A plate a week.

Ack!

2011-07-18T03:40:00.000-07:00

I know it's all broken, and that's because I was astoundingly short-sighted in storing the images on a website that doesn't exist now. I will restore, patience...

The Grapes of Wrath

2010-03-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

After a long absence, a new project -- a series of plates based on books with a reference to food in their titles. The plates are made of wood and are painted with acrylics, a fun change from my regular medium. This is the first, and I have a ways to go as I figure it all out. Catherine and I may use this as a springboard for a Reading In Public project but I need to wrestle it to the ground first. Almost there with this one...

Video for the previous post

2009-09-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

Word plates flashmobbed

2009-08-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

My word plates were part of a smallish flash mob last night :) I just looked at the collection, and realised I need to update the site, since I seem to have more than what's here now.
And another realization: It's so hard to put these up for sale. I'll have to at some point I guess, when I run out of storage room.

A contest over on A Plate A Day

2009-07-06T07:38:00.000-07:00

I'm holding a small contest for plate #200 on A Plate A Day. Leave the url(s) of your favorite plate(s) in the comments on the post and you could win the plate above (a finished one, which I realised I had not yet posted to this site). Multiple submissions are welcome. Cheers!

And! It's absolutely fine to plug your own plate. Go for it :)

The end

2009-05-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

I love Hannah's writing, erasures and all. She did this wonderful header for my Open Salon blog and I'll have to redo the plate above, this time without filling in the letters (I got lazy). Methinks we're finally at a point where I can give her a pencil and have her draw directly on a plate ('ll do the underglaze work). Should be a fun series :)

Bunny

2009-05-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

I was working on a fabric pattern and thought I'd quickly place this on a plate to see how it looks. Not entirely sure about the feet, but I will refine later (puppy is due in a week and I think I'm quietly losing my mind).

Pears

2009-04-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

Still very much snowed in but here are a couple more, taking off on this series. I'll take these into the studio this week and see how they fare with a single firing (eep). The low-fire glaze we've been using is just wonderful and soft, so unlike the hard shellac of the high-fire glaze on the earlier plates. Glazing always trips me up, so it's nice to see something come out right.

I'm being optimistic with that underglaze pencil coverage on the first pear above. The pencil sits on top of the bisque and doesn't cling to it, as with paper for instance. So I'm fairly sure the glaze will lift a lot of that away, and that's fine. It may make more sense to do that sort of drawing on dry greenware.

Bear plate, part 2

2009-02-25T09:15:00.000-08:00

A single firing worked, but not for the old drawing I washed off, much of which remained in the background. Although I can see how that could be useful.

Rubberband

2009-02-09T13:18:00.001-08:00

Bear plate

2009-01-31T10:33:00.000-08:00

So I'm going to see how this works in a single firing, instead of the 2-phase process I currently use. It will smear a little (or a lot) but that seems fitting for this series. The pencil lines and all that background noise will go away with firing.

Bear drawing

2009-01-28T11:39:00.000-08:00

So much better. Let's see how it translates to underglaze.

Bear

2009-01-26T11:50:00.001-08:00

Hannah is addicted to stuffed animals, and I'm constantly finding them lying around, so I thought I'd start a new series, but I don't think I'm there yet. There's something about the line which isn't quite right, and I'll experiment with an underglaze pencil next, if I can get it to hold a point, that is.

A little time off

2009-01-05T12:17:00.000-08:00

A Plate A Week will be updated infrequently, between now and April, while I finish up two other projects. I'm going to try for at least twice monthly, but there's also the small issue of my amazing day job. It should all be more manageable by April, perhaps earlier, but for now I do need to shift gears a bit.

Away until January 5th

2008-12-15T06:33:00.000-08:00

I'll be back on Monday, January 5th with some new plates. Happy Holidays and all good thoughts for 2009.

Persimmon

2008-12-06T06:05:00.000-08:00

I have a truckload of the hugest, orangiest persimmons in the kitchen and just couldn't resist drawing them.

Nandina

2008-11-25T18:22:00.000-08:00

Early post this week since I didn't think I would get to it this holiday weekend. It's raining here, and cold, and we're all a little sick, so a defiant spot of yellow isn't out of place at all. And what better plant to carry it than my favorite: Nandina.

Flower

2008-11-24T16:38:00.000-08:00

Late post, and this one is a sketch. Thanks to my friends at Bouquet of the Day for the inspiration! And a happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Dried leaves

2008-11-16T12:09:00.000-08:00

Hand painted bisqueware, ready for clear glazing.

Pod

2008-11-09T06:06:00.000-08:00

I took five of these into the studio this weekend, and they'll be glazed as soon as we sort out if the plates are low/high fire.

Tea bag

2008-11-02T13:22:00.000-08:00

And the last of the detritus series (time to stop pondering refuse, no matter how it all turns out on Tuesday). More handpainted bisque, ready to be clear glazed (as soon as my cold gets better).

Pear

2008-10-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Handpainted bisque, ready to be clear glazed (I've given up on being able to get to the pottery studio this week).

