Continuing on with the remainder of my 15 stoneware mugs, which I just hauled home this week from my ceramics course focusing on making handles....
#8 - I forgot why I pulled a spout on this grey stoneware piece, I think it was because the top was not level, so it didn't make a convincing mug. Anyhow, it turned out pretty good, I think. First I dipped the whole piece in Bamboo glaze, then brushed Amber Celadon onto the handle. It's interesting that the Amber Celadon covered nicely the Bamboo on the handle. As opposed to the Matt Green on Bamboo (
see #6 from previous post), which seemed to slide away and mostly disappear. The signature stamp shows fairly well, although I found a challenge that the bases were mostly concave, so my "Lily" in the middle is not impressed as clearly as it could. I guess the ideal stamp would be slightly mounded, so it could be pressed into a slightly concave surface.
#9 - This one is a "fail" (that's what the kids seem to say now, instead of "failure"). But I've learned from it. I filled the inside with Matt Green first, then dipped the whole piece in Shino. I've since learned that Shino is a finicky glaze. When I dipped it, it became all bubbly. I waited until it was completely dry (as my instructor warned me not to touch it up while still wet), then smoothed some of the bubbles on the outside. I left the bubbles inside. I added a few Matt Green highlights on the handle, hoping to pick up the pattern more clearly.
The Shino glaze sample on the wall is a pleasant salmon colour, and little bits of that colour seem to have come through, at least on the handle and rim. But it's as if the colour slid off the remainder of the mug. Perhaps Shino needs to be sprayed on, so not as thick? Or maybe I will avoid this glaze until I get a better understanding of how it behaves. I don't have a good photo of it, but the inside bottom is kind of unappetizing, it is all bumpy. (Funny thing, my 12 year old commented that he liked this one best!) I've since heard that Shino doesn't play well with other glazes, so again, I will probably hold off from using it until I have some more experience (or can see what others do to tame it).
#10 - This grey stoneware mug / teacup was dipped in Tenmoku. It looks like a mixture of milk and dark chocolate.
I think this was the handle which was formed by attaching and pulling directly on the mug.
#11 - This grey stoneware mug was also fully dipped in Tenmoku. Another time I would try White on the inside and Tenmoku on the outside. That could be a good combination.
#12 - This grey stoneware mug was fully dipped in Bamboo (I am starting to really like that colour, it is so relaxed and natural), then the inside and handle dipped/brushed in Matt Green. When I poured out the Matt Green, some of it dripped down the side of the mug where the handle is. I knew that would drive me crazy, so I embraced the mistake, and dotted Matt Green everywhere, to make it look intentional. I'm not sure I like how the spots turned out, but it has given me more indications of how these glazes work together, so it was a good experiment.
#13 - This grey stoneware mug (a pretty tiny one, in my opinion) was dipped/brushed with Bamboo on the inside and handle, then the whole mug was dipped into Clear glaze. The colour combination is not stunning, but the colours seem to go quite well together. It looks quite earthy and natural.
#14 - This grey stoneware mug was fully dipped in Matt Green, then dipped in Deep Blue at a diagonal so it filled the inside and half the outside. I quite like that effect, and think I will want to remember this. This was one of the first mugs I glazed, so I learned that I needed to add a bit more wax resist to the others, to prevent the glaze from sticking to the signature stamp. Although if it stuck to the full signature, that could be a pretty cool effect, but that would be pretty difficult to control.
I seem to remember this was a pulled handle (as opposed to many of the others, which were formed from a coil), but made separately then attached.
#15 - Finally, this grey stoneware teacup (it seems to me a child cup, or maybe an espresso cup), was glazed with Tam's Green on the inside and handle. Then I poured Shino over it while upside down. Again, the Shino decided to misbehave. I like the one side, with the light salmon colour and the dark spots from the grey stoneware. But I don't much appreciate the big patches of white on the reverse side, and near the handle where I touched it up with a brush.. Oh well, that's Shino, I now understand.
I like the swirls inside the teacup, formed by the throwing process. I can't remember if I intentionally pulled those lines, but I suspect so. Anyhow, I like the effect, and the Tam's Green glaze still shows off the lines very nicely.
Sadly, I have only one ceramics class remaining in this course. I think I have something like 20 larger pieces (pitchers, vases, covered bowls, etc) which still need to be glazed and one lid which needs a knob added. So I'm hoping to catch a couple of open workshops to get that all done before the glaze firing deadline in a couple of weeks. I also had a few items in my head which I was hoping to attempt, but didn't even get to them. That's what the course in January will be for. :-)
Which mugs do you like best?
Stay tuned, I'll have more photos, probably by early December.
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