annie singletary ceramics

there is a lot here, i guess this is what happens when you don’t blog for a while.

The new stains have been good, however, I’m having trouble with my kiln firing too hot on the bottom. I am there when the cones go down but have not found the magic spot for my glaze, it’s only a few pots that get messed up but it’s strange. Either some pots pinhole because they are not healing over or they run like crazy off the pot. I have lost 2 big bowls from the running and that hurts.

i thought when i started firing electric that things would be easier and more predictable and they are , however, with the computer kiln i feel like i have very little control, so i’m learning about that reading my manual like crazy.

What to do now? Test, test, test. And keep making work. I have checked everything, vacuumed the kiln and now i’m using an ohmmeter to see if some elements are about to go bad. These are things that we have to deal with.

It’s strange but situations like this make me more inspired. I love a challenge and i love figuring things out. This is a good good thing when being a potter…..you have to be resiliently creative.

but….it makes it hard when getting ready for shows.

this form is my new covered jar form which i’m really excited about because it takes very well for the raised decoration I’m doing. I made some stamps of my same pattern i do. These will add some visual interest by deepening the flat surface.

Something else happened this past week that was a wake up call to me. I had applied to be in this shop here in Black Mountain and they decided that my work wasn’t the right fit for them. I was told that their customers are very traditional and that my work was more contemporary. This was hard for me to hear, since I’m just starting to try for some wholesale shops. I guess i thought that different would be good. i understand that where i live there is a large market for traditional and that i’m working with more modern patterns and color.

So, this leaves me in an interesting place. Wondering, where do I fit? I know that all professional potters have to confront this question head on and either you run and hide or you take it on and sprint full force ahead….there’s probably some in between in there but i’m a runner and even though i don’t like to sprint, i like to run long distances and this means i have endurance and can withstand the no’s……at least i’m trying.

So many obstacles and so little time, but this is some goodness that keeps me going.

And there you have it.

Hopefully next time I will have figured out the kiln problem, until then, have a great week.Thanks for reading.

My latest slip is made from loads and loads of frozen Helios slop. All of this precious slop froze a while back because of not having my stuff in one place, I forgot about it. Well, I couldn’t not use it….that clay is so expensive, so I tested it as my slip and it’s awesome. It’s a pain to mix and sieve but after all the hard work is done it’s the greatest slip i have used, so smooth to dip, pour and paint.

So, there you go, something to use frozen clay and slip for.

…ok here’s a little confession. the other night i was out in the studio until about 10 and i came out of the door to find a bear right on the hill in the woods, fortunately bears are afraid of us and so he or she ran around back, well i’m the curious sort so i of course go around back of the studio to see it and there it was right beside my kiln.

I am a little hesitant now to work at night in there. this is not going to work though. ive had a few great suggestions; a paintball gun, a bell  to hang right outside the door and a flashlight….what a novel idea to have a flashlight i can honestly say i had never thought of this being a good thing to have….get a clue Annie. I am picturing myself as this crazy potter lady ringing my bell and carrying my flashlight, is this what i’ve become?

my mason stains came in from US pigments and i’ve been mixing some great colors up for accents, zirconium, bright orange, bermuda…so exciting! loaded a kiln with those in today. i leave you with this amazing fabric pattern i’m in love with, from Lost city fabrics.

have a great weekend. don’t you love fall.

my image taking setup.

very ghetto but  love it. not only can i hide from my 3 yr. old son so he’s not curious about all of this, but it’s quite quaint.

the backdrop is from www.phototechinc.com

i use the gray to black backdrop.

The light box is made from foam core and fabric backing.

The bulbs i use are 300 watt and i set my white balance on my camera using a gray card.

I use foam core with fabric backing to diffuse the light defusers.

a friend just told me a new bit of advice about using foil on one side of object instead of a light on either side. this help take the glare away.

I’ve been using a clear glossy glaze and this is causing a lot of hot spots (which is the glare).

Can’t wait to try this new trick. thanks Joy

A few new pots.

I’ve been working on creating depth in my surface without overwhelming the detail in the form. I am having so much fun playing with some white gold  luster and these precious little floral decals.I have loved English china for a long time and am finally getting an element of what i love so much about it; the small details that give intimacy to a piece.

I’m trying to work on taking my images with this glossy clear glaze without getting

I have been also using some new colorants for my slips. I ordered from US pigments and found some really great deals on some pretty expensive mason stains. I’m excited to get them in the mail, but in the meantime I am using some that were given to me a while ago, like this orange shown above. This new color really gets me excited about Fall.

i’ll let you know about the mason stains, the prices seem almost to good to be true.

check out my etsy site: new pots up for sale www.anniesingletary.etsy.com