Friday, August 17, 2012

PIT FIRED LIDDED POT WITH DRIFTWOOD TOP by: Maeva Collins


PIT FIRED LIDDED POT WITH DRIFTWOOD TOP
Pit Fired pottery is the oldest known method of firing clay and the ultimate source of all the modern firing variations used by potters. Unfired pots are nestled together in a pit in the ground and are then covered with burnable materials such as wood shavings, leaves, metal oxides, salts, sawdust and dried manure. The top of the pit may be protected with moist clay, shards, larger pieces of wood or metal baffles.
The filled pit is then set on fire and carefully tended until most of the inner fuel has been consumed. The final pit temperature is generally low to moderate, approaching 2000 °F (1100 °C). This is in the range of temperatures used by ancient Native American potters or modern craftsmen producing earthenware.
After cooling, pots are removed and cleaned to reveal dramatic patterns and colors left by ash and salt deposits. Maeva then burnishes her pots with a stone to create a smooth glossy finish. Her Pit Fired pieces are not glazed and will not hold water. http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/catalog/fired-lidded-with-driftwood-p-46160.html

Height 13 inches; Width ~ 8 Inches. Hand crafted on Vancouver Island. www.sidestreetstudio.comhttp://www.sidestreetstudio.com/catalog/fired-lidded-with-driftwood-p-46160.html

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Making a Glass Rufous Humming Bird | Side Street Studio Blog

Making a Glass Rufous Humming Bird | Side Street Studio Blog


Making a Glass Rufous Humming Bird
“I have been working with glass, as you see here, since 1975. This is all I have ever done, professionally. Over the years, I have made hundreds of different figurines. Unabashedly commercial in my approach, especially at first, my wife and I continue to find a market for our product”.
Watch how an artist translates the form of a beautiful Humming Bird from nature and captures it in Glass
So sit back and watch the You Tube movie of  Making a Glass Rufous Humming Bird
Pure artistry and magic!
You can see lots more of Mark’s superb work at http://www.sidestreetstudio.com/catalog/index.php?manufacturers_id=80265