What did I do this week? I went off on a wild tangent and finished one of my “Roundabout” British Cob sculptures in a cobalt blue art glaze! Just because I CAN. That’s one of the many compelling reasons to own the ceramic molds of my own work. Yes, yes, the best reasons are the direct artistic control of the whole process and the ability to customize a work while in greenware. But because I can make as many pieces as I want (until the molds expire), I can also make fun things like this. Instead of having to be all serious and realistic all the time. I know that “serious” is what my clients want, but funny thing, I am most in love with my sculpture work when it is BLUE. I’m keeping this one!

And because I love the look and feel of art glazes on ceramic horses, I am planning a new trend where for every couple realistic pieces I glaze, I will produce one in art glaze. I want to have all of my various sculptures out in fun glossy candy colors! So stay tuned to this space or the Facebook page for those pieces coming up for sale.

I was just thinking how much I loved my Grandmother’s Fiestaware dishes when I was a little kid. The colorful glazes they used looked like this, with the color sinking darker into the low parts of the simple designs, and the raised parts being lighter. So many impressions from our childhood still resonate within us.

Here is the link to the PALOMINO auction.

Here is the link to the GREY auction.

They both end Thursday night at 7pm Pacific Time.

Thank you for bidding!

I’ve finished glazing the other two Dante chinas, and will be putting the up for auction on MyAuctionBarn tomorrow morning. I will post the links then. But here is a preview of all their photos.

Link to GREY photos.

Link to PALOMINO photos.

Email Karen

Here is the first of three “Dante” chinas that I have the privilege to custom glaze. “Dante” is a sculpture by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig, and the earthenware china edition is being cast and produced by Joanie Berkwitz of Pour Horse. The edition total glazed by all artists will be very small.

I’ve put the full set of photos on this web album HERE.

This first one is a chestnut sabino. I’ve textured the coat by hand with various paintbrushes, rather than the usual airbrushing. So there’s a lot of great sabino-y details in the coat and in the interface with the white areas. This piece is only 4″ tall!

Now for the bad news. Partway through the glazing I broke off the raised front leg while cleaning the body prior to painting another layer of color. It was a clean break in the cannon just below the knee. Because it was a break in the white area and not on a weight-bearing leg, I continued with the glazing. As you can see from the photos, I have fully repaired and restored the break and you can’t see it.

Because this is not a “mint” piece now, I am offering this guy at a set price of $450.00 USA postage paid. (The other two Dante’s coming soon will be auctioned.) No trades or time payments, please.

If you would like to purchase this piece, please email Karen.

Thank you and Happy Halloween!

Last spring I was asked to glaze a rare bisque earthenware “Lippett” Morgan sculpted by the late Maureen Love, who sculpted all the horses in the Hagen-Renaker line of chinas, years ago. I just finished it this week. I am not normally at all that slow, especially with commissions, but life sure got in the way of work this year. Fortunately I think I will be at home for the studio this winter. I don’t want to travel ANYwhere until next spring if I can help it!

Each time I paint a dapple grey in overglazes I learn something new about how to control the amount and placement of color, and the glaze, and the air-eraser. All at the same time. This one represents my best work yet I think! His owner is Janelle Clemens of California, and I’ll be sorry to see him leave the studio.

On deck now in Must Complete for glazing is (at long last) the Breyer Porcelain “Gisele” sport horse (will be an appaloosa), and two “Dante’s” sculpted by Sarah Minkiewicz-Breunig and cast in earthenware by Joan Berkwitz. I came home from “Mudhenge” in Boise last month with orders to glaze the Dante’s ASAP, so they are in the top of queue. Only two of them have been released in china so far! They are so TEENSY, it will be a challenge for me since I prefer to work big! Both Dante’s will be for sale on MyAuctionBarn, so watch this blog and/or my Facebook page for the auction listings notice.

I also want to glaze that big customized china Boreas I made in August, and I have the very first china “Darcy” Morgan sculpture cast by Jenn Scott, which just came in from her this past week. If that wasn’t enough I also have an “Oliver” foal by Sarah that was cast in earthenware by Lesli Kathman, and a “Chicory” pony by Lynn Fraley to glaze! My cup runneth over this winter. I have to make sure my glazing work lives up to all this high quality sculpture work.

Lastly, I do have a ceramics mold now for Roundabout, thanks again to Joanie Berkwitz! I have to learn to cast in it, and I have to get the other glazing commitments out of here first. But then I will start on him.

Enjoy the fall season. We got snow the last 2 nights and snowboard season is only about a month away!