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jasonwalczak.bsky.social
Traveling Canadian artist Wire tree sculptor jasonwalczak.ca Nature photographer Consumer of frozen treats
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Internal electronics are all done! Just need to attach the break beam sensors to the wiring harness, and the first unit is done! @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social @anneausems.bsky.social #tinkering #arduino #electronics

The waterproof* enclosure I ordered arrived. It is IP68 since it will be sitting on a grassy hillside under a rock year round. Battery holders are epoxied in, hole drilled for sensors and connectors! @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social @anneausems.bsky.social #tinkering

The final circuit board all soldered together! I've also started working on the external sensor wiring harness! The enclosure should arrive next week for the final assembly of prototype 1! Then, I have to build a 2nd one 😂 #arduino #electronics @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social @anneausems.bsky.social

Everything is finally dry! Total: 10 10cm dishes, 6 25cm dishes. I'm very nervous about having them fired, as I won't be able to make any more for a long while. Still, a step towards my final vision for my craft! #handmade #pottery #bowl #porcelain

Testing, tweaking, and testing again. Work continues on our nest box monitor prototype. Currently working on sleeping the processor between readings. @anneausems.bsky.social #arduino #code #tinkering

#Tinkering @anneausems.bsky.social @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social

10 10cm dishes drying. I finished the remainder of my clay a couple of weeks ago and packed up my temporary setup. I'm excited to one day have my own equipment! I'm also excited to fill these dishes with new tree designs in the (hopefully) near future! #handmade #pottery #bowl #porcelain

Very exciting! Today was just some component discovery, trying to get these IR sensors to run on the lowest current possible. I got them down to lower than my multimeter can read, so thats good news for the battery life! #electronics #tinkering #arduino

A few months ago, @jasonwalczak.bsky.social and I received a Research Grant from @theseabirdgroup.bsky.social to develop two automatic nest box monitor prototypes for the #stormpetrels on #Nólsoy, #FaroeIslands, together with @robthomasbirds.bsky.social! Parts are in, and work has begun! #arduino

#newzealand has been on my travel bucket list for a while. A small piece of that interest is being able to see the Wanaka tree, the most photographed tree in the world! #handmade #copper #sculpture #fineart

Well, that wasn't supposed to happen. I fired my first batch of plates and learned from the results. This was the worst of it, a crack, the other 2 warped. I was worried about these issues before they were fired, I made adjustments to the others I threw. #handmade #pottery #wheelthrownpottery #fail

Trimming is a very satisfying process. Watching ribbons of semi-dry clay come off, revealing your vision underneath. #handmade #wheelthrownpottery #pottery #trimming #porcelain

Sometimes, things don't work out. I threw this one a bit too thin on the bottom. After wiring it off, it didn't have enough material in the base to withstand drying's challenges. #handmade #pottery #wheelthrownpottery #porcelain #fail #learning

4 plates, thrown to 30cm that will dry and fire to 25cm. These will be the bases for a collection of the largest trees I have made, I'm aiming to make 7 and scale trees to fit these large bases, like my previous oak tree project #handmade #pottery #wheelthrownpottery #porcelain #plate

Just floating around Moraine Lake in 2021 #landscape #photography #banff #Alberta

Slowly drying these 4 (1 out of frame) plates I threw yesterday to avoid warping and cracking. They should be ready to trim in a couple days! #handmade #pottery #wheelthrownpottery #ceramics

Leftovers from trimming a large dish this morning. A pile of delicate little curls. #pottery #ceramics #trimming #clay

Continuing my quest to make my own sculpture bases with #pottery, my first fired piece! Excuse the warm LED lights, it is a lovely, neutral charcoal grey! Made from Sio2 Black Ice #porcelain, fired to cone 6, no glaze, and a light coat of mineral oil to deepen the color #handmade #ceramics #clay

Learning to throw what is essentially flatware is a journey. This was my first successful thrown and trimmed piece after many, many failures. It has been drying for a week and is still not bone dry but will ultimately become a base for a future copper tree! #handmade #ceramics #pottery #clay

When a routine whale survey turns into a spectacle. Fall 2022, #Churchill #Manitoba #polarbear #wildlife #photography They were just sparring, we later saw them napping on the rocks.

I met many avid birders during my time in #Churchill #Manitoba. Being able to go out with them to see their passion and capture a piece of it myself solidified my interest in our feathery friends. #wildlife #photograhy #birds #green

Summer 2023 in #Churchill #Manitoba. Polar bears just hanging out until Hudson Bay freezes over in November. #wildlife #photography #polarbear

Paddling down the Whitehorse River this past summer while volunteering at a workaway for my artist retreat. Just ahead of my were my wonderful hosts from Yukon River Farm Suites! #landscape #photography #river #Yukon #Whitehorse

Sunrises were the reason I got into photography. In my previous career, I'd walk into the assembly plant at ~5:45am and some days there would be an overwhelmingly beautiful sunrise that would make me question my life choices... and now I'm an artist! #landscape #photography #sunset #sunrise #nature

I think I'm happy with my lastest practice maker's mark. Thicker lines for better depth and crisp edges for a defined border. Now, to re-carve it into a piece that will become the final product! #handmade #ceramics #clay #pottery #carving

Behind the scenes of carving my maker's mark. A tiny sewing needle held in vicegrips, allowing me to use my entire hand to control the tool instead of just my fingertips. The piece I carved in my last post took 30min. I imagine the final piece will make far longer #handmade #ceramics #clay #maker

I am embarking on the pilgrimage of carving my own porcelain maker's mark for my pottery. This is my first practice piece. The painstaking process is pushing my hand's fine motor skills to the limit. #handmade #clay #pottery #maker

The entrance to Watkins Glen, NY State park. 2019. #photography #landscape #waterfall #cliff #green

Watkins Glen, NY State Park, 2019 #landscape #photography #waterfall #longexposure #green

Getting settled and almost ready to start throwing some bases for upcoming tree projects! A huge Thank You to The Ceramic Workroom in Dartmouth NS for the wheel rental! #ceramics #clay #novascotia #Dartmouth

My budget pottery setup in the Yukon while in my WorkAway volunteer position. 75 7.5cm dishes total! I'm hoping to improve my throwing skills during our stay in Halifax! If you are ever in Whitehorse and need a place to stay, check out Yukon River Farm Suites! Great people! #ceramics #budget #clay

New Year, new #RShiny App! This one is to help you really randomly set up your round end goals for #wingspan 🦆 Is it necessary? No. Was it fun to make? No. R was being R. Yes? Also no. anneausems.shinyapps.io/wingspan_set...

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm looking forward to a year of honing my current skills and trying new things. Everything has to start somewhere! My very first tree, some ~5 years ago. #newyear #handmade #beginnings

We made it to Halifax! Nothing but rain and fog the entire trip, so no nice pictures :(

Waiting to return to the #FaroeIslands. #landscape #rain #mountains

The first leg of our @anneausems.bsky.social journey to Halifax, Nova Scotia. We ride at dawn! #roadtrip