Many months ago, Pat suggested that we make something in a way you normally wouldn't make it. So here, I've made a base that looks coil built (it's thrown and carved) and finished to look like crackle raku with copper inside (using Cone 6 glazes). I hope you like it. PS Make sure you zoom in!

I did it, y’all! My friend, who is a beautiful, brilliant, kind woman, asked me to make her a chip and dip. I said yes because my toxic trait is “I can make anything” 😅 Well, I had never thrown one before, and she specifically wanted the divisions so she can put taco toppings in each section. I struggled! First, my bats were terrible (they were a type of board that I thought would be great to use, but instead never released the clay!) I failed there twice before deciding the bats were the problem. Then I threw another one, but the places where I attached the separations kept cracking, the bowl was too leather hard for the attachments, I guessed. So then I made another one, but with shrinkage, it ended up far too small—she wanted something BIG! And then, I made one that I thought was perfect, but the middle section was far too thin on the bottom and it cracked. Cracked in half at the glaze fire! So here, my grand finale, is the last chip and dip with sections that I will ever make 😅🤣 My friend is a big fan of bright and bold colors, often seen wearing a tie dye or ice dye garment that her amazing mother hand-makes for her. I know this was a great learning opportunity. However, I only persevered because I love this person! This was the most clay I’ve ever thrown, it is around 11 pounds of reclaim. I did: Honey Flux all over x3 Then x3 splotches and waves of: Spectrum Cactus, Floating Turquoise, Tiger’s Eye, Bougainvillea, and Amaco Smoky Merlot. Then some splotches of Honey Flux x2 in random locations on top. What do you think?! Did I hit the “tie dye look” target??!!

I would love to know from everyone what 3 pottery tools would you chose that you can't live without if you could only have 3 for the rest of your pottery life? Mine are : Mud tools red rib , Mud tools white sponge , DCT pear shaped trimming tool.

[EDITED TO ADD: I don’t think that this is a safety issue, rather, the words that are required to be used under the new regulation. I’ll dig in a bit after work since I’m used to reading regulations. But I’m not the expert, so take my perspective with that understanding 😁] FYI, There has been a change in California (USA) labeling law and in response Amaco has decided to black out certain information on their current labels. Sharing the information here so nobody gets drawn into conspiracy theories. Amaco has provided a statement (I’ve linked it below) and share that no formulations have changed. They say that they are doing this to prevent lawsuits. I might dig deeper into the regulatory changes if I have time over the next couple of days. https://amaco.com/amaco-brent-updates?fbclid=IwdGRleASo26lleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xNzM4NDc2NDI2NzAzNzAAAR7Q4YKKlG0IcD-2kqonpzHmXcC0DepTD5Ss2OHRGWQx6mGq8he75poBs9BFnQ_aem_oEEPX6F9Oo4tnOgsfeWO7Q

Hello fellow potters! I’d love to share a discussion where we go through the pros and cons of sharing information about pottery markets. Probably the most interesting is the money part. I’ve been interested and thankful to potters who share this information and I fully recognize that this is a personal choice… no obligation to do it or not. However, no matter which side of that decision you fall I’d love to hear the pros and cons from your perspective. Also, what else would you want to learn about a pottery market as a viewer? What are the pros and cons of sharing that? Thanks!!