Lanterns and Rocks

Stained-Glass Lantern at Disneyland

Hey there! I spent the last week in California and had a great time. It was primarily to visit friends, but it's impossible for me to not partake in at least a little art. So I thought I'd talk a little about the stuff I saw in California.

Lantern and bougainvilleas.

Firstly I went to Disneyland with a friend. Growing up at Disneyland made for an interesting childhood and even as an adult I find I still discover new things when I go. At Ranchodel Zocalo Restaurante you can find your lunch, but I enjoy eating there more for the atmosphere. The Mexican food restaurant is designed to look like a villa or bungalo that could be found in Mexico or California in days past. This quaint (I'm sure how I feel about using that word) bougainvillea-covered eating area is decorated with glass lanterns and beautiful tile work. I have stood in front of the door way for at least 15 minutes before, just admiring the stained-glass entryway. Even if you decide to eat somewhere else, but you love glass and tile work you should stop in to just look.

Levitated Mass

I also stopped by for a quick trip to LACMA (Los Angeles County Museum of Art) to view and experience the work entitled Levitated Mass. The piece consists of two main features: a walk way and a giant rock. Now it doesn't seem much but we're talking a GIANT rock. The rock was located in Riverside and was shipped into LA for the exhibit. A piece over 3 decades in the making. So I have a question for you and it's mostly about modern art. Do you think this rock is art? How is it art? Is it art because you can experience it or relate to it in some way? What do you think the statement is here? I wont go into what I think, but I would like a discussion on it. Even in ceramics and glass we face the same questions. What do you try and make your pieces say?  Or are the just something pretty to look at?

The view from above the walkway.

If you're interested in tile or glass work check out some of these things:

Glass Slumping Kit

Glass Casting Kit

Tile Cutters

Table Top Slab Roller

Crystals and Glaze

A few years ago I was at a arts and crafts fair and came across a man with these beautifully glazed pieces. I can not remember his name, but I am pretty sure that man was William Melstrom. He is well known for his crystalline glazes and if you've seen his work you'd know why. His pieces are stunning to look at and although you might just want to hang them on a wall they are also functional. Melstrom has spent years perfecting this technique and it really shows. You can see Melstrom's website here.

It also shows that ceramics is at least two different beasts. One beast is with clay and getting it into the shape you want. The second is far more terrifying: glazing. Glazing was never really my strong suit. In fact I remember when a professor in college told me that I really needed to work on glazing. I remember thinking, “Well it would be nice if I could first get the clay into the shape I want it first.” That was years ago no, I think my point has been made about the beasts of the ceramic world.

Glazes to create crystal effects has become increasingly more popular and although they will not give you results like Melstrom's, there are commercial crystal glazes. Some of the more known crystal glazes are from Mayco and Amaco. These glazes usually come in liquid form and have crystal chunks in them.  They need to be stirred well since the crystals usually sink to the bottom.  They can either be dipped or brushed onto bisqueware.  These crystal glazes provide unique color variations that can be quite intense at times. All crystal glazes are low-fire glazes and are an easy way to give your pieces a little splash of contrast. My favorites are:  

Singed Maple Crystaltex

Berryberry Pie Crystalites

   

Obsidian Jungle Gem Glaze

Glazing Through Time

We're talking about glaze this month so I thought I would talk about something very basic. What is glaze exactly? Glaze can be defined as any material or combination of materials that will melt and fuse permanently to the surface of a clay body. How does it work you may ask? Well, materials are suspended in water and applied to a bisqueware piece in its liquid form. Glaze needs to be applied to bisqueware because bisque-fired clay is very dry and porous. When the glaze is applied the porous clay absorbs the water leaving behind a deposit of the previously suspended materials. Then in the kiln these materials melt down at high temperatures and form a glass-like surface.

Now, let's go back in time 4,000 years. (Don't worry, my time machine WILL fit all of you.) It was probably the ancient Egyptians that brought us our first glazed-like pieces. They brought us so many things like pyramids and beer, why not glaze too? China also experimented with materials applied to clay to make a shiny, finished surface. Even the Greeks found techniques to making pots shiny and beautiful to look at. Every culture approached it differently based on the materials they found in their region.

