Showing posts with label ceramics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ceramics. Show all posts
Sunday, January 5, 2014
Friday, January 21, 2011
Busy In Boiling Springs
Its cold in Pennsylvania.
And I just spent the last few days at Kurt's studio prepping and firing some collaborative work (collaborative? I know its definately a new concept in clay for me).
I started slip decorating my own pots last year around April and Kurt saw some pieces and asked if I would do some decorating on his pots. I said I would and so we set out to do this a few weeks before the new year. We fired in his wood salt kiln (the one that I posted pictures of from this last summer) for two and a half days. Candled with propane on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and added some larger burners, as we started with his weed burner, and did turn ups over the lunch time hours. The real deal started around 4 in the afternoon. We had help and visitors through out the firing as Kurt's home and studio tend to be a very active place (people are always popping by to see what he is up to, to lend a hand, or just to share conversation). Apparently he also had a visit from the cranky neighbor lady from last time (remember her, she needs to find a hobby other than terrorizing Mr. Brantner and his pottery) who didn't have anything nice to say, she even went as far to say she wanted to have him fined! Which we all know is nonsense... Kurt fired the kiln solo from about 3am to 11am Thursday morning. It reached a temperature of cone 11 (about 2400 degrees F). We also set up the door with a port so hikidashi could be performed. Unfortunately I wasn't there to help but from what I heard Kurt pulled 4 pots out of the port.
We are unloading this Sunday, the 23rd of January and I will try to document then. We did get some folks to take pictures while they were there and Kurt had some video footage taken at the end. There is a small preliminary trailer that is about 1 minute 45 seconds (actual footage is over a half hour). It was filmed by Nate, a friend of Kurt's. This video will most likely be replaced by another one but for reference its pretty interesting.
*Edit
Well here is a new video by Nate of the unloading that happened the 23rd. Its a pretty good little film. Gives you an idea of what kinds of things came out and shows a little bit of Kurt and I in the flesh.
And I just spent the last few days at Kurt's studio prepping and firing some collaborative work (collaborative? I know its definately a new concept in clay for me).
I started slip decorating my own pots last year around April and Kurt saw some pieces and asked if I would do some decorating on his pots. I said I would and so we set out to do this a few weeks before the new year. We fired in his wood salt kiln (the one that I posted pictures of from this last summer) for two and a half days. Candled with propane on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and added some larger burners, as we started with his weed burner, and did turn ups over the lunch time hours. The real deal started around 4 in the afternoon. We had help and visitors through out the firing as Kurt's home and studio tend to be a very active place (people are always popping by to see what he is up to, to lend a hand, or just to share conversation). Apparently he also had a visit from the cranky neighbor lady from last time (remember her, she needs to find a hobby other than terrorizing Mr. Brantner and his pottery) who didn't have anything nice to say, she even went as far to say she wanted to have him fined! Which we all know is nonsense... Kurt fired the kiln solo from about 3am to 11am Thursday morning. It reached a temperature of cone 11 (about 2400 degrees F). We also set up the door with a port so hikidashi could be performed. Unfortunately I wasn't there to help but from what I heard Kurt pulled 4 pots out of the port.
We are unloading this Sunday, the 23rd of January and I will try to document then. We did get some folks to take pictures while they were there and Kurt had some video footage taken at the end. There is a small preliminary trailer that is about 1 minute 45 seconds (actual footage is over a half hour). It was filmed by Nate, a friend of Kurt's. This video will most likely be replaced by another one but for reference its pretty interesting.
*Edit
Well here is a new video by Nate of the unloading that happened the 23rd. Its a pretty good little film. Gives you an idea of what kinds of things came out and shows a little bit of Kurt and I in the flesh.
Kurt Brantner Winter Sale Film from Cinemoxie on Vimeo.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Post Unloading Juniata's Anagama Thoughts
As I said before the images below were taken mainly by my dad over the course of a week-ish. He used a point-and-shoot digital camera so there are more than a few "motion action shots." Overall the firing was a complete success. There were very few "bad" pots but we did/ I did manage to stack the front of the kiln using only one brick to support two very heavy 32"x24" shelves. Needless to say there were some weight + heat-over-time happenings.
We did get the kiln to temperature and developed a solid holding pattern that allowed us to reach cone 13 (2400 F or 1310 C). We also had the front of the kiln open for just about the entire firing which let radiant heat from our front ember mass (coals that are used to maintain temp. in the firebox of the anagama) help to get our desired temperature in the back of the kiln.
