Wednesday, May 3, 2017

Go Big or Go Home

I surprised even myself today.  In a previous assignment, Jay challenged us to throw bigger than we ever had before, and I threw a 3200 g (7 lb) piece, and a second of similar size, and then managed to join them together.  Today I decided to give it another try, and loaded 6200 g (13.5 lb) of clay onto my wheel, and managed to wrestle it into shape, and threw this big monster :

After that, I was tired, and took a break for lunch and did a few more things before tackling its counterpart, also 6000 g (13 lb).  I have a vision for a pretty large pot, which might need an impressive foot, so I threw a third piece just in case :

I can't wait until I can wrestle those pieces together, and see the result.  If it was sunny and windy like it was on Sunday, I would have probably tried later today, but it was a miserable rainy day, so nothing was drying.  So I'll be attempting this feat next Wednesday, as I will miss Fredi's class this weekend.

Today I also got around to finishing a few stemmed goblets which I started a while ago.  I made three:

I think they could turn out pretty nice.  Fun, anyhow.  But I couldn't flip them over today, as the stems and bases were still soft.

I also stained a few of my leaf imprint vessels, some which will go into the soda firing, and others which I will want to spray with glaze and fire them in the gas kiln.

I cleaned up a few more pieces, so the only ones I have in progress now are the big monsters.  Although I have many in various states of drying or waiting for bisque or waiting for the soda firing (we will spray them with flashing slips before they are bisqued) or waiting to be glazed.

Considering that I am experimenting with the non-trimmed bottoms, I was pleased that of the 8 or so pieces which have been bisqued already, only 1 showed a crack in the bottom, and that only on the inside, not fully through to the outside.  So here's hoping that the others all pull through okay.  I've started using the trick my friend Mariana shared with me, to add a blob of clay to the inside bottom, while still on the wheel, and press it in with the wheel spinning in the reverse direction.

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