Archive for the ‘Humor’ Category

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Definitely NOT in Kansas…


2015
07.06

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tornado-witch-finalContainers for plants…they seem to be everywhere. From the big box stores to grocery stores, you see them with their Made in Mexico or Made in China labels at prices that are unbelievably cheap.  I am guilty of buying those pieces, but this year I turned my focus to making a series of self-watering containers for plants that are a cut above the mass-produced imports.

This particular piece came about from a challenge on a Potter’s Council online forum.  The spring season in Tennessee is a time when we experience outbreaks of storms and tornadoes, so my Spring-themed container for a plant pays homage to those destructive events with a hat tip to a famous scene from the Wizard of Oz.

Now that I have opened this can of worms, I have to decide if it is worth it to make more of these things.  The nature of the design takes it out of the realm of mass production and the detail takes so much time that it will be difficult to recover the investment in time and energy. My wife has declared this a collector’s item (hers) and has already pointed to the plant that she wants to see growing in this container.  I am OK with that idea…I had already experienced nightmares on what it would take to ship this thing with protruding legs as far as Kansas…or across the street for that matter.

I do like the idea of narrative pots. It seems a shame that the humble container for dirt and plants doesn’t seem to be worthy of artistic respect.  Perhaps an new class of container classification would boost the reputation of the narrative pot…something like Conteneur de Fleur – Fantaisie could bump the price tag up to something respectable.  So, before this post sounds too much like whining, I did have fun making this piece and that enjoyment has a great deal of value to me.  Now, I have to work on getting that “Ding dong, the wicked witch is dead…” music out of my head.  I am definitely NOT in Kansas, Dorothy!

F3 – The Wicked Witch is Dead 18″ tall stoneware container for plants with self-watering features. Principal container is wheel-thrown in three separate pieces then assembled with hand-built house parts and stocking legs.  Underglaze was applied to the stockings and shoes then the entire piece was sprayed with multiple, blended Cone 10 glazes.  Final firing was reduction, Cone 10 in a Bailey gas kiln.

Comments Off on Leftover Clay – kiln god

Leftover Clay – kiln god


2010
12.30

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kiln god - Leif the Guardian of MugPhlutes & HornsThis is what happens when there is leftover saggar clay and I’m sitting around over the holidays watching too many movies.  Due to the groggy composition of this particular clay, it isn’t the sort of medium that would find its way into a ceramic musical instrument, so, this lump became my first, stand alone,  kiln god.  And yes, there are similarities to the busts that top the lids of my latest saggar projects (shocking, eh?).

Leif,  Guardian of MugPhlutes and Ceramic Musical Instruments, will take his place above the door of the gas kiln next month after a bisque firing.  The tradition of kiln gods among potters is probably a hold over from an early civilization that believed in animism and polytheistic worship…not so for me, this is just a(nother) touch of whimsy.  Leif began as an anatomically correct Nordic nude wearing nothing but his horned helmet.  Since December has had its snowy-cold days, Leif sprouted some semblance of cover.  We couldn’t have Leif’s parts freezing (or burning) off, now could we!?

Leif’s story?: Prized horns of victory, like the one he clutches here, deserve attention and protection during their construction and firing.  Leif has wrapped himself around a cauldron of fire, passing his spiritual powers on the instrument before placing it into the tempering flames.  (That’s the best I can do on short notice).

Leif stands (or sits in this instance) roughly 8″ in height.  The larger portions of the head, body, and legs are hollowed out. The caldron (urn) between Leif’s legs is a 3″ tall pinch-pot.

