Throwing Lots of Bulbs

This weekend I managed to get a bit of time in the clay studio. Partly I recycled some clay and cleaned up after the pre-show frenzy of January, but I also got to throw a little.

throwing bulbs

I made some bulbs on the wheel for my 3rd attempt at a spinning bicycle wheel piece.

recycling clay: by which I mean slaking clay on the first day,  drying it out in an arch on the second day, and wedging it on the third day

I also threw some bulbs to be used as a part of a new installation I'm thinking about doing for next year.

throwing bulbs off the hump on the potters wheel

The bike wheel bulbs each have a set of holes in them so that I can thread the fired bulbs onto the bike spokes. I played around with the placement of the holes in these bulbs so that I can control how and where they land on the bike spokes.

bulbs with spoke holes, drying

I think I'll throw some more pieces in some different sizes so I have more options when I start to build the next piece. Maybe I can even find a small bike wheel for smaller bulbs.

the "wrong" way to attach bulbs to a bike wheel (epoxy)

The wall installation bulbs each have a hole in the back so that they will hang on the wall in a particular orientation. I need to spend some more time planning the installation before I'm quite sure how it will all come together.

bulbs for installation, drying

The holes in the bulbs are each made to have a narrower section at the top so that the screw head can slide into place  with the bulb in the correct orientation. I have used this type of opening for hanging for most of my recent work with good success. I'm less sure how it will work for small pieces of this shape.

the back of a wall bulb (with texture from a new tool)

My "Mechanical Botanicals" show continues at CORE Gallery in Seattle through February 28, 2015.