Picasso Exhibit

I was in New York recently and saw the Picasso exhibit at MOMA.  It is an incredible, once in a lifetime exhibit of his sculpture.  I highly recommend it if you are in New York.  Here are some of the pieces in the show.  Enjoy!

This piece was done in clay in one day and then a bronze was made of it.

 Clay Pieces

A Happy Kiln

These are some pieces that I took out of the kiln yesterday.  It is always nice to have everything come out of the kiln as you want it.  Especially after recently having kiln problems that caused bad firings.

Bird Houses at the Lake House

These are a couple of bird houses that I took out of the kiln the other day.  I am happy with the way they came out.  Small birds have been attracted to this design.  People who have bought them in the past have said that they get small birds making nests in them.  The roof of the bird house comes off so that you can clean it out after the birds are done nesting.  I layered two different glazes on these to get the color I wanted.  The first layer of glaze is a tenmoku glaze and the second layer is a rutile blue glaze.  These two will be at the Lake House in Cedar Glenn.

Mugs

I am always jumping around trying to find new interesting but functional mug shapes that people like.  This is a shape that I always seem to come back to.  People like how comfortable the mug is in their hands.  Either when holding it by the handle or wrapping both hands around the base of the mug.  So with a little encouragement from some friends I threw a bunch of them.

New Large Slab Vases

I have been working on some new large slab vases while waiting for my kiln parts.  I cut the slabs out using tar paper templates.  Once the clay is the correct firmness I assemble them using foam and card board supports.  After they are together I make a lot of different markings on the clay using various tools.  It is a totally random free flowing process.  The finish on the outside of the pieces will be done with stains which is something new for me.  The inside will be glazed with a satin white glaze.

Kiln Problems

I had a short in with one of the wires in my kiln which caused some of the wiring to melt.  Not a good odor to smell when you go to check on the kiln.  Finally received from Aim Kilns a new wiring harness and power chord after waiting a couple weeks.  Aim has always been very helpful and timely in the past so this one time waiting was a little frustrating while pieces were ready to be fired.  Electrical work is always a learning experience for me but I got it wired properly....I think?  We will see when I refire the load that is in the kiln from when it shut done early.

Modern Tea Bowl Set

I recently made this tea bowl set that people now want me to make in different colors.  They like the set because of the size of the bowls,  its versatility and the serving tray that comes with it.