50 Creative People
12/12/11 19:35
Cha-Rie is featured in The Pasadena/Foothills Magazine’s 50 Creative People of 2011. See page 34 http://www.pagegangster.com/p/X3O42/
Published in a book
26/05/11 00:18
Hurray. The Robinson House Fountain is published in a new book by Kathryn Masson, The California House. And I am mentioned.
Fixing a plaster mold
30/01/11 09:52
You would think that after 15 years of making plaster molds, I would not have any problem with it. I am not ashamed to say, there are times when it is still necessary to fix glitches. After all, I’m always trying new things and pushing boundaries.
I have discovered that the plaster you use to mend cracks, fill holes, and smooth surfaces need to be quite dilute. The existing plaster sucks up water so fast you can’t count on the usual plaster behavior. I use an eye dropper for small amounts, and drizzle with a spoon for larger areas.
Happy plaster casting.
I have discovered that the plaster you use to mend cracks, fill holes, and smooth surfaces need to be quite dilute. The existing plaster sucks up water so fast you can’t count on the usual plaster behavior. I use an eye dropper for small amounts, and drizzle with a spoon for larger areas.
Happy plaster casting.
Casting a Batchelder corbel
20/01/11 20:50
The Clockguy who was exhibiting across from my booth at the 2010 Craftsman Expo in Pasadena sent me this Batchelder corbel which was gathering dust in his attic. He was hoping I could make a couple of copies of it so he could make some clocks with them. Never letting go a challenge, I agreed to give it a try. It’s not as easy as casting a tile because instead of one surface, you have to show four surfaces. The back, which is hollowed out and has the Batchelder Los Angeles stamp, plus the top which has a hole need to be covered with clay. All the other surfaces need to be exposed to plaster. I built a box leaving about an inch around the prepared corbel. I sprayed a release on all the exposed surfaces, crossed my fingers and mixed my plaster and poured it into the box.
When the plaster set, I broke open the box. I was horrified to find a solid block of plaster. Apparently there was an internal leak. Plaster found a way around the clay, through the top hole into the back, locking the corbel into the plaster. I spent the next two days carefully chipping the plaster out of the back and top. Plaster still grabbed the front surface , 2 sides and the bottom. I had to create wiggle room by introducing some water to all those surfaces, and that was done by shaving off a little plaster. I knew success was eminent when I was able to wiggle the corbel inside the plaster block. Ever so carefully I was able to extract the precious corbel without hurting my plater mold. Sweet triumph!
The plaster mold needed some cleaning up and about a week to dry. It is a negative void into which I can pour liquid clay slip. When the slip dries it shrinks and releases from the plaster mold.
Let me know if you need a pipe smoking sailor corbel. Looking forward to see how the Clock Guy will turn it into a clock.
New Colors: Jade and Blue-green
30/12/10 23:33
Moss Green has been the favorite of all my colors. It looks old and complex. Sometimes a fresher, more even green is desired. That’s why we developed Jade. It is more pretty, especially in field tiles.
I had to do 2 fireplaces in the same house. For the cherry tree, Jade is the right color.
For the bamboo fireplace, however, a stronger, more masculine color is needed. That’s why I developed the Blue-green.
I had to do 2 fireplaces in the same house. For the cherry tree, Jade is the right color.
For the bamboo fireplace, however, a stronger, more masculine color is needed. That’s why I developed the Blue-green.
New Colors: Travertine and Latte
30/12/10 16:20
Since I use different clay bodies for the slip cast decos and the plain field tiles, formulating glazes that look the same on these different clay bodies has been tricky. It has been especially tricky for the off whites. After posting this blog I will need to change the color offerings on the color page of this web site.
A recent client wanted me to make some tiles to match travertine. I take that as a challenge to make an interesting white tile on red clay body, and came up with this color I now call Travertine. Where it is thick it is almost pure white. Where the clay shows through the dark tan shows up. In between is the gradation, very much like natural travertine.
