Always Learning and Growing

... not that I ever expect to stop learning or feel like I have mastered a craft because there will always more to learn. It also seems like the best way to learn is by making mistakes. Mistakes are so frustrating and it always feels like a step backward but even the dumbest mistakes are the best learning experiences.

I now know what happens when you rely on your pyrometer and over fire a cone 5 glaze firing to cone 8/9! I have never seen my clay blister before! I over fired by 120 degrees C! Yikes! But not all was lost. Besides I can always say "I meant for it to turn out that way!"

It has been 6 months now since my studio was completed. I messed around with new clays, glazes and equipment. I absolutely LOVE my new slab roller and extruder. Two pieces of equipment I have wanted for years and awesome for my hand-building.

I finally feel like I am getting into the groove. I am finally just letting it happen and using what inspires me that day to influence what I am making. Things are finally happening and I am creating new and unique pieces. Now that spring is here I am inspired by all the new growth and incorporating leaves into my pieces by pressing actual leaves into my clay before forming them into something. Skunk cabbage and fern leaves have been what I have been using but NOW I can't look at a leaf the same anymore and when I go for a walk I am forever staying at the different types of leaves and I live in a rain forest so there is a lot to stare at!

Above is a photo of my first attempt making a platter using ferns. This was one of the salvaged pieces from my over-firing last week. I am running another load of platters in the kiln tomorrow and I am excited to see the results!

My next experiments will be testing out slips using mason stains which will be applied on the clay during the leather hard stage. Should be fun!!!