Finished Bartmann Jugs and Maple Leaf Imprint Vase from my Mud in Your Eye Course

Continuing from the last post, which showed my guinomi cups and a few other items, one of the highlights of this firing (although not from the course, this was my own project in the open workshop sessions) was another of my leaf imprint vases, this time with maple leaves :

Here's a few more angles on this little beauty:

22) This sphere was thrown from 1200 g P570 white clay, trimmed and stamped, and imprinted with fresh maple leaves, as captured in this prior post.  The stain is the Bob Kingsmill mix (iron oxide based), and the glaze inside and on the rim is Matt Green.  i am really liking that combination.

Next I want to introduce 3 of my Bartmann (Bellarmine) jugs :

You can see all 5 of them, and information about the Bartmann jugs, in this prior post.  One of my Bartmann jugs was selected for a student exhibit which is running now at Shadbolt Center for the Arts in Burnaby BC.  Another one I thought I'd save for a future soda firing, but I'm rethinking that, and will probably glaze and fire it as soon as the studio re-opens in January.

One of the reasons to rethink this, is that I had some issue with bottoms cracking this term.  In particular, with bottoms which our instructor was encouraging us not to trim, but rather just to tap up (so not completely flat) with our hand.  I think my bottoms may have been a bit thin and perhaps not compressed or dry enough, and the edges of the bottom a bit thick (I think I don't draw enough clay up when I'm throwing), so they didn't suit this technique well.  But then again, a number of students were noticing cracks in their work, some in very unusual places, like on the sides of a bowl (!!), so I personally believe that there was a crack fairy in the kiln shed.  I hope she's gone now.  It's always so sad to see your work crack.  Some of mine are still functional, since the crack was not deep, and the glaze filled in.  But some can't even hold water.  Sad.

Here they are, one by one :

23) This was one of my first Bartmann jugs, thrown from 1700g of P570 white clay.  The face and other decorations are made with white slip.  I added a touch of Bob Kingsmill stain to the facial and other decorative features before glazing it in Ash Yellow, but the stain just barely shows through.  It is stamped nicely at the back, but it also has a deep crack through the bottom, so he'll only be a decorative piece - no whiskey for this jug.  A friend remarked that these little guys look like Santa.  Yes, that would be our modern association.  It would be fun to finish one in red and white, and see how that looks.

24) I think this Bartmann is even more handsome.  I created a disk of clay and shaped a face, before adding hair using white slip.  I like the more pronounced nose and facial features.  This one was accented with Bob Kingsmill stain (which shows through a bit) and is glazed with Carbon Trap Shino, which turned out really well, with a range from beige to salmon to grey to near black.  The orangy color I usually think of as Shino only appears on the bottom and inside.

There is a small hairline crack on the bottom, but it still holds water.  Yay.

Here's a closeup of this handsome fellow :

...and finally for now:

25) This mini Bartmann jug started as 1300 g of white clay.  The face was a green man sprig from my instructor, which I then added additional hair and beard to, using slip.  I also added the crest with clip.  I really like how that turned out, it almost looks like a sprig.  The jug is a bit wonky, but I worked that to the benefit of the Bartmann, giving him a more rotund belly.  The face and crest were accented with Bob Kingsmill stain, then glazed in Bamboo.  The stain shows through quite well.  This one was trimmed (at least on the sides, then the base tapped up) and stamped.  It doesn't have any bottom cracks, probably because I trimmed it.  Maybe also since it is smaller.

Stay tuned for more pieces when I have a chance.