Saggar/Pitfire prep

Howdy,
 Feb. 23 and 24th I will be participating in the On and Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour. I will be demonstrating how I do my saggar firings and my pitfirings. I've invited Northside ISD art teachers, and my potter friends to participate in the these demonstrations. I would like to explain for teachers and potters new to the process the needed materials for the demonstration. I will have much of these materials, but it is always good to have extra. Pitfire demonstration will begin at 12 pm on Saturday. The work will be pulled around 4 or 5. The saggar firing will be demonstrated on Sunday at 12 pm. This will be an ongoing process. Once the kiln is hot, individual pots will be pulled about every 30 to 45 minutes.

The image above is of my dolls. The heads are terracotta and not fired alternatively. The bodies were in either the pit or raku kiln.

I do a foil wrap with both my Saggar firing and Pitfire firings. A saggar is done in the raku kiln using propane as the heat source. The pitfire, is a brick kiln and uses sawdust and wood pieces as the heat source. Both types of firing “tattoos” the bare clay, creating deep colors ranging from pinks to orange to deep purple. Blacks can appear with the pitfire.

Clay choices: The type of clay I use often is Dillo or Porcelain. High fire clays allow the clay to absorb the colors better. Our Buff with grog will work but the colors are not as deep. I don’t use terracotta type clays because I don’t get interesting colors on the surface. The clay needs to be bisque at 08 and don’t bisque higher than 06. Greenware is not strong enough to endure the shock of the temperature change. The pieces can be rough with texture or smoothed with burnishing.

Burnishing is easy: When the pot is bone dry (greenware), wipe baby oil onto the surface. With a sponge damp a small section with water and rub with a polished stone (no flaws) or with a light bulb. It will create a shiny surface. Fire clay at 08 to keep the shiny surface. Burnishing doesn’t work well with groggy clay. Terra sig might work for groggy clay (but I’ve only just started experimenting with it.) Polish with wood wax when finished with the alternative firing process.


Materials
Ferric Chloride: Etchant Solution found at Radio Shack
Fungicide: 1-Pint Liquid Copper Fungicide, found at Home depot
Sawdust: Dog betting found at Lowes and sometimes at Home depot
Copper Scrubby: sometimes found at dollar tree
Heavy duty foil. The bigger the better
Plastic gloves: protect hands from stains
Optional:
Cotton soaked in salt (dried out)
String soaked in salt (dried out)
Dog biscuits, leaves
Coffee grounds
Plastic buckets for the chemicals. Brushes without any metal parts.
Extra propane tanks. The grill tanks are easy to replace and refill. Home depot, HEB, Lowes
I have a tank but if a lot of people want to do the saggar kiln, we might run out.

If you are interested in participating in the demonstrations, contact me at sjsartist@gmail.com. If you would like to do the studio tour go to http://onandofffred.org/catalog/ to purchase a catalog. The printed copy is $15 and the electronic version is $5. The catalog has the studio tour map and artist discriptions. Buying a copy helps keep this event free for artists to participate.




 

San Antonio Clay Festival 2013

Hi Friends,
I'll have a booth at the San Antonio Potters Guild annual sale "San Antonio Clay Arts Festival." Since 2009, I've participated in this sale. Each year I've upped my skills and work. I will continue to show off my mad "alternative" firing skills and my new direction with throwing. I hope you can come by and say hello.

On and Off Fred Studio Tour

It's that time of the year again. I'm preparing for my studio tour.  Feb. 16 and 17 from 11 am to 6 pm. This will be my third time with the tour. I will be dropping off my gallery piece on Feb 3rd at the Bihl Haus Arts. I'll pick up a few extra books to sell to patrons who need one at my house.
for more information go to http://www.onandofffred.org/