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Bottom Knocker


2010
12.11

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A Twitter acquaintance, @sherylcoleman*,  responded to a question of mine and used an infrequently used title, Bottom Knocker, as part of her response.  Take heart.  A bottom knocker is nothing kinky, not related to corporal punishment, nor is it a reference to sagging anatomical parts… it is a term used in earlier centuries for an apprentice who worked in the ceramics shop who was responsible for pounding out the clay bases used in the making of saggars.  OK. That is a lot to absorb for my non-ceramic friends.  A saggar is a lidded container used within a glaze firing kiln to hold bisque fired pieces for out-of-the-ordinary glaze firings.  By placing a bisque piece into a saggar, the artist is able to achieve unusual and often unpredictable results in surface coloration due to the controlled atmosphere and chemicals/minerals within the saggar container.

I am constructing several saggars at the moment for experiments with ceramic musical instruments….probably ocarinas, rattles, and small drums.  The clay mix for a saggar is generally about 50% fire clay and 50% grog.   The grog is necessary to handle the extremes in thermal shock from high temperature firings when the saggar is re-used in multiple firings.  Several have advised me not to attempt wheel-throwing  saggar clay because the coarseness from the grog makes it feel like you are throwing sandpaper.  I may give it a try on a small piece.  We’ll see if I have any fingerprints left afterward.   If only that coarseness could be used to grind off the season additions of my bottom…I wouldn’t knock that 🙂

*Sheryl is also the author of a fiber arts and flute blog with a very cool name, Crunchy Banana.

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Sew & Throw Circus


2010
10.17

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Debbie and I enjoyed a gorgeous weekend at Cedars of Lebanon State Park with a full campground of folks who had the Fall weather in mind as much as we did. By the time we arrived at the park, all of the prime camping spaces were occupied. We were grateful to find even one, reasonably level space to park, even if it meant that we’d have very little privacy due to the nearby entry drive.

Paul at the Potter's WheelOur plan was to take some time to play with our toys. For Deb, that meant a sewing machine on the park provided picnic table. For me, that translated into trying out a potter’s wheel that I purchased several months ago but had not found a time (or place) where I could make a big mess at the house. The Sew & Throw Circus was a success although neither of us set any world records for production.  What we did produce was entertainment and conversation for many of our fellow campers as they walked by…and stopped by.  I probably mentioned before that making ceramic musical instruments in a state park draws a crowd, but this time we seemed to draw a lot of conversation.  People are fascinated with folks who do strange things in campgrounds…probably like some people are entertained by shoppers at Wal-Mart.

I count myself as one who is still fascinated by  potters who make things on a wheel, and make it look so effortless.  I am not part of that effortless fraternity, but I do have fun with it.  As it turns out (no pun intended) there are people who seem to enjoy watching someone who is giving it the ‘ole college try. To all those new friends, we say Thank You!…and be sure to catch the circus the next time it passes through a campground near you.

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MugPhlute Heresy


2010
10.06

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It has been almost a month since I constructed a playable ceramic instrument but that doesn’t mean that I haven’t been thinking (and sketching) about it.  For over a year, every instrument that I constructed was purely pinch-pot-handmade…and now I am discovering new possibilities with pieces and parts that are wheel thrown.  Case in point: Trumpet Mugsthe two mugs pictured include horn-like appendages but they do not  play, but the whimsy of MugPhlutes is still there, lurking just beneath the surface.  These are more like steins than mugs, but they open the door for a musical instrument genre of semi-utilitarian sculptural pieces.  These two were designed to rest either vertically (for function) but to appear more sculptural when setting horizontally.

To avoid breaking a record for consecutive months of instrument building, there shall be an ocarina forthcoming soon, even if it is very small…we can’t commit MugPhlute heresy, now can we?

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Chuckerbutty Ocarina Quartet


2010
06.23

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Posted in Ceramic Musical Instruments, Humor | Comments Off on Chuckerbutty Ocarina Quartet

Not that I would ever be party to such a loony musical ensemble, but this gifted group of ocarina playing, crazy men know how to have fun. They had me at “Trout, in C” (Sea), and something pun-ny about scales. Turn up the volume a bit, the sound is recorded a little low. And, be sure to stick with it to the big ‘fin-ish’ (Pah-dum, ching!):