Pie Plates

Some deep dish pie plates that were thrown on the wheel.
These pie plates were thrown in one single piece. This method is good for achieving a tall pie plate side. Of course you don't ever have to make a pie that thick! But who doesn't like a 5" thick slice of apple pie??!?

This summer I had a commission to make 30 sets of Communion ware for the LCMS Synodical Convention. I made over 60 chalices, over 40 pattens, and over 40 flagons. Here is the months work.

Thrown Pie Plates

I have had several people ask how I make my pie plates. I decided to post a video on the process. This is probably the easiest way to make a successful pie plate that isn't over weight.

This method described below consists of making the pie plate in 2 separate pieces, the side walls thrown on the wheel, and the slab base.

This method ensures that the base doesn't s-crack. Some people choose to throw the entire object on the wheel. Throwing a base can cause s-cracking when drying. The way to ensure that s-cracks aren't happening is to make sure that, when throwing the base, you compress the clay very well. The other way is to not throw the base, rather use a slab as a base, score and slip the wall to the base. This 2 part piece is what is shown below.

Hope this is educational!

#moorehelp pictures - Oklahoma

People have been asking for pictures to be posted on the recent trip from Edwardsville, Illinois to Moore, Oklahoma.

St. John Lutheran Church, Moore, Oklahoma

6 Guys who drove down to Moore

Ware house #1 Truck #2 Offload

Ware house #1 Truck #2 Offload

Ware house #1 Truck #2 Offload

Ware house #1 Truck #2 Offload

Ware house #2 Truck #1 Offload

Ware house #2 Truck #1 Offload

Ware house #2 Truck #1 Offload

Ware house #2 Truck #1 Offload

Ware house #2 Truck #1 Offload

Ware house #2 Truck #1 Offload

Ware house #2 Truck #1 Offload

Ware house #2 Truck #1 Offload

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

.Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

Moore, Ok damage

#MooreHelp

Here is an updated list I just received. If you can help buy purchasing the following items, we can still fit more stuff in the truck and trailers!

ITEMS NEEDED:

BOTTLED WATER

GATORADE

SHOVELS

RAKES

WORK GLOVES

PLASTIC STORAGE CONTAINERS

LARGE ZIP TIES

LARGETRASH BAGS 

VENTILATION MASKS

RUBBER GLOVES

MOORE HELP IS COMING!!!!

Here is a List of things that are being collected

Bottled Water and Gatorade- This is the MOST NEEDED ITEM at this time We would like to get AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

.

Work Gloves

.

Respiratory Safety Face Masks

.

Baby food and Baby Formula

.

Diapers and Baby Wipes

.

Heavy Duty Trash Bags

.

Dog Food

.

Canned Food

.

Pre-packaged snack size food like peanut butter crackers
Cleaning supplies ie. Rubber Gloves, Bleach, Mops, Brooms

.

Personal Hygiene kits - These kits could include: toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, wash clothes, bars of soap, and shampoo

Please drop these items off at any of the following locations:

-Metro-East Lutheran High School, Edwardsville Illinois
-Trinity Lutheran Ministries (Church and School), Edwardsville Illinois

-Troy United Methodist Church, Troy Illinois

-Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Collinsville Illinois
-Kruta Bakery, Collinsville Illinois

-Zion Lutheran Church, Belleville Illinois

Additional collections will be listed as they become available

Helping Moore Oklahoma

The following is an email that went out to our Lutheran High School parents. It contains the details about helping with this cause.

Dear Lutheran Families,

I’m sure that you are horrified by the pictures and stories from Moore, Oklahoma as the F5 tornado did so much destruction on Monday.  Living in the mid-west, we are all too familiar with the threat of tornados and the devastation that they can cause.  We are praying for all of the families who have suffered loss because of this storm.

For one of our teachers, Mr. Zach Schnare, this situation has really hit home.  His wife graduated from West Moore High School and her family knows others who have suffered loss and have loved ones not yet accounted for.  Mr. Schnare is leading the Lutheran High charge to help the efforts in and around Moore.  

In conjunction with the efforts of two Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) congregations near the destruction, we are preparing to collect donations and transport much needed items to the area.  As this is such a recent tragedy, there is still a lot of confusion, but we know that the need for basic supplies is great.

So, how can you help?  I’m glad you asked!  

Donate the following items:

.

