The Gallery Me

Candee Lewis, who has been at Vision Gallery for umpteen million years, is retiring today.  Her party is at noon, and I can't be there, because I'm babysitting the studio for Neal while he's on vacation.

So here's my thank you for all the gracious help Candee's given me, and sharing this fun picture of me and some of my more colorful bowls.  

Have a wonderful new career, Candee, and lots of success and happiness. 

Photo answers the question

Sometimes I just can't believe what a great tool photos have become in my work.  As I was painting the underglaze on this new bowl, I was puzzling as to how to treat the inside.

Now that I've taken a photo, the answer is right there!  

It has to be black.  That is what is going to make the piece the most dramatic, and that is what I am going for.  It will be orange and brown on the outside, with little white dots, of course.  And shiny black on the inside.  

Any contrasting opinions out there?

I'll show you a picture when it's fired.

Sweet little birds

Have underglazed four more of my little hummingbirds.

I'm trying a different approach to the background, something a little more painterly, and softer, I hope.

I'll take a picture when they come out of the kiln.

Some others that I tried this week didn't turn out, I hear.  I'm heading over there this afternoon to check it out.  

My Easter bunnies

No work this weekend!  Here's a picture of my youngest son and my oldest grandsons yesterday just before Easter dinner.  Aren't they handsome boys?


We had a great Easter, and ate way too much good stuff.  

So, back to work today!

I saw it on Ceramics Daily

I saw a post about 2 weeks ago on Ceramic Arts Daily, and decided to try it out.  

When I rolled the slab out I laid out a piece of batten burg lace on top of the clay to give it a little more interest.

One of the guys in my class suggested that since it looked like the flowers I do on other stuff, I should paint some underglaze on it before it's fired.  

I made two of them, and so here's the second one with the underglaze.  I'll post a picture after they're fired..  

I hope that when they're done they can hold a 4" pot, so you can just plop something in.  If that works I'm going to make some bigger ones for the Christmas amaryllis that I put in my entry way every year.  Wouldn't that look cool? 

A work in progress

I showed you these little tiles I was doing as a sample for a possible upcoming tile project.  (More benches!)  If these work in with the design I'll have to do anywhere between 20 - 30 of these hummingbird tiles to use as accents in my design.  

These are the tiles, before firing.  Below are the tiles after firing.  What I learned:  the yellow I have doesn't translate.  I actually like the painterly look of the background.  I may keep it.  

 Why does this do this when I import it?  It looks fine in the file, then when I bring it over it flips on me.  Grrrrrr!  So aggravating.  

Anyway, you can see what I was talking about.  
To keep:  the painterly look of the background.  But be more aware when applying it!
To find:  a good, high-fire yellow.
 

So Pretty

There is this cactus in my garden that I just love.  The flowers only bloom for one day, but they are spectacular!!!!  


  I just wanted to share this with you.  I have ten blooming right now.

I've painted them before and you can see the watercolors on my website:  www.escobedoart.com