A fresh monarch butterfly rests on my hand, which is also holding a ceramic spoonrest I made and decorated with a monarch butterfly.

Not a bad likeness

#McCannStudios #Monarch

A top-down view of my workbench showing a strip of extruded clay next to a yellow ruler, two shorter pieces of extruded clay already curved into a U shape, and two pieces of clay fitted into the bottoms of large plastic yogurt containers to take that specific curvature.

A top-down photo of six clay handles, all shaped and ready to be fitted to dishes, nested in pairs. A wet yellow sponge keeps them damp and pliable.

Dear other potters: how do you create a consistent curve repeatedly?
Here I’m using plastic containers to curve sets of handles for baking dishes.

#McCannStudios #Pottery #HowIt’sMade

How do I go from round to rectangular? Slowly! This is at 10x speed. Handmade things take time 🩵

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#McCannStudios #Pottery #ProcessVideo

A casserole dish, freshly made of clay on the pottery wheel. The shape is a soft rectangle.

A side-on view of a casserole dish, freshly made of clay on the pottery wheel. The shape is a soft rectangle.

A casserole dish, freshly made of clay on the pottery wheel, and sliced in half to view the profile. The shape is (was) a soft rectangle.

Prototyping a new shape is messy work!

#McCannStudios #Pottery #Casserole

It’s the time of year where we try our new toys and tools! What has been added to your collection recently?

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#McCannStudios #Pottery

A low angle photo taken of the top shelf of my cooling kiln with the lid opened just a few inches. Cooling pottery is visible in the shadowy interior.

A low angle photo taken of the top shelf of my cooling kiln with the lid opened just a few inches. Cooling pottery is visible in the shadowy interior.

Do other potters do this? Sneak a quick picture of the top of your cooling kiln?

#McCannStudios #Pottery #Anticipation

They can’t all be keepers!

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#McCannStudios #Pottery #Smash #ASMR

I think this one is going to be fun & maybe a keeper? Only time will tell!

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#McCannStudios #Pottery #Timelapse

A freshly thrown clay vase with a crackled blue exterior showing how the clay stretched into form.

This is the blue vase from the timelapse video, still. I’m particularly pleased with the crackle pattern on this one, and will be trying to work out what causes various effects.

#McCannStudios #Pottery #Crackle

A quick timelapse of a vase with sodium silicate crackles. This vase has some fierce stretch marks!

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#McCannStudios #Pottery #WheelThrownPottery

A freshly thrown clay pot in the shape of a wide urn has a turquoise outer surface that is disrupted by a pattern of crackles and crevices like those in dried mud. The interior of the crackles is the warm grey color of the clay.

A freshly thrown clay pot showing a crackled outer surface. The jar of sodium silicate is visible on the right.

Both vases together, showing how the crackle pattern looks with and without added color.

For a long time I’ve wanted to try a pottery technique where you use sodium silicate to create a crackle effect on your pot. I finally tried it today!
What do you think?

#McCannStudios #Pottery

A wide photo of a 6’ folding table full of freshly bisqued pottery. The ceramics are all ivory colored and unglazed, and are stacked like the drying dishes they are.

Finally getting a bisque load fired! It’s been too long

#McCannStudios #Pottery

A photo looking down on six clay berry bowls. They are unfired, at different stages of drying, and all have different patterns of holes in the sides and bottoms.

Works in progress, I think cleaning up the holes takes more time than making the bowls!

#McCannStudios #Pottery #BerryBowl #WIP

A close view of the inner wall of a clay egg tray. There is a raised texture of grasses and cattails.

A work in progress view of a clay egg tray, on the work surface, with tools and the drape mold.

Working on an idea to make a pond themed egg tray. In case they’re duck eggs. 🦆

#McCannStudios #Pottery #Quackers

I’m finally getting quicker at the egg trays. (Not this quick, but you get the idea)

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#McCannStudios #Pottery #ProcessVideo #EggTray #EggCarton

A handbuilt egg tray sized for six eggs. The tray is made of still soft clay and impressed with a pattern made by rolling the slab with a crochet doily. The tray holds three wooden eggs and is resting on a green quilters mat.

Why are smaller versions of things always cuter?

#McCannStudios #Pottery #HalfDozen #WIP #ClaySky

Five egg trays made of clay, all with crochet patterns imprinted into the clay. They are presented from first attempt on the left to most recent creation on the right, all resting on a full sized sheet pan. The clay is in various stages of drying.

What does evolution look like in my clay? These are, from left to right, prototype, attempt, overconfident attempt, okay let’s try to solve some challenges, and the most recent iteration.

#McCannStudios #Clay #WIP #BehindTheScenes #HandbuiltPottery #ArtWork

A photo of an egg tray for holding farm fresh eggs. It has been shaped from a slab of clay, which is still leather-hard in this photo. The wooden eggs used to shape the clay are visible behind the tray, both resting on a green quilters mat with yellow measuring marks.

