Second Batch of Finished Fall Ceramics

Previously I have posted the first batch of 7 ceramics pieces from this Fall, where I have been just attending the drop-in open workshop, since my course was cancelled.

Here are the new ceramics pieces which I provided a sneak peek at yesterday.  All are formed from Grey stoneware, and all (unless noted) bear my signature stamp.

The first is a set of three more sunflower leaf dishes:

I was fortunate to have picked up the first 4 finished dishes before these glazed dishes went into the kiln, and discovered that the thickness and opacity of the glaze had obscured more of the vein details from the leaf than I had hoped, so I had taken these off the shelf, and scrubbed off some of the glaze.  I think that improved the outcome.  Next year, if I make these again, I will probably use a green under/overglaze instead, and then a thin coat of Clear glaze.  You'll see that in some of my small leaf items (#19 below).

#8 - I like the added foot, which allowed me to glaze the bottom, so it feels smooth and more substantial to pick up.  I think that gives it extra strength, too, so I don't think any of these will break, unless they are mishandled or dropped.  This one was glazed in Celadon and then Tam's Green.  So the result is that I scrubbed off much of the Tam's Green, leaving some ghostly patches, but the veins of the leaf have shown through very nicely.

#9 - This one has a similar look, also glazed in Celadon then Tam's Green.  The "snakebite" on the leaf is a result of dipping it using the tongs.  I have not had it so visible on any of my pieces previously, so I'll need to be more careful to smooth out the glaze once it dries.  I think I had done that after both glazes were applied, but it needs to be done for each glaze application.

#10 - This one may be my favourite, with Tam's Green then Celadon glazes, the Celadon mostly rubbed off afterward.  A two small snakebites from the tongs, but not too detracting from the great visual texture.

#11 - This one was actually started during the Summer session (see the first photo in this post).  I'd have to say the decoration turned out pretty disappointing for me, but the bowl has a nice feel and practical shape.  The design of the pressed Japanese maple leaves (see bottom left), splattered in Green slip and sponged in Brown slip, has almost disappeared.  The rim and back was finished in Matt Green, and the top in Celadon, which was poured over.  The Celadon was too thick this time.  I should have instead sprayed it in Clear or Celadon, and I'm sure the design would have come through more.  But it was still mostly successful.

#12 - I like this little platter.  It features a roller design (borrowed from Shadbolt) and a row of flower and leaf stamps which are my creation.  It was hand built and features a soft rectangle shape, and reasonably flat bottom, so it sits nicely and is easy to pick up.  It was dipped in Celadon glaze, which shows the stamp details very well.  Another time, I'd add a foot so I could glaze more of the bottom also.

#13 - I LOVE this platter.  The glaze combination is one of my favourites so far.  It is Amber Celadon then Deep Blue, with them overlapping in the center.  It is hand built from a slab, decorated with a roller design and also some of my handmade flower stamps.  The textures show through very nicely with those glazes.  It has a simple but level foot, so that I could glaze the bottom.  The size is very practical, 30 cm (12") by 19 cm (8").

#14-15-16-17 - These four pieces are "fake" trilobyte and ammonite fossils, formed from my own handmade stamps (see post on this stamps).  Two of them (top right and bottom left) were finished in "Very Black Stain", which was wiped off with a sponge.  The other two are finished in "Bob Kingsmill wash", which is a brownish colour.  I don't know which one I like more.  All turned out even better than I had hoped.

#18 - This small jug / vase is pretty cute, I think.  It was covered in Green slip, and then the floral pattern was sgraffito'd, and then it is finished in Celadon glaze.  Again, if I sprayed the glaze, I think the green pattern would have shown through clearer, but it has very pleasant colours, and feel.

#19 - This set of 7 green leaves was a chance to experiment.  I used Green overglaze, but in different thicknesses.  Some (top closeup) was brushed on front and back.  Others (middle and bottom closeup) were brushed on and then wiped off with a sponge.  Then I sprayed some with Clear glaze (the ones which ended up green), and others I left unglazed (which ended up greyish).  So I learned a lot from these, and next year I will try some of my bigger leaf dishes with the under/overglaze and thin layer of Clear glaze.

#20 - These small leaves were formed from a set of 3 leaf presses I bought earlier this year.  I did some experimenting with different thicknesses of clay.  Many of them have a hole, so can be used as charms or pendants, or to adorn gift wrapping...  I played with different glazes, Deep Blue, Matt Green and Bamboo Yellow, brushed on in different combinations.  The backs are unglazed.

I still have quite a few more pieces to pick up, which I'll be sure to post soon.