Dave and Mica's Wedding Present

So here's the post for the ceramic piece that got this whole thing started in the first place. My buddy, Dave Tan, is an amazing cook and baker, with his specialty being cakes. Instead of going out an buying a wedding present, I decided to make a cake dish for Dave and Mica. On the day of the wedding, I was so proud of the piece I had made, I kept telling my friends about it, but since it was wrapped, I couldn't show anyone. When I started this blog, I didn't know if the gift had been opened yet, so I decided to wait until I received a thank you note. That note arrived sometime last month, so I've come to the conclusion that I've waited long enough. Below are a couple of pictures of this famous piece.

There are three parts to this piece, the main plate, the cover, and the stand. Each was thrown separately in B-mix and the stand was attached to the plate in the leather-hard state. The glaze is navy blue with glossy white sprayed over. There is a grove cut into the plate where the lid fits on. The stand is a funny size, made for a six inch cake. I wanted to make it for an eight inch cake, but the bat I used for the plate was too small. Hopefully, Dave and Mica can get themselves a six inch cake pan. I am very proud of this piece and would call it one of my better works.

Dave and Mica - If you take a careful look on the inside of the stand, you can see my name written on it. Proof that this one is a genuine Michelle-made product :-D

Pitchers

I was out to coffee with a couple of friends when one asked me "have you made any pitchers"? After replying affirmatively, I realized I have not updated my blog in a very long time. So this posting is for my pitcher-loving friends.

This one is a brand new addition to my collection. I threw this piece on the first day of the semester. It's a small piece, reaching only five inches tall, with B-mix as the clay body, glossy white glaze on the inside and ohata red glaze on the outside. What it lacks in size it makes up for in sheer beauty. I'd say it's a good candidate for holding balsamic vinegar.

I've had this second piece a little longer. It was thrown back in 2009. Once again, this is a rather small pitcher, reaching only four inches high. The clay body is bravo buff with a glossy black glaze. The highlighting is jade green. Apparently when glossy black and jade green are mixed, the result is silver. I really like the way the glazing came out on this piece as well as the extruded handle. Just the right size and shape for holding creamer.

We finally made it to the big ones. This pitcher was thrown last semester and is about nine inches tall. It is a stoneware body with hunter green glaze sprayed over. There was a miss-firing for the glaze, resulting in the more olive green color as well as the patterning in the glaze. I have the option to re-fire it, but have decided that I like the look, so will leave it alone. The kiln got hot enough that the glaze fully melted, so it is still food safe and fully sealed (won't leak water through the porous clay body), so I'll just let this piece keep the character.

I really like this pitcher. It is the same dimensions as the pitcher above, but with a drastically different glaze job. The base color is navy blue with a "contaminated" ohata red sprayed over. I then used a tool to remove glaze along squiggly lines down the side of the pitcher. As the glaze melted, the lines filled in with the navy blue glaze, giving the patterning you see.

This was the first pitcher I ever made. It is wider than the others and about eight inches tall. The rustic look this piece has is due to the fact that the clay body is bravo buff and the glaze job was on the thin side. I'm still pretty impressed with the craftsmanship, especially considering I threw this one back in high school.

Well, that's it for pitchers until I make more. Obviously there is huge variation that can be achieved in size and shape as well as handle and spout style. I find pitchers fun to make because it is easy to give them tons of character.

Random Ones

Today I have decided to focus on the pieces that occurred when I found myself slightly bored in ceramics class with no assignments to do. I'd say the results are pretty fun, but you judge for yourself.

According to a mycologist friend of mine, a mushroom with this spotting pattern and gills on the underside does not actually exist. Therefore, I call this creation a "Tuffet" like the one poor Little Miss Muffet sat upon. Anyway, this is actually two pieces, with the base being a basic cylinder and the top being the much more difficult and heavier piece. That said, it is surprisingly stable. The clay body is B-mix with a red engobe for the spots and a iron oxide stain for the gills. It was glazed with matt yellow. This Tuffet is just one of those pieces that make me grin whenever I look at it.

This has got to be one of my favorites for the sheer amount of personality it has. The body and head were first thrown on the wheel, then I did a significant amount of hand building (at least for me) to add the ears, eyes, beak, and wings. He is actually unglazed except for the eyes, which makes them shine so much. I used an iron oxide stain over a stoneware clay body for the rest of the owl. It's hard not to fall in love with this guy.

A few people have pointed out to me that this piece looks like an isolator off of a telephone pole with a strange lid. I'm a fan of it all the same. One day, I decided to see how many "riffles" I could get into the cylinder I had thrown. This was the result. The clay body is bravo buff and I honestly can't remember the glaze I used. Next time your walking/biking/driving down the street, take note of the telephone poles and see if you can't imagine this piece up there.

Well folks, that is all for today. Hope these pieces were able to bring a smile to some of your faces like they do mine.

Getting Started

After a number of friends asked to see photos of my ceramic pieces, I decided to create a forum where I can share my current and old work with friends, family, and those interested in hand-thrown, functional pottery. I've decided to get started with a couple of my favorites.

This first one is a piece I made for my sister, who loves candles. It was thrown using recycled clay I found in my ceramics class, each leaf was cut by hand, and it was glazed jade green with the inside edge of each leaf painted with hunter green glaze.

The second photo I am posting is of a vase I gave to a family that kindly hosted me during spring break when my camping trip in Yosemite became much less enjoyable as a cold storm passed through. This was thrown using a B-Mix clay body and was glazed navy blue with ruthile blue sprayed on the upper half.

Last one for today: a sugar bowl I made for myself. Still can't get over how perfectly this lid fits. The clay body of this one is a little different, as it is a stoneware, meaning it is a natural clay just as it was pulled out of the earth. Much grittier than the pieces posted above. Used the navy blue glaze again on this one with white drizzled over. This piece makes me happy as I add sugar to my tea each morning.

Plenty to be added later, so be sure to check back if you're interested to see more.