So coming back from our trip through time; how has glaze developed since 2000 B.C.E.? Mostly through experimentation and testing. This is also known as trial and error, folks. (It's what I've been preaching!)  I don't want to sound like a broken record, but testing your glazes is extremely important in discovering what works and what doesn't. If you'd like to keep up with glaze techniques please check out our YouTube where all of August (and maybe September) we're talking about glazing.   

Some books to look at about glazing:

http://www.theceramicshop.com/store/product/9939/Colour-In-Glazes-Book/

 http://www.theceramicshop.com/store/product/2804/The-Ceramic-Glaze-Handbook/
 http://www.theceramicshop.com/store/product/10339/The-Ceramic-Spectrum-Book/

August Glaze Month

Did you see our demo video last week? It was about how to apply glaze using a brush. I find that many questions have been asked have been about glazing so I thought I'd launch a glaze series. Over the next couple of weeks (or longer if need be) The Ceramic Shop will be creating demonstrations based on different glazing techniques and things we feel you should know. If you have any question we are more than happy to hear them because we want to answer as many questions as possible.

I feel perhaps I was hasty in jumping straight into applying glazes last week, so this week we are going to be taking a little step back. I would like to cover the basics from testing glazes, applying glazes and what precautions to take to keep your pieces looking fabulous while not destroying your kiln. It is my goal by the end of this to inform you on useful techniques and products that will make glazing less of a stress and more of a pleasure.

So sit tight, stay tuned and all that jazz; I hope you're ready to learn about glazes because August is going to be a month about glazing. Leave us a comment on our Facebook or our videos and I will make sure all your questions get answered!

Peek Inside Your Kiln

Have you ever wondered what goes on inside your kiln? I used to think of a kiln as a magic box that you placed your hard work into; when it came out it would be transformed and none of it was under your control. Well, Skutt has something to say about that. They created the KilnLink Monitoring System to do just what its name entails: monitor.

The KilnLink is designed to be a connection to an electrical kiln and wherever this is internet access. Now you can check the status of your kiln when you are not in your kiln room. When you log in to your account during a firing you can view current temperatures, graphs of firings, programs, plus the start and end times. The KilnLink Monitoring System stores your firings in an cloud based database so you can review firing schedules, firing costs and notes on performance and so much more.

KilnLink is great for schools because it allow teachers and students to follow along with their firings. It will also help you reproduce your favorite firing schedules, as well as avoid those you found you did not like as much. For more information on the KilnLink System click here.

The Ceramic Shop was one of the first to install this system in our working studio. We will be hosting a workshop in combined efforts with Skutt Kilns to show you basic kiln set up and repairs and to show off the KilnLink System. The workshop is good for anyone who owns or is thinking of owning an electrical kiln. More information here. Make your reservations today, spots will be limited!

A Visit from Amaco

Us hanging out with the Amaco.

Last week we had a visit from some guys from Amaco. They spent the whole day making our store a mess by moving everything around, but don't worry: they promised to cleaned up before they left. And they held true to their promises!

We also got a bit of a demo and started making some test tiles so that people who come into our store can see and feel some of the glazes, especially the new glazes.

If you're new to Amaco Glazes, there is something you should know. All Amaco Glazes are formulated to be brushed on. If you spray or dip your pieces with these glazes they may not come out the way they were intended to.  Amaco taught us how to properly “load” a brush for glaze application. Take a natural brush, a fan brush is probably best, and dip in the glaze. Then tap off the excess glaze rather than wipe it off like you would on the side of the container. Wiping it takes off too much glaze and will result in streaking your pieces. Next is to just apply it on to the piece, using short strokes. You should apply at least 2 coats and let the glaze FULLY dry in between each coat.

You can mix a lot of Amaco Glazes to get unique effects. Mix the Potter's Choice line with Celebration, Arroya, or the Texturizer.

Some examples of the effects you can achieve with Amaco Glazes

If you have any questions on applying Amaco Glazes please let us know and please share with us your results! Post photos on our Facebook or Tweet at us!  

