Tags, Postcards, Craft Fairs and blogging!
- Karen Johnson
- Apr 22, 2016
- 3 min read
Recently I've been working on creating fun informational tags to accompany my work at craft fairs as well as informational quarter sheet postcards about the clay and glass processes. This is a DAUNTING task for anyone who knows me! Writing and crafting whimsical words are not my forte as some of you may think. So I'm asking those of you who read this blog to comment on the following and offer any suggestions would be helpful and wanted. So here goes:
POSTCARD FRONT: The Clay Process: Hand building - Clay is rolled out on my clay roller in my studio. It takes several passes to get it to the thinness required for the pieces currently working on. If the clay is rolled to thinly it will warp in the drying and bisque process. If too thick the pieces will be too heavy and not aesthetically pleasing, have to find that fine line balance of thickness to the function it will perform. Throwing on the Wheel - Clay is divided up into chunks and weighed. Weight is determined by the purpose of the piece to be thrown. For example a mug will use about 1.5 - 2 lbs of clay, which is then wedged into cylindrical shape. Each piece is positioned on the wheel head for crafting the object it will become.Both processes require the clay to become bone dry before going into the kiln for the bisque firing. It is still porous as it is not fully fired at this point. Now comes the glazing/designing process. Deciding on a design and colors is no easy task. Once this process is completed the pieces go back in the kiln for the final firing. All in all the process from beginning to the end takes about 3-4 weeks, sometimes longer or shorter depending on the size of the work being completed.
BACK: Glass Process: Glass is a bit simpler and also more anxiety producing than working with my clay pieces. The first decision is what to make, a plate, a bowl, a tray or maybe a platter? Then I need to decide on colors and a pattern, will it be spring like, linear, or maybe a bit funky? Measuring and cutting is next. Cutting is very important and needs to be precise to ensure the piece fuses together well. A little grinding of the edges, if needed, is done at this stage and then it is reassembled into its layers and fused in the glass kiln. This takes about 13 hours. It's important that no peaking happens during the cool down stage or else cracking will occur, this has happened to me several times. Once the kiln has cooled to about 150 degrees it is taken out and cleaned up. The last step is the slumping process in the mold shape and size the glass piece was intended for. This takes another 8-10 hours until it's ready to be photographed and uploaded to my website and/or sold at craft fairs. Each piece is as unique as our finger prints even when pieces are created as a set. There are always a few variations that create the one of a kind work only a studio artist can achieve.
TAGS (I'm only including a few as there are too many to show here):
CERAMIC TRAY for any season. Serve some cookies or sliced bread. Beautiful Hand painted leaf design will add ambience to any gathering.
BUBBLE DISHES Reminiscent of the sea as it splashes on the beach. Serve a sandwich or dessert on these and let your stress fall away as you look at the pattern.
GLASS TRAY for the holiday season. Serve some cookies or sliced bread. Beautiful poinsettia design will add ambience to any gathering.
If I haven't mentioned yet I will be at the Wistariahurst Museum on Saturday April 30 and Sunday May 1, 2016 for their Garden Art Fair. Stop by and check out my work in person. There's nothing like picking up and holding these handcrafted pieces personally, pictures don't do them justice! You'll also find some items not yet on From The Earth Designs website.
Enjoy the upcoming weekend,
KJ - From the Earth Designs
Artist/Educator
Comments