 'Flos Deliciae' 22"x6"x2" woodchopper,painted porcelain Commision/SOLD Hey there web guest.... When showing step by step how I made a Raven sculpture, I received some good feedback from readers. So I thought to include a little photo shoot of the next piece in the works, an orchid/flower wall piece. So far it contains about 40 flowers and approx. 80 copper pieces.
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 So she is almost done. Months of preparation, multiple stages of construction and a huge amount of patience. This piece included over 200 pieces- 40 flowers alone! She is called 'Mature Raven with Floral Halo'. Get it? There is young raven, raven and mature raven.... She will be delivered soon! You can see her at Childhood's End Gallery as of october 2 most likely. The opening is Oct. 6. so come on down to Downtown Olympia Fall Artwalk! I will post pics on the Oscines page as soon as I can. Thanks for visiting! If you like to know more about Ravens..... 
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     |  FLOWERS & MORE FLOWERS & Bird warmups... I began china painting for a commision project in addition to my preparations for the Raven show in the fall. They are turning out amazing! Anenomes, butterfly Ranunculus, forget me nots, lily of valley, rugosa roses and yes...Peonies! BACK to the Testing... I love NZ6 but continue to look for clays which might be better. This month I tried Seattle Pottery 'Freeze' cone 5 porcelain. A creamier porcelain and much different from the NZ....see the darker anenomes in upper left pic. It vitrifies at cone 5 but I pushed it up to a low cone 6. I still like the bright white of NZ6 and Freeze doesnt meet its promise of translucency. To left is a Rusty blackbird out of eclipse clay. I have been testing new black clays: Eclipse/Seattle pottery Beautiful but less black almost brown black with specks, so I think its better for larger work. To bottom left is a white eyed blackbird in Obsidian/Aardvark I love this one best. Satin black when sanded well and perfect for the ravens, but probably too fine to make big ones. The blackbird is so black! ...and has only been bisque fired. Black Ice/Sio-2 (not shown) I thought this one would be better than how it turned out. It was sticky and hard to sculpt AND it stays pretty grey instead of black ( until glazed?) . **FOR YOU CHINA PAINTERS....I have been battling the 'mildew' or black spots on my porcelain. What I mean is that I have tried many porcelain clays to find one that vitrifies at cone 6. I found New Zealand/cone 6 from Clayart Center does the trick. Unfortunately if it doesn't vitrify(as it occasionally doesn't)- as in fire to full maturity-then there is risk of black spots in the painting stages. |
Resurrecting the leucanistic Pygmy owl!!!. Nothing a few flowers and epoxy putty couldn't correct. Her legs aren't painted yet and still more to do...
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Flower Molds
Freehanding porcelain flowers is difficult and time consuming. You have to move fast so clay doesn’t dry out too soon... yet you are working with very thinly rolled clay.
So last month I tried Sugardelights silicone molds to see if it would help. Is it cheating?? YES! And life in the porcelain flower world will be easier.
I cannot make the porcelain flowers as thin and alluring as a fondant or cold porcelain maker can. However molds do allow for better veining and thinner petals than before. And Porcelain fired flowers are most durable of the three creations.
After using them for a week I discovered that unlike plaster molds they of course stick to water clays, but no big deal just use cornstarch. This can affect the smooth texture I am looking for so I found letting the rolled clay cut into shapes sit for a tiny bit before pressing in mold lightly worked best.
I use a NZ6 porcelain slip (that’s the clay I use from Clayart center in Puyallup, WA) to adhere the petals even better than before. This technique plus careful attaching and blending seams made much stronger flowers so sanding did not break them as often as before. TIP: press edge of petal thinner before forming so the base is thicker and stronger in end but edges are more transcluscent and realistic.
I still have to sand the greenware carefully. It's the most delicate in this dried stage before firing but good sanding has a large affect on final painting. So using a dry short soft bristle paintbrush works best. But if courageous and extremely patient, I use my Dremel with sanding brush tips. Usually these Dremel tips are used only in the bisque and final high fire stages just before painting.
BUT you must have a very smooth surface to china paint for good coverage and accuracy. Since I work in mostly unglazed high fire (called bisque in some doll porcelain painting circles) its hard to do a super smooth with just sanding, even though I sand four or five times on average each bloom.
This week I received a big order from Sugardelights. Peonies, blackberries, roses, and even a butterfly made from a real monarch.