We were responsible for this mess.

Adventures of a Glaze Tech

Our very own glaze technician, Gina has been off on another adventure! She's currently in Pompeii working for and archaeological research project called Porta Stavia and is run by the University of Cincinnati. Many of the artifacts they're digging up are ceramic remnants of amphora, cookware, and higher-end table ware. They dug up so much they spent at least one afternoon dedicated to scrubbing the pottery; that is a lot of pottery. They even uncovered a kiln making it the third kiln ever found in Pompeii! Isn't that exciting?

They still have a bit more excavating to do, then writing the final report and we'll have Gina back. I'm totally jealous; it sounds like she's had a good time. Here's to a great time in Pompeii and a safe trip home!

It's Gina in the kiln they found!

Allen Chen

As I mentioned previously (in another post) our owner, Mark Lueders had the opportunity to attend a celebration down at Brackers in June. While he was there, he saw an exhibit at the Lawrence Art Center. This new young artist by the name of Allen Chen has been doing some stunning work. Chen was born in Taiwan and has since moved to California, attended college, and earn a name for himself including his current residency at Lawrence Art Center. If you are in the area and have the opportunity to see some of his work I highly suggest it. You can read more about Allen Chen here.

We've Been Keeping Busy

Hey everyone! I am way behind on updating this blog, so my apologies. Summer has been crazy around here. Everyone has been really busy. Victoria went to an Amaco training seminar. At this seminar she learned about new products and reviewed some older ones. Amaco puts on such a seminar so that their distributors, such as us, can better serve your needs.

Mark attended Bracker's Good Earth Clay's 30^th Anniversary celebration dubbed 'Bracktacular.” He spent the celebration demonstrating and enjoying the festivities with his family.

Everyone at the shop has been busy with the crisis kids. Every summer we help host part of a summer camp where we teach children that are part of the Children's Crisis Treatment Center to build with clay. You can find out more about that program here. We've had them in the shop for two crazy sessions and we have one more to go!


Gina has left us for a month to go on an archaeological dig in Pompeii.  I've had some contact with her and she's having an amazing time!  She found a bit of a surprise for us so I'll be posting more on that soon.

I'm hoping to write individual blogs about all of the things going on here at The Ceramic Shop. Also there have been a lack of demonstrations, but I'm hoping to start again next week by demoing how to recycle clay. If you have anything you would like to see demoed or have question please comment or leave them on our Facebook page.

And The Wheel Turns...

A closer look at the napkin rings

A bucket of water. A sponge. Assortedribs. A Hydro-Bat. A wiggle wire. Put them together and what have you got? Well, my afternoon, I suppose. I spent much of today exploring the wheel... again. I try to avoid the wheel because although I think it is fun to use I feel as though I am not very good at it. I know, practice makes better, but I enjoy handbuilding so why bother? I guess, because I'm stubborn. Today I made a ladle and napkin rings for the sake of SCIENCE! No, not science... for displays!

Throwing from the hump

I used Standard 112 which is a clay I've never used before.  It was nice to throw with and not gritty at all.  When it's fired it will be a speckled brown.  I threw the ladle using a technique called “throwing from the hump” where you have a lot more clay than you need and only use the top portion so that you can throw several items from the same mound of clay. After I cut the ladle off, I threw a cylinder to make the napkin rings. I put the fan on while it was still rotating. I did not want to cut the napkin rings off with the clay so wet for fear of warping them. I left the cylinder dry a bit and turned my attention to making the handle for the ladle.  I made a pulled handle and set that next to the ladle so they could dry together. I'll be attaching them when they are closer to leather hard. 

Waiting to be united.

The wiggle wire can be used in a variety of ways.  Today I used it to cut napkin rings from a cylinder.  This created texture on the sides while leaving the inside and outside of the napkin rings smooth.  I plan on glazing it in a way that will bring attention to the pattern caused by the wiggle wire.

It was a busy day running around and reminding myself how to throw again. To think, I managed to throw something without getting clay behind my ears. Crazy!

