JoAnn F. Axford

Friday, April 8, 2011

Arts and Crafts United for Japan

I have donated this small teabowl (2"x3"x3") to the Arts and Crafts United for Japan Ebay Auction. The original was thrown, and hand carved. After the firing a mold was made. After the casting, I re-carve the under-cuts and details of each piece that are lost in the slip cast process. After the final firing , the unglazed surface is hand polished. A lot of time, but worth it for this tiny teabowl. Consider a bid on this or other fine crafts with the proceeds going directly to the relief efforts in Japan.

Bidding begins on Friday, April 8th at noon at http://stores.ebay.com/Arts-and-Crafts-United-for-Japan

Friday, March 18, 2011

A little "Bling"

I've been putting gold leaf on the recessed bottom of my one of a kind pieces to differentiate them from my slipcast pieces.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Carving with a cat on my lap!

"Convolvulus/Bindweed II"

"Convolvulus/Bindweed II" is nearing completion. I no longer have the first bindweed piece that I made so I thought it was time for another. I have a love-hate relationship with this wildflower/weed. It grows rampant in my garden in the summer. I don't always pull it out because I love the flowers and admire it's persistence. Convolvulus symbolizes "humble perserverance"

Friday, February 25, 2011

94 hours of carving

So, this is what 94 hours of carving looks like. Sometimes during the clean-up stage of carving, my mind starts to wander to the next piece I'm planning. The hours tally helps to keep me focused on the task at hand.

This piece "Wisteria" will go into a bisque tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for me, No Cracks please!

Saturday, February 12, 2011

New Equipment

Check out my new equipment- a mini humidifier! Porcelain is notorious for drying quickly, and with my pots taking up to 100 hours to carve, keeping them leatherhard is a real challenge for me. Up until now I have relied on covering with plastic and constant gentle misting to keep them workable. I just found this little humidifier at CVS. That is it sitting on the can of tomatoes. I love it! I can direct the mist right on the exposed area that I am working on. Technology!