You can buy these silicone molds from cheap places on amazon, but I liked this company best. Excellent customer care and molds from famous sugar flower maker Robert Haynes. This means there is a bigger variety in one stop shop.
Freehanding porcelain flowers is difficult and time consuming. You have to move fast so clay doesn’t dry out too soon... yet you are working with very thinly rolled clay.
So last month I tried Sugardelights silicone molds to see if it would help. Is it cheating?? YES! And life in the porcelain flower world will be easier.
I cannot make the porcelain flowers as thin and alluring as a fondant or cold porcelain maker can. However molds do allow for better veining and thinner petals than before. And Porcelain fired flowers are most durable of the three creations.
After using them for a week I discovered that unlike plaster molds they of course stick to water clays, but no big deal just use cornstarch. This can affect the smooth texture I am looking for so I found letting the rolled clay cut into shapes sit for a tiny bit before pressing in mold lightly worked best.
I use a NZ6 porcelain slip (that’s the clay I use from Clayart center in Puyallup, WA) to adhere the petals even better than before. This technique plus careful attaching and blending seams made much stronger flowers so sanding did not break them as often as before. TIP: press edge of petal thinner before forming so the base is thicker and stronger in end but edges are more transcluscent and realistic.
I still have to sand the greenware carefully. It's the most delicate in this dried stage before firing but good sanding has a large affect on final painting. So using a dry short soft bristle paintbrush works best. But if courageous and extremely patient, I use my Dremel with sanding brush tips. Usually these Dremel tips are used only in the bisque and final high fire stages just before painting.
BUT you must have a very smooth surface to china paint for good coverage and accuracy. Since I work in mostly unglazed high fire (called bisque in some doll porcelain painting circles) its hard to do a super smooth with just sanding, even though I sand four or five times on average each bloom.
This week I received a big order from Sugardelights. Peonies, blackberries, roses, and even a butterfly made from a real monarch.
You can buy these silicone molds from cheap places on amazon, but I liked this company best. Excellent customer care and molds from famous sugar flower maker Robert Haynes. This means there is a bigger variety in one stop shop.
best tools for sanding, brushes, silicone sandpapers, dremel and sanding tips like these. I buy in big bags that have four grits, 120 to 400
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THIS WEEK
Making more flowers for a commision project and the corvid show in the fall. Above left is the lily of the valley flowers. I freehand small blooms like this but have been using silicone molds for larger ones. I purchased great molds from a company, Sugardelights. Photos will post soon.
I like making rough birdlegs for the bird series. Though the internet sells great realistic legs in bronze they don't seem to match my bird sculptures. SO I am freehanding legs in copper.
Next I worked on the broken owl. I broke many items over the last few months. A hummingbird, towhee and the owl among them. I used slip and gradual rehydration to fix her and she looked great. But once I fired her in bisque she began to show hairline cracks. Then in the highfire these big cracks showed up. She won't be sellable but I can fill with epoxy putties and then paint with acrylics to finish her.
Making more flowers for a commision project and the corvid show in the fall. Above left is the lily of the valley flowers. I freehand small blooms like this but have been using silicone molds for larger ones. I purchased great molds from a company, Sugardelights. Photos will post soon.
I like making rough birdlegs for the bird series. Though the internet sells great realistic legs in bronze they don't seem to match my bird sculptures. SO I am freehanding legs in copper.
Next I worked on the broken owl. I broke many items over the last few months. A hummingbird, towhee and the owl among them. I used slip and gradual rehydration to fix her and she looked great. But once I fired her in bisque she began to show hairline cracks. Then in the highfire these big cracks showed up. She won't be sellable but I can fill with epoxy putties and then paint with acrylics to finish her.
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MAKING THE FRAMES
Painting all winter and into the spring, I finally finished the sanctum series this week.
Still obsessed with Dutch master forest floor paintings I was inspired to make my own style of 'Sottoboscos'. The subject matter makes me feel safe, intrigued and calm in a world others call Terrible. This work is about finding sanctuary in home and self purpose.
I started their elaborate frames last month and was surprised by the complexity of their construction. I have three days to finish the frames before delivering the work....ACK!
Photos:
At the top you can see the scroll saw I used to cut all the fancy edges and tiny windows. Each window requires a drill hole and then removing and replacing the tiny scroll saw blade inside. Then I use tiny files and custom sanding sticks to sand those miny openings.
Next is more sanding, then the painting begins. Paint, sand, fill, paint- sand- fill on and on! until most blemishes are removed. Though the frames compete with the paintings, I didn't want the tiny flaws to distract too much, and believe me ...black is hard to get perfect.