Items I used you should check out:

Shimpo VL Whisper, Dirty Girls Wiggle Wire, Hydro-Bat, Standard 112

Goodbye is Such Sweet Sorrow

Getting ready for our picnic lunch.

We scrambled around this morning: tables and stools were moved outside, flowers and soda were being bought, lunch was being called in, and a card was being passed around. What was this all for, you might ask? Well, we are saying goodbye to a very special member of our team. Megan has been with The Ceramic Shop since quite nearly the beginning (racking up a total of 10 years!). Today she leaves for the weekend, but we wont be seeing her on Monday. Megan has been preparing to leave over the last couple of months after she was accepted into a graduate program for Occupational Therapy at Temple University.

Something to always remember us by.

We closed the store for half an hour (sorry if we missed you!) and sat down for a company-wide lunch as a way to say “congratulations and we'll miss you.” During lunch Mark reminisced about days long since past, when Megan first started working for him. He recalled how she was still attending school at UArts and looked very much like an art student. When she first started everyone would call and ask for him, but soon when he answered the phone everyone would request Megan. She seemed to have all the answers (about ceramics). We know that it will be strange without her, but we are glad to know that she'll still find time to stop by and say “hi.”

At lunch Mark presented Megan with the “Porcelain Key Award.” A permanent connection to The Ceramic Shop. It represents an open invitation to stop by and see us any time. We hope to see you soon and often Megan. Good luck in all your future endeavors!  

Megan will always be a part of The Ceramic Shop.

Playing With Clay (and Leaves)

Some process photos

What do you get when you combine silicon rubber leaf mats with a slump mold and some clay? A serving platter...obviously. And that's just what I made last week. I worked with the interns to roll some slabs and get our hands dirty (with clay).  Now I'm going to tell you the steps on how to make this project, too.

1. Create a slab about 1/4” thick. Then we cut the shape of the leaf out of the slab and add pressure to transfer the leaf patterns into the clay. Then use a needle tool or your fingers to trim and smooth the edges. Now you have clay leaves!
2. Next take the a slump mold and slump the leaves into the shape of the mold, overlapping them in places so your platter does not have holes in it.
3. Score and slip the parts that overlap. Then smooth the creases so that it looks clean.
4. Then take some plastic and some paper and fill the concave (top) part of the platter in and flip it over so you have access to the part that would normally be sitting on a table.  This helps to keep the slumped shape while working on the bottom side of the platter. Now you can clean up the bottom and reenforce the joints.
5. All that's left to do is flip it back into the slump mold where you let it dry to leather hard and then plastic wrap it till it is bone dry.

Now I just need to bisque it and glaze it. I'm really excited to see how it will turn out. What glazes do you think I should use?

Tools used:

Slab roller

Needle Tool

Silicon Rubber Leaf Mats

Butler Slump Mold

Close up on some of the leaves

Time With The Interns

Spencer throwing for a demo video.

Today I had a chance to sit down and talk with our interns. Oh, yes! We have interns. Kevin and Spencer have been interning with us during the month of May. Kevin and Spencer have been in the ceramics program at Conestoga High School for four years and mostly focus in throwing functional work. They were recommended to intern at The Ceramic Shop by their teacher to get a better idea of how a business in ceramics might work. Their internship here will help them to better understand the art world and to see if it seems like a plausible career path.
So far, they have found working at The Ceramic Shop to be fun and engaging. I asked the boys what their favorite things where to do here. Spencer has enjoyed working with Tracy on making the HydroBats. He liked learning the process of making products, which is an experience The Ceramic Shop can give to him because we produce so many different items. Kevin has like helping make demonstration videos for our website and YouTube channel. The tool demonstration videos they have been making will be up on our YouTube channel soon!

Spencer and Kevin will be going away to college after they finish their internships with us. Kevin will be attending University of Colorado and Spencer will be going to the University of Ohio. Both Kevin and Spencer will be studying business with a minor in ceramics. They are hoping to maybe start their own businesses or even take their ceramics to the next level. Everyone at The Ceramic Shop wishes them the best. We've really enjoyed having them around.

Kevin centering.

