Kip O'krongly demo

Day 2 of the Native: form and content workshop in San Diego. She works in earthenware, thrown, when leatherhard, forms are dipped in white slip, then sgraffito drawing animals around the form. Then stencils used to layout complex images, which are then sgraffito'd through the slip. Then latex is used to mask of area so color maybe applied. She then single fires them.
Her imagery is of animals raised for food. Inspired by Michael Pollard's book The Omnivores Dilemma.
Make hand extruder dies out of Plexiglas with a bevel on inside of die opening so clay is compressed as it goes through the die. Make dies out of clay also but put large metal washer on outside of clay die for support. Extrude foot ring.

Cuzic demo pt 2

VC glaze 20 barium green cone 10
Robert Compton potter b&b pottersb&b.
On top of a thrown pot, add hand formed flowers, leaves and spouts.
Why we make things. Book by Robert Korn

David Cuzic demo

Saturday afternoon session of the potters council workshop titled narrative: form and content in San Diego.
Wedge granular Custer feldspar into clay that turns into glass beads when fired to cone 10.

Kip Krongly demo of. 2

Surface decoration techniques demo. Hand cutting stencils using plastic tablecloths that have a pattern on one side to help know which side is up in use. Tape six layers of plastic with paper image taped on top.
Layers of colored slip brushed on with stencils.

Narrative: form and content workshop

The Theo Uliano workshop as part of the potters council workshop, Narrative: form and content, in San Diego.
Patron Satan of the art world in new York Times. La dealer.
Kevin Snipes, Grayson Perry, faves.
Cups are thrown evenly so only trimmed at the base. When leatherhard, he rolls the cup to flare the bottom width, then dips the cup in white slip upside down. The cup is coated inside and out without coating the bottom by dipping it up to the base then quickly raising the cup rim to the bucket level of slip then pushing down wards to just below the level of the base.
He then paints areas of color with speedball underglazes, then adds black lines with amaco black underglazes, then black underglazes pencil, then scratching thru the underglazes a with a steel etching needle. All decoration done on bisque, fired to cone 04. Clear glaze applied then fired to cone 1. Then decals applied then fired to cone 014. Then lusters applied and fired to cone 019.
His imagery is similar to Ralph Steadman. Drawn from life experiences.

Tammy Marinuzzi demo

Last of four presenters at the Narrative: form& content workshop in San Diego.
Slab built forms using tar paper templates.

Explanation

The name of this blog is squishy business, that refers to one of the characteristics of clay, and which also refers to life's craziness, unpredictability and variety.
I am fortunate to have a life that is full of events, activities, challenges, rewards, opportunities, and fun. All together they are blended, mashed, and squished into a life I enjoy everyday.
In life, work, family, hobbies, leisure activities invade each other's territories like stealthy cats, slinking along unnoticed until too late, your mind has wandered away from searching for the solution to the work situation to wondering about the football game next week. 

Last Tuesday marked the beginning of my 15th year of teaching ceramics at Paradise Valley Community College. Even after that many years of it, I still felt anxious, and excited to begin another semester, because it's always different. I try to vary the curricula of the five courses, but what makes it the most interesting are the students. I never know how the individual personalities will meld in a class. People affect each other when thrown together into a class as they try to juggle their lives, jobs, families and other courses with the material I assign and with the oddballs and lovable lunatics they get to know over the semester.
Everyone is on a path which may seem erratic at the time but when viewed after the fact becomes a straight line leading from point A to point B. My own path as a young person led from painting classes during high school years from a master painter, Louis Sicard, to becoming a master potter by the time I was 30. In between I had many jobs in many places, experiences that all contributed to my development. Later when I gave a slide talk about my path I saw how one experience led to another and instead of being an example of indecisiveness, I saw how it all fit together seamlessly.
This realization helps me as a teacher have patience with students who don't have a clear plan for themselves and are anxious about it. I know from my own experience and from witnessing others that life is not only a journey, but a series of moments connected by our use of them.
A former boss one counseled me to not worry too much over mistakes since the only people who never make mistakes never "do" anything. Doing is the opportunity to find out, understand, and learn, which is a worthy goal for anyone.