For the wine maker client of the previous blog, we needed a delicious warm white. The house is a beautifully remodeled Craftsman by Susan Sawasy. The kitchen is clean and modern. The tiles need to fit in on both accounts. I developed Latte, which is warmer than Travertine. The glaze is especially formulated for the field tiles. The iron in the clay could wreck havoc on glazes. I take advantage of it to make it interesting. Where the texture of the tile shows through, subtle brown specs appear, like a sprinkle of cinnamon. Where the glaze is thick, it is like a white froth of cream. Latte seems to be a good name for the color.
A recent client wanted me to make some tiles to match travertine. I take that as a challenge to make an interesting white tile on red clay body, and came up with this color I now call Travertine. Where it is thick it is almost pure white. Where the clay shows through the dark tan shows up. In between is the gradation, very much like natural travertine.
For the wine maker client of the previous blog, we needed a delicious warm white. The house is a beautifully remodeled Craftsman by Susan Sawasy. The kitchen is clean and modern. The tiles need to fit in on both accounts. I developed Latte, which is warmer than Travertine. The glaze is especially formulated for the field tiles. The iron in the clay could wreck havoc on glazes. I take advantage of it to make it interesting. Where the texture of the tile shows through, subtle brown specs appear, like a sprinkle of cinnamon. Where the glaze is thick, it is like a white froth of cream. Latte seems to be a good name for the color.
Wine maker's kitchen
14/12/10 22:19
I found out something about chardonnay grapes. You want the grapes small and in long sparse clumps.
Another Treasure Trove of Batchelder Tiles
14/11/10 11:24
People keep telling me about places to find Batchelder tiles. Here are some new finds.
Pugin
10/11/10 11:13
I was asked to design something for a Tudor House. The work of Pugin came to mind. He was a brilliant designer of the Gothic Revival. I chose a very simple motif of stylized leaves and made a 2x2 dot, 1”x5” liner, and 1.5” x 5.25” liner.
Emerge and Surface
08/11/10 23:05
I have been making tiles for over ten years. It’s time to Emerge and Surface. That was my intention when I enrolled in the class at Art Center College of Design by the same name. The stated purpose is to teach fluency in the promotion of one's work online as well as overall communication and networking skills. We have talked about the image in social media, blogging, search engine optimization, word of mouth.... See our blog http://www.emergeandsurface.blogspot.com/
As an exercise I had my previous website torn apart. Out of the ashes I am trying to build a more successful website. The objectives are as follows:
1. Showcase what I like to do and what I do best: custom sculpted installations and total projects.
2. Make updates easier so the viewer knows we are relevant and vibrant.
3. Make sure search engines can find us.
I decided to make the website myself so I can update at will. I found Rapid Weaver the website software to use. It is easy to use, low in cost, and produces professional results. After one week I am proud to say I have a new website. I would love to get some feedback.
As an exercise I had my previous website torn apart. Out of the ashes I am trying to build a more successful website. The objectives are as follows:
1. Showcase what I like to do and what I do best: custom sculpted installations and total projects.
2. Make updates easier so the viewer knows we are relevant and vibrant.
3. Make sure search engines can find us.
I decided to make the website myself so I can update at will. I found Rapid Weaver the website software to use. It is easy to use, low in cost, and produces professional results. After one week I am proud to say I have a new website. I would love to get some feedback.
Pasadena Heritage Craftsman Expo
30/10/10 00:00
This annual event is hugely popular with fans of the Craftsman style. The new venue at the Pasadena Convention Center was a welcome change. I gave a little talk on designing a Craftsman fireplace.
The Loft at Liz's
09/10/10 00:34
Glass and ceramics are related arts. I started working with glass a few years ago. I was invited to exhibit my glass work at The Loft at Liz’s in September. The Loft is above Liz’s Antique Hardware. What an amazing place! Every square inch is covered with treasures of the past.
