Hello, I am very interested in how you fire your raku tiles. Are they fired flat or on edge? I have done lots of underglaze sgriffito work in landscapes. I am going to raku some new ones. Do you have any suggestions on your landscape process? I have been a production potter for 42 years. This new direction is very exciting. Thanks, a potter friend in indiana.
Hi potter friend, I’m not raku firing anymore, but when I did fire tiles I did it both flat and on edge. The smaller ones (up to 6″) were fired flat on a rigged up BBQ grate — although it got really hard to find grates that weren’t teflon coated. The larger ones I stood up horizontally or vertically, facing the kiln wall, against a brick. They are tricky because sometimes the glaze matures on one end but not the other. But overall, I had good luck with the tiles. Do you have a website where I can look at your work? Laura
Thanks for writing back. I will send photos of my finished landscape tiles on wed. The ones that youll see are not raku. They are mostly scrafitto and diff colored clay bodys. Cone 6 electric. I am interested in your critique. Thanks again, terry dukeman, potter
Hello! I just read some of your blog entries, and I can hear your voice in my head! I have just started playing in clay. I don’t have a kiln, so I mostly work with mica red clay and fire it in my weber charcoal grill. Thank You Sumi Vondassow for that bit of inspiration. Working on bean pots. Its the only thing I can make at the moment. Do you ever give a lesson or two? Just wondering. ( Love the little shaped urns, by the way. )
Hi there, a friend of mine purchased Haitian paper mache birds that look identical to the ones you have pictured on your site. I have been searching for them for over a year and have been hopeful the store would get them again. They told me they cannot get in touch with the artist 😢. Do you have any idea how I could get some of these birds? Thank you so much!
Hi Tara, thanks for your message. I used to sell those birds but haven’t for many years. There’s another company that had a lovely paper-mache bird that was similar and was crafted in Haiti for a time, Stray Dog Designs (straydogdesigns.com). I don’t know if they still sell them, but they might. Good luck!
Goodmorning,
We love your urn with the blue hortensia. Is it for sale? What Will be the costs. We live in Holland. my mom died due to Corona and she loved that flower.
Hi Jacqueline, thank you for your message. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother…. I imagine this is a really difficult time for you. Please accept my condolences. I would be happy to create a blue hydrangea/hortensia urn for you. If you would like to contact me directly at laura@paper-turtle.com, we can talk about the details. Thank you again for your message and interest in my work.
I am in awe of your work and fascinated by the discipline of the kiln I work in antler , bone and stone have you ever fired ashes into obisidan or used it as a glaze
Hi, thanks for the kind words! No, I’ve never worked with bone or antler or stone in glazes or the kiln. I know people who use ash in their wood fired work to enhance the glazes, tho.
Live Clay 
Hello, I am very interested in how you fire your raku tiles. Are they fired flat or on edge? I have done lots of underglaze sgriffito work in landscapes. I am going to raku some new ones. Do you have any suggestions on your landscape process? I have been a production potter for 42 years. This new direction is very exciting. Thanks, a potter friend in indiana.
Hi potter friend, I’m not raku firing anymore, but when I did fire tiles I did it both flat and on edge. The smaller ones (up to 6″) were fired flat on a rigged up BBQ grate — although it got really hard to find grates that weren’t teflon coated. The larger ones I stood up horizontally or vertically, facing the kiln wall, against a brick. They are tricky because sometimes the glaze matures on one end but not the other. But overall, I had good luck with the tiles. Do you have a website where I can look at your work? Laura
Thanks for writing back. I will send photos of my finished landscape tiles on wed. The ones that youll see are not raku. They are mostly scrafitto and diff colored clay bodys. Cone 6 electric. I am interested in your critique. Thanks again, terry dukeman, potter
Hello laura, did you receive my photos of the tiles? Thanks, terry dukeman, potter
Hello! I just read some of your blog entries, and I can hear your voice in my head! I have just started playing in clay. I don’t have a kiln, so I mostly work with mica red clay and fire it in my weber charcoal grill. Thank You Sumi Vondassow for that bit of inspiration. Working on bean pots. Its the only thing I can make at the moment. Do you ever give a lesson or two? Just wondering. ( Love the little shaped urns, by the way. )
Hi there, a friend of mine purchased Haitian paper mache birds that look identical to the ones you have pictured on your site. I have been searching for them for over a year and have been hopeful the store would get them again. They told me they cannot get in touch with the artist 😢. Do you have any idea how I could get some of these birds? Thank you so much!
Tara
Hi Tara, thanks for your message. I used to sell those birds but haven’t for many years. There’s another company that had a lovely paper-mache bird that was similar and was crafted in Haiti for a time, Stray Dog Designs (straydogdesigns.com). I don’t know if they still sell them, but they might. Good luck!
Goodmorning,
We love your urn with the blue hortensia. Is it for sale? What Will be the costs. We live in Holland. my mom died due to Corona and she loved that flower.
Hi Jacqueline, thank you for your message. I’m so sorry to hear about your mother…. I imagine this is a really difficult time for you. Please accept my condolences. I would be happy to create a blue hydrangea/hortensia urn for you. If you would like to contact me directly at laura@paper-turtle.com, we can talk about the details. Thank you again for your message and interest in my work.
I am in awe of your work and fascinated by the discipline of the kiln I work in antler , bone and stone have you ever fired ashes into obisidan or used it as a glaze
Hi, thanks for the kind words! No, I’ve never worked with bone or antler or stone in glazes or the kiln. I know people who use ash in their wood fired work to enhance the glazes, tho.