Perthshire Open Studios... final push!!!

Ok, the trouble with being busy is that you don't have time to blog/tweet/blah on about what you're doing just when you need to!!!
So I went from selling at the Edinburgh Festival last month, and the loveliness of this....



...My stand at the West End 3d2d Craft and Design Fair...(so clean, so light and airy...).... to this:

..not clean, not airy... just a pit, otherwise known as my pre- Perthshire Open Studios workshop... neglected and sad... and did I say, a pit... I mean, there's a single shoe there in the centre of the floor - why????

Anyway, miracles began to happen:

Well hello light and airy... welcome back!  And finally:

Oops... thought I'd slip that in so we can all admire Archie's astounding contribution to this event...

Ah yes, to this... um, maybe I cluttered up the space again with all my work on display but they tell me that's the point, so hey-ho.

Anyway, this is the final weekend! Hooray... no more house arrest on Monday!!! Er, I mean, boo.... no more chatting to lovely visitors and enjoying selling my work and sharing my passions...

Really, it has been a good week, with lovely interested folks touring about the back roads and secret places of Perthshire, enjoying coming upon these treasure troves of creativity that are dotted about!

Come see me - I'm open til 7pm for the last 2 evenings... yeah - the big push!

Fireplace Tiles... a step closer to success?

Right then.... that was a long cliff-hanger. "And so exciting", I hear you shriek!  Well, I'm here to put my lovely followers out of their misery re the whole glaze-testing-fireplace-tile-scenario thingmie.

It worked.

That's it.
Mwhahahahahahahah. My little joke.  Voila.

Yes, I think you'll agree, and I certainly hope my client agrees, that this is much brighter, accurate and generally very bonny indeed.  Got some tweeking to do now I see what those glazes are like to paint with and I might just drop the red but generally... pretty pleased.

And since I overfired some in the bicuit firing like a complete twat (see new, over-enthusiastic kiln elements.. blast!), I'll have a few to practice on while I get it right.  Silver lining la la la etc - this is the attitude we hapless ceramicists have to adopt as we take another happy-slapping from the Kiln Gods...

Service Interuption...  I've just found a glass of wine I poured for myself 2 hours ago and FORGOT TO DRINK!!!!

*stares in disbelief*

Anyway, before I sign off to go and remedy that, this one-off variation on my Vessels Tile range came out right nice yesterday.

Just thought I'd share that before I go off and drink the wine and pass out  do some more important stuff.

Fireplace and life

Well, life has been so... topsey turvey and complicated lately!  All interuptus and not enough workus.  However, parents' health willing, I can get a smooth go at finishing some commissions for a while; and starting new ones.
Not that it's just the Aged P's that have been in need of my attentions; some deadlines and events just refuse to be moved! 
Like Potfest (see older post) and the PVAF Big Forum Weekend I was involved in organising. (That's Perthshire Visual Artists' Forum to yooz.) http://www.pvaf.org.uk/ for a lookie at what we get up to! 
I was taking care of the bookings and by the time it actually happened I had taken up self harming and was eyeing the modem with a view to ripping the wires out and hanging myself.  Really, artists are (generalising here, m'kay?) the most last-minute and dizzy group of individuals - I do include myself in that statement. Sometimes. Occasionally. NOT ANYMORE!
Anyway, by the time the Forum was properly underway and we were all feeling inspired and a-buzz with fab speakers etc, I was in love with the world again and even managed to be sociable till the very end.  And they said it couldn't be done! Pah!

However, all of this has not been helping my patient clients and the Fireplace (see earlier post) is still being created bit by bit.  It did not help that I got some of the maths wrong (!) and have had to cut a few extra sizes, but no harm done.  So I've been testing and, consequently, ordering glazes this week.

These are what the raw glazing looks like before firing and this was the first attempt.  Normally I don't do a 'finished piece' test but in this case, I want to see the whole look.  People who say "oh, I like it better before it gets fired" get a hard slap.

Ok. I like it better before it was fired too.  Actually, the greenery is fine I think but the nasturtium itself is too dull and muddy.  Having said that, my neighbour flippin' LOVED IT so of course, it's all subjective!  I don't think it's what my esteemed client is looking for, though, so onwards...

The next test is in the kiln and it will tell me everything I need to know!  Wish me luck.  I've used brighter, more compatible colours and added some more green so we shall see.  Listen out for screams of joy or horror!

Next lot before firing...

I'll get back to you!

 

Tired

I am seriously knackered.

This is why:

and this ~ the nasturtium fire surround:

 

(part of which I overfired due to new over-enthusiastic kiln elements and the ability to sleep through FOUR alarms!!!)

 

It will be lovely when it's finally finished though...

Also rather weary what with making about a gazillion of these for said Potfest....

...and one or two other commisions and orders which are in the mix.  One more whole day before the Potfest set up on Friday and it's gonna be PACKED!!!

Should probably check kiln and go for a snooze, then!

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Dudes

Some days you just happen to hit upon something so fine....so very, very fine....

And today was one of those days.

Oh yes.

Last 4 badges to go in today's biscuit kiln and I'm busily drawing pretty ladies with demi-waves and lipstick, a la: 

Suddenly, a helmet appears... then a moustache.... then, before I can stop them.....

The Gay Biker Dudes are born!!!!!!!

I love them. 

I may never make anything else. 

Ever.

Kiln Repairing Workshop Happenings...

Is it Sunday night already???????? *weeps* Been a busy week in the CWS Empire.
The result of which is this...

Nightmare!!!  I can't help it... I have Potfest in a few weeks!  Not to mention a number of orders and commisions...

Actually let's ignore that and pretend everything's fine, la la la... 
So, I did a very good thing this week, production-wise:  I changed my kiln elements after *cough* a number of years.  Seriously, I could have fired tiles quicker just holding a match to them.  First thing to do when your pristine and shiny new elements arrive (and after unplugging the thing) is remove the back of the kiln...

Er, er... ............            No, it looks bad but let me tell you I have tackled bigger kiln electrics that look prehistoric and a lot more crispy than this.   Just get all the right bits to touch each other and not anything else and yer laughin'. 
*looks around for the fire-blanket*
So this is where the elements terminate and hook up to the fizzy leckie.  On the other side I was yanking out this:

Man those poor babies are well past retirement!  (They are gonna look so good on the Lady-Robot costume I'm thinking of for a 2069 space party I'm attending soon though!  I might wear them in my hair!) 

 Anyway, after much swearing, cutting my hands to ribbons and breathing lethal quantities of kiln fibre, (How many slivers of fibre does it take to do perminant damage, Ceri?  Oh, I dunno... ONE?!!!), my little kiln looked like this:

Deep joy and much rejoicing!  And yes it works!  If only I could rejuvinate my own bits and bobs with so little effort.          

Pauses for reflection....

Anyway, in anticipation of cuteness being a good thing for sales at Potfest, I've done some wee face badges and magnets - these are they in the raw:

And these are they biscuit fired:

Actually some of these, when finished and gloriously coloured, will debut at the mini Ceri at Boo Vake exhibition 20th-26th May (is that right, Arlene???) 

So that's a bit of a catch-up... just to show that when I'm not getting my paws dirty with mud, I'm just getting them dirtier with... other stuff.