JOYCE LEE on fri 7 oct 05
Mrs. K. asked about our experience with wax or shellac as a resist for
creating raised designs on clay. =20
I used shellac, Lili, on many pots after I read about it in I think it =
was
Pottery Making Illustrated. (If not, it should have been .... a perfect
match of material to publication.) I recall throwing some bellied out
12" vases to which I applied shellac at the maybe cheese hard stage.
Then I carved designs and washed away the areas not wanted with
a small sponge. The shellac lent itself well to more than one =
application
also. I'm having difficulty describing this but maybe you can follow
anyhow. I applied shellac, carved, washed away excess (everything I
didn't want) and sometimes applied another spot or line of shellac,
then carved through it and sponged away. This latter step allowed
different depths to the design. What I liked most was the natural, =
almost
organic, flow to the vertical lines on the shinoed vases..... which =
turned
out to be peachy, creamy, pale gray with interesting speckles. Again, I
most enjoyed the deeply folded appearance of the carvings. =20
Others must have agreed. Though my expectations were to save about
five of the finished product for my own displays, they all sold in their =
first
show. Time allowing, I'll start with PMI and see if I can find the =
article.
Joyce
In the Mojave where the flickers have returned from the Sierras. Their =
exit
is never announced...... one day they're GONE sometime during the =
summer.
BUT every fall in the 27 years we've lived on our scrub acreage, the =
flickers
arrive somewhere between October 5 (the earliest return) and October 16.
They announce themselves in all their russet glory by swooping me and
calling out to one another. The swooper then.... if one is patient.... =
may
be joined by 3 to at one time 7 others. An awesome display! The area
closest to the house is de-bugged for days with lots of stomping of feet
and sand flying everywhere. After which, they settle in and spend the =
coldest
parts of the winter trying to peck their way into the house at night or =
hanging
onto the stuccoed wall above the electric kiln when bisque firings =
occur.
A spectacular form of "hanging out" together which pleases me no end.
(I know, I know, I do know that the fumes from the bisque firing are =
probably
what causes them to be half comatose so that they don't fly away when
I round the corner.... to just hang on and blink at me not a foot away =
from
their cozy spot...... but that's not the version I'm sending through the =
ether.)
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