My new ceramic art studio in Connecticut is a work in progress. Welcome to the beginnings of assembling my new basement clay studio in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. My husband and I have:
 It's still hard for me to believe I have left my Milwaukee studio, garden, and community behind as this move to Connecticut happened so quickly.
Ps. Sheet vinyl flooring, if you do not have a clean concrete pad, is the best choice for flooring in a ceramic studio as it is super easy to mop and their are no grooves for clay dust to gather in. And sheet vinyl flooring is water proof. Check out more behind the scenes articles on building my ceramic studios by clicking here. Online shop will be reopening soon! I will be announcing the reopening of my online shop soon; where you will be able to find sweet gifts for family, friends, or for yourself like this sweet two-fingered mug.  I especially love the uniqueness of the carved square foot on this mug. If you want to be the first to know about the reopening of my online shop please click here to join my email list.
   As Juror, Doug Jeppesen selected 51 works of ceramic art created by 36
artists living and working in the Central Time Zone for the 7th Central Time Ceramics Exhibition. This exhibition will be on display in Heuser Art Gallery and Hartmann Center Gallery March 9 – April 17, 2020. 5 wood fired tea bowls just added to my online store, and look at how nicely they stack! 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Loving what your seeing? Then you should hop on over to my online pottery shop to see if these wood fired tea bowls are still for sale. Also are you on my email list? My email list is always the first to know about shop updates, and other fun perks.
My Home Studio interview with CBS 58 News aired this Morning!The feature is called "NOW: Buy mom a gift & support Wisconsin artists all at the same time."  To watch the entire interview on CBS 58 News Click Here!
News Caster Michael Schlesinger interviews me (Lisa York), a potter, in my Milwaukee, home studio about our collaborative, Wisconsin Design Crafts Counsil's Mother's Day Sale. The WDCC created this online boutique to feature 25 Wisconsin Artist's artwork ranging from Ceramics, Jewelry, Fiber Art and More. Thank you for celebrating these 2 minutes of fame with me, and continue to support local artists as their business's are highly impacted by COVID-19 pandemic. Does your mom have a farm house style? Then I have the perfect mother's day gift for you. The perfect mother's day gift is this pair of farm house white pitcher and travel mug. This white pitcher makes it really easy to use for any kind of bouquet of flowers. In the pitcher above I have a bountiful bouquet of ruffly daffodils.
Want to buy this farm house white pitcher or mug? Better check fast to see if it's not sold out already.
The Interview: |
 | About Jenna: "I am an artist and maker from Frederick, MD. My time in clay is split between sculptural and functional work inspired by patterns, textures, and forms found in an around the ocean." |
What inspires your soda-fired sculptures?
"My soda fired sculptures are a study in the growth processes and environmental effects that add patterns, shapes, and textures to natural objects. Found specimens such as sea shells and coral pieces serve as a catalysts for form and surface explorations that celebrate the inspiring intricacies of nature."
"My soda fired sculptures are a study in the growth processes and environmental effects that add patterns, shapes, and textures to natural objects. Found specimens such as sea shells and coral pieces serve as a catalysts for form and surface explorations that celebrate the inspiring intricacies of nature."
Why do you prefer a residual soda firings for your sculptures?
"Although the addition of soda can add to the textural qualities of my sculptures, and I do utilize added soda for some firings, I found that through the residual soda firings, I was able to achieve the perfect color pallet to resemble the colors found in the shell and coral pieces that I was attempting to capture. Beautiful oranges and bright pinks, the subtle hint of soda left trapped in the kiln walls, was all that was needed to bring out these colors on the porcelain clay body."
"Although the addition of soda can add to the textural qualities of my sculptures, and I do utilize added soda for some firings, I found that through the residual soda firings, I was able to achieve the perfect color pallet to resemble the colors found in the shell and coral pieces that I was attempting to capture. Beautiful oranges and bright pinks, the subtle hint of soda left trapped in the kiln walls, was all that was needed to bring out these colors on the porcelain clay body."
What clays are you using?