A photo of an egg tray for holding farm fresh eggs. It has been shaped from a slab of clay, which is still leather-hard in this photo. The wooden eggs used to shape the clay are visible behind the tray, both resting on a green quilters mat with yellow measuring marks. Three extra wooden eggs rest in the tray to demonstrate use.

Feeling cute, might crack later

#McCannStudios #Pottery #Eggs #Crochet

Cutting out the pattern for each part, just like a sewing pattern.

Using a crocheted doily to add texture to my slab of clay before I cut out the patterned shape. Test fitting more parts on the rest of the clay slab.

A fully constructed butter dish! The clay is still soft, it will need to dry slowly. The pattern on the lid is the impressed texture from a crochet doily.

A fully constructed butter dish! The clay is still soft, it will need to dry slowly. The pattern on the lid is the impressed texture from a crochet doily. This view shows more of that pattern on top of the knob shaped handle as well.

Lately I’ve been learning to make handbuilt butter dishes using a pattern. It’s a slow but satisfying process.

#McCannStudios #Pottery #Clay #Crochet

#McCannStudios #PotterySky #Pottery #Ceramic

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A pair of ceramic dishes decorated with loosely drawn red poppies, bees, and honeycomb patterns. The exteriors are glazed in dark green.

The underside of the pair of poppy blates, showing off bees and honeycombs.

A pair of ceramic dishes decorated with loosely drawn red poppies, bees, and honeycomb patterns. The exteriors are glazed in dark green.

These were a surprise for a person who has been a big supporter of my #Pottery habit

#McCannStudios #Blates #WheelThrownPottery #Art #🐝

A group of 8 ceramic dishes, all with a rose petal texture. 7 are large and glazed in white, the 8th is smaller (9”) and pink. They are all intended to be serving dishes.

My #MayFlowers are looking nice 😊

#McCannStudios #Pottery #Clay #HandbuiltPottery #FunctionalArt #ArtSky

A close photo of the turtle design on a small ceramic plate. The turtle is two shades on green and stands on a brown lower glaze in front of a sky blue upper glaze.

The small saucer in my hand. The turtle is two shades on green and stands on a brown lower glaze in front of a sky blue upper glaze.

The small clay plate tilted to show the dimension. The turtle is two shades on green and stands on a brown lower glaze in front of a sky blue upper glaze. 🐢

Tiny turtle saucer

#McCannStudios #Pottery #Turtle #🐢 #Handmade

#Silver is a fun glaze effect, but tricky to photograph (or video) without catching your own reflection!

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#McCannStudios #Pottery #AColorADaypril

A very colorful ceramic bowl, just big enough to fill my hand holding it aloft. This bowl sports many bright opaque colors in dripping spotted patterns, swirling together in the bottom of the dish.

Splashes of #Coral are part of the merriment in this drippy bowl (inspired by Caleb Zouhary!)

#McCannStudios #Pottery #Clay #AColorADaypril #MondayFunday

Three ceramic blates with satin textured mint green glaze on their exteriors, are arranged to show how they’re shaped. One is propped up to show the interior view, with tulips and a bee and some hexagons, and the other two dishes are sitting flat to display the profile shape, one on the table, and the other raised on a black wooden crate.

#MintGreen is the perfect accompaniment to these tulip blates.

#McCannStudios #Pottery #AColorADaypril #🌷 #WheelThrownPottery

A set of 2 ceramic plates, 2 bowls, and 2 mugs sport speckled maroon and speckled orange glazes, matching the school colors

A set of 2 ceramic plates, 2 bowls, and 2 mugs sport speckled maroon and speckled orange glazes, matching the school colors. The dishes are nested together in this photo.

#Orange and #Maroon dishes for a commission for a high schooler heading off to a particular college.

#McCannStudios #Pottery #AColorADaypril #ConGradulations

A small slip cast vase with the word AMACO visible as raised clay under drippy turquoise glaze, showing some dark purple at the bottom. This vase was a way to test new glazes at a suppliers booth at the ceramics conference I recently attended.

A small slip cast vase with drippy turquoise glaze, showing some dark purple at the bottom. This vase was a way to test new glazes at a suppliers booth at the ceramics conference I recently attended. The card with the glazes used is visible in the photo as well.

I’m definitely not a brand shill, but #Turquoise is good timing, I just pulled this little vase from the kiln. Who else glazed one of these at #NCECA?

#McCannStudios #AColorADaypril #Pottery #IGlazedWithAmaco

A plate made of a grey clay, still soft and freshly impressed with a sunflower.

My very favorite #Gray is the #Grey of wet clay. So much potential just waiting

#McCannStudios #Pottery #AColorADaypril #Clay

A ceramic mug shaped like a round bellied cauldron on three stubby ball feet has a loop handle big enough for two fingers, and is glazed in a glittery black.

A ceramic mug shaped like a round bellied cauldron is turned upside down to show of three stubby ball feet with black underglaze on their soles 👣

#Black is always a solid choice for a cauldron mug. In this case glittery black, and black underglaze on the feet to complete the outfit.

#McCannStudios #Pottery #AColorADaypril