Clay Blog Review – January 2012

Back at it in the year 2012.  Slightly reorganized and still looking for the best blog posts from the past month.

Process and Techniques

• FetishGhost shares a video of Jessica Fong cutting a foot ring by hand and decorating a platter.

• DirtKicker Pottery extrudes handles with a pugger.
• Lorri Buff has a video of throwing sets.

• Liz Crain repairs a broken handle.
• Mea Rhee shows how her graphic design experience helps her as a potter.
• Paul Jessop has work in progress… and more.
• Luke Langholz also has work in progress and bowls in progress and more.
• Hannah McAndrew is  slip trailing and working on jugs and more jugs.
• Lorri Watts makes a big bowl into something unique and shows the steps she used to make a flower brick.
• Gary Jackson stamps mugs and ovals and talks about his signature.
• Kyle Houser works on cups and wants feedback.
• Jemarick Art shows work on an orchid pot… and another.
• Cinderelish shares a short clip of trimming a large bowl.
• Liberty Stoneware has images and videos of working on not-milkpans and shows off the “evil” pugmill.

• Carole Epp shares a video about Max Cheprack’s extrusions.
• Raven Hill Pottery prepares for Valentine’s Day.
• Barnbarroch Pottery is working on boats, more boats… a little further along.
• Marian Williams shares notes on glazing and firing.
• Doug Fitch works on bowls and decorates jugs and makes bigger pots.
• Linda Starr shares a pit fire pictorial and shows how she makes a pedestal bowl and admits sometimes things don’t turn out how she planned.
• Michael Kline explains a slightly revised plan for his daily routine.
• Art by Fuzzy has some images of work in progress.
• Amy Manson shares a link to a collaborative carving experiment.
• Lucy Fagella shows how parts come together to make a teapot.
• Potter Jo tests plant imprints.
• Lisa talks about her colanders.
• Dawn Whitehand has a slideshow of her saggar bonfire firing.
• Michael Mahan works on race awards and has video of throwing a bowl.
• Ang Walford has new pots, stamps and handles.
• Bfree pottery works with decals.
• Keith begins the Clay 360 project (video).

• Video of Cynthia Bringle throwing a goblet.
• Mom Cave Pottery has an app for trying glaze ideas.

Tips and Technical

• John Britt shares recipes: Bringle Liner Glaze, Linda’s Yellow Slip, Juicy Turquoise A, and a link to wadding and kiln wash recipes.
• Also from the Clay Club, Erik shows off 940 glaze tests.
• Meagan Chaney shares her favorite 04 Crawl Glaze recipe.
• Lorri Buff talks chamois alternatives.
• Bill Amsterlaw talks about his woodstove raku.
• Lorri Watts tells what kind of drain is needed for a vessel sink and more.
• Amy gets some answers to questions about setting up her studio.
• Karatsu Pots builds a test kiln and tests it.
• Michael Mahan shows some glaze layering tests.
• Diving into the Clay talks Chrome and Manganese.
• Trace Broome researches clay slabs and discovers going against the grain could be a problem.
• Zizziba Studio starts good record keeping.

Finished Work

• Hollis Engley has work from the New Year’s Eve firing and some shino pots.
• Tammy Jo posts a video of the past year – 365 cups!
• Lorri Watts has new pots.
• Luke Langholz shows finished mugs and bowls.
• Raven Hill Pottery looks back at the top selling item of the year.
• Clay and Ginger shows video of a kiln opening.
• Round Rabbit has finished pendants.
• Peggy has a series of posts with finished pieces such as Up A Creek.
• Clementina Ceramics has plates with faces.
• Finished pots from Simple Circle Studios.
• Bella Joy Pottery shows a preview of the new focus.
• Aaron Sober has finished functional and decorative work.
• Russell Wrankle shows a few rectangle tiles.
• Linda Starr finished some once-fired shrines and some doors and pit fire pieces.
• Tammy Jo has a slideshow of finished cups.
• Art by Fuzzy has a variety of pots for the holiday season.
• Bfree Pottery has finished work.
• Gary Jackson shows off some glazed textures.
• Kelly Lynn Daniels has pieces from a recent firing.
• Patricia Griffin has pod mugs from the woodcut series.
• Cathie shares some dream keepers.

Thoughts

• John Bauman shares four reasons why custom orders are “bird repellent”.
• Ron Philbeck gives his opinion on two statements that he’s tired of hearing.

1.  When people are talking to me about drawing and they say, ”I can’t even draw a straight line.”2.  And the statement, ”It’s all been done before.”

• Aaron Sober shares some reasons for going to graduate school.
• Michael Kline talks about other tools and blogging.
• Carter Gillies is blogging about blogging.
• Scott Cooper gets into the meta-blogging as well.
• Lisa discusses the magic of clay.
• Rae Dunn on “beautiful ugly”:

one of clay’s biggest life lesson for me is to not have your heart set on something. when you think you want something a certain way, it could turn out in a completely different way and you just might love it evenmore.

• Dan Finnegan recalls memories of Ray and the motto “To Work is to Pray“.

The Rest

• The Modern Pottery Studio links to the oral history interview with Warren McKenzie.
• FetishGhost shares some advice from Austin Kleon.
• Ben Carter continues his series on how we learn. Also, part 3 and part 4.
• Lorri Buff encourages updates to your portfolio.
• Paul Jessop redecorates the showroom.
• Luke Langholz shares a funny videoabout a potter at an art fair.
• Judi Tavill (and some visitors) discuss facebook vs. blogs.
• Whitney Smith shares some marketing advice and asks how bad you want that nasty, dirty, pink and red money.
• Carole Epp shares a video about 3D ceramic printing (no special glasses required).
• Michael Kline says you don’t NEED a blog.
• Clay and Ginger shares a video: 29 ways to stay creative.
• Karen Mahoney has a (free!) craft fair checklist and a positive review of the mudsponge.
• Remembering Ray Finch and Emmanuel Cooper: Doug Fitch and part 2, Hollis Engley, Carole Epp, Marian Williams.
• Linda Starr looks to diversify.
• KaratsuPots fires the test kiln.
• Lucy Fagella wishes to be young again, or at least have the stamina of an 18 year old.
• Patricia Bridges shows that it’s not all about making pots.
• Neil Hazinski shares a pottery poem.

There you have it.  The best pottery blogging to bring in the new year.  A day later than usual… I guess I forget how long it takes to get all these links together.  But today is tomorrow. It happened.  To all the clay bloggers: thanks for blogging and keep up the good work!  And to all the readers: thanks for reading and feel free to leave some feedback!