Bluebird Mixer. Help Please

Does anyone out there have experince using a Bluebird mixer like the one pictured here?

I have used this sort of mixer a couple times years ago and I may be using it again.  I haven't had very good luck with the mixing process.

I can't remember exactly what went wrong when I used this mixer, maybe that the blades just pushed the clay up and didn't continue mixing. Resulting in my having to stop the mixer and push the clay back down a lot.  Or ?? Heck I can't remember.

Anyhow if anyone has a method of  using this thing, please advise.  I am pretty sure I was adding all my dry materials,  doing a quick dry mix and then adding water with a hose.  Then probably cursing a lot.

Thanks.

Friday Drawings

I drew on a bunch of pots today.  It's good to get this little batch almost ready for the kiln.  They have to all dry out enough for me to knock off the burrs and blast them with the air hose before going into the bisque (probably Sunday).   This is a test run of clay and I'm going to fire it with a commercial clear glaze and some line blends of another glaze to try and solve my crazing and crawling problems.

The bird image on the bowl on the right is  from an English jug made in the mid 1800's by Robert Fishley.  It's a bit folky but I like it.

The design on the bowl below  is a copy of a design I saw on an Italian majolica pot.   I'm trying to learn to do the whole viney/flowery thing.

You can click on these for bigger images.

Fremington Pitcher

I didn't find this image on the Internet.  I am the proud owner of this Fremington jug, given to me by Doug Fitch.   It's a beauty for sure.  Just look at that handle placement!!!  It's in great condition too and stands just over 12 inches.  Doug told me he bought this jug at a car boot sale for (I think he said) 2 quid!

I have loved this style of jug for many years and to finally have one is such a treasure.  It's all the more valuable in that it came from Doug and I got it while in England.

There are still more pots to see from the trip that I'll be posting in the future.

Long Pitcher

The shape of this pitcher is to die for.  Amazing.  If I'm not mistaken it's 1300-1360 Italian.  Wow.  I wish there was a view of the handle.

Upcoming Show

I sent off a big box of pots to Scotland today for the A Feast of Pots exhibition.  The show opens on Sept. 6th at the McGill Duncan Gallery in Castle Douglas.  I'm very excited and honored as this is my first time having pots in a show abroad.  Yey!!!!

My dear friend Hannah McAndrew is in the show too.  I owe much thanks to her for introducing my work to Jill and Zoe Blamire at McGill Duncan.

I am really thankful for all the great things that have come my way over the past few months.  I feel validated and excited about it all.  I really desire to continue to put my best into everything that I am making and to keep pushing myself.  Thanks to everyone who visits here to check out what I'm up to.  This blog has been a huge part of my pottery life since 2005, I want to keep it fresh and worth coming back to.

Well it's time to make dinner so I'm off to the kitchen.

Moving on....

Okay, moving on from that last post...

I unloaded the kiln this morning to mixed results but not so bad.  I am happy with the direction that the decoration is taking and with some of my color choices.  I did have 3 or 4 pots blemished by glaze crawling.  I'll try and refire them later.  My next firing is scheduled for early next week and I'm going to use the clay, slip and glaze that we used at Penland this summer.  If I see that those materials consistantly work with no problems then I'm going to base most of what I do on that combination for the next little bit.

Whew...

It doesn't make sense to mix glazes, unload a bisque, wax, apply base glaze and decorative glaze, and reload a kiln all in the same day.  I'm sure most of us have done it though, or something as tiring and demanding.  Potter's are hard workers that's for sure.

So no making for me today.  Here's a shot of another of the spouted jugs.  Sarah says the deco. on this one is a bit suggestive.

Suggestive of what? I ask.  Heck, I've got people mistaking my possums for rats, my squirrels for beavers, and saying my owls look like a resturant's mascot.  It doesn't matter what I draw, someone is going to think it's something else anyhow!!  Ha, ha!  Good stuff.  So anyways it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Drawing

Started drawing on the new jugs yesterday.  I finished this one but the other two were still too damp.  Should knock them out today and get on with making for the next order.

I've got several shows sneaking up on me this fall so I need to get busy.  I'm still planning on doing a low fire salt firing soon.

Guess I better get out there.  Check in later for an update.

Dylan Bowen

I bought this great little bottle from Dylan Bowen at Art and Clay this year.  I have been wanting a pot of Dylan's for a while now and I'm so happy to have scored this guy. I love the fact that it's really two pots in one.  Dylan's pots have a great energy about them.  I was also glad I had a chance to chat with him a bit in his booth.  I hope I can get over to visit him some time or see him in a workshop situation.

Michael Kline Online Kiln Opening

Fellow potter Michael Kline is having an Online Kiln Opening Tuesday, Aug. 24th.  I was up at Michael's last week for a visit and saw the pots.  Let me tell you, there are some really nice pots going up tomorrow.  Click  HERE. for more details and be sure to visit the site at 10 am EST tomorrow  when the sale begins.

Straw Art

Big Ben replica built from 500 bales of straw.

Click here.

Some New Deco

Worked on finishing up all the pots from Friday.  Half had the washline deco. but the rest got some new ideas, seen here.

