woodfire kiln

woodfire kiln, originally uploaded by jekemp.

The wood-fired kiln is finally complete, tonight we begin the process of firing it.

the number 8

the number 8, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Fired to cone 10 in a soda kiln.

lustre top rocket bottles

luster top rocket bottles, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Fired to cone 10 in soda kiln then refired to achieve lustre effect

A house

A house, originally uploaded by jekemp.

that quietly waits for someone to return.

Lizella bottles

Lizella bottles, originally uploaded by jekemp.

I did not make it out to Calhoun for the opening of the clay council show, I had to work at the restaurant. I wonder if people liked the bottles that I have up there...

Come to Calhoun to see my work

the little guy, originally uploaded by jekemp.

This Fall, I will be showing some of my work here:

Harris Arts Center Gallery


Georgia Clay Council
Sep. 10–Oct. 26
RECEPTION Sat. Sept. 15 5-7 p.m.

The Georgia Clay Council is a nonprofit organization comprised of full-time studio potters, amateur enthusiasts, art educators and students.

The urban mini~gama

The urban mini~gama, originally uploaded by jekemp.

We have been working on our own mini wood kiln at georgia state. Now that its starting to look like an actual kiln, everyone is starting to get excited about getting it done and beginning its first firing. Most of the materials have been or are being re-used from other projects around the school.

three

three, originally uploaded by jekemp.

I was curious to see what would happen when I took the lizella clay up to cone 10. The shrinkage was incredible and thankfully, it did not melt.

A lizella vessel

lizella vessel, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Lizella clay is a type of clay that comes out of the ground ready to throw.
Lizella clay is found to the west of Macon Georgia. This particular example was salt fired to cone 10.

chunk

chunk, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Grey sea salt fired stoneware vessel
Fired to Cone 10

Safety in pottery areas

woodfiresuits, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Safety in pottery areas

Contents
1 General guidance notes
2 Protective clothing
3 Kilns
3.1 Electric kilns
3.2 Gas kilns
4 Pug mills
5 Glazes
5.1 Prohibition of certain glazes in pottery manufacture
6 Cleanliness in pottery areas
7 Fire precautions
8 Health surveillance

