It's all for the dogs and cats. Auction resutls

smkie

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#1
Art Unleashed Auction 2013 ..
As far as I know, Cinders went for 125.
Water Bird 75....which if I would have had 80 I would have bought it myself and put it back on my mantle Possibly one of the most difficult pieces I have made this year. Sometimes what looks incredibly simple, is actually the hardest to achieve. A completely smooth, unblemished , burnished surface without a crack in it from the Raku firing process is like the Holy Grail to me. THe carrot on the stick, that piece had it. 75 is down right insulting, but that's the way it goe. It still buys a lot of vaccines, or pays for a spay or neuter or food or whatever.
Tea set number one..was in the live auction. The teapot that was finished, and then two custom cups and a sugar bowl done with the bidder's pet. Went for....325.00
THe lady and her husband met with me afterward and we discussed what she wanted. SHe is really not a dog person. SHe is truly a wonderful sweet woman so I am going to make her a whole teapot custom, to go with her cups and sugar bowl with the cat theme through out. She doenst' know that yet, but I will call her and tell her tomorrow.

After they auctioned that off I had let them know before hand that I would also do a complete tea set custom. One tea pot, two cups, and a sugar bowl with the bidder's agreed upon pets.
This bid for ........325.00
I have not met with these people yet, never did to even see who they were in the crowd.
My son came whcih pleased me to no end. I think it is wonderful that he comes and gives me his support and shares in the experience.
Hyia had a guest, she invited her friend who had never been before. She is now spending the night and I dont' think they are ever going to go to sleep.
The big winner of the night was the telephone booth. I will include this and other pieces in the comment section below.

So my total donation this year is 900.

I am not sure if this is my 11 or 12 year in a row of being a part of this Art Unleashed fund raiser. I came home letting my mind wander over what would be a good idea for next year. Making the live auction for my third time is a feather in my cap. I will go to sleep happy tonight. I still have my garden, and I still did this, one more time. Fingers crossed for next year.

I will post pics of some of the other artwork in the morning.
 
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smkie

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#3
I just heard from the lady that purchased the complete custom set. Here is what she has We have 2 chihuahuas, a labradoodle, a cat, a rooster & 7 hens. They are all dear family members! I'd love to see you incorporate them in some way in the set. This should be fun. I love a challenge. I am quite fond of chickens too. :D
 

Barb04

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#4
Wow, what a family that lady has. You'll have to show us pics of the final teapot, etc... once you have them all completed for her. I know she will love what you create.
 

smkie

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#5
Today was about making tester chickens to see about my red comb color before I put it on a teapot that will take me forever to make. I have the body of the teapot done, but until I see the chickens I don't want to add to it because I don't know where I want to put them. Today was about trying to make them smaller and smaller. IT isnt' easy to make a half inch tall chicken. Or for that matter, a cat sitting on the rim of a cup, tbat is hollowed out so it won't be too heavy and crack the rim, or look to big and overwhelm the cup. SO this doesn't look like much, but I was most happy with the way it went on. ONe leg will slip slightly inside the cup, one leg is curled under, still have to do detail on the face and add stripes with mason stain. It is a tabby with the skinny stripes and i think the dark brown mason stain, combined with the natural color of the fired clay, should be a good representation of the lady's cat. I have a tester cat to try that out on first. I am going to have to make a wet box tomorrow so I can keep all this at the right moisture content until I have all hte parts assembled. So some progress. I got held up because I had to make a trip to Lawrence Ks. to get the right comb color that would not burn off at cone 10, and a bag of porcelain to make the goldendoodle with. As well as to put on the combs before I add the red. I was given a challenge wtih chickens chi goldendoole and cat, but I like a challenge. At least she is not in a hurry and I have time to figure it out.




It looks big in the pic, but not in real life, plus it will shrink 20 percent which doesnt' sound like much but looks like a lot if your teacup is too small.
 
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smkie

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#8
THank you. : ) input really helps. I have never had anyone say, ok to do this, do this, or try that. MOst of this, is trial and error, with a lot of error. I would really like to not have to do this twice. AS it is, I figure I better make 2 of each piece and that way when the dust settles, surely I will have a set I will be proud to hand over. AT least that's the goal. Now ti find my maginfiying glasses. Tiny is so dan hard. I still have to put detail and a tail on that rooster and try to make him look like a bad arse. I have never seen a real rooster that didnt' look like he had an attitude.
 
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Zoom

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#9
Congratulations congratulations congratulations!!!

The prototypes look awesome and I can't wait to see what they look like fired.

You should b able to charge $1000 for that set, that's the only thing that gets me.
 

smkie

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#11
I asm not charging anything, the humane society of greater kansas city got 375 ..I think that is right, 350, who knows something along that lines. I get a headache and an excellent learning experience. The totem pole was the same kind of deal, bang your head on the wall, but I learned so much and came out a much better artist than I was before I started.