"I mostly use Standard 257 clay body. It’s a porcelain clay body that really captures the flashing in the residual firings in such a beautiful way. I tested many other bodies, but this one is my go-to. It also throws really well, so I can use it to create functional work that I use to help fill the kiln! In the image below, the base of this nest piece is made from the 257 porcelain, no glaze was added, and it was fired in residual soda, creating a beautifully flashed color all over. Another material I use is commercial casting slip. In the residual soda firings this clay body produces a fantastic orange flashed and opalescent surface. The casting slip is drizzled on a plaster surface, kind of like making a funnel cake! The pieces are then scraped off when stiff and create these fun little accents that I use throughout my sculptures. You can see these pieces in the piece below (the bright orange pieces)."
"I mostly use Standard 257 clay body. It’s a porcelain clay body that really captures the flashing in the residual firings in such a beautiful way. I tested many other bodies, but this one is my go-to. It also throws really well, so I can use it to create functional work that I use to help fill the kiln! In the image below, the base of this nest piece is made from the 257 porcelain, no glaze was added, and it was fired in residual soda, creating a beautifully flashed color all over. Another material I use is commercial casting slip. In the residual soda firings this clay body produces a fantastic orange flashed and opalescent surface. The casting slip is drizzled on a plaster surface, kind of like making a funnel cake! The pieces are then scraped off when stiff and create these fun little accents that I use throughout my sculptures. You can see these pieces in the piece below (the bright orange pieces)."
Could you share more info on your use of layering shino, copper read, and salt glazes?
"Although I totally love the subtle effects of the soda on the bare clay surface, I am a sucker for glaze and have done a lot of testing on the effects of glaze in the soda kiln. Having fired a gas reduction kiln in my early experiences in grad school I narrowed in on a few glazes that I really loved on my functional pottery, a shino, a celadon glaze, and a copper red. When I switched to soda I decided to try these same glazes in the soda kiln, heavily glazed, just as I would in the gas kiln. I wanted to see what they could do, so I played with application and layering, breaking some rules. What if shino wasn’t first? How would copper red look over the celadon glaze? What if I sponged on glazes. I found some really fun and exciting results this way that were giving me the colors and textures that I was looking for especially in the surfaces inspired by the different collected shells."
"Although I totally love the subtle effects of the soda on the bare clay surface, I am a sucker for glaze and have done a lot of testing on the effects of glaze in the soda kiln. Having fired a gas reduction kiln in my early experiences in grad school I narrowed in on a few glazes that I really loved on my functional pottery, a shino, a celadon glaze, and a copper red. When I switched to soda I decided to try these same glazes in the soda kiln, heavily glazed, just as I would in the gas kiln. I wanted to see what they could do, so I played with application and layering, breaking some rules. What if shino wasn’t first? How would copper red look over the celadon glaze? What if I sponged on glazes. I found some really fun and exciting results this way that were giving me the colors and textures that I was looking for especially in the surfaces inspired by the different collected shells."
What are some of the main glaze application techniques you use?
"I have a glossary of sorts of glazes/application methods that give me the results I’m looking for on a particular piece. The basic glazes I use are a shino, a copper red glaze, and a yellow salt glaze. Then I utilize a certain application technique which can produce some really unique results. For example a copper red glaze, slip trailed over a shino, or the yellow salt glaze sponged on, the shino glaze dipped then wiped away. The ability to layer and apply in different ways gave me a lot of flexibility without having to use 10 different glazes. The image below shows the yellow salt glazed poured on and then wiped away in certain areas, then thin application results in a bit of a rough texture as well as an orangey color that also reveals some of the flashed clay body."
"I have a glossary of sorts of glazes/application methods that give me the results I’m looking for on a particular piece. The basic glazes I use are a shino, a copper red glaze, and a yellow salt glaze. Then I utilize a certain application technique which can produce some really unique results. For example a copper red glaze, slip trailed over a shino, or the yellow salt glaze sponged on, the shino glaze dipped then wiped away. The ability to layer and apply in different ways gave me a lot of flexibility without having to use 10 different glazes. The image below shows the yellow salt glazed poured on and then wiped away in certain areas, then thin application results in a bit of a rough texture as well as an orangey color that also reveals some of the flashed clay body."
How frequently do you add soda into kiln to keep a consistent residual soda firing look?
"I find it’s best to have at least one or two regular soda firings in between the residual firings to allow for the depositing of new soda material inside the kiln."
Are you adding wood into your propane soda firings?