1 General guidance notes
The following information has been designed so that employees and students can become aware of the hazards that can be encountered in potteries and the precautions necessary when working within the pottery environment.
2 Protective clothing
a) Protective clothing shall be provided by the University for staff in pursuance of Regulation 9 for the use of all persons employed in pottery areas.
b) Protective clothing must be worn during all pottery work and classes. This may consist of either:
i) a washable apron with a bib
ii) washable overall
iii) apron with a bib, made of material impervious to water
c) Protective clothing should be laundered weekly.
d) Disposal respirators (dust-masks) should be used only once and then thrown away.
3 Kilns
Kilns should, where possible, be located in rooms separate from the general work areas. Where they must be installed in open areas they should be caged so as to allow access only through an outward opening gate. The kiln, or kiln room should be provided with adequate ventilation with a canopy for each kiln.
Face protection must be worn when viewing the interior of the red hot kiln. After firing the kiln should not be opened until it has cooled down to about 250°C.
No combustible materials should be kept adjacent to the kiln. Notices must be displayed near all kilns detailing the safe operating, shut down and emergency procedures. Warning lights and notices should be displayed when the kiln is firing.
3.1 Electric kilns
Electric kilns, because of the danger of electrocution, should have the following three safety devices
a) An automatic cut-out switch on each door.
b) An inter-locking key-switch by which the main supply must be turned off before the key which opens the kiln door can be used.
c) A warning light linked with the main supply, that is a 40 watt red lamp mounted above head height in a prominent position within the main work area.
3.2 Gas kilns
a) The firing regulations should be displayed near the kiln.
b) There should be flame control units if the kiln is not supervised during the warm-up period.
c) Flue pipes should have safety devices to prevent sudden down- draught.
d) Long flexible tubes should be avoided.
e) Freestanding cylinders of propane (where mains gas is not available) should be avoided. Wherever possible these cylinders should be kept in a cool chamber outside the main building and a supply pipe installed to the work area.
f) A careful routine should be established to prevent the risk of explosion by 'blow back' during lighting.
4 Pug mills
a) Pug mills should have a securely fixed stout finger guard across the loading hole.
b) There should be an inter-locking switch on the guard.
c) A list of trained users should be kept in accordance with the policy relating to workshop machinery.
d) The space surrounding the mill should be kept clear and must not be used for storing materials.
e) Adequate ventilation must be provided.
5 Glazes
5.1 Prohibition of certain glazes in pottery manufacture
The Control of Lead at Work Regulations 2002
Under section 5(1) of these Regulations "an employer shall not carry out work which is liable to expose any employees to lead unless he has made a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk created by that work to the health of those employees and of the steps that need to be taken to meet the requirements of these Regulations"
Regulation 3(A) of The Control of Lead at Work Regulations 1980 (as modified by the Potteries etc. (Modifications) Regulations 1989).
a) The use of any glaze other than a leadless glaze or a low solubility glaze or a low solubility glaze in the manufacture of pottery is prohibited.
b) In this regulation:
'Glaze' does not include engobe or slip;
It should be noted that this prohibition does not apply to lead colours.
‘Leadless glaze' means a glaze which does not contain more than one per cent of its dry weight of a lead compound calculated as lead monoxide. 'Low solubility glaze' means a glaze which does not yield to dilute hydrochloric acid more than five per cent of its dry weight of a soluble lead compound calculated as lead monoxide when determined in the manner described below:
A weighted quantity of the material which has been dried at 100 degrees Centigrade and thoroughly mixed is to be continuously shaken for one hour at the common temperature with 1,000 times its own weight of an aqueous solution of hydrochloric acid containing 0.25 per cent by weight of hydrogen chloride. This solution is thereafter to be allowed to stand for one hour and then filtered. The lead salt contained in the clear filtrate is then to be precipitated as lead sulphide and weighed as lead sulphate.
c) Low Solubility Glazes (less than 55% soluble lead)
As determined in the above manner low solubility types of glaze can be used in all educational establishments, however the following precautions should be observed in any process involving the use of raw lead glazes, low solubility glazes or any form of lead compounds in the preparation of frits and colours:
Colour blowing must not be done by mouth.
i) Glazing should be done only in a room suitably equipped for the purpose.
ii) Since the danger of lead poisoning is greatest where lead or its compounds are inhaled or ingested, processes likely to give rise to these compounds in dust form in the air should not be allowed unless there is sufficient exhaust ventilation or a suitable respirator is used. Where a spray is used there should be a separate booth with an efficient exhaust fan.
iii) All benches and working surfaces should be washed or wiped down after use and splashes of glaze should be removed from floors and walls.
iv) Food should not be eaten in any room used for pottery making.
v) Only leadless glazes should be used inside vessels which could hold food or drink, since lead glazes can present a hazard when these metal s are extracted by acid present in food and beverages.
vi) Glaziers should make sure they are familiar with the contents of the D.E.S. AM 517/55 on lead glazes.
vii) Instructions given by the manufacturer should be observed and carried out at all times.
viii) Precautions should be taken when mixing glazes since the original contents can be unbalanced by the addition of oxides.
ix) Immediately after carrying out any of the processes, hands should be washed using a nail-brush.
6 Cleanliness in pottery areas
a) Pottery areas should be kept free from dust.
b) There should be wet sweeping of floors daily and a weekly cleaning down of all surfaces.
c) Once each term or every 3 months the area should be thoroughly washed including floors, walls and ledges, up to 2.3 m above floor level.
d) Where central heating is by the blown air system there should be suitable filtering and so arranged as to prevent a draught blowing directly onto a worker.
e) Ground flint or quartz must not be used for dusting kiln furniture or for making batt wash. Wherever possible flint should be kept in either slop or paste form.
f) Efficient and suitable vacuum cleaners with industrial filters should be used in all pottery and similar areas.
g) Asbestos must not be used for batts or shelving in all pottery and similar areas.
h) Under no circumstances should pots be rubbed down with sandpaper or wire wool.
7 Fire precautions
a) Kilns should be checked regularly for any exposed wiring or faulty elements.
b) The use of gas/water fire extinguishers in the area of electric kilns could result in electrocution. A suitable extinguisher should be kept in reach.
c) Tying off of elements (fish tails) can be dangerous. Any work done on kilns should be approved by the appropriate member of Buildings Division Staff.
8 Health surveillance
Employees are required to co-operate with the Health Surveillance Scheme adopted by the University

From:http://www.beds.ac.uk/

accusations

accusations, originally uploaded by jekemp.

