Busy? Funny you should ask...

Oh man, I've been busy living the early Bauhaus dream (while surrounded by the late post-Itten nightmare). Nuthin' but ceramics: turning cone-10 reduction glazes into beautiful cone-6, working on form, and messing around with clay in a systematic way so I can begin to feel like I know what I'm doing.

I drew the Bauhaus pedagogy on the inside of a tea bowl for a project Helen and I did for the History of 20th Cent. Architecture...lotsa fun. We made tea gear to make it possible for the great modern architects to engage in civilized conversation (while politely dissing each others' work).

Poor Gropius didn't get a bowl to represent any of his buildings he didn't make many, and they weren't fantastic. Pedagogy for him, but now't else, poor thing...

Ta Daaaah!

And these are what our new glazes look like! They're all cone 04, as foodsafe as we could hope for, and gorgeous. (These are the test cups we made for the display board for school.)

We've got translucent classic blues and greens, and some satin mattes and opaque shiny glazes that're rock-solid reliable. Bliss.

Next semester: cone 6. If they're anywhere near as good as what we managed to do for cone 04, I'll be over the moon.

Just say no to poison

I haven't written here much because I've been at school doing an independent study on glaze chemistry. CL and I are hoping to give OCAD better glazes than the ones they've had for years.

A fine example: "Frosting", a low-fire glaze that gives you a soft white effect - great for students who want to bring back the Bauhaus - but soluble if you soak it in everyday acids like vinegar...not good.

So we're hoping to enable design students to make ceramics that aren't covered in poison. Neat.

Fun with Sandpaper

The weather's been crazy-hot, so I've been whittling in cherry wood, a fabulous thing to do on a hot day. The spoon is for ice cream (probably inspired by the hot weather.) This may force me to buy some so I can give the spoon a try.

The tea scoop is thinner and more delicate than the one I did for thesis (you can see the thesis scoop at the top of the blog, under the title.) It'll be good combined with a smaller tea caddy or bowl, or for use in springtime.


I'm happy I managed to get a wicked-subtle curve on the new scoop. It also rests well when flat on a tea caddy, something you don't appreciate until your badly-balanced scoop falls on the floor while you're doing tea.

Things to do on a rainy day

So...I got a wheel. I've been grinning like a fool ever since. Sure, I don't have anywhere to fire anything, but who cares?? I can make oodles of stuff, and worry about that part later. [insert dubious looks from everyone I know]

This is what I made on my first try on the wheel, using an old box of porcelain I've had sitting around in my apartment for years. Considering it's pouring rain out, it'll probably take years to dry too. I can hardly wait to try trimming 'em tomorrow.

In case you're wondering, I've got the wheel in the front entrance of my apartment because it has the only easily cleanable flooring. It's the first thing you see when you come through the door, and will probably give a bizarre first impression to visitors. Bonus.

I've been busy

Yep, I've been busy. I've been up to a different kind of making from the ceramics/metal that I'm used to, but it's all good. And the deliciousness is a bonus.

This month, I've made two kinds of double-berry jam, made cherry preserves and canned asparagus with garlic and hot peppers. (Major thanks to Ian and CL for the help...it's been a bit insane around here, and sometimes this really does take a group effort. At this rate, we're all going to be expert canners! Yay!)

This is a pic of the raspberry-blackberry jam (with just a smidge of lemon rind). I am soooo making more of this while the season lasts, because this is gonna go fast! (Trust me, I know: I've been eating the small bowlful of jam that was too small to can, and it's amazing...sweet with just a hint of tartness from the lemon. It looks really dark in the jars, but on bread it's a rich ruby red. I'd show you a pic on bread, but I only have wonderbread, and that would be a sorry thing to do.)

At least now I know what I'm giving everybody I know for Christmas this year: seriously good jam. Unless I eat it all first.

Midnight Snack

These are some tiny little gooey-on-the-inside chocolate cakes that Ian and I made up tonight. The recipe was from a link Helen sent me from Les Foodies, and it worked like a charm.

I highly recommend it. It's quick to make, only involves a few ingredients, and two of them are dark chocolate and mascarpone. Who would say no to that?