My plan for last week had to change. I had to take a break from the main project to work on the furry friends, i.e., the cat head wall lights. A couple show entry deadlines are fast approaching. This pair is my only hope of seizing those opportunities.
I am setting aside the main project long enough to get these moulded. I’ve said it before but I am almost there.
I spent a few days working off camera as I pushed around the wax. Pleased with how that went. The more I work with the wax, the more I like what I can do with it.
The idea of these heads became bigger as I worked. They started out much less substantial than they are now. They evolved into the scale they needed to be. The larger of the two here is almost as big a piece as I can fit in my wide low kiln. They will have to be fired one at a time.
This is not the time to try out new casting bodies. The translucent Blanc de Chine versions of these will have to wait for later. If I want fired versions of these by the end of the month, they are much better off in my regular porcelain body with the furry glazes I have already developed. I know I can make them work this way. Changing porcelain bodies, firing temperatures and glazes is better done when there is more time. It might not work. The option to try it will still be there later.
This coming week will be a challenge in terms of getting studio work done. It’s sale time at the Stoneware Gallery. I will be taking time off to set up, work extra shifts and then take down again. It’s hard sometimes to tear myself away from the studio but it is always nice to spend time with my gallery partners and talk to the public directly. Will do what I can in the studio but I don’t expect it to be the most productive week.