Something New from Skutt

If you were at NCECA this year and managed to stop by the Skutt booth perhaps you saw a demo of their new front loading kilns. No? Well, we were able to see them talk and demo this amazing new kiln. Skutt designed their front loading kiln to have some really cool design features. Thanks to the light weight door and roof AND floor elements the kiln heats and cools more evenly. One of the coolest features has to be that it is designed to fit through a standard doorway. This may not seem like a big deal, but if you've owned another large capacity kiln before and had issues installing or moving your kiln because it didn't fit through the doorway you know how cool this is.

Artist, Tom Turner has been using Skutt's Front Loader to make some amazing work. He's been creating a never before seen combination of Copper Red Oxblood and Lunar Crystal. Lunar Crystal is a crystal glaze that is usually fired in an oxidation atmosphere whereas the Copper Red Oxblood is usually required in a reduction firing. The result is truly amazing. The red of the Copper Red Oxblood is brilliantly red and is complimented well with the light green to white of the Lunar Crystal glaze. To see some of his work visit his site: http://tomturnerporcelain.com/page084.htm
If you would like more information on this kiln give us a call (215-427-9665) or visit the product's description page on our website: http://www.theceramicshop.com/store/product/10738/Skutt-Front-Loader-KM16F-240v/

We are looking forward to seeing more work produced in this amazing kiln.

Xiem Adds FLEX to Their Family of Tools

We've had a lot of items added to our store the last few weeks and they are all really exciting. One of the things I can not wait to try is some of the new Xiem tools. Xiem makes high quality and brightly colored tools. We have just added some of their new mini rollers for decorating. They have bright turquoise handles and each of the four sets comes with three different rollers. There is also a couple of tools that provide a bit of flexibility to your work. This includes a flexible ruler and something called a potter's wand which is used while throwing. These flexible tools provide the user with the angle or shape they need to get the job done. What I'm excited to try is the new clay cutter. It is designed to be customizable. This means you can change out the wire to alter not only the length but the kind of wire. For me that's really cool because the long wire cutters never really cut it for me, if you know what I mean. With this tool it's easy to change out the wire and it even comes with three interchangeable wires.  One is a straight wire cutter and the other two are spring wires to provide texture while cutting! How cool is that? A hex key is included so you don't even have to go looking for one that fits. And I don't know about you but I love tools that come with their own... tools.

Posting about Posts

So last week I learned how we make Hydro-Bats and this week I went on another learning adventure! This week I spent some time with Duc, the man in charge of our post production. Oh, didn't I tell you? We make a lot of products at The Ceramic Shop and one of the things we make is posts for furniture kits. Duc is a BFA student at Tyler School of Art, and like a lot of the employees at The Ceramic Shop is studying ceramics. He has been working at The Ceramic Shop for about 3 months but he already has making posts down to an art (no puns intended).

Our selection of posts

We use a custom mix of clay to make the posts. This clay helps make the posts durable even after many firings. Duc portions the clay and extrudes it with a pug mill. The most difficult part of making posts is to make sure they dry without warping. If there is one thing anyone who has played with clay experiences it is that clay tends to warp while it drys. Duc takes extra care to keep the posts as straight as possible. He flips them multiple times so that all sides receive exposure to the air. It takes almost an entire week for the post to fully dry!

Extruded posts that are slowly drying.

The posts are fired in a single firing. When then are cool, Duc uses a wet saw to cut them precisely to the right size. We make 11 different sizes reaching up to 10” in height. This allows you to utilize your entire kiln, right down to the half inch (we make half inch posts).

Well, it's been another fun week at The Ceramic Shop. Hope you guys have been productive!  If you'd like to check out our posts please visit our website.

Pieces of left over posts after they're cut with a wet saw.

An Afternoon with Hydro-Bats

I spent the afternoon with Tracy, where I learned about her process in making the Hydro-Bats.  I knew already that Mark invented the Hydro-Bat while he was still teaching at University of Pennsylvania.  Most of the history of the Hydro-Bats can be found on our website if you are interested in reading about it.  Tracy has been making the Hydro-Bats for about 7 months now, so she's very skilled in the process.

