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extruded stars/halfway decent's better than indecent.......

updated tue 23 oct 01

 

Joyce Lee on sun 21 oct 01


I just finished slicing about 3 dozen stars from one extruded length of =
clay ..... deformed? Not really.
The clay was soft enough for my extruder which requires a soft clay =
..... just let the star log hang there for about ten minutes to stiffen =
up (in the desert this is very possible). Handled it gingerly as I =
would a large freshly thrown slab ... didn't seem all that different =
from working with wonky vases..... had to gently pat a couple of spots =
down after slicing...... easy.

Nice by-product: I don't do sculpture ..... but I did take a long =
extrusion of a star shaped roll, worked it into a U shape, and slapped =
the middle part against the table to form a stable stand. Only value is =
to me, but I like it ... will glaze it red,white and blue (what else?) =
..... or, maybe not, maybe TC's blue celadon. OR it would look great =
glazed and raku-fired..... I don't have time for that now, but maybe =
next month after my sale/show. Took about ten minutes. I can envision =
all sorts of twisty starry things... maybe in Filley's Sapphire Blue =
with lavender/white slip beneath...... her glaze gives a kind of starry =
look anyway if you punch tiny holes through the glaze, leaving the teeny =
spots of slip. Or maybe star legs on platters ...... Hmmmmmmmmmm

Joyce
In the Mojave thinking that this is a halfway decent idea......... which =
calls to mind the raggedy, dirty and smelly, very gruff and loud, =
unemployed for twenty years former gold miner from over in Johannesburg =
..... who terrorized the ladies in the front office on the rare =
occasions he could get a ride for the 25 mile trip into town. Wouldn't =
you know it, he had the sweetest, nicest teenage son..... could see in =
the son what the dad might have been if neither drunk nor hungover AND =
bathed and curried. Kid slept under the falling down cabin on an =
infested couch from the dump ... it's okay; we took care of him =
eventually and he's back east doin' okay and NOT on welfare..... =
Anyway, the dad blasted his way into my office one morning, loomed =
behind me (fool that I was.... I arranged my desk so that I never looked =
out OVER the desk at anyone, but had to swivel my chair around to join =
visitors face to face..... I said I was a fool; it was a dangerous thing =
to do), slapped his heavy hand on my shoulder saying, "I want to talk to =
YOU now!!" He then boomed whatever orders he had for me that day. =
When, as usual, I accomodated where I could and said that I couldn't =
accomodate where not possible. THAT day ... the one and only time..... =
he patted me on the head and said that he'd heard I was "halfway =
decent"......
I took it as a compliment.......=20

Lorraine Pierce on mon 22 oct 01


Hi Joyce...I perked up my ears when I saw your reference to Filley's Saffire
Blue glaze. Filley's great teapot pictured in CM using that starry recipe
excited me, but for me on the Laguna B-10 body in reduction, just a nice
glossy well fitting but dull glaze...no stars! And that was one of the
glazes that shattered off my bisqued Coleman Porcelain before glaze firing.
Now that I know to poke a hole thru the glaze to the slip or underbody for
the starlike look, would you share what body you use? I plan to try it on
another porcelain in the next kiln. ( I know...some glazes do not travel.)
Thanks, Lori Pierce in New Port Richey, Fl.