Rusted Root

Yes, I will be attending the Rusted Root show at the House of Blues in Cleveland on the 30th. Bought my tickets already! Soooo excited!!!!

This is a video from Rusted Root at the Kent Stage last spring... Bad video quality but decent sound quality. They played Send Me on My Way as the first encore, and everyone went completely apeshit. (Who wouldn't?) Enjoy. =)



Love, from Lititz, PA

Little Cuppy

This cup was broken because of a crack on the rim caused by squeezing the cup during decoration. (or so Kirk says) When I threw it into the dumpster, it broke in half... revealing some decent craftsmanship. And of course I can't keep this kind of thing to myself. The trimming is decent (for probably being done blindly... as in I didn't check the thickness before I flipped the cup and started trimming), but the interior shows some small humps that are throwing errors. I love breaking things in half to see what kind of throwing I'm doing. Such good experience. Anyway, thought this was pretty sweet.

The little humps that distort the interior curve. A serious issue for me this semester. Outside curve is better, but can always use work.

Same picture, sans arrows.

Love, from Lititz, PA

PS. Rusted Root show at House of Blues Cleveland Dec. 30th!!!!!

The Handle

The most miserably frustrating things about making mugs - the handle. I've had numerous fights with my clay this semester in regards to handles. The clay doesn't want to pull without ripping or rippling. It doesn't want to stay connected to the pot despite scoring and slipping, and it certainly doesn't want to stay in the shape that I want it in. This post outlines some of my troubles with handles on glazed and finished pots.

The most basic of problems with handles:


The "easy" fixes... handle too small and thin for the mug on the left, and too big and bulky for the mug on the right.


A constant problem for anyone making mugs... the crooked handle.


This is a serious debacle for me right now. How do I want to connect the handle to the mug? Messy and different on each mug.

Some other issues in Handles:


This particular shape with the double hump proves to be the most troubling as far as handle shape goes. They are plagued by awkward shape. I think that both spring from the pot at weird angles. They look lifeless and hanging. Another issue: The fact that they seem to need more to hang on to at the bottom, as in a fatter connection. I think that a small coil could resolve this.


Some Good Stuff:


Two different shapes of pots, but I'm pleased with the handle on each. I think that top connection is solid and cleanly done on each. The shape of the handle works well with each pot, however the bottom connection seems weak and needs the interior coil.


I particularly think that the mug on the left has a very nice interior shape, and works very well with the shape of the pot. The left mug is also one of the better handles from the semester.


This mug was darted to make more room for the handle. It has a small spout on the opposite side. Always an issue with pitchers is positioning the handle directly across from the spout, if that's what you desire. I'm a fan of this middle-curve handle. I like the sleekness, that the top of the handle immediately drops downward. I think this sort of handle is hit-or-miss though, as evident in some of my not-so-good handles.

The best of the best and the future...


My 2 favorites from the semester. The left handle was beautifully connected with a nice interior curve, but the same downward drop (with an upward curve) that I desired in the darted mini pitcher. And the right mug has an exaggerated handle that I tried to reproduce many times this semester, but failed to do. (The clay kept ripping.) I feel that the exaggerated mug shape works well with the exaggerated handle. It's just one big exaggeration if I didn't already say exaggeration enough times for you to understand that it's an exaggeration. =) The shape on this mug continues to intrigue me. If done right, it's phenomenal. If done wrong, it's hideous. Now there's an aspiration.


Handles will always be a work in progress for me. I feel like I'm not as detailed oriented as I need to be to make immediate progress with them. I think I get about 1 good one out of 5 made. Hopefully I will force myself to make more mugs next semester in order to get the practice.

Love, from the Ceramics Lab.

3rd Semester at Kent

I loaded an entire electric kiln with work from the entire semester, and hoped for the best...

Loaded and ready to go...

Ready to unload!!! (Yes, I pulled some pieces out when they were about 300 degrees... naughty)

Highlights from the fall semester:

Baby Jars

Mugs... new shape & working on my handles

Big Jar and Baby Jar

Pretty cup!

Another one.

And a cake stand too.

EDIT: The red glaze is not a reduction glaze. You would laugh if you knew what it was. Reduction reds are typically copper reds, which are blueish colored in oxidation. (And since this load was oxidation fired...) Our particular studio red is called Oxblood, and it is a temperamental young child. It doesn't play well with others, half the time it doesn't even turn red in reduction, and it runs like crazy. Not my cup of tea. The only time I will use it is all alone in oxidation because I like the light translucent blue that it is. But anyway, the red is a tin/green chrome mixture which is common for burgundy and such color reds. It plays well with others, wouldn't you say. =) And check facebook for more images!!