The last few weeks, I've taken a break from both stoneware and reduction firing.
I needed to create a wedding gift for a favorite cousin, and to make it extra special, I decided to use porcelain instead of stoneware.
Porcelain is its own beast - it contains very little organic material, so it stays very white and smooth. I tell people it is to clay what portland cement is to concrete.
Too obscure?
Anyhow, I wanted something very elegant, and I knew something very white and clean would appeal, so porcelain and oxidation just seemed fit.
I think the cup above - Tenmoku over Haynes white - is probably the best piece I've ever made. I'm in love with this cup, its form and its subtle glaze, and use it every day.
I'll just share a few other pieces from this little oxidation journey with you as I then want to post about a couple of commission pieces I'm working on.
I'm really having fun exploring this glaze treatment and form, so stay tuned for more in the next few months!
The Wedding Gift
My cousin and her new hubby - both of whom completed their respective doctorates the week before the wedding - are moving from the west coast to Washington DC to begin their new life. I know they entertain, but I just didn't feel compelled to make a serving dish, and I was a little unsure of their aesthetic.
So, knowing space in their new digs will be limited, I opted for practical.
Kitchen utensil jar, spoon rest and sponge holder seemed like a good option.
Of course, I needed to practice a bit before whipping out the final product in $30-a-bag Coleman porcelain, so I made several, both in stoneware and in porce;ain, and I'm really happy with them. This white set went to the happy couple, and I also played with the set in matte white, oribe, satin black and tenmoku.
All-in-all, I'm happy with the forms and how they work individually and as a set.
I also wanted to explore the white glaze with a few other glazes and got some really interesting results.
Like this yunomi, with an Oribe glaze sprayed over the white.
The white BTW, has a rather chun-like quality, with crystals floating in it.
Its a bright white with patches of white crystals in places.
Though in the top of the kiln, it underfired slightly and remained a matte white. Still very nice I think...
And again, the white with Coleman teadust sprayed over it. This is a different tenmoku than the one in the cup at the top of this post, and frankly, I don't like it quite as much.
Then there were a couple of really unexpected results that I'm keen to play with some more!
First is that plain white glaze sprayed over a carbon trap shino. No reduction here, but the result is really pleasant!
Talk about character!
And while its tough to see the subtle shimmer and turquoise hue on this last one, the white sprayed over the satin black is really wonderful I think.
The pics are a little fuzzy because my good camera bit the dust that day and my new one hasn't been delivered yet.
And speaking of photos...
I've opened up a second
Etsy shop to hawk some of my photography.
I'm definitely just someone who gets lucky with a camera on occasion. I have no real skill, and can only fumblingly adjust things like f-stops and apertures, but I have made a few sales, and 20% of each sale goes to a charity near and dear to my heart, the
Boxer Rescue Foundation , so if you've a mind, please come have a look!
As always, comments, critiques and suggestions are appreciated!
Stay tuned!
