New Adventure --

My new project: Bento Boxes, sort of...

Found a open to interpretation, the theme, “To Go,” hopes to inspire both vessel and sculpture creation, from the obvious flasks, thermoses, car cups, lunch boxes, things with lids, wheels… to the more outrageous or unpredictable. The possibilities are endless – surprise us!

I think this is a fun idea, even if I don't enter the show.

process photos soon

IT'S ALREADY MID JUNE....

So when last I blogged, I was loading the Wood Soda Kiln at Pottery West. The firing was AMAZING lots of really good work. We had a slight mishap, we used three of the hollow core shelves at the front of the load. Those shelves are now dead, and hollow core shelves are in general are dead to me.

For the last two weekends I have been in north of Salt Lake City selling pots. The first show was in Ogden UT, a great one day art show. The weather was amazing and the folks there ate up the new product.

Last weekend I was in Logan UT, it was a three day show called LOGAN SUMMERFEST. It was interesting. I did sell one of my favorite pieces from the Soda Fire. I was told told by the women who bought it was going to be a Father's Day gift. Her dad is a collector...

Memorial Day Weekend

What better way to kick off the summer heat in Las Vegas then an old fashion Wood Soda firing - we a Japanese smokeless design. So John Gregg, Marc Rosenthal and Myself (and some great students at Pottery West in Las Vegas) have been splitting wood, grinding shelves and furniture, kiln washing all the parts and glazing like mad.

We will be starting to load this Saturday (5/28) early in the day, and hope to start the fire by 8pm. I think we will be doing a 30hr firing, we could do it much faster, like 18 hours, but who wants broken pots, and non-developed color. The plan is 100 degrees pr hour for the first 800, then a bit faster to 1250. After that we can let it rip. Of course there is reduction at 010, and reduction again at cone 9.

I would really like the kiln to get to cone 11 bending, and keep it in that area for for four hours or so. Talking with Tom Coleman the other day, he said four hour hold should be fine, he would rather it be about six to get the best color development. We will see where our energy and labor force is..... I am already planning on DENNY'S very early Monday morning.

Some photos from the last wood soda fire in February....












What better way to kick off the summer heat in Las Vegas then an old fashion Wood Soda firing - we a Japanese smokeless design. So John Gregg, Mark Rosenthal and Myself (and some great students at Pottery West in Las Vegas) have been splitting wood, grinding shelves and furniture, kiln washing all the parts and glazing like mad.

We will be starting to load this Saturday (5/28) early in the day, and hope to start the fire by 8pm. I think we will be doing a 30hr firing, we could do it much faster, like 18 hours, but who wants broken pots, and non-developed color. The plan is 100 degrees pr hour for the first 800, then a bit faster to 1250. After that we can let it rip. Of course there is reduction in there, and again at cone 9. But I would really like the kiln to get to cone 11 bending, and keep it in that area for for four hours or so. Talking with Tom Coleman the other day, he said four hour hold should be fine, he would rather it be about six to get the best color development. We will see where our energy and labor force is..... I am already planning on DENNY'S very early Monday morning.

Some photos from the last wood soda fire in February....

FRESH FROM THE KILN

All of these pieces were fired at Pottery West in Las Vegas. John Gregg and I did a 19 hour firing in the propane reduction kiln.





These three cups were glazed with B's Shine over Laguana's Soda Fire body. Not sure the reason for the orange peel. Candled for for 4 hours at 250; two days after glazing... Love it, but confused.

This little dude is a porcelain cup that was a re-fire. I he was fired in the wood fire soda kiln a few months back, but had a huge dingus in the handle. A little grinding and a shot of glaze, and some more time in the kiln, he is good to go. (He needs a name..)


This small tea bowl has the same issue as the first three cups. But boy oh boy did the warmth of the Death Valley clay body come through.

Off to post a piece on Etsy.

Back in the saddle

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So I have been back from my East coast adventure for about 3 weeks; I leave next week for Columbia Missouri to design a production THE MERRY WIDOW. While in Vegas i've been throwing, teaching classes, carving, and loading kilns. I have also been applying to shows and compilations, its great to be back.

Last night John Gregg and I were firing the "Refrigerator Kiln". It is a aprox 45 square foot propane reduction down draft. We fired it to cone 10 in 20 hours. Long time candling, something like 7 hours, as it was rainy and damp the day prior.

While firing I worked on 10 face cups... here is one of them.

13th Annual Faces Juried Online International Art Exhibition

A few of my pieces were accepted to this show: check it out!

http://www.upstreampeoplegallery.com/exhibition/default.asp?XD=3/1/2011&AN=Akrish%2C+Esther

DEBRA FRITTS Workshop

I had the great fortune to travel to Baltimore before the snow-mageddon 2011 and participate in a great workshop with Debra Fritts at the Baltimore Clayworks. The workshop revolved around creating a hand built head with attention to proportion and human anatomy. Super fun and made me leave the comfort zone of my face jug creations.

Day 1: Creation of the shell.

Build Neck


Create Chin and Head: Tapper Neck


Find Jaw


Setting placement for features


Ears, Jaw, Cheeks....
Closing the head

Day 2: The fun - Making it personal

I didn't take any photos of the altering and adding of the parts pieces and shoulders. I did take a few of the piece after the AMACO under glazes and englobes were applied. AMACO provides the underglazes for the workshops.


Debra showed us how to apply layers of dry clay to create a interesting surface texture that will crackle when it is fired. Wonder if it will work at cone 10?

I think the one of the things that Debra reminded to be a painter. I spent years painting for theatre and film, and I do not think I have ever tried those techniques with glaze. You don't always need to spray an even coat of glaze, perhaps I need to think of it as colored gesso.

Thanks Debra!