Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Clay Day...Baby it's Cold Outside

I've gotten ahold of a big chunk-o-clay thanks to a potter friend of mine.
I swear it was at least ten pounds of it when all I really thought I needed was a small amount to play and experiment with.
As it is I may not get to see the final results until next spring when another friend will be firing her outdoor kiln.
 Hey, anyone know if you can fire enamel to clay? Would it be after it was fired or before?  Like right at the torch like I do with my copper pieces.....Anybody?

I scoured the house for possible textures

Who knew that this topographical model of Matterhorn would come in handy?
I knew that I would use it for art but had been thinking assemblage at the time.

Kind of blurry  photo  but this is an African wooden vessel that's been giving up its face for some texture.


Speaking of giving up face...
I've been really bad about taking my walkies to the paper box all year and Mr. Coryosity has taken to driving there to pick it up.
We vowed that we would walk there together daily now that it's sub-zero weather.
Like my hat? My friend Mountain Heather Creations makes these...and the neck gaiter too.

the field

Ho frost

See, we live near the famous highway

oooh... sparkly!

thru the woods
All hooked up with two necessities- wood stove and satellite internet

This is why I 'm having trouble going out to my Garaj Mahal studio some days lately


So I sit near the stove and make these.
So this bracelet looks good in theory with some Kristi Bowman Design and Scorched Earth  and a coupla my own beads but I'm going to have to get down and get some soldering techniques under my belt.
The links know just how to slip out dammit!
You may or may not realize that I don't make bracelets much.
There's one reason.

I had a bunch of one of a kind (is that an oxymoron?)
squished stripy shiny ribbed (for extra comfort) shaped beads and a few rusted Arizona bottle caps that I wanted to gold leaf. gild? gilt? leave?
I made a few of these pendant pieces that will go on chains.






and some earrings along similar lines

I've been making a bunch of this type too


Some of Petra's fingers. These were going to have skulls but I couldn't fasten them pleasingly enough for my taste and I wanted to highlight the fingers anyhow.

This is the stepping stone between my old classic bead only style and full on assemblage earrings.
Don't want to freak out my old customers totally. They need choices and gentle nudgings toward what is evolving in the ways of numinosity.



"Blimpets" in action

cocoa puff brown with milk and silver granulation

some Scorchedosity with Petra's bead caps
(Petra being ScorchedEarthOn Etsy)


I'm not all crusty (well, maybe I am  but my earrings aren't)
Dig those peacock metallics.

So it's a month countdown til Arizona and I get to enjoy a birthday in a few days.
It's a 56/56 birthday... that being the age and the year of birth.
I guess not all generations get to enjoy that kind of birthday, just us mid to late century types I guess.
Like someone that was born in '02 couldn't celebrate it until 2102, right?
Now it's hurting my brain with this trying to figure out the math to see if I'm correct in this.
Enough puzzler for today. Stay warm you all everybody.
( I told you I was watching a lot of Lost lately)


19 comments:

  1. Oh man that does look cold!
    I don't think I would trek to far out in that either. LOL
    Its a chilly 69* here today, lol, I have my sweater and boots on.
    Brrr.
    Happy B-day.
    Math is hard ;(
    Amy

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  2. Love the new creations! Misery loves company - it's cold and snowy here, too! We're hoping the resorts decide to open early but not holding our breath.
    Happy birthday. That's my number next year.

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  3. you have been very busy my dear. always a feast for the eyes. xoxo

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  4. Kim, your pieces are really beautiful...full of lovely shades and wonderful textures....primitive with a slight modern edge!
    i think i see Alicia's house over there in the woods! ;P

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  5. The cold hasn't stopped your creativity, Kim! Beautiful work! Hope you have a wonderful birthday! (PS- It looks SO cold there!!)

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  6. ooooooooh sparkly !
    wahahahaha....
    It is perfect weather here. Lovely fall weather in Tucson.
    I didn't know it was your Birthday so...

    Let There Be Cake !

    cheers, parsnip

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  7. beautiful makings Kim! Great colours and balance of size and shape - love them. I am freezing my arse off just looking at all that white stuff - I would have to do the bear thing and hide away all Winter if I lived with those temperatures I'm afraid!

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  8. Love all the earrings--my favorite are the gilded discs.

    How frustrating having to wait to fire the clay pieces. I don't know anything about it but logically it would seem like you'd need to wait until after firing the clay to apply the enamel. I would imagine it would do something weird when finally fired. If the clay shrinks or expands when fired (see--this is how much I don't know anything about it; I don't even know if the cay shrinks or expands when being fired) I think hardened enamel would get all messed up--probably end up breaking the clay. I made that up. But it seems logical. I bet it could happen. But wait--what it the act of firing the enamel onto to clay baked the clay just enough so it was stable? You should experiment. Wait at least 5 days until the clay doesn't feel clammy.

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  9. Enamel on clay? I don't think it would work but you could try it I suppose. It would have to be after the clay was fired I would think. Since wouldn't the high temps of the enamel phase just dry out the clay and turn it into powder? I have done enameling but only on silver or copper. I would say to try it but only on the fired stuff. Hope that helps.

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  10. Oh I don't even want to think about sub zero temps. I'm still enjoying autumn, though it will be 'winter-ish' here through the weekend.

    I love all the earrings you made. Have a wonderful birthday!

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  11. Man-O-Man. You are making me want to order clay now. Ugh.
    I need to focus!

    Great new work...and btw: keep that cold, white stuff up there, ya hear?!

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  12. OH! And *HAPPY*BIRTHDAY*!!!

    I'm ahead of ya. ;)

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  13. Hi Kim! Your clay makings look great. I would find it hard to have to wait so long to see how they turned out though. I know nothing about clay or enamaling, but my sister showed me a necklace she got this past weekend, that was a thin piece of flat clay, covered with enamal. It was very pretty.... not sure how it was made though. It looks like you have busy with the jewelry makings as well - amazing creations as usual! It has been cold here too, although was somewhat warmer today. I hope you have a wonderful 56 birthday!

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  14. Can we say COLD and yes Happy Bday.....clay fired first then enamel. Has to be bisque fired before you can do anything else...I remember from my clay days. Good mmm crusty blimpet swirly metallic wonders....Missed your call, will call later today. xox

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  16. Sorry, belated birthday greetings. I had to put my coat on today, depressing! Those pendants look very cool.

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  17. An even more belated birthday greeting from me, Kim! Sorry - I'm just toooo crappy a blog follower. I hope you had a great day of it out there in the snowy wild. It looks incredibly beautiful - but, bugger me - you're welcome to those temperatures! Brrrrrrr.
    Loving the fingers - and the hoop looks great too - along with all your other new pieces. Love that glass and metal combo.
    Well, I've pondered on that enamel on ceramic question myself. You have the enamel - and I have the fired ceramic! I don't really see why it wouldn't work on ceramic though - obviously post fired though. Surely it's pretty similar to glaze isn't it? Raising and dropping the temperature too quickly might be a problem with thermal shock for the ceramic - and a long firing with the enamel might cause it to scorch, or just burn off. I don't know. So - I'm not much help really!! An experiment in the making!
    Stay warm xoxoxoxoxox ;O)

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  18. So much yumminess! All wonderful! Loving the limpets. And the matterhorn ceramics. Cool stuff.
    Stay warm, well as warm as possible. Great hat! :)

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  19. Your work is so wonderful!

    I almost had to run and get another sweater on . . . just reading this post.
    Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

    Have a marvelous day and keep warm.
    Your blogging sister,
    Connie :)

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