tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961789.post-30620739479929322352008-04-11T02:44:00.016-05:002008-04-16T11:52:00.177-05:002008-04-16T11:52:00.177-05:00One of my favorite moments when I'm making pots is that moment in time when the clay has firmed up enough to handle without distortion. The moment when you can take a trimming tool to the bottom of the pot and you get nice long ribbons of trimmings that don't gum up your tool.<br /><br />Normally, the moment in time when the pots are perfect for stamping, carving, slipping and trimming is a moment that I experience in solitude with my pots. But I thought that I would try to share a bit of this moment with you. Below are some images of cups that I made today. They are freshly stamped and awaiting a second trip to the wheel for trimming.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAV8SarpIKI/AAAAAAAABUM/jjLSrKM122Y/s1600-h/rows-of-peace-cups.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAV8SarpIKI/AAAAAAAABUM/jjLSrKM122Y/s400/rows-of-peace-cups.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189690801456226466" border="0" /></a>You can see in the image (below) on the left that the soft clay is impressed deep enough that you can see the stamping on the inside of the cup. I hope that you can get a sense of the depth of the stamping from the image on the right from the pictures (click on them to see the image larger). The clay has to be dry enough that the stamp doesn't stick to the clay, but soft enough to get a deep impression without cracking. More to come on this series in future posts!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAV8g6rpIMI/AAAAAAAABUc/9Oakd9V1K1M/s1600-h/stamped-clay-inside-and-out.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAV8g6rpIMI/AAAAAAAABUc/9Oakd9V1K1M/s200/stamped-clay-inside-and-out.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189691050564329666" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAV8ZarpILI/AAAAAAAABUU/XFCqosKiDIw/s1600-h/stamping-clay-cup.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAV8ZarpILI/AAAAAAAABUU/XFCqosKiDIw/s200/stamping-clay-cup.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189690921715310770" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I know that I am not alone in my love of leather hard clay. I see lots of freshly made pots in the posts of my fellow clay bloggers! I have put together some pictures (and links) from their sites to share with you.<br />***<br /><a href="http://eleanorhendriks.blogspot.com/">Eleanor Hendricks</a> of Fenelon Falls, Ontario, shared some great pictures on her blog last week illustrating her love of the process of making. She ended her post with this question:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Does anyone else sometimes treasure the process more than the finished products?</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://eleanorhendriks.blogspot.com/2008/04/studio-scenery.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAV4XarpIII/AAAAAAAABT8/6RkEwsDtZiI/s400/Eleanor-Hendricks-bowls.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189686489309061250" border="0" /></a>***<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://theretherepottery.blogspot.com/2008/01/little-bit-of-redemption.html">Amy Sanders</a>, of Charlotte, North Carolina, shared this image on her blog of her carved plates. What beautiful lines! As usual, with pots, it's all about the timing!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://theretherepottery.blogspot.com/2008/01/little-bit-of-redemption.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SARCrarpIEI/AAAAAAAABTc/vzKaecXTQ6A/s400/Amy_Sanders_carved_plates.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189345984301834306" border="0" /></a>***<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">I love how these drying beer cups from <a href="http://euancraig.blogspot.com/">Euan Craig</a> caught the sunlight in <span>Mashiko, Japan</span>. The perfect moment of leather hard met the perfect moment of sunlight streaming in his studio.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://euancraig.blogspot.com/2008/03/of-mice-and-men.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAQ_p6rpIDI/AAAAAAAABTU/jKdKBgv6pMk/s400/Euan_Craig_beer_cups.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189342659997147186" border="0" /></a>***<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://dragonflyclay.blogspot.com/">Cheryl Alena Bartram</a> of Golden, British Columbia, shares this great image of tumblers on her blog. I can imagine the board of cups going on and on and on and on.... I have been known to base the amount of pots that I throw in a sitting based on the length of a board or the size of the table.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://dragonflyclay.blogspot.com/2008/03/glazing-drying-and-signs-of-spring.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAQ6a6rpICI/AAAAAAAABTM/ciQBZUA8Q9s/s400/Cheryl_Alena_Bartram_tumblers.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189336904740970530" border="0" /></a>***<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://slipware.blogspot.com/">Douglas Fitch</a> makes pots "in middle of nowhere, north of Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom," far from my studio in Chicago. But when I see these images of the rough leather hard pots I think I can smell the mustiness of the clay... and that's a great thing.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://slipware.blogspot.com/2008/03/birthday-blog.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAQzqKrpIBI/AAAAAAAABTE/AES0JUFhXe0/s400/Douglas_Fitch_lidded_pots.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189329470152581138" border="0" /></a>***<br />I find that there is little more satisfying in a day's work that a table covered in finished pots.<br /><a href="http://jzpottery.blogspot.com/">John Zhender</a> (from my home state of New Hampshire) posted this satisfying image of finished banks and lidded cups on his blog:<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://jzpottery.blogspot.com/2007/02/in-works.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAQyy6rpIAI/AAAAAAAABS8/o6Ad0h6q4M4/s400/John_Zentner_piggy_banks_lidded_cups.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189328520964808706" border="0" /></a>***<br />Look at these gorgeous plates that <a href="http://pottersjournal.blogspot.com/">Ron Philbeck</a> made at his studio in Shelby, North Carolina! I think I have to throw some plates tomorrow...<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://pottersjournal.blogspot.com/2007/12/back-at-it.html"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAQxwarpH_I/AAAAAAAABS0/d0Ikct21nA8/s400/Ron_Philbeck_plates.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189327378503507954" border="0" /></a>***<br />One of my favorite clay books is <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0877456712?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=emilymurphymostl&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0877456712">A Potter's Workbook</a> by Clary Illian. The images in the book are almost all photos of leather hard pots. The focus is on the forms without any distraction of decoration or firing technique. If you make functional pots, I highly recommend adding this book to your collection.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0877456712?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=emilymurphymostl&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0877456712"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_C4q9b421nAw/SAV5AarpIJI/AAAAAAAABUE/QEDzg2hpY7Y/s400/A-Potter%27s-Workbook-Clary-Illian.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5189687193683697810" border="0" /></a><br /></div>Emily Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02405853235523900054noreply@blogger.com12