Doll on displayed at Bihl Haus Arts

Armonic Art Show

My next show will be at Ray and Trina's house in Alamo Heights. They are a wonderful couple who have opened their home to artists, poets and musicians for a two night event. I was part of their show last year and we talked about doing a pitfire for their next show. Well here we are a year later and soon we will be setting some pots on fire! Saturday I aka it the Pit Princess will be setting some pots on fire on April 21. Pots will be prepped around 6 pm and the fire time is approximately 7 pm. This is an alternative firing process that creates wonderful colors on the surface of the clay. The reveal will happen approximately 9:30. Sarah is inviting ceramic artists to bring a bisque pot to the event and join in on the experience. I will also be selling my work there too. On Friday April 20th and 21st I  will join other artists as guests at Trina and Ray's home. Donate to their worthy cause of pet food bank. Bring pet food for Daisy Care pet food program. 
1511 Sandlewood 78209 6 to 10

Stride for Sight Art Show & Fundraiser

I will be joining other artists at the Friendly Spot Ice House on March 24th 11 to 5. 

Come out and join the Southtown Lions as we show off 15 local artists in a show at The Friendly Spot. Local band Roy Knowles & The Ghost Tracks will provide the music. All funds raised go to the Lions Stride for Sight project, which supports the Lions Sight Research Foundation at University of Texas, the Mobile Eye Screening Unit, and the Texas Lions Low Vision Center.

Participating local artists include: Ramon Vasquezysanchez, Sarah Jean Shore, Jesus Moro'n, Pamela C Pons, Julian G., Julian Terrazas, Irma Garcia, Jeff Hull, David Peche, Karen Jensen, J. Marie Norman, Israel Rico, Marisela Mungia and more. There will be live music.

My home profiled

Two weeks ago Chrissie Murnin, the reporter from the Express News came by with her photographer Danny Warner. We walked around and talked about the renovations I've done with the house. I was asked to have my house profiled because it is part of the On and Off Fredericksburg Road Studio tour. I was proud to be asked. I added crown molding to my living room a couple days before they came by. My sister-in-law came by to help stage the house. To read the whole article go to Express News ,

Getting ready for On and Off

The clock is running and I'm chasing it. I see my studio tour in the near future.  On and Off Fredericksburg Road Studio Tour. Mark your calendars for February 18th and 19th. Last year was my first year on the tour and I hardly knew anyone. Now I've got friends up and down the road. I'm excited to see how many have jumped on board. The tour allows the public to come to your studio and see your work and go home with an original piece of work.  Last year I had just my studio open to the public. I'm planning to use my living room and dining room as my display area. Ceramics need to be seen in a real world situation. I'll have a "discount" section. I'm thinking of creating an "Arty Party" for those two days. I better start working on pottery and less on fibers!

San Antonio Clay Festival and Sale

I am excited to be participating in San Antonio Potters Guild annual sale. It is called San Anton Clay Festival and Sale. I will be sharing a booth with Taaffe Caton. There will be 25+ potters from around San Antonio at the Pear Brewery open market. The Guild is excited by the prospect of increase foot traffic from the Saturday open market. This will be the third time I have participated in the Guild's annual sale. This I will be able to do credit card sales!

New Sawdust Kiln

I made another attempt at building a sawdust kiln. I will try it out on Monday

Working and working

I am back at school. Two weeks of trying to do classwork during the day and artwork during the night. I really need to create a schedule. I can't work on art every night. I went through my calendar and saw how much work I need to do for each and every show. The biggest event I have coming is San Antonio Clay Festival. I need to produce some high quality work for that event. I also have little events in between. I'm grateful for all the people who have asked me to participate in their events. Very different from last year. I next goal is Friday September 9th on St. Mary's Strip. Third month at El Milagrito. I hope things go well.

Busy morning

I have to say having deadlines can keep a person busy. I have an art show next weekend. I need to deliver new work tomorrow. Labor Day weekend also has a show I'm participating in. This too will needs new work. So today I decided to build the sawdust kiln I've been thinking about. It is based on the idea of the downdraft barrel kiln I used this summer at Southwest School of Art. Only I wanted to use my kiln brick.

Found an old furnace base and used it as my platform. I suppose I could have made it bigger off the concrete, but I kind of liked the idea so I'm trying it. I used kiln shelves and built the walls using kiln brick from my pit fire box. I felt a bit like the Egyptians when they stole brick from the pyramids to build there homes.

I'll fire it up tomorrow to see if it works. I tried using clay I got from a brick yard to help seal up the chimney area. It probably will flake off. But who knows?

