Blog Archives

Reasons to Buy Handmade Pottery: Ken Bichell

5/31/2019

Occupation: Potter

Why do you buy handmade pottery?
"When I use handmade pottery I feel a connection to the maker. I generally only buy work from people I know. I have been collecting and using pottery for 35 years."

How did you acquire a Lisa York piece of pottery?
"I asked a friend to pick up a nice 'Lisa mug' for me" from 2018 Twenty Dirty Hands .

To Learn more about Ken Bichell check out his work and kiln on facebook .

3 Perks: Bring a Mug to your Coffee Shop

5/30/2019

1. Conversation Starter

People enjoy beautiful objects, and love to hear the story behind a unique mug.

2. Store Discount

Bring a mug get 10 to 60 cent discount off your drink at most coffee shops. Confession I'm a penny-pincher, that little discount is motive enough for me to try and remember to bring my mug.

3. Reduce Waste

Reduce the number of disposable cups going to the dump by continuing to reuse your own mugs.

Highly recommend you check my favorite local coffee shop in Milwaukee: Stone Creek Coffee.

Top 3 Reasons to do an Art Residency at: Zentrum Für Keramik

5/29/2019

1. Live in the city Berlin

Art focused city with top notch art museums and history.
Berlin is also a very beautiful city filled with green spaces, wonderful parks, and amazing architecture.

2. New Materials

New materials leads to new ideas as you problem solve working with those new clays, glazes, slips, etc.
I really love their gray clay!

3. International Exhibit

Our residency ended with an interactive exhibition Küchen. An exhibition revolved around the theme of dessert.
They really worked with us to get our work fired in a quick time frame.

To find out more information about this residency check out their website.

What kilns can I soda fire in?

5/28/2019

What kilns can I soda fire in?

Any kiln that uses carbon fuels (propane, gas, wood...)
Soda is corrosive, and will destroy elements in an electric kiln quickly.
Any kiln design that fires well (catenary or sprung arch, top loading, up draft, down draft, cross draft, etc...)

What kilns are most ideal for soda?

Has multiple openings. (openings big enough to add solid soda in firebox and the option of multiple ports throughout the kiln to spray soda inside)
Corrosion resistant building materials

Best building material for Soda firing:
Hard Brick

Advantage: Super duty hard bricks are the most resistant to soda, and can with stand going to hotter temperatures.
Disadvantage: not as good of an insulator and requires more fuel to fire kiln.

Non-ideal materials:
Soft brick, fiber blanket, castable...

Advantage: great insulator (use less fuel) and light weight
Disadvantage: not corrosive resistant (kiln will have a shorter life span)

Click the button to join my Soda Firing Educational Series

Join Now>>

Reasons to Buy Handmade Pottery: Denise Joyal

5/28/2019

About Denise:
She is an adjunct Professor at Wilson College, and decorates her functional ware with organic, inlaid designs that bleed into atmospheric surfaces. She has a pottery collection.

Why do you buy handmade pottery?
"I love objects made for use and admire good craftsmanship. Skill is required to make an object both beautiful and functional. The infinite variations possible for a single object still amazes me.
I have a number of Lisa York originals including a lunch plate, tumbler, vase, and an early cup from her graduate student days. Her work always brightens the room and lightens my mood as I can’t help but smile when I think of Lisa’s warm, caring personality and her great smile.
I have a variety of pieces in my collection. The ones that mean the most are typically the ones I acquire directly from the maker, and ideally, I have some connection with them. Over time, it’s like having lunch with a friend, even when you’re alone."

Why I Buy Handmade Pottery.

5/22/2019

As a maker, I have a great appreciation for the arts, and using handmade pottery brings me a lot of joy.

Most of my collection are pots that I have made; especially since my husband requests to keep pots from various firings.

Otherwise, I buy pots from people that I know and admire. For example, these oval plates made by Mary Bowron. She was a wood fire potter in Maryland that I look up to. I loved her spunk and personality, and her talent as an artist. (Ps. I'm from Maryland)

And then there are exceptions. I acquired this Matt Krousey platter from Functional Ceramics Workshop . I look forward to meeting Matt someday, but in the mean while I enjoy his talent as a potter.

I guess my most recent purchases have been plates. I have been building my collection of plates to to be big enough to serve food to a larger group of friends.

What is Soda Firing?

5/21/2019

What is soda firing?

A specific category of atmospheric firing.
A firing that introduces soda into kiln to create a soda glaze.

What is atmospheric firing?

Type of firing that uses carbon fuels (wood, propane or gas)

What is a Soda glaze?

Flux + Silica + Alumina or put simply:

Sodium + Clay Surface= Soda Glaze
What are common sources of soda?

Baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
Soda Ash (Sodium Carbonate)
Or combination of baking soda and soda ash

Click the button to join my Soda Firing Educational Series

Join Now>>

Interviewed on the Potter's Cast

5/17/2019

Comments

"Looking Into The Woodfire Community | Denise Joyal, Chris Landers, Lisa York, Tim Sherman | Episode 413"

#ThrowbackThursday
We were interviewed by Paul Blais at NCECA Pittsburgh, back in 2018, after having our first Room Show. The Room Show was a pottery sale that Denise and I organized with invited artists Chris Landers, Tim Sherman, and Troy Bungart.
To quote Paul "So [the room show] was going to be the point of the conversation. As we got into this we ended up spending a significant amount of time talking about what it is like being a part of the woodfire pottery community."

Enjoy tuning into this episode and the other 500 plus pottery interview episodes on The Potter's Cast.

Listen to Episode

Comments

<<Previous