When I assembled a few and knew it was doable, I began to layout out all of the frames and matching them with the paintings. You can see the 'sandwiches' I made for prepping each box.
I made 17 frames for 17 paintings which in a normal year would take more than 8 months but squeezed it into 4-5. Viola! ready for Childhood End's Group show...
-'UNDERSTORY'- June 16-July 30, 2023.
Painting all winter and into the spring, I finally finished the sanctum series this week.
Still obsessed with Dutch master forest floor paintings I was inspired to make my own style of 'Sottoboscos'. The subject matter makes me feel safe, intrigued and calm in a world others call Terrible. This work is about finding sanctuary in home and self purpose.
I started their elaborate frames last month and was surprised by the complexity of their construction. I have three days to finish the frames before delivering the work....ACK!
Photos:
At the top you can see the scroll saw I used to cut all the fancy edges and tiny windows. Each window requires a drill hole and then removing and replacing the tiny scroll saw blade inside. Then I use tiny files and custom sanding sticks to sand those miny openings.
Next is more sanding, then the painting begins. Paint, sand, fill, paint- sand- fill on and on! until most blemishes are removed. Though the frames compete with the paintings, I didn't want the tiny flaws to distract too much, and believe me ...black is hard to get perfect.
When I assembled a few and knew it was doable, I began to layout out all of the frames and matching them with the paintings. You can see the 'sandwiches' I made for prepping each box.
I made 17 frames for 17 paintings which in a normal year would take more than 8 months but squeezed it into 4-5. Viola! ready for Childhood End's Group show...
-'UNDERSTORY'- June 16-July 30, 2023.
A Very Busy Studio Year...
SPRING/SUMMER
The Sanctum Porcelain Painting Series
Usually I consider myself a sculptor, but for the last 8 years I have been learning to paint.
I began painting regularly on small smooth pieces of wood. It was just for fun, but a few sold and I felt encouraged to keep practicing.
When I started using porcelain clay I wanted to paint my porcelain works but with permanent pigment. China painting was the solution. It's not that I hadn't made sculpture before with surface treatments on them, it's just that I realized I didn't really like acrylics, oils or glazing.
China painting is an odd choice considering that it is complex: mixing, layering, firing and troubleshooting color layers and tinting issues.... Perfect if you like challenges.
I took regular classic china painting courses and even a doll painting class (unlike classic china painting, they use a water based china paint). Classes were useful, but it was my constant practice at home that accelerated the learning curve. Classic porcelain painting taught some medium and technique, but I felt it was very restrictive to where I wanted to go. And certainly china painting on ones own sculpture pieces wasn't covered in class!
My painting approach is loose, unstructured and often just plain intuitive. I have an absurd amount of colors (over 86) and crafted my own oil blends to fit my personal style.
SUMMER/FALL: Botanical Imaginarium
More porcelain Flowers
Last years Native Orchid series, Wild Orchids, was a wild success. The first 'batch' is almost sold out and I have commissions in the same flower style to complete in the months to come. Heavy in painting, they are still mostly sculpture. The porcelain sculpted flowers are complex and time consuming. This year I continue the natives but add what I call 'wedding flowers'....anemones, bleeding hearts and butterfly ranunculus.
FALL: Corvidea Series
In the Fall I will join other artists in the Olympia area to create ravens and crows. Working in clay bodies that are heavy in manganese- a mineral that helps make the clay very black- the ravens will be full size and accompanied with flowers. As a side series that I hope to sneak into Childhood's End as well are wild birds like wrens, towhees and owls....
SPRING/SUMMER
The Sanctum Porcelain Painting Series
Usually I consider myself a sculptor, but for the last 8 years I have been learning to paint.
I began painting regularly on small smooth pieces of wood. It was just for fun, but a few sold and I felt encouraged to keep practicing.
When I started using porcelain clay I wanted to paint my porcelain works but with permanent pigment. China painting was the solution. It's not that I hadn't made sculpture before with surface treatments on them, it's just that I realized I didn't really like acrylics, oils or glazing.
China painting is an odd choice considering that it is complex: mixing, layering, firing and troubleshooting color layers and tinting issues.... Perfect if you like challenges.
I took regular classic china painting courses and even a doll painting class (unlike classic china painting, they use a water based china paint). Classes were useful, but it was my constant practice at home that accelerated the learning curve. Classic porcelain painting taught some medium and technique, but I felt it was very restrictive to where I wanted to go. And certainly china painting on ones own sculpture pieces wasn't covered in class!