Anniversary Plate

Hannah McAndrew made this wonderful plate for Sarah and I and presented it to us in England.  I had asked her a while back if she'd make us a wedding anniversary dish.  She said she would but I never followed up.  I got Sarah a pretty lame gift for our anniversary in January.  It was our 9th year, which happens to be pottery (I didn't know that) and Sarah got me a totally cool Ayumi Horie mug.

The back of the plate reads:

May you always have love to share, health to spare, and friends that care.  With love from Hannah and Paul. 2009

Thanks again Hannah we love it.

And I owe you big time!

Back to Making

A good day today.  After lunch (after it had gotten good and hot in the studio) I got in the shop and made this group of pots.  They are for an upcoming show.  I just knocked out the whole group and I figure I'll get them footed, handled, slipped and whatnot over the weekend and fired next week.  A good feeling, getting my hands back in the clay.

I've been admiring medieval jugs from Italy.  This one below is especially nice.  I like that added spout.  It's more or less an upside down teapot spout.

And so I had a go at one today.  Couldn't get that strappy handle thing to work so I went with one of my own.  I'll get this guy all deco'd out.

It's been ages since I made any jugs so I am aiming to make some more like this as well as some oval ones with added spouts.  I sort of feel like I may as well make a jug that is special you know, not just a run of the mill, dime a dozen sort.

It will be fun to see how this fellow pours...or doesn't.

Photos

I've uploaded a couple new Sets of photos from our trip.  These are the last of them for now.  I do have quite a few individual photos that I'll be posting here on the blog over the coming days.  So if you want to have a look at the Flickr site CLICK HERE.

Muchelney Pottery

Paul and Marion were kind enough to drive us out to John Leach's Muchelney Pottery while we were staying with them in Somerset.

We got to meet John and do the customary fist bump while proclaiming, "Potters of the World Ignite!"  John's such a great man!  There were tons of pots to see in the showroom as well as out in the kiln room andworkshops.

A Big Thank You

Thanks to our dear friends Rod and Fredia for being our primary hosts during our trip to England.  They were so very generous by inviting us into their home and allowing us to use it as a hub during our travels.

I've know Fredia for years.  She and Rod are both Americans and have been living in England for 10 years thanks to Rod's job.   Fredia has been encouraging us to come for a long time.  It's a good thing she didn't give up on us because we finally made it.

Rod and Fredia are both pottery lovers too and were enthusiatic about going to Art in Clay.  Rod may even come out to my shop next time he's in the States and have a go at making some pots.

Thanks Rod and Fredia for your kindness and hospitality and for getting us back and forth to the train station and airport.

Cone 1 Salt

I've been obsessing a bit today.  It's a troublesome problem and eats up time and energy.  Any how, I'm shooting to do a low fire salt firing pretty soon.  So I get in my head all the possibilities and then run amok for hours.  Rummaging through glaze notes, books, going down and looking at the kiln.  Surfing the Internet.  Crazy me, a monkey on the loose.

So at this point I think it's a good idea to try for cone 1.  Why?  Well it just seems right.  Possiblity because I can come up with an interior glaze that will have a bit more range than say a cone 03 or 04 glaze.  Well I've got three cone 1 recipes.  Hum. Enough to give it a go right? Right.

Slips for low fire salt. ? I've got a couple ideas.  Paul Soldner has one out there that may be good.  And some T-6 kaolin would be good too probably.

Oh, and I want to have an amber glaze and a copper green to decorate with on the outside over the slip.  I'll try oxides in the base glazes I have.  Except no copper in the one w. Frit 3124 cause that will go turquoise won't it? I think so.

See there's so much going on here in my pottery brain.

I am wanting a bit of  a sheen on the slip.  Soda ash wash maybe.

I'll be doing some incising you know.

Exciting. Unpredictable. Frustrating. Disappointing. Rewarding.  All words to describe salt firing.

The plan is to put salt cups throughout the kiln and in front of the burners.  It will be a light salt glaze.  Hopefully get some action from the copper that's gonna be in that one glaze.

Okay well I should stop right?  I should make some pots and just go for it.  There's only so much you can think about.  Action.  That's next.

Great Hosts

A big thanks to Hil and Doug, Luke and Joe for having us in their home for several days.  We had so much fun getting to know everyone and being part of the family.  They made us lots of tea and kept us fed.  Doug has pots everywhere and even got a few boxes of Winchcombe pots out of the attic and garage to show us.   Sorry about that Hil, I hope he's packed them away again.   :- )



We went down to the pub a couple nights and Hils gave us some lessons in the finer points of playing skittles.  That was really fun I wish a bar around here would install a lane or two.

It was a terrific time and hopefully we'll have the pleasure of hosting them here sometime in the future.

Visiting Paul and Marion

Sarah and I had a really nice time when we visited with Paul Jessop and his partner Marion at their home in Ilminster.  They both had been out earlier in our trip to meet us at Art in Clay but it was great to have some time hanging out with them.

Paul took us out to Barrington Court where his workshop and showroom are located.  It was a great place.  I think Paul is doing well there and it's excellent place to have customers coming in to buy pots.  He is looking to expand into a bigger space soon and even teach some classes.

Paul is a great businessman.  I was impressed with all the data he has kept up since becoming a full time potter.  He could teach most of us a lesson there.  He's got charts and graphs of income, expenses, budgets, etc.  Nicely done Paul.

Thanks to them both for their hospitality.