More Pieces for Raku

I guess I forgot to take photos last week, but I threw a couple more vase shapes, and trimmed some from the previous week.  Since I had to run off to work and couldn't stay for workshop, I attended workshop today, so I could make more pieces for the raku firing.

Today was a pretty productive session : I threw 4 pieces, glazed 2 from the previous course, and picked up 2 finished pieces from previous courses.  Here are the 4 I threw today :

I knew one of my raku pieces would need to be a penguin.  It would be great with a crackle glaze tummy and the remainder black.

I started a second penguin, but the head went wonky, so I cut it off and finished it as a vase :

Then I threw 2 vases with sodium silicate to create a crackle effect.  I have seen these finished in an the obara raku (yeast mixture), and they look great.  I left the neck of the vases intentionally textured also, hopefully to pick up some nice colour effects.

The two pieces I glazed were from my Spring Ahead course.

The big birdbath (footed bowl), I decided to finish similar to the Large Swirly Bowl which will be showcased in a student pottery exhibit at Shadbolt next weekend.  Except this time, instead of just Deep Blue, I filled the swirls with Deep Blue and Tenmoku (dark brown), and sprayed with Clear instead of Celadon.  Here it is after I brushed on the glazes, before scraping them and sponging them off to reveal the swirly pattern :

The other piece was that big hollow bowl, which is thrown upside down, and then flipped over and slumped.  The glaze colours are a surprise, they are a new colour combination for me, which I hope will have an interesting effect :

Finally, here are the two finished pieces which I picked up today.  The first one was from Fall 2014, but has been on the Rejected Pots shelf, since it slumped, and was threatening to attach itself to the kiln during glaze firing.  So I added some of that kiln support clay (forgot the proper name of it), and finally sent it in for firing.

Fall 2014 #31) I think the result is very nice, although the shape is very wonky.  Perhaps it was not dry enough when I pulled it out of the mould, and added the foot.  I can't remember now.  Anyhow, it was sponged with Blue and Green slips before removing the leaves.  The bottom/outside is finished in Matt Green, and then the top/inside is sprayed in Clear glaze.

The final piece is my Turquoise and Black slip marbled plate / bowl from Feb 2015, from the Spring Ahead course :

Spring 2015 #31) The top is Black and Turquoise slip.  It is sprayed in Celadon glaze.  I like the foot with the little swirl carved inside.  That is becoming my signature for trimmed feet.