My painting approach is loose, unstructured and often just plain intuitive. I have an absurd amount of colors (over 86) and crafted my own oil blends to fit my personal style.
SUMMER/FALL: Botanical Imaginarium
More porcelain Flowers
Last years Native Orchid series, Wild Orchids, was a wild success. The first 'batch' is almost sold out and I have commissions in the same flower style to complete in the months to come. Heavy in painting, they are still mostly sculpture. The porcelain sculpted flowers are complex and time consuming. This year I continue the natives but add what I call 'wedding flowers'....anemones, bleeding hearts and butterfly ranunculus.
FALL: Corvidea Series
In the Fall I will join other artists in the Olympia area to create ravens and crows. Working in clay bodies that are heavy in manganese- a mineral that helps make the clay very black- the ravens will be full size and accompanied with flowers. As a side series that I hope to sneak into Childhood's End as well are wild birds like wrens, towhees and owls....
warming up for the corvidea show in fall.....forest wren and hummingbird in bisque
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 From the sketch book |  to the greenware stage.... |  sanded and into bisque firing.... |
 To final pieces, this one is a 'Mushroom Ensemble' showing an animated connection between fungi in the network below the forest. |  The final ornaments sold out at christmas 2022, so a new batch arrives in February....earthstars, chanterelles, bollettes, and some cool hybrid creations too. (like a bollette had a baby with a turkey tail!) |
MUSHROOM DEVOTION
Its November....
In my mind there is a frenzy of mushroom. Single bolletes with purple tops. Big super white shrooms, and tiny pink orbs on a log. Chanterelles are golden and hard to find next to fallen leaves. And those delicate 2 inch LBMs growing all around the entry to my house are like sentinels ushering me home.
Ah yes! Chanterelles melting on my tongue... cooked in butter for breakfast.
Walking is a daily occasion. Near my home are many forest trails. And fungi can also be hunted in our local state parks. My imagination is filled with the memory of mushrooms. In the studio I translate those memories into clay. Often I refer to my mushroom book or iPad for clarity. Because of this obsession, my eyes just gravitate to the little fruiting bodies anywhere I go.
Yesterday, I see what look like Avenging angels in my neighbors yard, and rush home to look them up. It's a passion that I share with many amateur mushroom enthusiasts!
This month in the studio I am making mushroom ornaments, and what I call 'Mushroom Ensembles'. The Ensembles are sculptures featuring many species of mushrooms at once and with mycelium attached- or at least an attempt to represent the beauty of their connections.
They are in their greenware stage drying and will get fired next week. After that they will be glazed and then china painted. Delivery to the gallery, Childhoods End Gallery in Olympia, WA should occur the first of December!
HEADS UP! the ensembles only just got done in January 2023, I just dropped them off. More ornaments are coming soon.
Its November....
In my mind there is a frenzy of mushroom. Single bolletes with purple tops. Big super white shrooms, and tiny pink orbs on a log. Chanterelles are golden and hard to find next to fallen leaves. And those delicate 2 inch LBMs growing all around the entry to my house are like sentinels ushering me home.
Ah yes! Chanterelles melting on my tongue... cooked in butter for breakfast.
Walking is a daily occasion. Near my home are many forest trails. And fungi can also be hunted in our local state parks. My imagination is filled with the memory of mushrooms. In the studio I translate those memories into clay. Often I refer to my mushroom book or iPad for clarity. Because of this obsession, my eyes just gravitate to the little fruiting bodies anywhere I go.
Yesterday, I see what look like Avenging angels in my neighbors yard, and rush home to look them up. It's a passion that I share with many amateur mushroom enthusiasts!
This month in the studio I am making mushroom ornaments, and what I call 'Mushroom Ensembles'. The Ensembles are sculptures featuring many species of mushrooms at once and with mycelium attached- or at least an attempt to represent the beauty of their connections.
They are in their greenware stage drying and will get fired next week. After that they will be glazed and then china painted. Delivery to the gallery, Childhoods End Gallery in Olympia, WA should occur the first of December!
HEADS UP! the ensembles only just got done in January 2023, I just dropped them off. More ornaments are coming soon.
All photos and images
on www.loralin.com belong solely to the artist.
Copyright 2008-2023, Loralin Toney
on www.loralin.com belong solely to the artist.
Copyright 2008-2023, Loralin Toney
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