Finished Mugs and Vases

I was very pleased to pick up some finished pieces on the weekend.  As it is late, I will post some of them tonight, and the remainder another time.

1) This is probably my favourite of this initial batch.  It is a mug thrown from approx. 900 g of B-Mix clay, stamped with my handmade clay stamps, and imprinted with real grape leaves.  The stamps and veins of the leaves are highlighted with black stain, and then it is glazed in Ash Yellow, and the glaze wiped off the grape leaves.  Another time I'll use wax resist on the leaves, but this wiping off worked fairly well also.

2) This mug was also thrown from approx. 800 g of B-Mix clay.  Since we don't have any glazes which actually run, I glazed it outside with Ash Yellow, then inside with Deep Blue, and simulated Deep Blue drips on the sides.  I'm pretty happy with the results.

3) Also thrown from approx. 700 g of B-Mix clay, and glazed in Ash Yellow, but prior to that I highlighted the handmade stamp imprints with black stain (top) and Deep Blue (bottom & buttons on the handle).  Nice result.

4) This little guy was thrown from 700g of B-Mix clay, and it is a bit shorter and wider than the others, so I finished it more like a deep bowl or vase, with no handle.  I glazed it with Deep Blue inside and on the top rows of stamps, and with Tenmoku on the bottom row of stamps, and then dipped all in Clear glaze.  The photo on the bottom left doesn't show it well, but the inside is very complex and beautiful.  This photo shows it more clearly :

5) This is the first finished piece in the chocolate brown H440 clay which I have been working with recently.  It is an iron rich clay, and the iron comes through as reddish spots in the unglazed parts (see top right), and as the rich freckling in the glazed parts.  This one is glazed in Bamboo, and the stamped parts were highlighted with black stain (overglaze) before glazing.  I am impressed by how much the black stain shows through the Bamboo.


I look forward to experimenting more with glazing this brown clay.  I want to leave some of the pieces as partially glazed and partially unglazed.  I think the contrast will be quite satisfying.