Decided after putting the dog on the teapot as the handle, that the dog is too big, scrape off dog, start again tomorrow. Dog needs to be big to be in perspective, somehow chis' must be smaller than chickens, and Labradoodle must be the largest animal of all, but it just isnt' going to work as big as I wanted it. Do over. I am doomed to do overs. Mist mist mist..trying to keep all parts uniformly wet or none of it will ever work.

some of the colors I am working with, the pot with the lighter cracks is what I am basing the body of the cups and teapot with. I like it better than the sandy white stoneware, the color is prettier and the surface nicer to touch.
 

smkie

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#12
We have 2 chihuahuas, a labradoodle, a cat, a rooster & 7 hens. They are all dear family members! I'd love to see you incorporate them in some way in the set.

THat is a qoute from the email I received. So...I am 5 chickens and one cat in. One chicken two chi and one labradoodle to go. On a teapot and one more cup. I think there may just have to be a fourth cup. THere is no way I can put that much on a teapot. I figured the labradoodle and the two chi's on the lid. I forgot exactly how many chickens there really were. I put the rooster's tail in the middle so it wouldn't be able to be broken too easily.

My accomplishment today, one for the most part sugar bowl. The cat in is the electric kiln having a bisque fire. And it is just a prototype because I did it on a different clay body. It was my tester cup. Tomorrow after the moisture has had a chance to even out, I will put in the detail on the chicken toppers.



black chicken is easy enough, I have loads of black slip mixed up.


Not much for progress but if I just keep plugging away right?

uh oh..i sent an email to find out the color of the chickens..and this is what I got back.


We have 4 "black" girls, 1 blonde girl, 1 white girl, 1 white & brown rooster, 2 mini Bantys that are white & gray splash, George our fav roo who is black & red & orange, AND 6 teenage buff brahmas that are butterscotch.
That is a lot more than 7 hens and one rooster. :yikes:
 
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Barb04

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#13
You are doing an awesome job. I wish the lady who won the auction would realize that there's just so much you can do. I'm glad she didn't own cattle and want all 500 of them on the cup! Sorry, but I had to say it. I would think 1 chicken & 1 rooster would be good enough, but that's me. Hugs
 

smkie

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#14
People don't think Barb. That's all. Only way I can think where to put the rest is to make a tea box. Like a coop maybe. Now I need to figure out how to make even more little chickens. 2 cups down, 2 black hens done. One cat cup maybe. Will see how it turns out. The box could be for loose tea, or tea bags ( i hear some shudders) or a spoon rest..there has to be a way if I have the will. AT least the others are buff which the b mix clay body is good for, or white and grey splash, I have an open bag of porcelain, so the supplies are here. THe rest is just a puzzle.
 

smkie

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#15
I think the sugar bowl is complete I sure hope this works



hand turned lid..no wheel. I swear the lids are the hardest part of all.

Not even half way done. sighs
one tea box, one cup and the teapot to go. I have the body of the teapot, it is ready for the spout and handle, but if I don't get on it fast, I will have to do it over (for the third time) and I just don't want to.

THe first one was before a family member became very ill. THe second right before I did my stellar mud banana peel fall. Both are now going to be bowls.:rolleyes:
 

smkie

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#17
THat is very high praise, thank you. :):):)
I sure hope the woman thinks so.
Still drawing up my plan for the coop/tea box. Somehow I need to make about 10 chickens be visible in it. I know I can make white stoneware look like wood, I did it twice, once for a glass tray for my son, and once for the base of the totem. It is mixing all the clay bodies and making them compatible that has me crossing my fingers. THe glazes I have availbe are thick and can run which is why I am not using them. I cannot go out and invest a ton in underglazes either, so my "plan" just has to work. I think it could use some work with me vibes if you have it to spare. mason stain I have, mason stain can also burn out. :yikes: and that I don't want to happen. Test tiles test tiles.
 

smkie

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#19
Chickens go in..let's hope it isn't pies that come out.
almost half way there.
 

smkie

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#20
I am afraid to work on it anymore and it's so dry at this point it's a done deal anyway. so thoughts? I hope the lady doesn't have high expectations of a clay dog that is an inch long being put together with essentially mud.
Hopefully vibes welcome I do not have to do this twice.




Will look a great deal different after firing. I hope to pick up cups and sugar bowl from the guild today and am praying every mile there that what I tried to do succeeded or I will be doing that again.

I asked my design teacher Roger Funk when I could stop doing things twice, and he said when i no longer want to be a designer. Doomed to do overs for a lifetime. It's a curse. I do not want to have to do any of this over.

One of the chi's is blind in one eye.

I still haven't received the photos or descriptions from the other lady tho I have written her once a month, to say still here. I don't understand, but ok. She paid for it, I would just like to get it done, it will be far far easier.
 
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