tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.comments2023-05-21T05:05:43.185-07:00Cynthia CusickCynthia Cusickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11276231927797895412noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-55571372084147200862016-10-06T08:21:18.014-07:002016-10-06T08:21:18.014-07:00Yay, nice to know we're not alone :)Yay, nice to know we're not alone :)Cynthia Cusickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11276231927797895412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-78808240899635105732016-10-04T11:01:47.423-07:002016-10-04T11:01:47.423-07:00I think our families might be related. At least in...I think our families might be related. At least in senses of humor. This was a great gift to my siblings and me from our parents, and no one would have appreciated more than the two of them how that humor helped us negotiate the loss of them. They wouldn't have it any other way--and they couldn't have survived all the twentieth century threw at them without it.Becky Cochranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07741864204756786001noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-85462604865735069912016-06-30T00:34:33.061-07:002016-06-30T00:34:33.061-07:00You won't know yourself with a nice new big ki...You won't know yourself with a nice new big kiln and a little test kiln as well! Luxury!Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620588456375419442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-52141371102275426952016-01-02T18:06:25.543-08:002016-01-02T18:06:25.543-08:00Sorry for the long delay in replying. You could co...Sorry for the long delay in replying. You could contact Cress via email and see if there are any old instructions for that model available. Having said that, I have used a completely manual kiln at college, three zones, three dials. We were instructed to start with all dials on low for several hours or if dealing with large or thick pieces, low on the bottom for an hour and then add the other two on low after an hour. We either kept the dials on low until color appeared (we fired overnight in the kiln room) and then pushed the top and bottom to medium for an hour then added the middle zone after another hour, or if we felt everything was fairly consistently dried and similar density, pushed all three zones to medium for two to three, sometimes four hours, followed by the switch to high until the cones dropped. Our large oval manual kiln at school had a kiln sitter that would trip but we had spy holes and witness cones as well. The general rule of thumb for bisque was/is slow, slow slow but once you pass quartz inversion (you see color), you can turn the temp up fairly rapidly. I still like to go slow to burn out as much organic chemistry as possible. Keep an eye on making sure your pieces are definitely dry before you put them in. If you have thick pieces, fire as if you're crawling until you see color then you can go a little faster but still, take it easy. Cynthia Cusickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11276231927797895412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-29672740338852758402016-01-02T12:01:14.593-08:002016-01-02T12:01:14.593-08:00Wow, what a year... I do hope your Mum's cabin...Wow, what a year... I do hope your Mum's cabin is soon ready for her to move in and may the coming year, however you count it, be a happy and productive one for you.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620588456375419442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-55680950161425157082015-11-30T14:54:58.046-08:002015-11-30T14:54:58.046-08:00What about any instructions for an even older Cres...What about any instructions for an even older Cress C-14 kiln with everything manual and 3 separate switches for the 3 pairs of heating elements?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05445570030032578435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-53029841601602766112015-04-20T08:01:02.341-07:002015-04-20T08:01:02.341-07:00Exactly where my inspiration comes from! The firin...Exactly where my inspiration comes from! The firing with Justin was great. He fired for several days and there are so many varied colors and effect on one individual piece. Really unique results from wood-firing!Cynthia Cusickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11276231927797895412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-65568009144459267642015-04-17T01:03:16.969-07:002015-04-17T01:03:16.969-07:00the results on your mugs are brilliant... it remin...the results on your mugs are brilliant... it reminds me of those cave drawings in France!Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620588456375419442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-54942748019999275702015-01-09T09:31:30.099-08:002015-01-09T09:31:30.099-08:00Thanks! It's a direction I'll be exploring...Thanks! It's a direction I'll be exploring in the future :)Cynthia Cusickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11276231927797895412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-1249918603855641442015-01-08T02:47:11.770-08:002015-01-08T02:47:11.770-08:00love your patterns, especially the horse on the se...love your patterns, especially the horse on the second mug..Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620588456375419442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-64211696106537698332014-11-18T10:34:20.835-08:002014-11-18T10:34:20.835-08:00I like : Often in my life I have heard the comment...I like : Often in my life I have heard the comment, "You think too much," from many, many people. As if I can control it. My brain does what it does, it thinks, analyzes, mulls over, makes connections and analogies, critiques, concludes, deduces then destroys and starts over again.