Birthstones

Birthstone lists

Month	Traditional Birthstone(s)[3]	Modern Birthstone(s)[3]	Mystical Birthstone	Ayurvedic Birthstone
January	garnet	garnet	emerald	garnet
February	amethyst	amethyst	bloodstone	amethyst
March	bloodstone, jasper	aquamarine	jade	bloodstone
April	diamond, sapphire	diamond	opal	diamond
May	emerald, agate	emerald	sapphire	agate
June	alexandrite, emerald	moonstone, pearl	moonstone	pearl
July	ruby, onyx	ruby	ruby	ruby
August	sardonyx, sapphire	peridot	diamond	sapphire
September	sapphire, peridot	sapphire	agate	moonstone
October	tourmaline, aquamarine	opal, tourmaline	jasper	opal
November	citrine, topaz	topaz, citrine	pearl	topaz
December	zircon, ruby	turquoise, blue topaz	onyx	ruby

Kostas and Klios amazing art work!

Kostas Panaretos & Klio Brenner

This couple met through their love of ceramics, both having extensive education and experience in the field. Together their talents have won them first prize in the "2004 1st European Ceramics Competition" held in Athens, Greece, which included 681 artists and over 2,300 competing works from all over Europe!
Their winning piece now sits for public viewing in the entryway of the city hall building in Maroussi, Athens. Their winning piece was also featured on the front cover of Germany's "New Ceramics" magazine.

Klio Brenner studied in Vern, Switzerland at the "Schule fur Gestaltung" from 1986-1990 and has participated in group and individual exhibitions in both Switzerland and Greece since 1988. In 1996, she and her husband, Kosta Panaretos, won the "First Award of Merit" at the Panhellenic Ceramics Exhibitions in Maroussi, Athens. Kosta studied ceramics at OAED in Athens and also taught his craft to others at the, YWCA, Ceramic School of Municipality of Nikea, and the "Art Studio" in Halkida. Kosta continues to teach at the School of Fine Arts in Athens and is a participating member of the Greek Chamber of Fine Arts.

Together Klio and Kosta have run their own workshop in Glyfada, Athens since 1990. They specialize in an ancient Greek technique called "Terra Sigillata". The pieces are formed using Earthenware clay fired at 1000 ºC and the colors are handmade from the soils of the earth. This difficult, but significant technique is only used today by a small group of ceramists. Their designs are inspired by ancient Greek Cycladic and Minoan sculptures, and are then transformed with the visions and talents of Klio and Kostas into a contemporary version of Greek art.

Terra sigillata

Terra sigillata is a very smooth, lustrous coating of clay which resembles a glaze and is virtually waterproof. The name means "sealed earth" and has been used to refer to the Classical Greek Attic black-figure and red-figure painted pottery.

These days, the name terra sigillata is used to refer to an especially fine coating of clay applied to a ceramic piece.

For centuries the secret of making terra sigillata was lost and only in the middle of this century was the true nature of this material, the technique of its creation and use rediscovered.

The silkiness and shine of terra sigilatta is due to the plate like shape of the clay particles and the use of only the smallest particles. Polishing this surface with your hand or a soft cloth lines up all the clay 'plates' and gives the surface its shine.

Most terra-sigillatas are made by a process of levigation in water which allows the larger particles to settle to the bottom, leaving the very finest, sub micron sized particles in suspension. These very fine particles are siphoned off and become the terra-sigillata.

Introduction to Enameling

What is Vitreous Enamel?

Vitreous enamel is glass bonded by fusion to a metal surface. The most common glass is a fusion of silica, soda, lime, and a small amount of borax. Though normally transparent, various amounts of opacity can be produced by adding or growing crystals within the glass structure. A wide range of colors are produced by incorporating certain elements, mostly transition metals. The physical properties of glass can be controlled to permit bonding to most metals, for example: gold, platinum, silver, copper, steel, cast iron, aluminum and titanium. The word "Enamel" refers to the glass material, as well as to the finished product.

How is it done?

Enamel (glass) is crushed to a powder somewhat finer than granulated sugar and somewhat coarser than flour. This powder is applied, by one of several methods, to the metal surface. Next, the article is heated to 1000-1600ƒF, either in a preheated furnace, or with a hand-held torch. After 1-1/2 to 10 minutes, the article is removed and allowed to cool to room temperature. Subsequent coats, normally different colors, are applied. Sometimes 10-20 firings are required to bring about the desired results.

What is it's history?

We do not know when or where enameling originated. The earliest known enameled articles are six enameled gold rings discovered in a Mycenaean tomb at Kouklia, Cyprus. The rings date from the thirteenth century B.C.

The Greeks were enameling gold jewelry as early as the 5th century B.C. Caesar found the Celtic inhabitants of Britain enameling in the 1st century B.C. During the Byzantine era, 4th through 12th centuries, numerous enamel religious works were made. Fifteenth century artisans in Limoges, France, perfected the use of enamels in a painting technique. The 17th, 18th and 19th centuries and the early decades of the 20th century saw the production of a great volume of luxury and decorative enamels, made in many different centers. Since the last third of the 19th century, both Japan and China have exported an abundance of enamel as cloisonnÈ - the name of the technique. Starting early in the 19th century, it was realized enamel could be used for utilitarian purposes. First in pots and pans for cooking, then stoves, refrigerators, kitchen sinks, bathtubs, home laundry appliances, architectural panels, etc.

Raku

Raku is one of the most interesting ceramic art technics.

I deeply believe that an item from the time it is born in an artist s hands has it s own soul.

I think the actual creation proceture is the road that we have to follow to gain the feeling of this soul.

Western raku is typically made from a stoneware clay body and are bisque fired at 900°C (1650°F) and glaze fired (the final firing) between 800-1000°C (1450-1800°F), which falls into the cone 06 firing temperature range.

The process is known for its unpredictability, particularly when reduction is forced, and pieces may crack or even explode due to thermal shock. Pots may be returned to the kiln to re-oxidize if firing results do not meet the potter's expectations, although each successive firing has a high chance of weakening the overall structural integrity of the pot. Pots that are exposed to thermal shock multiple times can break apart in the kiln, as they are removed from the kiln, or when they are in the reduction chamber.

The glaze firing times for raku ware are short: an hour or two as opposed to up to 16 hours for high-temperature cone 10 stoneware firings. This is due to several factors: raku glazes mature at a much lower temperature (under 1800°F, as opposed to almost 2300°F for high-fire stoneware), kiln temperatures can be raised rapidly, and the kiln is loaded and unloaded while hot and can be kept hot between firings.

Because temperature changes are rapid during the raku process, clay bodies used for raku ware must be able to cope with significant thermal stress. The usual way to deal with this is to incorporate a high percentage of quartz, grog, or Kyanite into the body before the pot is formed. Each is used to add strength to the clay body and to reduce thermal expansion. When used at high additions, quartz can increase the risk of dunting or shivering therefore, Kyanite is often the preferred material because it contributes both mechanical strength and, in amounts up to 20%, it significantly reduces thermal expansion. Although any clay body can be used, most porcelains and white stoneware clay bodies are unsuitable for the western raku process unless some material is added to deal with thermal shock.

Aesthetic considerations include clay color and fired surface texture, as well as the clay's chemical interaction with raku glazes.

Kivotos communication space !

Hi to all old and new friends from all over the world!

I m happy building this blog hoping that with your help and comments will become an active meeting spot for all of us that love art.
Art is a cool summer breeze in our lives.
Let s open our window and let it in.