Leona in the clay


Welcome
“O LORD, you are our Father.
We are the clay, you are the potter;
we are all the work of your hand.” – Isaiah 64:8

All of the pottery pieces have been created by hands that Trust in God for all things. Each piece has a Bible reference location stamped in it from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. Hence, it’s “In the Clay.”


FUNCTIONAL POTTERY
The pottery has been wheel thrown or slab rolled. Each piece is unique and functional and designed to be the centerpiece of conversation; perhaps, one regarding the Bible reference.

THROWING: The process
My pottery pieces are thrown on a Brent C electric wheel. After the piece is created, it is allowed to semi dry before adding texture, Bible reference and signature. The Bible references may reflect my thoughts at that time or perhaps where God leads me in the Bible to make a connection between the buyer and the original Creator.

After the piece has matured and is dry, it is bisque fired in a Skutt electric kiln to cone 04 (a temperature of 1945 degrees F). This requires a 24-hour start to finish.

Following the bisque firing, the bottom of the pieces are brushed or dipped into bee’s wax to prevent the glaze (the next step) from dripping onto the kiln shelf and adhering the two in the final firing.

The glazes are lead-free and non-toxic and safe for food containers and dinnerware. They are dishwasher and microwave safe.

The next step is the final glaze firing done to high fire cone 6 (a temperature of 2232 degrees F) and again requiring a 24-hour period.



ABOUT THE ARTIST

Leona Beddow was born in Iowa and lives in Amarillo, Texas, with her husband, Dean, a retired optometrist/owner of Broome Optical in Amarillo. Both have lived in Texas more than 55 years and consider Amarillo home.

Art has played a major role in Leona’s life since her early years eventually resulting in a Master of Arts degree with emphasis on line drawing and a minor in photography from then West Texas State University in Canyon, Texas. It wasn’t until her retirement from Amarillo College in 2006 that she began to have the time and the desire to try her hand at clay.

Auditing an academic class in ceramics, she says, “I remember that spring semester 2007 at Amarillo College studying under Dennis Olson. I really thought we would start on the wheel immediately but instead we learned how to make clay. That was followed by learning how to make pinch pots. Then we extruded coils to make pots . . and we used the slab roller for hand building pots, and it wasn’t until mid-semester that we got on the wheel to throw. What a challenge! It was all a challenge.

“Some of the students had a background in working with clay in high school. And even though I have a master’s degree in art, clay was never part of my studies,” she said.

Her first pieces were small and crude. “I still have some of those,” she said, “as a reminder of where I’ve been and how far I’ve come. I haven’t arrived by any means but I’m enjoying the journey, the process and watching God use this talent He has given me.”

AT THE WEDGING TABLE
Leona is wedging about two pounds of clay the easiest way, a technique called Rams Head wedging. This helps to remove air bubbles, makes clay particles align and improves pliability. It requires physical effort to push and pull, rock and press and the clay will eventually look similar to a ram's head. Wedging clay is a normal part of every potter's beginning.



AT THE WHEEL
Leona has the clay centered and is ready to open up. Essentially every wheel-thrown piece starts this way regardless of the finish.

 


AT THE SLAB ROLLER
Leona has put about four pounds of clay through a slab roller. The thickness of the space under the roller has been adjusted and the clay is placed between two pieces of canvas before she manually rolls it.



A SLAB-ROLLED PROJECT
Leona is creating a flower pot, 9x8 inches, with multiple pieces of slab. This work-in-progress will have a drainage hole in the bottom, be up-ended and rim created along with an added saucer underneath to catch water.

 




PHOTOS


No images will be on the website. Inquire personally by phone or email. Subject matter and size varies along with framed/matted or canvas-wrapped. All are ready to hang.

In the Clay  
(806) 681-7441
milagrobeddow110@gmail.com




CLAY


Marilyn’s Bod
This clay is a red-brown stoneware, excellent for throwing and functional ware. It is glaze-fired to cone 6.

Olson’s Bod
This clay is a high fire clay suitable for throwing and sculpting. It is glaze-fired to cone 10 (a temperature of 2380 degrees F). It has an off-white finish as compared to the soft pink of Marilyn’s Bod after the initial cone 04 bisque fire.

S-B Red Bod
This clay is a a semi-smooth red body of clay with sand and grog. Grog is a granular, raw material that is added to clay giving it structural strength for hand building and throwing. Although a cone 5 clay, my pieces are glaze-fired to cone 6. There is a temperature difference of 65 degrees between the two.

LOOKING INSIDE THE KILN: Finished
The kiln lid is open to reveal the finished product.
These three bowls were slab rolled, shaped, dried, bisque fired and then glaze fired using blue rutile and ancient jasper.









CONTACT


IN THE CLAY
5406 Walesa Ct
Amarillo TX 79119

(806) 681-7441

milagrobeddow110@gmail.com


Leona in the clay





LOCAL BUSINESSES selling In the Clay pottery

AMARILLO ART INSTITUTE
Arts in the Sunset

3701 Plains Blvd
Amarillo TX 79102
(806) 354-8802

Hours: Please call the number listed for hours.

AAI



LILE ART GALLERY
2719 SW 6th Ave (Route 66)
Amarillo TX 79108
(806) 664-3089

Hours: Please call the number listed for hours.

LAG



TOP OF TEXAS CATHOLIC SUPERSTORE
2500 S Coulter St Ste 110
Amarillo TX 79106
(806) 353-0700

Hours:
Monday through Saturday
10 a.m. to 6 p.m.


TCS




 





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