<br /><br />and <br /><br />Are there shitty people in this world? In my view, as inherent beings, no, there are no inherently shitty beings. But as inherent beings people can certainly express shitty behavior in minor and major ways, intermittently or obsessively. To them I can only imagine that some kind of primal pain visited them in their childhood, issues that they cannot begin to identify or find the courage to resolve. Sadly, until they uncover what those issues are from within, they will continue to lash out blindly, venting their rage at themselves onto others.<br /><br />and I like your gourds =) <br />Allison Leehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04435614148942087392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-11120667855407921852014-08-03T19:55:31.866-07:002014-08-03T19:55:31.866-07:00You always, always make me think. That makes you s...You always, always make me think. That makes you stand out from most of what I can read on the Internet even if you write sporadically, even if I read sporadically.beckyhttp://beckycochrane.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-17767735389665621342014-05-01T21:18:31.761-07:002014-05-01T21:18:31.761-07:00I really enjoyed the perspective in this essay. As...I really enjoyed the perspective in this essay. As always, your writing is a big part of who you are and how you communicate as an artist. This part is salient: "You can either succumb to your frenetic energy, become frustrated at the time it takes to create and execute those thoughts and give up or you can breathe, pause, contemplate and use the stretched process to teach yourself to be in the moment, give up a certain amount of control, trust your intuition, learn from your mistakes, contemplate other solutions. Staying with pottery means picking the second choice."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-81655802440552913622014-03-15T03:19:36.173-07:002014-03-15T03:19:36.173-07:00oh dear, a very bad dose of SAD - may spring soon ...oh dear, a very bad dose of SAD - may spring soon raise its head and your spirits too.Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620588456375419442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-47522477201522212642013-11-23T20:42:50.042-08:002013-11-23T20:42:50.042-08:00Seth Green pots are my favorite! He's the man...Seth Green pots are my favorite! He's the man!The Family Businessmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11568063176426687801noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-75908861081963430622013-09-22T06:24:50.614-07:002013-09-22T06:24:50.614-07:00Handsome fellow!Handsome fellow!smartcathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15430370214403895826noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-36265738344029429362013-08-30T13:46:54.224-07:002013-08-30T13:46:54.224-07:00Beautiful ..and easy to see why your mom fell for ...Beautiful ..and easy to see why your mom fell for him!!!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-13601833553459147142013-07-22T07:43:26.671-07:002013-07-22T07:43:26.671-07:00See latest post about the floor issues. When I get...See latest post about the floor issues. When I get this problem licked, I'll dance a happy dance and post pictures. Back to the grind in the mean time...Cynthia Cusickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11276231927797895412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-43068512716410456712013-07-15T02:06:38.385-07:002013-07-15T02:06:38.385-07:00Love the floor! May have to try that myself!Love the floor! May have to try that myself!Marian Williamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08293178858923587499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-67591353168022709342013-07-14T05:21:22.467-07:002013-07-14T05:21:22.467-07:00Great post - good luck with your floorGreat post - good luck with your floorAnnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620588456375419442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-2632985499362733052013-07-11T09:09:31.341-07:002013-07-11T09:09:31.341-07:00thank you Cindi!thank you Cindi!Ravenna Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11870831212657666842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-61879509596166665552013-07-10T07:08:10.795-07:002013-07-10T07:08:10.795-07:00Georgia, yes, they are gourds from my farm. I have...Georgia, yes, they are gourds from my farm. I have tried using the outside shell as a hump mold form but the hard shell and clay stick quite a bit and it does take forever to dry. This hump mold was made from the textured inside so I'm curious how the texture looks on a bowl in a wood firing!<br /><br />Thanks for the compliments!Cynthia Cusickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11276231927797895412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-44387398902843325882013-07-08T17:47:16.566-07:002013-07-08T17:47:16.566-07:00what are you using for the moulds? are they gourds...what are you using for the moulds? are they gourds or something? great idea. could you use them as moulds directly too? i guess it would take longer for the clay to dry and shrink away ... i dig those horses too. like cave drawings!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09334141925619324568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-9539360830463507092013-07-04T23:42:55.899-07:002013-07-04T23:42:55.899-07:00love the horses on that top piece and lots of inte...love the horses on that top piece and lots of interesting shapes and sizes for your plaster!Annahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03620588456375419442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6657854689410237246.post-52672420694127586982013-06-19T16:47:10.351-07:002013-06-19T16:47:10.351-07:00great post Cynthia, love the platter & yr musi...great post Cynthia, love the platter & yr musings :)Adriana Christiansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04312988162183271824noreply@blogger.com