Yesterday I presented to the Potters Guild what I learned from the Alternative Firing Techniques class I took at Southwest School of Art. I received a scholarship for the class through the Guild. Taking this class allowed to learn so much this summer. The class conducted different types of raku: Horse Hair, traditional raku and naked raku. We did a saggar and downdraft barrel firings. Each created unique surface textures. I began using porcelain clay for the first time. Saggar and barrel firings created similar results from my pit fires. Barrel is so much easier!

I also took a wheel throwing class. Things finally started to click at creating the form. I'm throwing more upright to help save my back. I am pleased with the forms I got in porcelain.

Selling

Last night I was with "SA Artists" at Woodlawn and St. Marys. This is a meet up group that got together to sell work. This was the second time we met, and had twice as many artists at this location. No one really made any money last night. It is always a disappointment when I don't sell something. But...


I think this will work out in the end. Just in most relationships in business or personal, there is that awkward time. Each time I show in these mobile selling situations, I try learn as much as I can. Most have similar problems. Each time I work through them. Here are a few:

• Quick set up. I no longer bring a table. I use a wooden portable shelves I made earlier this month. 4 Shelves and it folds up.
• Pricing. Currently I price depending on the situation. I maybe pricing too low. This is something I need to work through better.
• Connections: Lately I'm being asked to show at future craft shows. I'm not seeking them out (although I need a few more BIG ones). I'm getting a few repeat customers too.
• Packing up work. I pull work from my shelves for each show instead of keeping them in the boxes. It keeps me aware of what I have and what I need to make.
  

My new car has been a real trooper. I'm able to fit quite a bit it. I do need to find similar sized plastic boxes that will be easily packed and stacked. Once I get a canopy I'll need to use my space in the car better.

My next official show is at La Gallaria Balleza on August 27th. I may take some stuff to school for a bit of pocket money.

Rejuvenated

Wow, I can't believe I haven't posted on my blog since November. I had quite a bucket list. So much has happened since then, I don't know where to start. To be honest managing the new normal for me is been a bit stressful. But I don't regret the new venues and friends I've gained over the course of the last 6 months.

What I've accomplished so far:

• I've learned that I need to create a variety of work that ranges in prices. In other words I do need to sweat the small stuff. Crosses throughout the year were a big seller. I have gotten a great response to pit fire pieces and my "Dollies". I hope to continue exploring new designs.
  
• I don't expect much help in setting up my booth. I started out setting up a table but have evolved into a portable. The shelves are easily set up and display the work in the best light.
  
• Work on clay constantly. I find that when I take a holiday from work, I end up scrambling the last minute to produce enough work for the spur of the moment show. Deadlines are a great motivator.
  
• I need to balance my job and my creativity. I have to admit, I got tired a lot last year. I still need to work on this. I have to clubs and other various duties at school. I also the PR rep for San Antonio Potters Guild. This involves creating a newsletter every other month.
  
• I now have a much clearer idea what I'm doing. Create! There is no substitute to actually doing the process. I took two classes at Southwest School of Art. I took "Basic Throwing Skills" and "Alternative Firing Methods. Check out my new pictures. I started working in porcelain, both in throwing and for hand building. The clay has some incredible effects from the alternative firing. I'll blog later on what I've learned. I started throwing a bit differently. I never really was a good thrower I didn't have a clear understanding of the process. I now can set up the wheel at school and can actually teach the kids the basics.
  
• Social media is a godsend. I've used it to share my experiences and my work in progress. I've gained new friends from my shows and life in general. Facebook has become a useful tool to spread the word of myself as an artist.

I truly feel rejuvenated for the upcoming school year. I am anxious to get started and hope to spread the my positive energy into my students.

Updated Blog

Hi,
This blog used to be called Traveling Artist and Other Ramblings. I originally created this blog to share my travels with my family and friends. But I've been concentrating on my ceramics and want to promote that aspect of my life. I've created photo stream of my work. I've been very busy this fall. I find I have many things to accomplish in the promotion of my work. I am flowing the advice from a Shapeways Blog posting by by Andrew Price. His advice is thus:
Step 1: Get a Blog
Step 2: Make a Short Film
Step 3: Make a Tutorial
Step 4: Be a Real Person
Step 5: Expose Yourself
Step 6: Get Published

I have to say in this day and age, I have no excuse not to promote myself. I have so many free services available. Google is a perfect example. This blog and a website have been in my name for over year. But only in the last three months have things taken off. So now I have something to say!

