Underglaze on clay, before the first firing (unfinished pieces)
Underglaze and transparent glaze on clay
Underglazes and transparent glaze on molding clay
You can see in the last photo that the piece I was talking about in the previous post did not come out as I would have liked to! But it’s ok, it was a first time and I know now a couple things like:
- I have to be careful with the brush strokes because they will show if there is only one coat of underglaze;
- It’s better to apply two or three coats if you want a smooth and even finish (except for black).
We’ll see how the bowls from the first photo will end up, now that I know better!
My throwing technique is sloooooowly improving; the walls of my pieces are getting a bit thinner and I can throw a cylinder once in a while. :-)
Oh and by the way, since the last post, we moved in a new house. It’s bigger and I have a room with a door that can be shut. It means I can now work and draw without being invaded!
It’s fascinating to see experts throw:
Shoji Hamada
Throwing a large bowl (Hsin-Chuen Lin)
A mix of coiling and throwing:
Potters of Japan
I started pottery lessons late January. What you see here are the first pieces at tried my hand at. The bowls were made on the wheel and the plate was molded.
Throwing feels a bit like meditating. The movement is hypnotic, you have to be focused on what the clay has to say, and lesson learned recently: don’t get attached to the piece you’re working on! It seems that the best results are obtained when you let go. ;-)
My teacher lent me her underglazes so I could explore painting techniques on the biscuit. It was a bit complicated since clay absorbs the liquids right away and the texture of the underglaze is similar to gouache, maybe a bit “dryer”.
So, this is the plate before it goes through the last firing, we’ll see how the colors evolve. I am curious to see if the brush strokes will show and if the contours will stay clean.
If you live in the Eastern Townships (Brome-Missisquoi area) and you wish to learn pottery, contact Qita Reindler. She’s a great teacher!
Acrylic and pencil on paper/cardboard
I have made myself discreet for the past months, but I am still here! The beginning of the year was a bit rough and I needed a pause. Now what better than a swap to get back in the saddle!
Thanks to iHanna who takes the time to organize these at least twice a year. This is my third participation (first here and second here).
This time I used the back of old paper pads and glued on cold pressed paper. Cheerful colors, black shaped animals and plants were featured in this series.
Steps in making the postcards
It’s a bit late, but here is January’s wallpaper! This a detail of the wallpaper.
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There was a beautiful snowstorm just after Christmas. Snowshoeing while all that snow was coming down was so much fun! The image above is one of the many photos I took during our hike. The poor cattails got their plush messed up with all that wind!
It has been a while since I posted, here are some of the things I have been working on in the last weeks:
A new series of Big Heads, this is no 7.
Painted pebbles
And a new creature is on the way.
What have you been up to?
Happy New Year!
I was very happy to receive these surprises from four participants in the exchange organized by iHanna. There should be one more on the way!
I am mine: Sarah Harris, England
Believe in yourself: Cynthia, Canada
Never stop growing: Shawsha Scott, Canada
Do what you love: Cynthia Eloise Starr, Canada
Thank you everyone, you made my week! xoxo
Acrylic, micron pen and collage on cardboard
This is Big Head number 6! Yes there were more.
I made two extra cards for iHanna’s 2012 DIY postcard swap, because I am insecure. Well, I haven’t finished the seventh one. :-)
You can have a look here at the beautiful postcards made by participants of the swap. I already received two of my five cards; I will take pictures and share them with you on the next post!
I really had a lot of fun working on this exchange and I am looking forward to participate in more swaps. Do you have some to recommend?
We’ve had a couple of inches of snow during the past week, but unfortunately, it all melted during the weekend. It started to rain (grrrrrr), which means the snowshoes and skates will have to wait.
Until then, I look at this, and peace comes back in my heart…
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How about cute & weird Holiday invaders for December’s wallpaper? :-)
I am very jealous of these beautiful collages.
Have a good weekend!
Here are my five cards for the postcard swap organized par iHanna.
Creating these was a lot of fun. I really let loose and tried new things, thanks to Carla Sonheim’s book! The techniques in Imaginary animals were very inspiring. I also had a good laugh when it was time to glue on the faces, which are slightly too big for the bodies! I wanted something a bit quirky to balance all that femininity. I am not very good at working with themes, which was Empowerment for this swap. The closest I could get was to draw women, and try to introduce a bit of exuberance, fun and boldness. The finishing touches were quotes are the back of the cards. They’re about light, dreams and the changes we want to see.
I hope they will survive their trip to the USA and United Kingdom!