The figurines are made into crude representations of animals and archetypes by using different types of stoneware and porcelain. They are then soda or salt fired to cone 10. Depending on the individual figures overall level of detail they may be subjected to more firings to achieve the best effects and surface decoration.

A conversation with the devil

The devil, originally uploaded by jekemp.

While working in the studio with different types and colors of clay, I found myself beginning to use the materials to create miniature figurines that are loosely based in scale and design to the popular green and gray plastic figurines that I collected in childhood.

Soda~fired Hot sauce Bottles

Soda~fired Hot sauce Bottles, originally uploaded by jekemp.

soda~fired Hot sauce bottle

soda~fired Hot sauce bottle, originally uploaded by jekemp.

This is a similar form with the addition of a repeating pattern of texture.

soda~fired hot sauce bottle

soda~fired hot sauce bottle, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Penland ceramics

Andrew's ceramics, originally uploaded by Alaskan Eero.

Here is my display based on the creation of a series of bottles from various creativity experiments while throwing off the hump in the Soda Firing workshop at the Penland School of Crafts.

& yes, these bottles are functional as specialty sauce vessels for use tableside.

An encounter in the wilderness.

An encounter in the wilderness., originally uploaded by jekemp.

I read about this in Time Magazine.

the confrontation

the confrontation, originally uploaded by jekemp.

Normandy sea salt fired to cone 10, stoneware and porcelain.

The surrender

The surrender, originally uploaded by jekemp.

This is an image of some of the work that I have been focusing on as of late. These are small scale ceramic figurines that are roughly the same dimension as the green plastic army men I had as a child. By creating figurines with different poses, I am able to create visual narratives on an intimate scale.

Figures are created from stoneware and porcelain. They are then fired to cone ten in a salt kiln.

Studio Dror

2007 GSU Ceramics Show & Sale

2007 GSU Ceramics Show & Sale, originally uploaded by jekemp.

The Georgia State Ceramics Department will be having their Spring showcase & sale on March 26, 27, & 28 in the main gallery of the Ernest G. Welch School of Art & Design at Georgia State University.

Michael von Brentano

http://www.kunstgang.de/html/hauptteil_brentano_pers.html

Gefäßkeramik

Art papers Auction

Building with red shutters., originally uploaded by jekemp.

I was very pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this year's Art Papers Auction. This is the image that was accepted and it ended up going for $180.00. Hopefully, this exposure will bring more attention to my work in the future...

Carr Valley Menage

Carr Valley Menage, originally uploaded by jekemp.

I picked this little gem of a cheese from Carr Valley Cheese Company at Harry's Farmers Market in Alpharetta. A blend of cow, sheep, & goat's milk, Its flavor is abolutely incredible. It won first place in its category at the American Cheese Society competition back in 2005.

Wrigley's Spearmint Gum

Wrigley's Spearmint Gum, originally uploaded by jekemp.

I like the colors on this book, even though this matchbook is from the early fifties, the color is still really intact.

Tree for two

Tree for two
Originally uploaded by jekemp.

I have decided to archive a small collection of matchbook covers of various type and in various condition. This collection will begin with this fine example shown here.

This particular cover originated from the Superior Match Company of Chicago Illinois. The Advertisement is for The Lakeside service station.

Its finally 2007

illuminated seating
Originally uploaded by jekemp.

Well, it is a whole new year and things are pretty much the same around here. I have been living car free now for well over two years. I will say that Atlanta is not the best city to attempt such initiatives and I am again looking around for some form of fossil fuel burning mechanized transportation. I would like to find an old VW rabbit diesel but the biodiesel movement in this country seems to have pushed these vehicles out of what I consider to be a reasonable price range for such old cars. I am going to remain open to the possiblity that I will find an automobile that is unique, efficient, and ecologically friendly. Not holding my breath on that though...