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A Primitive Type of Firing

April 15, 2018Barrel FiredDavid

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otterpottery

74 Johnson Avenue
Markerville, Alberta -
Phone 403-638-5177
These are cups from the recent wood and electric f These are cups from the recent wood and electric firings. You can never have too many mugs – and they make the perfect gift. We make mugs in the #potteryclasses in #Sundre. There are exclusive mug making courses available. Once you use a handmade mug you wonder why you used an assembly line mug for so long. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #woodfiredpottery #lessons #arts #woodfired #mug #cup
It is important to experiment and try something ne It is important to experiment and try something new. Here are two slab-built mugs using the Nerikomi technique. I added a bit of brown clay into my regular clay and mixed them up together. Not too much or you lose the color separation. Using a very fine wire I took the equivalent of a small, very thin layer of skin off the mound of mixed clay. I put several thin clay pieces on the surface of a freshly made mug and used a brayer roller to get them to attach. Very delicate work! Next time, I’ll use brightly colored clays. Join the two colors together in an organized way and make a repeating pattern! Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre starting the week of January 21st. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #Nerikomi #slabbuilding It is important to experiment and try something new. Here are two slab-built mugs using the Nerikomi technique. I added a bit of brown clay into my regular clay and mixed them up together. Not too much or you lose the color separation. Using a very fine wire I took the equivalent of a small, very thin layer of skin off the mound of mixed clay. I put several thin clay pieces on the surface of a freshly made mug and used a brayer roller to get them to attach. Very delicate work! Next time, I’ll use brightly colored clays. Join the two colors together in an organized way and make a repeating pattern! Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre starting the week of January 21st. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #Nerikomi #slabbuilding
These French butter dishes and garlic keepers fit These French butter dishes and garlic keepers fit in the fridge for travel and take no room on a small table once you found your destination. Spending summer in the Sundre area? Join us for #Sundre #potteryclasses starting the week of July 9th. For the summer, classes are available afternoons and evenings. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #wheelthrowing #ceramics #exploresundre #camping #resorts
Oops! My hand was too big for the greenware mug an Oops! My hand was too big for the greenware mug and the wall of the cup broke. Suddenly, they became candle holders. An accident can trigger a new way to think about what to make. Join us for #Sundre #potteryclasses starting the week of July 9th. For the summer classes are available afternoons and evenings. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #wheelthrowing #ceramics
This lantern is slab built. The graduation in the This lantern is slab built. The graduation in the sizes of circles suggests hay bales in fields stretching off into the rolling distance. A candle at night reveals light chasing itself around the surface. Join us for the #Sundre #potteryclasses starting in mid-May. Space for creative fun is available every evening, 7 to 10 pm. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #wheelthrowing #ceramics #potteryglazes #extruder #clay #sculpture #lantern
Another view of this bowl. Learning to combine gla Another view of this bowl. Learning to combine glazes takes time. Not too much and not too little. Join us for the #Sundre #potteryclasses starting the week of March 25th. We have space available for every evening 7 to 10 pm if you would like to come and have some fun creating. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #wheelthrowing #ceramics #potteryglazes
My first try at making a dozen mugs to specificati My first try at making a dozen mugs to specification. I hope the customer likes them. I could barely get my hand in them!
A French Butter Dish. Keep your butter nice and cr A French Butter Dish. Keep your butter nice and creamy all the time while sitting on the table. The butter goes in the bell-shaped top. Put enough water in the base to submerge the rim of the top to make an air tight seal. Makes a great Christmas Gift. I will be at the #Bergen #christmasmarket, 10 kms south of #Sundre on November 24th. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #butterdish
Just like white over black gives a speckled patter Just like white over black gives a speckled pattern, white over green gives a similar pattern. On a closer look the pattern of dots is fewer, irregular and less defined. This Butter Dome will be at the #Bergen #christmasmarket, 10 kms south of #Sundre on November 24th. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #butterdish
We had some good weather and got a raku firing don We had some good weather and got a raku firing done. It is always exciting to get a very quickly finish pot. Instant gratification. Be ready for unexpected surfaces, colors and of course – lots of fire! For the #potteryclasses in #Sundre I don’t teach raku. You can’t predict the amount of wind here. We have #giftcertificates available for the Pottery classes after #Xmas Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #Christmas #raku
