Almost at the end of Winter 2010 session

The Winter session is quickly coming to an end.  As I am writing this, I am collecting my final pieces from bisque firing and getting ready to glaze them.  The new session, Spring 2010, will start the week of March 22, 2010.

The pieces above are a series of three conical bowls (bowls with straight sides) that I threw out of B-Clay.  B-Clay is sort of greyish when it is soft and pliable but will fire to a white that is almost like porcelain.  This si the first time I am using B-Clay and I am liking it quite a bit.  I only had two pieces back at the time I took the photo.  I glazed the three bowls the same way -- using Luster Shino on the inside and then I taped the outside with painter's tape and cut out the pattern.  The lower portion of the bowls are glazed in Coleman Apple Green and the top in the New Celadon.

This is a covered jar made out of Stoneware.  It is part 2 of a sugar bowl and cream pitcher ensemble (refer to earlier post).  I glazed the pieces with Matt Black and Waxy White in a checker-board pattern.  The glazes runs into each other a little so it does not maintain pure coloration but I thought the intermingling is quite cool.

Another bowl with stamp work around the rim.  Was going to get this to empty bowl but it did not get fired in time.  The glaze is Celadon over the whole piece and Josh Green around the rim.  It ran quite a bit and turned RED!!!!!

Another B-Clay bowl for Empty Bowls that did not make it.  Yellow Salt with Cohen Red around the rim (other secret stuff that cannot be disclosed at this time).  Message me if you really want to know.

One of the biggest plates I've made so far -- about 11" in diameter.  I used paper resists that I cut into a snowflake pattern then lay the resist into the plate and the back of the plate as well.  I had decided that I was going to glaze this in Celadon and so selected slips that would give me shades of green when glazed in Celadon and painted over the paper resists. I sort of like the outcome and will probably give this a try at a later time when I decide to make plates again.

One of the biggest plates I've made so far -- about 11" in diameter. I used paper resists that I cut into a snowflake pattern then lay the resist into the plate and the back of the plate as well. I had decided that I was going to glaze this in Celadon and so selected slips that would give me shades of green when glazed in Celadon and painted over the paper resists.  I like this pattern bette and will probably explore more of this type of pattern.  Reminds me of a chrysthemum bloom.

Probably my favorite plate so far.  Three shades of white -- Shaner, Waxy and Antique -- and a red square in Cohen Red.  Where the Waxy and the Shaner met, the glaze crawled.  I thought it really gave the plate a very interesting and unique appeal.

That's it for now.  The next posts will probably be the last pieces of the Winter 2010 session.  Really looking forward to the Spring 2010 offereings.

More New Work

This term, the firing schedule is a little off.  Maybe it is me?  I don't know.  I had five bowls that were made in January that I just got back last week and are waiting to be glaze fired now.  In any case, the pieces are not coming back as quickly as in the past.  These are the most recent three pieces that I got back.

This little vase (about 3.5 inches tall) is part of a series of littel vases that I am trying to make this term.  They are all glazed in Yellow Salt over Temoku.

This is essentially a blown-out cyclinder.  Throw a cycliner, blow out the belly and then dimple in the side and attach a spot.  I glazed the spout in Cohen Red and the body was galzed in Celadon.  Love the crackling effect of Celadon.

This was done in pretty much the same way as the piece above but the spout was actually pulled from the body and not attached.  Also, where the wall was pushed in, I actually cut a hole in it.  Same glaze combination as above but I added Yellow Salt to the rim of the pitcher but see how it ran down almost the entire side of the piece.  Love it!  I really want to call this piece "Bloody Rooster".

In the words of Simon Leach -- Keep Practicing!

First Batch of Winter 2010

All pieces are made from Stoneware with Red Iron Oxide. Click on the image if you want to see a bigger image.


This is a slightly altered piece -- squished in the sides and dimpled it. Glazed in Shaner White with Lavendar around the rim on a bias.