Bottled Water and Gatorade- This is the MOST NEEDED ITEM at this time We would like to get AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

.

Work Gloves

.

Respiratory Safety Face Masks

.

Baby food and Baby Formula

.

Diapers and Baby Wipes

.

Heavy Duty Trash Bags

.

Dog Food

.

Canned Food

.

Pre-packaged snack size food like peanut butter crackers
Cleaning supplies ie. Rubber Gloves, Bleach, Mops, Brooms

.

Personal Hygiene kits - These kits could include: toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, wash clothes, bars of soap, and shampoo

We will be gathering these items at Lutheran High and at other locations yet to be determined.  You can bring items to Lutheran High between 8 am and 3 pm on any business day from now until May 29 and from 5 pm to 8 pm on Wednesday, May 29.  

Make a donation to help pay for fuel or the above items.  We are planning to take a 26’ box truck and a pick-up hauling our Lutheran High large enclosed trailer.  We need to pack these vehicles full!  If we have more than what will fit in these vehicles, we will find larger or more vehicles to go.

3)

Help at Lutheran High on May 30 to get everything organized and ready to go.  We will begin at 11:00 am as items delivered to other locations will be brought to Lutheran High and we will need to pack the truck and trailer.  

Drive to Oklahoma.  We are looking for two more people to make the trip with Mr. Schnare to make the delivery to the LCMS congregations that will distribute these items to those in need.  The plan is to leave Edwardsville on May 31 and return on June 1 or 2.

Please help us with these efforts.  If you have any questions, please contact our school office at 656-0043 or Mr. Schnare  at 973-2426.  

Serving Christ and you,

Curtis Wudtke

Executive Director / Principal

Helping Moore and Oklahoma City

 image courtesy of Oklahoma County Sheriff via CBS NEWS

As the recovery efforts continue forward. We as a country of Americans, hurt when families of our country lose loved ones, are lost, hurt, and/or displaced. When there is devastation in an area of the country pain and want to help is in other parts of the country.

I am currently working on organizing a 24'-26' straight truck, along with a pickup truck pulling a 12' enclosed trailer to be filled at Metro-East Lutheran High School on May 30th. We will start loading the truck around 11:00am.  The address for Metro-East Lutheran High School is 6305 Center Grove Road, Edwardsville Il. 62025. There will be several collection points that are still being established. For now, you can bring your donations to Lutheran High. The school office is open daily between the hours of 7:30am - 3:30pm. If you come by at a different time, Please call Zach Schnare at 618.973.2426 to arrange a different collection time.

Items that are being collected:

(NO CLOTHING ITEMS AT THIS TIME)

#1   Bottled Water and Gatorade- This is the MOST NEEDED ITEM at this time We would like to get AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

Work Gloves
Baby food and Baby Formula

Diapers and Baby Wipes

Heavy Duty Trash Bags

Dog Food

Canned Food (boxed and ready to load please)

Pre-packed snack size food like peanut butter crackers

Personal Hygiene kits - These kits include: toilet paper, toothbrushes, toothpaste, wash clothes, bars of soap, and shampoo

We will also need boxes to box up these items! If you could box up your items so we can load them that would help on this end.

I will update this list as soon as I get additional information.

We are working alongside two LCMS churches in Oklahoma. Because they ares still in the recovery stages, there is little known about what EXACTLY is needed in terms of items donated. For now, you can focus on bottled water and Gatorade.

Thank you for your help.

Assignment

Answer the following question:

Why is it beneficial to use Layer MASKS to edit out some part of the image?

ASSIGNMENT

Give me 4 addresses each for tutorial websites that you can use to find tutorials

Assignment

Read through this article and type a response to it on this blog post.

"Why am I taking this picture?

*Why is it important to know what you are thinking about when you are taking pictures?
*Do different thoughts during photo capturing yield different results?

Bibelot Project at SID - February 2012

The term bibelot [bib-loh; Fr. beeb^uh-loh] is a French word meaning: a small object of curiosity, beauty, or rarity.

This Bibelot project is for the Southern Illinois District LCMS convention this February. Bibelots are a witnessing tools that we Liturgical artist from Concordia University Seward have been design polishing for several years. Each of these Bibelots will
have a business card accompanying it explaining how to witness with this tool.


The Bibelot can remind you of several things about Christ.