Piles of Hydro-Stone

Mark used to make the Hydro-Bats himself, but today I was learning how they are made in the present.  First, Tracy mixes the Hydro-Stone with water.  She mixes 60 lbs of Hydro-Stone at one time!  Don't worry, the mixing is not done by hand!  Tracy uses an electric mixer to get the job done.  This allows the Hydro-Stone to mix properly and to its fullest potential. 

Then she pours the Hydro-Stone into the various molds we have.  It's a lot like pouring plaster, and in fact Hydro-Stone is very similar to plaster.  The difference?  Hydro-Stone is stronger than ordinary plaster which gives our finished product a longer life.  People as us all the time what types of tools can be used with Hydro-Stone.  Although stronger than ordinary plaster, we still recommend you use wood, rubber or plastic tools on Hydro-Bats.  It will help procure a longer life and a more even working surface.

  After the Hydro-Stone is mostly set she takes them out of the mold and trims them up to look pretty.  The tops of the Hydro-Bats are so smooth that it's hard to not touch them.  They are finally set out to finish the drying and hardening process.  Then they are shipped off to our suppliers or put in our store. 

Trimmed and ready to go!

I really enjoy working in a place that still makes some of it's products and learning about how Hydro-Bats are made was fun.

Drying Hydro-Bats

Conventional Recovery

How is everyone holding up? Did NCECA wear you down? We are still recovering from all the excitement ourselves. It was a lot of fun to see all of our suppliers and a lot of you in person! What was your favorite thing to do at NCECA? We spent a lot of time behind our own booth but managed to sneak away to watch some demonstrations and photograph some pieces.

NCECA has many different programs and I hope you all took advantage of all you could. One amazing goal of NCECA is show off a lot of artists from all ages and levels. They have various competitions including an Emerging Artist program for undergraduate or freshly graduated college students, a general ceramic artists competition, a K-12 exhibit, and  much more. We managed to get some photographs from the K-12 exhibit:

We were really excited to see some of the new tools coming in the following months from Mudtools and X-tools. They are going to be awesome and will be put on our website as soon as they are available so make sure to check back with us!

Skutt also has some new mind-boggling kiln technology that they relieved to their NCECA onlookers. We will be getting this exciting new product in our store and on our website just as soon as Skutt will let us. For now, we will just have to wait.

Well, we have a lot of photos and videos we have to sift through and will be posting them slowly over the next month so make sure to check back for new highlights from NCECA 2012! You can also check out our Facebook. Like us and check out our albums!

-Melissa

NEW Products Come from Productivity

We've all had a busy week here at The Ceramic Shop. Those of us going to NCECA are leaving next week so we've been busy packing. I mentioned in the last post that we are launching some new products at NCECA and I'd like to tell you a bit more about them and how they work.

First of all we are taking with us our own unique line of ceramic decals. There are 12 multicolored, easy to apply, 8 ½” x 11” sheets and they produce wonderful results. These decals are available NOW on our website. See our demonstration on application here:

First you cut out the portion of decals you want, soak them in water then slide the clear decal onto an already glazed pot or what-have-you. Then you smooth it out and let it dry, fire it between Cone 018 and 1470°F and you will have a unique and colorful piece.

I also mention a new wax resist. Well, we are finally launching Mr. Mark's Removable Wax Off! Resist. It's an interesting product that applies like a wax, but can be peeled off (unlike wax). It allows for endless possibilities in layering and intricate decoration. A limited amount of Wax Off! will be available for purchasing at NCECA and we'll have it online and in stores May 1^st. We also have a demonstration for the wax (I told you we've all been busy):

Alright! That's about it for the excitement. If you have any question please let me know and myself or someone else at The Ceramic Shop will be more than happy to answer it for you. If you use any of our products we would love it if you'd share it with us. Post it on our Facebook or tweet at us on Twitter!

Happy Creating!

-Melissa

An EDGY Kind of Conference

Tracy has been very busy making and packing all the 

Hydro-bats and Hydro-stone hump molds for NCECA.