5" covered jar that was soda fired. The soda deposited quite nicely on the lid but not so much on the body. The body was not glazed on the outside but the flashing from the fire in the soda kiln provided the nice brown/orangy coloring. Some places are more shiny and others are more matt on the body. The inside was glazed in Rutile Blue.


3.25" Tea Bowl. I have to double check the glaze combination but I think it is Shaner White with Lavendar around the rim. Again, I sprinkled some charcoal ash to create the runny effect. I checked -- it was Shaner White and Lavendar on the inside and the outside around the rim. Notice how the ash makes it look different than the first piece above even though the combination is similar.



4" Covered Jar. Applied Golden Ambrosia slip on the outside and then scored through the slip to the clay in the greenware stage. After bisque firing, the inside is glazed in Temoku and outside rim glazed in Gustin Shino. Some of the Temoku "spilled" on the outside to create the drip effect.


3 inch Bud Vase glazed in Temoku with Yellow Salt Rim. Inside is done in Shaner White.




This is my favorite piece from the batch. It is a 3.75" tea bowl and is glazed with Cohen Red on the inside and around the rim on the outside. The bottom half of the piece is Yellow Salt on the outside and then I sprinkled some charcoal ash on the outside. Really like this piece.

Absent

Sorry I have been absent. I took the holiday off from pottery to visit my family in Singapore. I did make one piece -- handbuilt, if you can believe that. Had it glazed and ready for firing but it kamikaze dived off the cart while the cart was making its journey to the kiln. I salvaged the broken pieces and made it an "artistic" piece. Hope to get it back this week and see how it looks. I am back at LillStreet and signed up again for the Beginner Wheel class with Catherine Tweedie. This time around, I am focusing on making bowls and bottles. All different shapes and sizes. I will probably be making a few plates (special requests) as well and have come up with new ways to glaze my pieces. Looking forward to showing you the results. The first batch should be coming out pretty soon. Hopefully, I'll be able to post pictures next week. Have a great one!

Finishing up the work in progress

This is a conjoined bowl -- I tried to make 2 identical bowls that I "glued" together and the put a cute little handle on it. The piece was glazed in Shaner White and Josh Green -- see how the green becomes reddish/purplish when it interacts with the white? I also put some coal ash inside the piece so that it would run a little more. I really like this piece but it is a gift and, so, no longer available.


This is the same form that I made at the beginning of the session. A cylinder with handles and slip. The piece is then fired and then I painted the piece with a more asian insipired motive using wax and the glaze the piece in Antique White and Waxy White in bands around the outside. The inside is Tenmoku.

This is another Salt Pig (see earlier post). This is probably the thinnest one I have thrown and I am really happy with it. I glazed the outside with Shaner White over Coleman Apple Green. I've used this combination before (see the pedestal plate) but the way this piece turned out is in no way consistent with the other piece. Instead of having that running effect as on the plate, this piece actually has pitted and little nips on the surface. Touching the piece is really addictive, you can't stop touching it once you've start!

Another Salt Pig -- I am really enjoying making these. They are fun and I get to practice a few different form. I first start out with a cylinder and then collar it into a form of a bottle and then finally closing in the form completely. This piece is a little thick and I really have to work on thinning out the wall and maximizing the clay more. This piece was glazed in Shaner White with Celadon brushed on with a Chinese Calligraphy brush. I also put some coal ash on the piece but it doesn't seem to have any effect. Maybe the coal ash needs to be on thicker.

This is the plate echo to the "lotus" cup that I made (see earlier post). Same color and same glazing technique. I think I am going to try White over Blue next time instead of Blue over White.

This is the biggest bowl I've made to date and -- can you believe it -- I only used 2 lbs of clay. The bowl, unfortunately, got a little wonky in the glazing process but I still like it very much. The glaze on the outside is Shaner White with Celadon over it. The Celadon coloration is much more subtle with the white under it. I also slip trailed the edge and it is coming up a little blueish. The inside is just Lustre Shino and I really like how the glaze crackle.

