Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Tower of Whimsy


Something overcame me in the studio yesterday and I made this tower of whimsy. Except it's almost 20 inches tall and may be too tall to fit in my kiln. Now what will I do? Maybe if I fired it on the floor of the kiln without a shelf it might fit.


It's constructed of flattened strips or coils piled one on top the other. I think the towers at Flagler College and the St. Augustine Carousel colors somehow combined into one piece. I never know where my inspiration will take me, but I do enjoy going there. I wouldn't mind making a few more of these in various heights. Maybe I'll make one with a door on the front. This post is part of Mud Colony what's happening in the studio this week. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

21 comments:

  1. Cool tower! Are the colored rings different glazes?

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  2. Very whimsical, gosh I hope you can get it into the kiln without having to cut it. If you have to cut it maybe the top piece would be the easiest to glue back on after firing?

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  3. Hello Linda:
    A flight of imagination, most certainly!! A whole collection with different coloured stripes and of varying heights would be great fun. Your owntower village!

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  4. Hi Robert, thanks, those are underglazes and I put them on green, then fire and then put on a clear glaze over the top.

    Hi Anna, thanks, no I just can't bear to cut it. I love my kiln but it is wider than it is tall. I don't know why I do these things to myself. Maybe I can fire it lying down, except I fear that would encourage it to break apart.

    Hi Jane and Lance, thanks, that's it, it would be so cool to have a village of towers, I can just picture it now.

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  5. I love it! And that you put the colors on when it's greenware. Sure, I'd fire it without the shelf, rather than lying it on it's side. It definitely needs some brothers and sisters, and of course some carts and wagons.

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  6. Hi Barbara, thanks, I'll see if it will fit today. I always put my underglazes on green, I know others put them on when leather hard or on bisque. Oh a whole whimsical city with, oh I better not even go there, see what tangents you are sending me on, I don't need any encouragement. Ha.

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  7. Wonderful whimsy. I love the way you got led to do that tower; perhaps your brain absorbed photograph two, from yesterday, and improved on it! Your version is much more fun. I shall have my fingers crossed that it fits into the kiln.

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  8. This looks like pure fun...it's odd how things translate into creativity. Keep it up!

    You can probably fire on the floor of the kiln with no ill effect. In the future why not build them in sections that fit together without glue? Then the sky is the limit!

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  9. Hi Elaine, thanks, it is strange how my mind is led without my even realizing it in advance. I hope it will make it too.

    Hi Suzi, thanks, yes no sense trying to figure out how or why creative inspiration comes, just go with the flow. Making them in sections is a good idea and then the sky is the limit for sure. Ha.

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  10. Pretty interesting. The top of it reminds me of some old chimney toppers I've seen. I don't know what they're really called. I think they were for keeping birds out and some can be quite fancy.

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  11. Hi Melissa, thanks, I'll have to look those up to see what their name is and what they look like.

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  12. I love it. Maybe tree in different sizes will be nice.

    Hugs
    Elna

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  13. I was going to suggest laying it down until I saw your comments. You need a friend with a tall kiln...maybe a community studio near to you?

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  14. We have built up the height of the kiln with soft brick, filled in cracks with ceramic fiber, and set the lid of an an old electric kiln on the top... but not everyone has as many spare parts and stuff like that hanging around!
    I think smartcat is on the right track with setting it on the floor on the kiln.
    It's a really cool looking pieces, can't wait to see it finished.

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  15. I really like this... keep doing this work... cutting it would be ok as it totally lends itself to it!

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  16. Looks like an ambitious project!

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  17. Hi Elna, thanks, yes groups of three, will be working on more.

    Hi Michele, thanks, I think I originally got the idea to fire without a shelf from you. I am sorry I sold my old sitter kiln which was a bit taller. too late now. I shall see about this one. I may have to make a whole group of tall ones just to fire them on the bottom. Ha.

    Hi Judy, thanks, yes there is a seam every half inch or so so I could cut it, I may have to work out a system where they fit together. I've always wanted to go taller and taller.

    Hi Ms. Sparrow, thanks, I have lots of ambitious projects just not enough time or energy to do them all. Ha.

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  18. Love your tower YAY!
    Makes me feel happy just looking at it :)

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  19. love! this creation, its looks full of colour vibrations- hope you solve the firing part

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  20. LOVE the tower...so hilarious you were SO carried away with the making
    that forgot to check whether it wld fit in the kiln or not !! Its the process that's important not the product...must have been a wild frenzy in your studio !!!!

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  21. I love it Linda! I'm crazy about stripes and colour, so of course I like it, but there's something really interesting about the shape...the slight wonky-ness and the very top is intriguing!

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I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment