Catherine Daniel Ceramics

Hello and welcome to my blog where I share some of the thought processes and textile/quilting inspirations behind my ceramic art, and occasionally other random topics!
For more details and pictures of my ceramic creations, please see my website -

catherinedanielceramics.com



Sunday 5 February 2012

Iced Fingers

No, not Iced Fingers as in those sickly finger-shaped buns with tons of icing on top! I wish!

I'm on about iced fingers dangling from my frozen hands when I'd finished packing this lot above and more into my kiln in the garage where the temperature inside was minus seven, yesterday!

Today, when I went to take it all out of the kiln, I had to pick my way through this white stuff that had landed overnight.
The kiln is behind that door, across that snow.

It's precision stuff, packing a kiln with glazed pots. For the uninitiated amongst you - if two pieces touch each other, they will bond together and be pretty much ruined. It takes time and dexterity - a dexterity which is nigh impossible with numb, aching, freezing fingers. And it can't possibly be done with gloves on.


But, I was lucky, and though I squished everything onto these shelves as tightly as possible, nothing fused together.
I'll show you some of this stuff in more detail at a future date, but for now .....

I am so pleased with these two large bowls. They're part of the new direction work I was talking of at the beginning of the year where I am concentrating more on complex borders, than the inner design.


This border pattern was not toooooo bad to glaze - a tad time-consuming but worth it.


But I have to say that five minutes into hand-painting the glaze onto this one below, I began to wonder why I had done this to myself!


But I'd started, so I finished ..... sometime later!


And what happened to the icey fingers? Well, great fun was had, placing them on the warm flesh of various family members, before I eventually placed then on top of the aga to thaw out.

Well, you have to have a laugh, don't you? Reminds me of someone who used to stir his hot tea with a teaspoon and then touch the back of your hand with it - just his little joke!

Are you a practical joker or do you hate them?

Bye for now.

x Cathy

18 comments:

  1. I need an iced finger now! the cakey sort..... Those pots are wonderful, it must be wonderful opening up your kiln to find such treasures :) and finding nothing has stuck.
    Sue Xxx

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  2. Thanks for popping over to my blog :) I love your work - very unique :D The tea towel thing, had to smile when I got an email, I thought it was a scam!!! I think they emailed all the blogs as I saw another one the other day to! x

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  3. one of My big brothers used to do the tea spoon trick on me until I threw my squash at him at one day when he did it. My Mum told him he deserved it. :-)
    Gillx

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  4. I love your plate with the winter tree on it. Hope you're a little warmer this week.

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  5. Have you thought of wrist and arm warmers? I've found they make a huge difference to the length of time I can stitch for.

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  6. all your work is amazing!!!!
    I particularly love the bowl with the tree and branches, but all are so beautiful!!

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  7. Your work is WONDERFUL-I too love the bowl with the tree and the mum hearts...its all lovely!
    Wishing you a Warm Week!
    Callie

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  8. I think we are all going to have to fight for the tree dish.
    That starry one with the paisley is pretty nice too- well it all is.Know what you mean about 'I've started..."sometimes a good idea seems so simple until you do it, when it becomes a massive faff.

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  9. Love all the details you manage to get into your ceramics - bit like me I think, get this idea...great, then I have to execute it, oh boy, madness!!! I know Marmalade rose well, saw your piece at her place!!

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  10. Those bowls are wonderful, I love the tree one. We've still got plenty of snow here, though it's a nice bright day today, I hope it melts soon.

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  11. I do love your pottery it's beautiful. I'm not fond of pratactical jokers myself.

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  12. I came across your blog accidentally and just wanted to say that your artwork is very nice - very detailed indeed! You must spend ages painting them?

    Kristina

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  13. I love your work, especially the tree piece! You are one patient woman, tirelessly painting all of those little details. Phew. That's a lot of painting! Stay warm,
    Judy

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  14. oh, BEAUTIFUL creations! the iced fingers were obviously worth the finished results!!
    BH x

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  15. love the teapot and tree motif

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  16. Oh, I see one of my little robins waiting to be fired in the kiln! Hope you have warmed up now. No snow here on Isle of Wight but it did get a bit cold for a while.

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