Are all you potters ready for NCECA? This year is going to be great and we're getting really excited here at The Ceramic Shop. Apart from having three booth spaces (making it our biggest year yet), we are launching several new products AND have a demoing artist!

First, we are proud to be hosting a local artist. Sandi Perantozzi of Neighborhood Potters (http://sandiandneil.com/) will be sharing a booth with us and demonstrating her own product: the Circle-Matic. For years Sandi was using templates to make cups, vases and the like. People kept telling her she should market her templates and finally she did. Aren't we glad she did? We sell the Circle-Matic on our website and in store. You can see a sample of how to use the Circle-Matic by watching this video: 

So I mentioned we're launching some new products? We started making miniature hump molds that will be sold exclusively through Shimpo. We are also launching our very own wax, called Wax Off! It can be painted on and peeled off, thus the name: Wax Off! We will have a longer blog talking about our wax and we hope to have a demonstration up shortly. If you have any question please let me know! We will also be selling full color ceramic decals. The decals are pre-made, but in a way that you can still use them to make creative and personal pieces. These decals will be limited edition so when we're out we wont make be making anymore. You'll just have to collect and horde them, I suppose. As usual we will be selling Hydro-bats and our own hump molds at conference prices.

If you're attending NCECA please stop by and check out all of our deals! Our booth numbers are 225,227, and 229.  Mark, Aaron and Megan will be manning the booth and would love to see you and say, “Hi!”  And if you're in the Philadelphia area and can't make it to NCECA stop in and say, "Hi." to those of us left behind to man the shop!

-Melissa

Their Show, Our Clay

Hey Internetians, potters and the like! How has everyone's week been? Productive, I hope. Here at The Ceramic Shop we've been busy packing orders as usual. What else has the Ceramic Shop been up to that might be a little out of the ordinary? How about supplying clay to a gallery for a big show? Yeah, we do that too. Last week New Museum in New York opened their newest show: “The Ungonvernables.” It features numerous young artist for around the world. You can read more about it here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/17/arts/design/the-ungovernables-2012-new-museum-triennial.html?pagewanted=all We were able to help by supplying the clay for a large, floor to ceiling sculpture made by Adrian Villar Rojas and his crew. The piece is unfired and the artist feels the cracking only adds to the feel of the piece. It's fun to think we were able to help out with a production like this. If you are in the area you should check out the New Museum.

-Melissa

Introductions

Hello and welcome to The Ceramic Shop Blog! It's our first post so how about we share a little about ourselves? The Ceramic Shop is located in Philadelphia and was created by artist and educator Mark Lueders. Mark taught at the University of Pennsylvania and was the driving force behind introducing ceramics into the university's curriculum. Years later, Mark invented a style of fast drying, durable bats known as the Hydro-Bat. His business started off small, but quickly outgrew the facility he was located in. Now a beautiful old knitting mill houses our warehouse, show room and several artist studio spaces. We've done a lot of growing. We carry all the top brand products including Amaco, Skutt, Shimpo, L&L, Kemper, Spectrum, Speedball, Laguna, Olympic, and Paragon. We are also the leading manufacturers of kiln stilts, bead racks and specialty kiln furniture.

What makes The Ceramic Shop unique? Besides just selling ceramic supplies, many of us use clay which allows us to give personal incite on products and techniques. I thought I'd take a bit of time and introduce you to all of us here at The Ceramic Shop.

Aaron started at The Ceramic Shop packing stilts and Hydro-Bats for shipping but now mans the front desk. He has attended both California College of Art and Massachusetts College of Art and Design. He knows everything there is to know about working with stilts and whole sale accounts. If you need to set up a whole sale account or fire something on stilts this is the man you need to talk to. He doesn't have a favorite clay tool but he's exceptionally good at driving the fork lift.

Birgit is a Master Herbalist, Yoga instructor, and personal trainer. She does a lot of background work around The Ceramic Shop as our accountant. She is also a consulting Herbalist and sells her herbal supplements at www.brigitcare.com. Apart from raising two girls, running her own business and being our accountant she's also Mark's wife (which must be a full time job in itself).