Here is a student`s work from the classes that end Here is a student`s work from the classes that ended in December. With the vibrant, cranberry glaze highlights on this small serving plate, it stands out and sings. I have changed the date of the upcoming pottery classes to start the week of January 21st. To enroll, have a first, second and third choice of days that you are available. With only 5 students per class it helps if you can be flexible. Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #January #mug #plates #trays
With sculpture I try different glazes, textures an With sculpture I try different glazes, textures and shapes. There are many types of glazes that you can`t put on a pot and then call it food safe. These pieces are so interesting to touch. The white glaze is a crawling glaze. You brush it on the pot and in the kiln, the heat makes the glaze melt. This is when the white glaze travels due to surface tension to accumulate at different spots. There is no control on this. It is very exciting to open the kiln and see what new surface has formed each time. Isn`t that great??
Remember, #potteryclasses in #Sundre. This lidded Remember, #potteryclasses in #Sundre. This lidded pot has been heated in a special dedicated kiln. Once the black glaze develops, a salt is placed in the kiln and it vaporizes. Everything in the kiln is then covered with a thin film of material. This effect is the same as gasoline on water. The thin film reflects light from the surface and the base of the film. The interference of the reflected light waves creates the color patterns as the film varies in thickness. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #sundreclayart #ceramica #raku #lessons #handthrown
The November #potteryclasses in #Sundre are starti The November #potteryclasses in #Sundre are starting to book up. For information and to enroll go to http://www.otterpottery.com/pottery-classes/ . To commemorate the long life and companionship of a favorite horse, a piece of pottery was to be used. I was brought some hair from the horse's tail and we decorated a few pots. What a beautiful reminder. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #horsehairpottery #lessons #art #horse #remembrance
The year’s final 6-week #potteryclasses in #Sund The year’s final 6-week #potteryclasses in #Sundre are starting up the week of November 5th. For information and to enroll go to http://www.otterpottery.com/pottery-classes/ . This teapot is out of last week’s wood firing. We reached 2228 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of the wood used burnt very hot but gave little of the desired ash deposits. A combination of woods will be used next time. Still a lovely pot. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #woodfiredpottery #lessons #arts #woodfired #teapot
In the last posting, did you notice the wave shape In the last posting, did you notice the wave shaped shadow cast by the sculpture. Therefore, both of these pieces were also wave shaped. A little something to hang back about and not point out right away. These pieces of wall art are about textures. The leather frames the work. It looks and feels so different from the craggy canyons and hills of the landscapes of these pieces. This is a raku type of clay, but I wanted to fire it in a low temperature barrel fire. They both were placed in a barrel full of wood chips, bark, saw dust, pine cones and roots. The wood was lit to burned in the barrel all night. These two pieces were discovered hidden amongst the ashes and incombustibles.
This bottle was made using the pinch technique. Th This bottle was made using the pinch technique. This 30 cm bottle imitates the wax drippings from a burning candle stuck in the top. I fire to cone 6 and used cone 06 glazes for their color as well as knowing they would run. A bit of runny Nuka glaze helped too. #Sundre #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #sundreclayart #ceramica #lessons #pinchpottery #glazingpottery
I have 2 mugs left over from a recent commission. I have 2 mugs left over from a recent commission. Wanting travelling mugs, I attached short high handles. These are a pleasure to hold and so comfortable. They can fit in your car’s cup holders too. Join us for #Sundre #potteryclasses starting the week of March 25th. I already have people enrolled for Wednesday evening 7 to 10 pm if you would like to come and have some fun creating. Other days are available. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #wheelthrowing #ceramics
Here in Alberta, agriculture is an important part Here in Alberta, agriculture is an important part of our economy. As the seasons change, the fields are worked with ploughs, harrows and fertilizing vehicles. The long flowing lines of tracks break up the flat fields and reveal the contours of the land. The textured surface on the cylinder gives long fluid lines for your eyes to flow over. The variable raku glaze moves details forward or back. It is more sculpture than pottery. Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #Christmas #raku #newyears #farming #sculpture
Pottery classes are just about finished for the ye Pottery classes are just about finished for the year. After many years of making pottery and giving lessons, I have my own teaching method. Everyone got to make a cup or bowl on their first night trying the wheel. Some made several vases. It is wonderful to see everyone so happy and excited about the success of their first go at the wheel. Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #Christmas #raku #newyears #2019
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