly and they're super fun to make... I made a second set but haven't photographed them yet... all in good time...
I will suggest if you haven't made a set of these yet, go get the pattern and make them - they're easy FUN and quite rewarding... and in less time than it takes to make a scarf, you can gift to friends a set of comfy slippers!
Lastly, I want to mention to those of you who are participating in the Knitting: Men in America project - the time is getting near - we decided to wait until the new year to get started and also wanted to give everyone a chance to get signed up - it seems we have most of the 50 states represented now - check out the website and let your buddies know if they have the ability to represent the states that have yet to be named! - to get involved, email me and submit your name, email, blog, website, ravelry or menwhoknit ID's (if you're a member of either), the state you'd like to represent, and a short statement about you and your knitting.
On the way to acrylic painting class last night, I took a detour to go by the ceramics lab. At the same time as my painting class they have a raku workshop that I'd LOVE to be in - the instructor (who had taught ceramics in the LAUSD system for almost 30 years) was about to start firing and doing the final reductions on some wares! I came back with a friend later and we witnessed the process - absolutely magical! the wares (ceramics) are heated to around 1800 degrees for a few minutes... then the kiln is opened, and they remove the red hot wares and put them in metal trash cans full of paper, leaves... anything flammable... a big flame erupts and it burns for a while. they put the lid on the can and let it smolder for a while... then, pull the piece from the ashes, clean it up and voila - a gorgeous unpredictable piece of pottery!
While I looked around I checked out the shelves to see if I had anything done... and I did! one of the extruded bowls I had made was out and I LOVE it! - ceramics is a process in experimentation for me - not knowing a lot about the glazes sometimes produces happy accidents - and this one I am very pleased with!
I had a lot of fun last night at ceramica working on my sheep and baby lamb - they're supposed to look "primitive" - giving a nod to the style of pre-columbian pottery... they are not finished yet (as I hope you can tell!) but wanted to share and show them off... stay tuned :)
...and just because it's Friday, here's a little fun scene from Sesame Street... I remember this one from my childhood! yip yip yip! :)
So I must admit that I am loving ceramics class. Yesterday I was able to set this cup on the shelf for its first firing. Once it's bisque fired I'll be able to glaze it and then it'll be "high fired" and ready for enjoyment!
I talked with our instructor for a while about glazes also. I expressed interest in glazes that crackle or look "dry" - and she showed me some pieces she has done with some amazing glazes! I asked if we had those glazes and she replied quite quickly - "no, but you can make them!" - I attended her lecture a few minutes later about how to make glazes... the ingredients and their toxicity, percentages not to exceed for certain elements, good and bad combinations, and a demonstration of the process. It all appears pretty simple, really - just messy - as she put it, "like making a toxic cake"... we are ordering one element we need to make a glaze I fell in love with, and when it arrives, chances are I'll be dunking everything I can find in it!
I also continued to prep my giant head sculpture - it's in the kiln room ready to be fired as well - I had painted white then light blue and pea soup green on the clay - after it dried I scrubbed it all off (almost) -
it's a "buddah" head that somehow changed to a very calm looking Jewish guy... I have been into the whole Judiasm imagery in my artwork lately... ceramics is helping me to slow down and be patient - the process takes a while... (this giant head will probably be done in late November or December!)
Happy Halloween everyone... stay safe and be good! :)
I'm working on another yarn bowl - and I like this one - I used little letter stamps on it - on the sides (outside) it says knit knit knit knit ... and inside it says tink tink tink tink (knitting backwards) - simple and cute! It's being fired this week :) - I have made a few other pieces as well - they're all being fired this week -- I like how these handbuilt bowls are not "perfect" - I do look forward to getting to play on the wheel at some point though - I bet I can make some neat bowls on there as well! And for those of you who have asked - YES I do intend to sell yarn bowls - if you have requests, please let me know and I'll try to accomodate...
We worked on slab cylinders on Saturday - I made a few of them and I like the way they turned out as well - once they're all glazed, etc. I'll probably post them again :)
Painting class is moving forward - with 2 paintings in progress now. (nothing to see yet) - I hope to work more on that this weekend -- which leaves [you guessed it!] very little time for knitting!
Have a great weekend!!