Danny handles all of our online orders.  He is from Brecksville, OH.  He attend MICA in Baltimore where he got his BFA in Ceramics.  He is currently in the work exchange program at The Clay Studio as well as working at The Ceramic Shop.  If you've ordered something online he's packed and shipped your items (unless your order was wrong and then that was the elves).

Duc is one of the newest members of The Ceramic Shop. He graduated from Tyler School of Art, Temple University for Ceramics. He's in charge of our post department. If you stop by you might see him busy extruding posts for furniture kits.

Gina has an MFA in ceramics and is currently working on her PhD in Archaeological Ceramic Analysis. She used to run a studio at a university. She just might know everything there is to know about glazes and is good to answer any questions on glazes and slip. She also takes care of all our special orders and is able to tweak your glazes to your liking.

Justin goes the extra mile to help out our customers...literally. Here at The Ceramic Shop Justin is our truck driver. He makes all the driving deliveries like a pro. He will always call you before dropping off your order and likes to skateboard in his spare time.

Megan has been with us since almost the beginning. She attended the University of the Arts for Ceramics. She just got accepted into Graduate School at Temple University studying Occupational Therapy. Congratulations to Megan! She is very knowledgeable in glazes, both color and texture, and if you are a returning buyer she might just remember what you bought last time. Her favorite tool is the Mudtool's red number 0 rib and her favorite clay is MC65 smooth stoneware.

I'm Melissa and I'm one the newest additions to The Ceramic Shop. I started at the beginning of February and I'm in charge of our online presence. I studied History at California State University, Fullerton and minored in Art where I focused much of my creative attention on glass and ceramics. I will be doing most of the writing here at The Ceramic Shop Blog, but will be working with everyone here to provide you with the most in depth information about the wonderful world of ceramics as possible.

Mike is called the “kiln master.” He's in charge of firing all the stilts that are produced here at The Ceramic Shop. Mike attended Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and has worked at The Ceramic Shop for over 3 years now.

Samson hails from Lakewood, Colorado, which is a small town with big birds. When asked about what he does at The Ceramic Shop he told me he's, “put some tape of boxes before.” In actuality, he packs most of the items that are shipped from The Ceramic Shop.  It is said that he can pack a Hydro-Bat and ship it to Hawaii without it breaking.

Tracy graduated from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University which she studied (you guessed it) Ceramics. She is more than proficient in slip casting, mold making, plaster modeling and making Hydro-Bats. Oh, did I mention she makes all the Hydro-Bats? I mean ALL the Hydro-Bats. Apart from pumping out all those Hydro-Bats, she also works for the Claymoblie where she teaches children ceramics. Her favorite tools are power tools. You can check out her work at www.tracyjlee.com.

Victoria studied Ceramics at the Tyler School of Art, Temple University. She manages the store and can be caught holding down the fort, so to speak (AKA the front desk) with Aaron. She can answer any questions you have about our in-store products. Her favorite clay is Bmix 5 that she uses to make a lot of functional work. If you have any questions on how to make your work functional, Victoria is your girl.

Our stilt making department consists of Mike (“the kiln master”), Alket, Leonora and Majlinda. Alket's job consists of a variety of things including extruding, preparing clay for press molds, slip molding and much more. He's been with us for about 6 months. Leonora has been making stilts for about 2 years. She's had many years experience using molds and continues to knock out stilts every day. Majlinda has been with us for 10 months and works with Leonora to make the large amount of stilts we produce.

Zach, in conjunction with Mark, does almost all our kiln repair services. He graduated from the Cranbrook for Ceramics and is an excellent potter. He has done some in-store demonstrations before and we're hoping to do more. If there is something you'd like seen demoed let us know and we'll force Zach behind a wheel!

That's all of us here at The Ceramic Shop. But, enough about us! We want to know a little about you. We are hoping to provide inclusive information about the world of ceramics, so what would you like to know about? We pride ourselves on being knowledgeable and are open for questions, suggestions and discussions on what you would like to see here. From all of us at The Ceramic Shop, thanks for joining us!

-Melissa