Art by Fuzzy

Pottery, Photography, Design - Brandon "Fuzzy" Schwartz

Stoneware Mugs and Bowls

I glaze fired a number of pieces two weekends ago.  Mostly mugs with a few bowls of different sizes.  I used Pam’s Blue on most of the work since I still have half a bucket left.  It came out as a blue-green on most of the pieces.  I put it over Coyote Red Gold on the inside of one bowl and it made a spectacular flowing combination.  I also dripped some Red Gold on the Pam’s Blue platter and got some interesting white streaks.  I have another toothbrush holder prototype which seems to work okay and the last pair of “word mugs” are finally finished.

Missing from the pictures are a tea mug that was already sold and a few mugs that were  re-fired to fix some glaze defects from a previous glaze firing.

I’m hoping to get some more items made before Christmas.  A lot of wheel thrown things are planned and I might try some bigger slab platters.

HU Alumni Art Show A Success

HU Alumni Exhibit

HU Alumni Exhibit

On October 2nd, my wife and I traveled back to Huntington University to see some friends, take in some homecoming activities and attend the artist reception for the Alumni Art Show.

It was great to see Professor Coffman, Professor Hopper and a few other alumni artists.  There was a good variety of work and the reception was pretty well attended.

I submitted two ceramic works and a digital photo print.  If you missed the show here is a digital version of the work I submitted:

Under an Oak Tree

Under an Oak Tree

Under an Oak Tree

This is a digital photo that I took near Dublin, Michigan.  It was taken with a Canon 30D and a kit lens with a close-up attachment.

Brown and Blue Vase

Brown and Blue Vase

Brown and Blue Vase

This is wheel-thrown stoneware glaze fired to cone 6.

Brown Lidded Vessel

Brown Lidded Vessel

Brown Lidded Vessel

Wheel-thrown stoneware fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln.

Other Work I Considered

It was tough to decide what to send to the show.  I considered a number of different ceramic pieces and had a few photographs including some from Cancun.  If you would like to read a bit more, you can view my artist statement.  There will also be some photos on the Facebook Page.

Huntington University Alumni Art Exhibit

The Robert E. Wilson Gallery at Huntington University is showing work from graduates of the art program.  I submitted two ceramic pieces and a photograph for the show which will run from September 10th to October 7th.  There will also be an artist reception during Homecoming weekend on October 2nd from 1:3o to 3:00pm.

A few months ago I was contacted to see if I had any interest in an alumni show.  I thought it was a great idea, and so did some other alumni, so I went to work on selecting pieces, dusting off my resume, putting together an artist statement and getting some digital images ready.  The decision process was somewhat difficult because I had sold or given away many of my recent ceramic ware, especially my “favorites.”  But luckily I had most of the stuff from my latest glaze fire and even a few older pieces that I still like.  And I had just taken some close-up nature photos which I thought might look good on a gallery wall.  So I got everything packed up and shipped and I received word Friday that the package arrived safely.

So if you are in the Huntington area, go check out some art work by Huntington University alums.

Summer Pottery – Mugs, Vases, Bowls

I glaze fired a number of items way back in July.  Then I got busy doing other projects like making a backdrop for photographing ceramics, redesigning a website, and getting settled into a new school.  Finally, you can see the finished pieces from that summer glaze fire below.  I haven’t really been in the clay studio much since then but I’ve got some ideas rolling around in my head for the next time I get some time at the wheel.

All items are glaze fired to cone 6 and are either Warm Brown Stoneware from Amaco or Speckled Stoneware by Laguna.

June Glaze Fire Results

Last month I glaze fired close to 20 pieces after mixing some glaze from dry powder.  The Pam’s Blue that I mixed turned out more blue-green instead of the blue-gray that I got from the pre-mixed pint.  It might be applied a little thin but I still like the result.  I got to test a few new glazes such as Espresso Bean and Saturated Iron by Coyote and Frosted Turquoise and Iron Lustre by Amaco.  Some of them turned out nicely.  Most of the items were functional ware: mugs, bowls, etc.

I finally got all the pieces photographed about a week ago and I finished cropping and sizing the photos last night.  Now, as I’m uploading these pictures the kiln is cranked up and bisque firing some of the stuff that I’ve thrown recently.   My wife wanted a set of bowls with handles, I’ve got a set of four mugs, there are some vases and other tall forms and  a few lidded vessels.