getting ready for the Renegade Craft Fair..

And one more kiln load which has my little porcelain figures/monsters in it. Cant wait to see them. I will post them up when they get cool enough...

Indie Mart in San Francisco!

Yes! Yes!
All go to the IndieMart!
June 21st, 12-7pm!
17th and Wisconsin Street!
It will be fun, loud and rockin'! Many great crafts and extra cool people! Ochibo and Skeletal Dropkick will both be there!
GO! GO! GO!

MAKER FAIRE!

You really should go to this. It is amazing, inspiring and fun to see what everyone can make. I will be throwing clay at 11am and again at 4 pm. I will also be showing people how to make a slump mold bowl at 4:30 PM each day. I will be in the Expo Hall (marked on the maker map as "Maker Made Stage"), booth #276. I will be throwing 2 times a day and demo-ing slump molds 1 a day. Yipee! If you can make it, you really should go, the fair is freaking amazing!

Large anthropomorphic busts coming up...

I have been working on getting a few busts going... I have 12 so far, but want to make a couple more. Half of them have been bisque fired and I will glaze fire them this week. The other half are waiting a nice long time to dry out before I put them in to bisque (Lesson learned from the exploding walrus in the last firing, I had to re-make him...)

kinda sad, but fun

So, about the county fair... Can I tell you how cool it is? They have a "fresh herbs" category. I mean really, you don't get better than that :). Also I have to say that my peices took 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th places. BUT. I also have to say that there were only 5 entries in that category! Woo Hoo!! I am SO cool! hm. well. maybe a little cool? just for taking the time to enter the danged things?
Sigh. Well anyway. the electrician comes tomorrow to refit my grarge for the kiln. I soent all week cleanign out a spot big enoug for the dang thing, hopefully it will work out...
Oh, and the quilts at the fair were AMAZING! I am not a big quilt fan, but DANG! there was some incredible work there....
But, you do realise what winning those ribbons means, right? I am now....
AN AWARD WINNING CERAMACIST!!!

so cool

I got some stuff from the kiln...

SO I got a bunch of stuff outta the kiln, but... I am SO disappointed in what it looks like. I usually use a cone 10 firing (2350 degrees F) but since I no longer have access to that kiln, I have had to use an alternative one. This kiln only goes up to cone 5 (2230 degrees) and, can I tell you what a difference that extra 120 degrees makes! dang. I had no idea. The top is what rutille looks like when fired to cone 10. Rather impressive, huh? The bottom image is what cone 5 does to cobalt and rutille oxides. I think I will be needed to get a kiln that goes to cone 10. I had wanted to save the energy that is needed for reaching cone 10, but if I don't like the result, what is the point?