On to the next step on the list!

Step 2: Make a Short Film: I'll do a pit fire demonstration. TBA

Thanks Guild

I want to thank everyone who showed up to the Potters' Guild meeting last night. We had a nice size group and we even had a few with laptops. I hope I was able to show how the useful the web can be. I will post on the Wiki more tips and lessons as I work through Google sites. The key is just click on stuff and see what happens. The site is live, so make sure you have basic info to share and then work on the bells and whistles as you go. Good luck!

What's New and Free

Not so long ago artists had to hire someone to make take care of their technical needs. Even if they had the know how, they may not have the funds to buy the software needed. More and more companies are building relationships with the creative community. Education is a great resource for finding new programs for their students. I will share different things that are available for use.

Must-have Windows Software

Must-have Mac Software

Google

Webs partners

I'll add more as I learn about them. If you have a site to share, add a comment.

Do I need a website?

I'm good at searching the Internet. When I find a new artist I immediately look for their website. It's frustrating to find them scattered about the net on other people's sites. They maybe featured with a group or information for an upcoming show. But there may only be one or two images available. Now I can search using my phone to search for information. If I like your stuff I want to know more about your work.

Creating a simple website that contains your name and a few images will go a long way. It is like an interactive business card. Using a free site like Google Sites, allows you to update your website without much hassle. If you have a web album, you don't even need to be at your home computer. But it the key is maintaining it. I've been to sites that haven't been updated for years. I don't go back.

When you buy a domain name, find a company that will be sticking around. Yahoo and Google have inexpensive monthly contracts. But don't pay more than $10 a month for your domain. There are more complicated software that will create a better looking site. Adobe has "Dreamweaver". It uses an FTP system of uploading your site. If you are interested in learning more about web page writing I suggest you look into the local community education program through one of our many districts. I know Northside offers many different web page writing classes.

Here is the difference between a template website and using software.
Template: https://nisd.schoolnet.com/outreach/lmkes/rotationspecialists/shore/
Software: http://nisd.net/knowlton/Shore/Shore.htm (I haven't updated this one lately)

A gallery of your work will not betray any trade secrets. If anything it will send heads spinning with ideas. I often use images off the web to help my students become inspired. It is a jumping off point for their work. Use your web page to jump into the future.

Photo Albums

From Booth July 15, 2009

One of the biggest challenges an artist has is to share their work in the best light. I was a two-dementional artist for years. I've photographed my work and my students' work. But now as a potter, I have to learn new ways to photograph my work. I will admit that I haven't solved this issue yet. What tips I can give you is not the quality of the picture you take but the form. Many artist have transitioned to digital cameras. Sometimes we get megapixel crazy. When we choose Fine and high numbers for our camera settings. This produces a large image and hard to work with. You can choose Fine and a lower size setting. Most images on the web look about 2" x 2" and when printed they maybe larger. Typical photograph file name extension will be either jpg or jpeg. These will work for the web. The larger the image file the longer the website takes to load. Stick with good quality small images.

I want to promote starting a photo web album. Even if you don't have a website you at least have a place for people to go and view your work. Check out Tips on photo albums. I use Picasa I can access anywhere I have Internet. I share with family and friends mostly. I plan to expand into the more "public" sharing. The nice thing about using Blogspot and Picasa, I can blog about a particular image in my album if I'm at a computer not my own.

Your internet connection

Let us face the facts. Dial-up is definitely "Old School". If you plan to start promoting yourself on the Internet, it is time to go "High Speed". Once you've changed you will end up using the internet more often and become more savvy. Check out the geek explanation of high speed choices. I use a cable modem. My computer is older than 5 years old and I am starting to notice my computer is slowing down. In the near future I will need to start looking into other options. There is a new WiMax in town. I wouldn't mind hearing some imput on it.