For the record Jared and Nick came on shift as I was fading around 10am Monday morning and they stoked the middle and back of the kiln till a little after Simon Leach's Youtube video was shot at 3pm in the afternoon. The cones in the middle door section had cone 12 (2350 F) down and in the back Jared managed to flatten cone 13 (no easy task).
Our goal was to get it hot and melt the ash on our pots (as the firing before this one there were many crusty grey pots) and we did just that. Many beautiful things came out of this firing and I think everyone got at least one great piece. Expect to see examples of my pots as soon as I get my home photo set-up set up. Maybe I'll even post images of some of the other peoples work i.e. Nick, Jared, and my Dad. Who knows.
We did get the kiln to temperature and developed a solid holding pattern that allowed us to reach cone 13 (2400 F or 1310 C). We also had the front of the kiln open for just about the entire firing which let radiant heat from our front ember mass (coals that are used to maintain temp. in the firebox of the anagama) help to get our desired temperature in the back of the kiln.
For the record Jared and Nick came on shift as I was fading around 10am Monday morning and they stoked the middle and back of the kiln till a little after Simon Leach's Youtube video was shot at 3pm in the afternoon. The cones in the middle door section had cone 12 (2350 F) down and in the back Jared managed to flatten cone 13 (no easy task).
Our goal was to get it hot and melt the ash on our pots (as the firing before this one there were many crusty grey pots) and we did just that. Many beautiful things came out of this firing and I think everyone got at least one great piece. Expect to see examples of my pots as soon as I get my home photo set-up set up. Maybe I'll even post images of some of the other peoples work i.e. Nick, Jared, and my Dad. Who knows.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Summer Living.
The beat goes on... the summer in Mount Union has proven to be hot, humid, and without rain. I am volunteering at the Juniata College Ceramics Studio over the summer months and we are preparing to break ground (lay cinder block) for a new smaller downdraft gas kiln. I have been decorating feverishly and am working on a cup design to make a slipcasting mold from. I have been thinking about print a lot lately and have begun some drawings and layouts for print ideas, maybe more on that later. If anyone has any entrepreneurial ideas for money making other than exotic dancing (believe me, there is a market just not with me in it) let me know because I am poo or. Go economy, Go!
At the end of June I returned to Erie Pennsylvania for the Erie Summer Arts Festival for the second year in a row. I set up shop with a colleague of mine from Edinboro University and we made an attempt to peddle our wares to the attendees of said fest. Unfortunately the coordinators of the arts fest cut funding to the advertisements and entertainment so to say the least we didn't fair well. I didn't make gas money to get me back and fourth. Yet, we had a great time with our friends and each other. I plan on being there next year again in hopes that the Erie Summer Fest people get their act together and with my continued support I hope that the festival is able to carry on and improve with age.
The last day of the festival, Sunday, ended just as the year before with a thunderstorm off the lake. Only apparently this time there were tornado cones dropping down over the lake and a few moved inland and one may have touched down, allegedly. During this time Todd and I went swimming in the lake. :) Good times.
I am scheduled to head back up at the end of this month for 'Discover Presque Isle' and I hope the coordinators of that have things tied down a little tighter. It should still be a good time. If you are reading this and are in the Erie area come check it out. July 23, 24, and 25. Come and visit. More miraculous than just reading this and showing up mention my blog and I might give you a discount. Maybe. (what times are tough) :)
I've got many pictures to post and am working on a real website so check back soon for more info, I swear I'll post sooner than later.
At the end of June I returned to Erie Pennsylvania for the Erie Summer Arts Festival for the second year in a row. I set up shop with a colleague of mine from Edinboro University and we made an attempt to peddle our wares to the attendees of said fest. Unfortunately the coordinators of the arts fest cut funding to the advertisements and entertainment so to say the least we didn't fair well. I didn't make gas money to get me back and fourth. Yet, we had a great time with our friends and each other. I plan on being there next year again in hopes that the Erie Summer Fest people get their act together and with my continued support I hope that the festival is able to carry on and improve with age.
The last day of the festival, Sunday, ended just as the year before with a thunderstorm off the lake. Only apparently this time there were tornado cones dropping down over the lake and a few moved inland and one may have touched down, allegedly. During this time Todd and I went swimming in the lake. :) Good times.
I am scheduled to head back up at the end of this month for 'Discover Presque Isle' and I hope the coordinators of that have things tied down a little tighter. It should still be a good time. If you are reading this and are in the Erie area come check it out. July 23, 24, and 25. Come and visit. More miraculous than just reading this and showing up mention my blog and I might give you a discount. Maybe. (what times are tough) :)
I've got many pictures to post and am working on a real website so check back soon for more info, I swear I'll post sooner than later.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
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