Monday, October 5, 2009

Good grief how does it get to be more than month between posts?!?!!? This has just been a really really weird year! I can't seem to keep up with everything I want to get done and yet at the same time I feel overwhelmed all the time and can't seem to get started!!! I truly hope this is all hormonal and will pass.
My FireFly kiln arrived over a month ago and now I need to order metal clay supplies and don't quite know where to begin. (If anybody works with metal clay I would love to hear about your own experiences with this medium.) Because I like to incorporate metal into my jewelry designs, I decided it was necessary to use beads and components that were uniquely my own and not always commercial. (Not there is anything wrong with that and I don't intend to stop using commercial components entirely.) Because I don't particularly have a desire to play with fire, metal clay has a very strong appeal to me. Of course there is the clay aspect as well that I am drawn to. That was another reason I chose this kiln in particular. It was not overly expensive for a beginner such as myself and from what I am reading, it has a nice firing range so that I can dabble in enameling, small ceramics and fused glass. Happy Birthday to me! Thank you Sweetheart!!

2 comments:

  1. So... Happy birthday to you. May i ask a question ? Is it a Paragon's kiln ? I am really interested in metal clay, ceramic and fused glass too.

    xox

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, it is a Paragon FireFly - still haven't used it! Do you have one? Have you worked with PMC? I bought Sherri Haab's "The Art of Metal Clay" and it came with a dvd - which I've watched a few times and I think it's pretty good. We were working on the basement-which is where I have the kiln for now. I need to set it up on cinder blocks I think (for safety) and I'm hoping the cross windows down there are sufficient for ventilation. I've received the supplies I ordered so now it's a matter of getting my act together! I Sherri recommends a core made of cork clay, and I think I need to make a few beads from that and let it dry. I better watch that dvd again!

    ReplyDelete