The Grog blog

Very Cute, your dad.

In 2010 GROG and KIRBY join up and make the first original Tonga Hut Mug.

Now, 14 years later GROG and Kirby join forces yet again to make another mug for the Tonga Hut. We just finished the master mold and it drying before we make the production molds from it. (Not the same mug as before. A brand new Kirby original design/sculpt! )Stay tuned!

I started doing ceramics in 2010. It's really hard to stop. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have made.

Me too!

KIRBY cleaning up the first Artist Proof out of the first production mold.

And one of the bowls GROG has completed lately. The "Lava Bowl". Lava spills out of the top and runs down the supporting Moais and cools as it puddles at the bottom. Turned out nice, and looks even better in person.

GROG off to visit TN now, but back in ten days.

[ Edited by GROG on 2024-06-14 18:48:34 ]

Sweet.

That is a banger Mr Grog....it's a Hunka Hunka Burnin' Bowl...

KIRBY and GROG have production molds and have started pouring greenware for the mug we're doing for Tonga Hut. Planning on an edition of 125. Kirby designed and sculpted. We've got about 45 poured so far. Cute Kirby-style Moai on a surfboard riding a wave.

We've got a second mug we're going to get started on for Tiki Tom's Tiki Bar. Will be designed and sculpted by GROG.

[ Edited by GROG on 2024-06-29 01:17:30 ]

Kirby did a bunch of carpentry the last couple of days to build a work area in GROG'garage so we have a good workspace to get batches of mugs completed. GROG helped.

The work area we built and put to use. It's not quite finished, but we had a day without pouring any mugs because we were building. Trying to build and keep mug production going at the same time. Kirby is always in a rush and GROG always trying to slow him down so we can be more organized, cleaner, and get things done right. GROG the Felix Unger and Kirby is the Oscar Madison of this odd couple, for sure. But Kirby the driving force.

The newly built workspace.

Kirby using the workspace.

A small army of mugs underway. A little less than 60 so far. We put 2 more production molds into the rotation today, and with the two that are drying, we should be pouring slip into 10 molds soon.

[ Edited by GROG on 2024-07-04 17:15:31 ]

Shrinkage. Kirby's original sculpt on the left using Monster Clay. Greenware on the right is the poured mug. It will shrink a tad bit more when it's fired. This is why you have to sculpt the original larger.

We have around 94 poured so far. Going to do an edition of 125. Going to pour 160 to account for breakage, glaze issues, APs testing glaze colors, and whatever else might go wrong. Any extras will be a small limited edition in a different color, and maybe some one-ofs.

Pouring mugs, cleaning mugs, and tomorrow a little more construction on the studio space. Got a pump yesterday for pouring slip. Lots of work. Need to start doing some AP's to test some colors to figure out the final colors for these guys.

[ Edited by GROG on 2024-07-11 04:16:33 ]

Looking Awesome! :)

Kirby and GROG finish pouring and demolding 155 mugs yesterday, so GROG and Kirby celebrate by going to Damon's and eating prime rib and drinking some Chi Chis. Next week is lots of cleaning up mugs and hopefully doing some test glazing to work out the glaze colors for the mugs.

GROG' butt hurt. GROG was cleaning a mug and stood up to work on the top part of the mug. GROG' chair have wheels, so when GROG go to sit back down the chair wasn't in the same place anymore. GROG think GROG have bruised tail bone.

[ Edited by GROG on 2024-07-20 14:49:08 ]

No work on the mugs today. Spent the day driving to and from ceramic supplies getting some glazes to do some color testing this week. Traffic sucks so bad out here in LA.

Glazing AP's for color tests. They will look MUCH different when fired. These are underglazes and such on greenware, and after they are fired there will be another round of glazing adding other colors, doing wipes to bring out detail, and clear glaze to make it food safe. GROG do 1 AP and the rest are Kirby's. Since it's his design and sculpt, he is lead artist on this one.

[ Edited by GROG on 2024-07-23 20:02:54 ]

GROG hate glazing

You got that right!!!! For sure.

these are very good :)

[ Edited by Daniel Miller on 2024-07-26 01:10:34 ]

wow man, you and Kirby teaming up, that's Rad! really dig the Moai on the wave!!

Thanks guys. It's an interesting pairing, for sure. We've got a new kiln in our arsenal now. We've got some Artist proofs that came out of it. We haven't settled on a final color yet. Still testing glazes and underglazes. They no longer make the Duncan glazes that worked so well, so we're having a harder time finding the glazes we want. It's a TALL mug, too. The tallest mug I have is a Crazy Al mug and this mug is the same size at 10 and 1/8 inches.

It's a teamwork :)

[ Edited by Daniel Miller on 2024-08-01 04:51:52 ]

:D

[ Edited by Daniel Miller on 2024-08-01 07:10:59 ]

Looking good. From the left, i like the the glaze of the Moai on #5 and the wave on #6 the best, although even though both look great as is, personally i think the surfboard needs to be a really bright colour to make a clear separation between the Moai and the wave and the interior colour should match the board.

Go GROG go

I think Swiz has something there.

Mugs are looking killer Grog! Dig that design!

Thanks guys. It's Kirby's design and sculpt. We agree with what you said Swiz, and that's the direction we're trying to go. Kirby keeps wanting to put that blue on the inside and I'm trying to talk him out of it. #6 has a black wipe under the wave that makes it look kind of dirty in person, but we like the wipe on the wave. So maybe a blue wipe. We shall see. Got another glaze test AP in the kiln now firing.

[ Edited by GROG on 2024-08-05 20:25:56 ]

GROG spray 'em and Kirby wipe them back off! It's a vicious cycle. (just part of the process) The 1st ten are baking in the kiln now.

Not sure what Kirby is doing here. He took a self portrait. Looks like he's glazing the wave.

[ Edited by GROG on 2024-08-14 07:53:51 ]

Hi GROG. Production photos are really fun. That's a darling mug. Lots of work. For hating to glaze you give yourself glazing challenges. You are up to the task bro!

Yep. The damned surf board is a challenge. We're working on finding the best way to try and mask off that bastard.

[ Edited by GROG on 2024-08-16 17:02:26 ]

In the middle of production. Some mugs in the kiln firing now, some fired and glazed, some need to be touched up, some are cleaned and need to be glazed, and some are still greenware waiting to be cleaned.