"I do add wood, but it’s a pretty light application outside of the reduction portion of the firing. When the kiln is reaching about cone 012, I begin adding some small pieces of wood to bridge into a reducing atmosphere, I ramp up the wood addition to 1 pieces every 10 minutes or so through body reduction and then I add as needed/wanted for the remainder of the firing."
"I find it’s best to have at least one or two regular soda firings in between the residual firings to allow for the depositing of new soda material inside the kiln."
Are you adding wood into your propane soda firings?
"I do add wood, but it’s a pretty light application outside of the reduction portion of the firing. When the kiln is reaching about cone 012, I begin adding some small pieces of wood to bridge into a reducing atmosphere, I ramp up the wood addition to 1 pieces every 10 minutes or so through body reduction and then I add as needed/wanted for the remainder of the firing."
What’s a typical firing schedule for your residual soda firings?
"I will start with a firing schedule that is pretty closely modeled after my experience firing a gas reduction kiln. A medium to heavy reduction period from 012 – 06 using wood and damper movement to change the levels of the atmosphere. Then I take a slow rise to cone 10! Although I’m not adding soda, I still wad all work as there is a slight depositing of soda from the walls, shelves etc."
Are you using more than one firing atmosphere (heavy soda, wood, electric) to fire your sculptures?
"My firing schedules/atmospheres are now fairly consistent. Rather than changing the firing to get the surfaces I want, I tend to change up the glaze layering and application techniques to produce the desired results, this way I can fire all the work in one firing rather than having several different firing types to produce the individual finishes."
"I will start with a firing schedule that is pretty closely modeled after my experience firing a gas reduction kiln. A medium to heavy reduction period from 012 – 06 using wood and damper movement to change the levels of the atmosphere. Then I take a slow rise to cone 10! Although I’m not adding soda, I still wad all work as there is a slight depositing of soda from the walls, shelves etc."
Are you using more than one firing atmosphere (heavy soda, wood, electric) to fire your sculptures?
"My firing schedules/atmospheres are now fairly consistent. Rather than changing the firing to get the surfaces I want, I tend to change up the glaze layering and application techniques to produce the desired results, this way I can fire all the work in one firing rather than having several different firing types to produce the individual finishes."
Are there any glaze recipes you are willing to share along with an image of what glaze looks like?
"Sure! All are ones that were shared with me or just the studio glazes at the studio I worked in. It was important for me to find glazes that were stable and readily available, so that I didn’t have to purchase special materials or have the expense of making glazes that I couldn’t use for anything but the sculptures. Some of these decisions were more economical than artistic, but the results worked!"
"Sure! All are ones that were shared with me or just the studio glazes at the studio I worked in. It was important for me to find glazes that were stable and readily available, so that I didn’t have to purchase special materials or have the expense of making glazes that I couldn’t use for anything but the sculptures. Some of these decisions were more economical than artistic, but the results worked!"
Glaze Recipes:
| Dresang Shino (Cone 10) Weight % Minspar 34.3 Australian Spodumene 29.4 Nepheline Syenite 14.7 EPK 9.8 Soda Ash 7.8 OM4 16.4 Pete’s (Pinnell) Cranberry Red (Cone 10) Weight % Custer Feldspar 73.8 Gerstley Borate 10.2 Whiting 11.1 Flint 4.9 Copper Carbonate 0.3 Tin Oxide 1 | Yellow Salt (Cone 10) Weight % Nepheline Syenite 63.9 Dolomite 21.1 Zircopax 16 OM4 4.3 Bentonite 4 Red Iron Oxide 1.12 |
Did you love this interview?
Be sure to join my Soda Fire Educational Series to keep learning more about soda firing.
Be sure to join my Soda Fire Educational Series to keep learning more about soda firing.
Round Up: 6 Bud Vases with Tulip Flower Arrangements.
Here are a collection of bud vases filled with flowers from my yard. A combination of red and white tulips, hyacinths, and mini daffodils.
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Bud vases are the best when grouped.
My favorite thing to do with bud vases is to group several of them together with flowers in them. Images below are a mix of these bud vases in different situations around the home.
Get more inspiration for floral and pottery combinations by clicking the button below.
Hi, I'm Lisa the artist and creator of this content.
Here on my blog I share behind the scenes, events, and activities related to my art.
Here on my blog I share behind the scenes, events, and activities related to my art.
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