Start Making Ceramics Now with Clay Tools from the Kitchen Drawer

Start Making Ceramics Now with Clay Tools from the Kitchen Drawer

Working with your hands, and especially with clay, is a great way to relax. It is also a way to develop your creativity and is very satisfying. And it does not have to be expensive at all.

Over the years I had collected a lot of professional tools for my clay processing – wire tools, knives, hole cutters, kidneys. Some were bought new, others in a secondhand shop, and some came from my kitchen drawer.

You can start making ceramics right away because most of these utensils you have in your house anyway. Buy some clay and you’re ready to go.

Read more

Combine Linocut with Clay to Create Special Ceramic Reliefs

Combine Linocut with Clay to Create Special Ceramic Reliefs

In this article, I describe how you can combine linocut with clay to make reliefs.

Clay is a rewarding material, both for the professional and the hobbyist. Anyone who is just starting with clay will soon have an excellent result.

Clay can be decorated with all kinds of techniques, ranging from simple to difficult. The beauty is that most techniques can be started in a simple way and gradually become more complicated.

Read more

How to Smoke-Firing Ceramics for a Beautiful Decorative Result

How to Smoke-Firing Ceramics for a Beautiful Decorative Result

I used smoke firing on objects that already had their first round of firing in an electric kiln, called bisque or biscuit clay. This reduced the chance of breakage, and it also ensured that the objects were fired evenly and well.

Admittedly, my neighbours weren’t always quite pleased when I was firing this way. As you might know from a poorly ventilated fireplace, burning stuff that causes a lot of smoke can smell penetrating.

Yet, the results were so great that I risked their dislike. In this article, I explain how to smoke-firing ceramics yourself.

Read more

My Mother Enjoyed her Life Album Immensely

My Mother Enjoyed her Life Album Immensely

My mother was on a closed ward in a nursing home. She suffered from Vascular Dementia. In 2011 the Home asked me to make her a Life Album, a biography of my mother’s life with pictures and text. 

I had made several scrapbooks in the past so the idea appealed to me. And they made the task easy for me by giving me a printed binder, so it was basically a ‘fill in the blanks’ exercise.

I took good care of my mum from the time my father died. But there is one thing I deeply regret: that I didn’t make her a Life Album when she was still okay. I could have asked her for so many more details. 

Read more

Photo Selection of November 2020

In 2020 I took a picture almost every day and published it on this website and on Instagram. In hindsight, not every picture was satisfying, so I made selections of them. 🙂
Click the picture for an enlargement.

For several months we have been in a complete lockdown which made my options for nice subjects rather limited. Yet, this was also a challenge to make the most of it.

November 2020

Read more

Photo Selection of October 2020

In 2020 I took a picture almost every day and published it on this website and on Instagram. In hindsight, not every picture was satisfying, so I made selections of them. 🙂
Click the picture for an enlargement.

For several months we have been in a complete lockdown which made my options for nice subjects rather limited. Yet, this was also a challenge to make the most of it.

October 2020

Read more

Photo Selection of September 2020

In 2020 I took a picture almost every day and published it on this website and on Instagram. In hindsight, not every picture was satisfying, so I made selections of them. 🙂
Click the picture for an enlargement.

For several months we have been in a complete lockdown which made my options for nice subjects rather limited. Yet, this was also a challenge to make the most of it.

September 2020

Read more

Photo Selection of August 2020

In 2020 I took a picture almost every day and published it on this website and on Instagram. In hindsight, not every picture was satisfying, so I made selections of them. 🙂
Click the picture for an enlargement.

For several months we have been in a complete lockdown which made my options for nice subjects rather limited. Yet, this was also a challenge to make the most of it.

August 2020

Read more

Photo Selection of July 2020

In 2020 I took a picture almost every day and published it on this website and on Instagram. In hindsight, not every picture was satisfying, so I made selections of them. 🙂
Click the picture for an enlargement.

For several months we have been in a complete lockdown which made my options for nice subjects rather limited. Yet, this was also a challenge to make the most of it.

July 2020

Read more