Trying new techniques.

Last Thursday's painting class was a lesson on dry brushing. I thought this class would be very good for me because I tend to paint with a really loaded brush most of the time. So I was painting and I was painting with almost no paint on the brush and just not getting the effect I wanted. It looked stiff and way too regular. So I decided to go for thin layers of color in just the opposite way, glazing. I loaded my brush with very wet, very thin paint and started applying different colors in very thin layers. I have one of those heat tools (best $20 investment ever) and I could dry the layers in a hurry. I was much happier with the the result. And then I decided to do some selective splattering and then some more glazing to tone down the splatters and then a few thin edge lines to give a subtle indication of a light source. I am really glad I tried the dry brush technique and there may be times I want to use it, but it wasn't working for me this week.

My instructor, Jim Salem is a master of dry brushing. One look at his work and you will understand why I want to be able to do it also. One short note: Jim did say that I was working on a canvas that was very smooth and dry brushing works better on a canvas with a little tooth. So I think I'll blame it on the canvas.

Now I just have to make a simple edge strip frame and take it into the gallery.

12" x 12" acrylic on canvas

Bowls and sets for entertaining.

These little bowls I call "dip bowls" because they are intended to hold a dip or spread and I haven't come up with anything more interesting. I have added a "little thing" to hold the spreader knife. The little thing has no name, but when everyone sees one in the gallery they go ,"Oh look! It has a little thing to hold the knife". This should make it easier for guests to know what to do with the knife and help keep the table cloth clean. I have fluted the edges of the bowls for fun and they come with the knife. They sell for $29.00 each. They make a nice hostess gift.

I also make sets like this one, a platter that comes with a dip bowl. I occasionally make the traditional dip set where the bowl is attached in the center. But I like the idea of separates because you can get more use out of two pieces. This set is $74.00.

Good Morning

Coffee in a new mug, what a way to start the day. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Fish Flops and coffee cups

I have been very busy making pottery lately. I have finished some special requests and I am working on some others. Mostly I have been making a lot of the "usual suspects" that you have already seen. I have been out of mugs in the gallery for awhile and just kept putting off making them. Then I realized that I really like cups. I know most people prefer mugs, but in the morning I will reach for a cup before I reach for a mug. In my mind mugs are taller, with narrow tops and they have the advantage of keeping the coffee warmer for longer. Cups are more traditional in shape, think teacup, but I like the wider opening. So I decided that this time I would make cups instead of mugs, but really big cups. And to make them interesting I decided to put a message in them. My message this time is "Island Life is better" and of course they say Key West. I am hoping they will appeal to our gallery customers who are looking for handmade and unusal gifts to take home to the dog sitter, house sitter etc.

This is the whole load that came out of the kiln. I'm a productions potter so I almost always make things in multiples. This load was cups, fish flops, dip bowls and a set that had to be refired. This photo gives you a good idea of how large the cups are.

Here is a close up of the fish flops. They hang on the wall and make really fun sculpture.

Now I almost never keep any pottery for myself. I have a lot of my pottery and I use it all the time, but mine is all the chip and dent rejects that I can't sell in the gallery. But today I really liked the pink cup you see right in front in this photo. I picked it up, liked the way it felt in my hand, and I love the color pink so I marched it right into my kitchen and had a cup of coffee. Of course now I'm looking at that dark red one, it is pretty nice too. But I am going to stick with the pink. And I am looking forward to tomorrow morning.