Banana peel

2008-10-19T15:36:00.000-07:00

Handpainted bisque, ready to be clear glazed. As soon as I can make it into the studio, that is.

Squash seeds & eggs

2008-10-12T05:38:00.000-07:00

Continuing the detritus series :)

Polar bear and wolf, or

2008-10-02T22:28:00.000-07:00

What I did to avoid watching the Vice Presidential debate (reading about it suits me just fine). I had such a hard time deciding between polar bears and wolves, so I happily did them both. The drawings are from a few months ago, but a second look convinced me to redraw the polar bear (still working on the rest of his body).

And they won't become actual plates, I just needed a diversion while at work tonight.

Bones, or the Presidential Debate Series

2008-09-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

And now for something completely different. I was working last night because of the debate and had some pockets of time, so I found a way to not be as consumed with all the back-and-forth between the candidates, and the result is this set of drawings below, for a new series of plates.

I can't wait to see what bubbles up during the vice-presidential debate ;)

Apples and a lemon

2008-09-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

First two below: Handpainted bisque, ready to be clear glazed.

This below is a continuation of the same idea, and since my yellow underglaze leans towards ochre, I decided to order a new tube. Hopefully, when it gets here, it will match the intensity of the color in the image below:

Apple

2008-09-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Taking a short break to finish design and production on this site for a lovely old friend, and doodling at some ideas below.

!

2008-09-14T12:28:00.000-07:00

(Greenware)

no. Say, Bird 4

2008-09-07T06:27:00.000-07:00

A little off-center

Very bright yellow, not sure that I will repeat this color :)

(Greenware, and very large plate, about 13 inches)

On this last version of the bird plates (above) I think I got closest to how I'd like the string to look, but the composition is off: That ridge proved hard for smooth curves. So, after 3 tries, I think the next step is decals.

A note about color shifts in the greenware images: That's an indication of where the plate is in the drying process. The one above (and below) is fairly close to being bone dry. This one was not yet dry, and in fact wobbled a little when I removed it from the mold.

ah.

2008-08-31T05:20:00.001-07:00

(Greenware)

&

2008-08-22T19:20:00.001-07:00

(Greenware)

Bird plate for a contest

2008-08-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

Corelle has a contest which ends tomorrow, and this above is my entry. Since the template they provided works really well for sketches, I appropriated it for that purpose -- here are four below. I have 2 plates now drying, which were attempts in this direction, but (again) the curves got away from me. One more round should do the trick, and I'll either get it to work as an impression in the clay, or have my drawings made into decals which I'll fire onto blanks. A compromise which will not be as much fun.

Bird series / 3

2008-08-09T10:11:00.001-07:00

(Greenware)

First in this series is here. I'm getting closer: The string impression is not quite there yet, and my next experiment will show me I should either stop fighting the clay, or I've been using the wrong tool (still).

( Also see Bird plate #2)

?

2008-08-02T08:16:00.001-07:00

Clear glaze

(Greenware)

White bird, smile, mouth

2008-07-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Bird plate #2: This above happened late one night when I realised the plate was drier than it needed to be and wouldn't take an impression well, so I used one of my smaller birds. (Update: Bird plate #1 and Bird plate #3)

And here's one of my very first experiments, originally intended to be a mouth. With teeth. It was sandwiched clay, and I think I worked it to a point where the clay was beginning to show signs of fatigue, so I let it alone. And decided to glaze it white, as is. With no teeth :)

yes. yeS, no.

2008-07-19T08:34:00.000-07:00

Clear glaze

(Greenware)

(Greenware)

Pink glaze, one of a couple of trials

(Greenware)

Bird series / 1

2008-07-14T06:21:00.000-07:00

(Greenware)

Prototype for a new series, which I'm not yet satisfied with, primarily because I didn't have the right tool for the string part of the impression. I now do, so look for another of these soon. Along with more pictures of all the new plates now drying.

Update: Bird plate #2 and Bird plate #3

2008-07-07T05:12:00.001-07:00

(Greenware)

Oh. yiKes. Say,

2008-07-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

A Plate A Week started right here, with this first set of plates, all handbuilt and not wheel-thrown. The site will be updated once weekly (mostly on ~~Sundays~~ Mondays), with new images of plates in greenware stage, or final glaze on greenware pieces posted earlier (barring kiln disasters, which do tend to happen). And you will also see lots of ideas for plates. Not all of the plates will be handbuilt, for instance this series is all about underglaze applied to commercial bisqueware.

And that's all of what you'll find here: Ongoing experiments by an illustrator who has always loved clay. A single plate a week (more if time allows, but that won't happen often). Regretfully, I cannot take orders, but do look for an update ~~in December 2008~~ soon on where and when some of these will be sold. I also maintain another blog, a plate a day, which is, simply, a celebration of plate design. Thank you for stopping by.

Update: APAW will not update on a weekly basis until the end of April 2009, or thereabouts. I'll be back to a regular schedule in June 2009.

If you publish an image from this site, please credit aplateaweek.com, thanks.