We picked up our finished creations from the Pottery Place

The results are in

Last week was Hive account@flowerbaby and I's one year anniversary (more on that here.) We did many different things to celebrate, but our favorite activity was going to the Pottery Place. It is there that we added color to some unpainted objects that were available to choose from. This was our second time going to the Pottery Place, this is what happened during out first experience.

We were told that it would take one week for our items to be 100% complete. We patiently waited for seven days until this morning. Today we drove to meet the potter from the Pottery Place and she gave us our creations.

Lets take a look at what our pieces look like now that they are complete.

Fairy Mushroom Love House

^{by: Hive account@flowerbaby}

This cute little house of love turned out to be such an awesome design. I know I have a creative girlfriend, but she still surprises me with how amazing the things that she makes are. I really love all of the different colors that she selected, they combine together so well. I feel like this would be the coolest home ever to stumble upon deep within a magical forest.

Spotted Easter Rattlenake

^{by: Hive account@daltono}

I planned to make this snake one of a kind, that's how I would want to if I were a slithering reptile. This rattler may not actually make a sound, but it sure says a lot just from a quick glance. The unique stripes across the body combined with the white skin and spots makes for an Easter-themed rattlesnake.

Somebody is home

Hive account@flowerbaby's Fairy Mushroom Love House came with an extra feature that my snake didn't have. The secret back door entrance doubles as the access point to put a candle/light inside of the house. If the light is on, then it looks like somebody is home.

My history with pottery

When I was a fine art student at university, I had an in-depth pottery class. I learned the steps to turn clay into ceramic and created several different projects. It has been many years since I actually worked with clay, so I wanted to refresh my memory on how things work. I found this article and started remembering everything right away.

The Firing Process

Artists begin with clay, shaping and molding it to whatever the mind can imagine. Different joining techniques such as score and slip are used, but things will always be fragile while in clay form.

Once the shape and details are complete, then it is on to the first firing to solidify everything. We call this stage the bisque firing. It is during this step that the clay hardens during time spent in a furnace-like heating machine called a kiln. There is also a precise cool-down period after bisqueing before the hardened clay is ready to accept color. Clay turns into bisqueware and is much less fragile while remaining porous enough to accept the application of glazes.

When going to the Pottery Place, you begin with bisqueware. There are nearly one hundred different objects to choose from on the shelves when you first arrive at the Pottery Place. You get to pick your favorite and then paint on color. The paint is actually called glaze. The colors visible in the glaze bottle often turn out to be totally different once undergoing the final glaze firing step. Multiple coats of glaze may be required, especially for the lighter colors. There is an option to use speckled paint so that the ceramic has a texture. You can also use a certain type of pencil to write whatever you want, it will even show through the glaze.

Upon exiting the kiln after the glaze firing, the result is a shiny piece of colorful ceramic. This is what caused us to have to wait an entire week for our creations to be ready. Pottery is a delicate process. I respect anyone who is highly skilled at this art. I'm glad the Pottery Place makes it easy to feel like a talented artist. Hive account@flowerbaby and I love creating forever pieces together.