Sunday, October 24, 2010

Oct 24 Firing

Well...
No test tiles in this firing.
I stuck to 4 glazes - the matte black from From the March/April 2010 issue of PMI , Melinda's Not Yellow , Shaner Yellow , and Lasse Ostman's Green Crackle.
I used 2 clay bodies, both from Quyle Kilns. The iron rich Sandstone Buff and the Silverstone white body.
Single-fired all, and I can see I need to work on my glaze (spraying) application. A bit thin I think.


This was a straight oxidation firing to cone 10/11, though I did try to get some reduction on the bottom shelf by using shelf posts to create a sort of saggar around the pieces on that shelf. Not terribly successful though.


Click on any image to see it enlarged.
Please to enjoy and comment as you see fit.



Beer Mug.
A beer mug for Craig.
I don't like the lip on the mug - not sure why I made it so flared.
The liner glaze is a nice bone ash white, the outer one is supposed to be a flat black. Not sure why its so shiny.
The biggest issues are the lip of the mug and that I didn't get the glaze thick enough - especially on the handle.

I'll try again...





Child's Cup and Bowl
A cup and bowl I made for my new, 2yo granddaughter Alivia.


I am not really kid-friendly, but I really wanted to do something for my new granddaughter and new daughter-in-law.


I initially thought about a 2-handled cup, but got some really great ideas from everyone on ClayArt and was inspired.

I hope she likes them...



Shaner Yellow inside and out, with irin oxide wash.

Iron rich "Sandstone Buff" clay body by Quyle Kilns.

BTW...
I did some experimenting with resists and found the best one for things like impressed letters is Shellac! 




Jar


A Jar for Susan's birthday.



Liner is Bone Ash White, outer glaze is Shaner Yellow over a rutile wash. 

On Quyle's "Silverstone" white clay body.












Jar
Another jar...

I go back-and-forth on this one.
I like the form. I need to work on that knob a little though.
Do I like what the glaze is doing or not?
I expected it to do something else. Not be so runny. Not pool so much. 

But then I look again and those pools and breaks and layers of glaze keep 
my eye coming back for more, so...

Lasse Ostman's Green Crackle with Shaner Yellow liner. On Quyle's "Silverstone".








Jar
Another jar with Lasse Ostman's Green Crackle.
On the top shelf of the kiln, and a totally different result.
Same clay body.
The glaze coverage of both the Shaner Yellow liner and the outer glaze are not good, so I may re-glaze this one.
I do like the form.



Someday Jars

My son and his new family are going to have a tough time in this economy.

I wanted to make something to both welcome his wife into our family and to help them save a little.

This is a stopperless bank.
A thrown and altered bowl with additions.

Melinda's Not Yellow glaze over an iron ox wash, on iron-rich "Sandstone Buff".
I tried to create a sort of saggar to encourage some reduction by enclosing these pieces with shelf posts. Not sure how successful it was, but I'm pleased with them.




Some Uglies
Well, ye never know unless ya try right?
I'm just beginning to play with mugs and handles and whatnot.
I still feel glazing is my big weakness.

Some days I just want to toss it in, buy pre-mixed cone 6 glazes and an electric kiln and be done with it.
But I think there's something out there in High Fire Land calling to me.
And when I see what can be done, I want to go to there.


Lastly, the Raku Boxers

I am very involved with dogs - specifically the Boxer breed. More specifically, Boxer Rescue. I did hands-on rescue for 15+ years. Part of that time was spend in Missouri working largely with puppy mill throw-aways.
I can't rescue anymore, but I do try to keep my hand in, and one of the things I do is fundraising.

My friend in Nottingham, England owns a bisque pottery.
One day she surprised me with a charming little slipcast boxer figurine.
That got the ball rolling...
Now, she sends me a box of bisqued boxers from time-to-time and I raku them. Its terribly fun, and helps rescue. If there's a particular rescue needing funds, I can put one of these critters up on eBay and usually raise a hundred dollars or so for the rescue. 
Beyond that, I donate $10 to a specific national rescue fund every time I sell one.

Makes me feel like I'm still helping out ;-)