The circle could remind you of money - Christ paid a price for your freedom from sin

The rough feel could remind you of dirt - Christ walked on this same dirt you and I do. From dust you were formed, from dust you shall return. God formed man from the ground.

The finger print could remind you that you are touched by God. The finger print could remind you that you are different than every other human, that God made you HIS way, special, unique, an individual

The underneath side you can see that the piece was held in a hand to make it, this hand texture could remind you that God holds you in the palm of his hand, God will comfort you by holding you, He comforts you by keeping you close to him.

The dark red could remind you that Christ's blood was shed for your freedom

The butterfly could remind you of the new life that you have through Christ

The cross within the butterfly could remind you that Christ died on the Cross for your freedom

The Sandhills at Christmas

Beautiful Sandhills Nebraska Pictures

These pictures were taken in North Western Nebraska about 200 miles West of Valentine.

Bibelot Project - SID Convention - Feb 2012

This Bibelot project is for the Southern Illinois District LCMS convention this February. Bibelots are a witnessing tools that we Liturgical artist from Concordia University Seward have been design polishing for several years. Each of these Bibelots will have a business card accompanying it explaining how to witness with this tool. The Bibelot can remind you of several things about Christ.

The circle could remind you of money - Christ paid a price for your freedom from sin
The rough texture could remind you of dirt - Christ walked on this same dirt you and I do
The finger print could remind you that you are touched by God
The finger print could remind you that you are different than every other human, that God
made you HIS way
The underneath side you can see that the piece was held in a hand to make it, this texture could
remind you that God holds you in the palm of his hand, God will comfort you by hold you,
God will comfort you by keeping you close to him.
The dark red could remind you that Christ's blood was shed for your freedom
The butterfly could remind you of the new life that you have through Christ
The cross within the butterfly could remind you that Christ died on the Cross for your freedom

To see some finished Bibelots, stay tuned-in and I will post some additional images when they come available.

This stuff is pretty interesting. I think I should start moving into the whole casting and molding processes. They Can become pretty unique forms that can be reproduced fairly often

Here is an artist that takes this stuff to a new level.

Hiroe Hanazono

Michael Strand Strikes again!

Michael Strand, one of my esteemed colleges and prior Art professors has done it again. Changing the world through the use of Art! Check out his posts on his blog. Makes you think......

Michael Strand made cups for the whole town of Dwight Nebraska. He quietly delivered them to each house and placed them on the door steps for the residents to quietly discover. What an awesome project!

Thanks Mike for sharing Art with the world!


Dwight Nebraska Cuplomacy

Problem solved.

I have always been interested in Jackson Pollocks style of laying paint on the canvas. Although this is nothing at all similar to the quality of work Mr. Pollock, I did enjoy the process of letting the paint create the image. It was an enjoyable feeling of letting the paint do the work.

Hum....What next?!?!?!?!??

This is a 4'x6' canvas painted with a tan-ish base coat. Now what to do next...?

New Glaze Trial

Blue-Green / Copper Red Glaze

This is a Cone 6 Oxidation or Reduction Glaze, I am trying it in an electric kiln. Here is the mix:

Talc...................................3.3%
Whiting..........................14.29%
Ferro Frit 3134 ............13.33%
Kona F-4 Feldspar.......46.16%
EPK...................................6.4%
Silica................................16.52%
---------------------------------
......................................100%

Add
Tin Oxide......................2.4%
Zinc Oxide....................4.37%
Black Copper Oxide....1.07%

I am using the following firing schedule for this firing

Kiln Firing Type - #6

Sequence.......Rate......Temp.....Hold
1......................100........220.........0
2......................350........2000......0
3......................108........2190.......15
4......................125.........1500......0
Natural Cool from 1500

I'll let you know what results it yields.

New Glaze recipes

I have been looking around and decided to start working on some Cone 6 glazes. I am going to start messing with the following glazes right now

Post 244
EPK 28.7 %
FRIT 3110 21.5
Dolomite 16.9
Talc 2.9
Flint (Silica) 30

Post 244 - Instructions I will follow: Medium glazing thickness, I made the glaze thin enough that it runs off of my fingers as I remove them from the mixture. The key is to see the color of you skin at about 3 seconds after removing your hands from the liquid glaze. I will fire this glaze to Cone 6 and slow cool the firing by -125oF per hour from 2190oF to 1500oF and then turn the kiln off and let it cool naturally. It should give me a nice glossy wine red color.

We will see what happens.