End of Another Session

10 weeks have flown by and I am done with my first official beginner's pottery class. Previously, I have taken 2 sessions (4 weeks) of First Time Pottery and this is the official 10 weeks Beginner's Potter class. I still have some pieces that needs to be fired and then glazed so I will have some stuff to tie me over until the new year. This time around, there are some real keepers.




I made a wind chime using a cyclindrical shape with the belly pushed out. Everything is done with stoneware; including the hammer and the wind catcher. The only thing that is store bought is the chain to connect everything together. Given that it is stoneware and I am a beginner, it is a little thick and heavy and the sound is not too crisp. I will probably make another next year and try to make it thinner or use porcelain when I learn how to handle it. The piece is glazed in Luster Shino with Aviva Blue brushed on with a chinese brush. The details show the crackling effect of the Luster Shino, which I LOVE!



This mug I made for my brother. It is soda fired and I only glazed the inside and the lip with Yellow Salt. All the other colors you see on the outside are either flashing from the kiln or soda deposit. I really love it and would want to try a soda class in the future.



Yes, yes, I made yet ANOTHER BOWL. What can I say -- I love the bowl form. This one I had Woodland slip applied to the outside in a grid patter when the bowl was still leather hard and it was fired to the bisque state together. I then painted each square in the grid; alternating between Coleman Apple Green and Celadon. The inside I just dipped in Temoku. Notice that my skills at trimming foot ring has improved? It is more even now but I am working towards getting a gentle curve on the foot ring.




This is a small creamer jug that is suppose to be part of a set but I haven't gotten around to making the sugar bowl yet. Nothing special with the glazes -- just Matt Black with Waxy White. Notice that the handle is white with a black strip and it is not like the top half of the creamer -- which is just Matt Black. Took a bit of creativity on my part to get that effect. If you like to know how it is done, contact me. A hint -- resist.




This piece got quite a bit of buzz going around the studio. It sat on the shelf for a little bit before I could collect it and everyone was commenting on how sweet the cup looks and that the glaze was very suitable for the form. Well, I made it but it wasn't really my idea. It was an embellishment of the bowl that my instructor made. I trimmed the foot ring and gave it a double foot and glazed it with Aviva Blue over Shaner White over Iron Red. It is quite sweet and I really like it but I think nex time I am going to have Shaner White over Aviva Blue instead.





Finally, the piece that is, quite possibly, my favorite piece so far. The pedestal plate. Everyone in class loved it too. It is actually made in two pieces (the plate and the foot) that I joined. Then I decorated with cookie cutters and my needle tool before bisque firing. It is glazed with Coleman Apple Green over Celadon and then Spudomene over Coleman Apple Green and the I "drizzled" blue stain on one side.

As always, comments and criticism welcomed!

Salt Pigs

This is a series of three Salt Pigs that I made in pottery class. Salt pigs are used to hold table salt at the dining table in place of a salt shaker. You can also use it next to the stove to hold the salt for salting whatever you're cooking. I did some research into the function of a salt pig and something that I found out was that the inside of a ceramic salt pig should not be glazed so that the clay can absorb the moisture and prevent the salt from clumping. So, all these pieces are unglazed on the inside. I basically made a bottle shape and slowly collared the neck until it is closed off. Two of the salt pigs, I cut an access hole into the side to access the salt and the third one is a lidded form.



This is the lidded form. As you can see, the inside is unglazed. Again, I threw a bottle form that is closed off and has a knob at the top to lift the lid off. I glazed this piece in Temoku and Yellow Salt using a sponging technique.



The technique is the same on this piece and I glazed it in Aviva Blue and Josh Blue using tape and wax resist.



This final one is the smallest of the three and was also the first piece that I threw. Maybe that was why it is the smallest. In any case, this piece was glazed in Waxy White and Celadon.