Since the pit firing, I've done another raku firing, and also picked up some more pieces from last term today. So I thought I'd better post a few more pit fired pieces.
3) This little pinch pot turned out better than I could have imagined. When we started the class, Linda handed us a chunk of Plainsman H490 clay (affectionately known as "baby poo"), and we sat around a table making pinch pots. My first attempt was a big floppy thing which didn't even stand up to its own weight, but when I looked around and saw others making something which actually stood up, I got mad, squished it up into a ball of clay, and started again. I'm glad I did.
All our pieces were burnished so they have a smooth and even glossy finish. This one was burnished with a piece of plastic bag while leather hard, and also with a spoon once bone dry (adding a bit of oil to help with the burnishing process).
The imprints are from ferns, wrapped around the pot. I'm not super certain, but after wrapping ferns leaves around this pot (I may have used a bit of jute ribbon to hold it in place), I believe I placed it into a paper bag, and filled it with sawdust around. Once fired, it was waxed and polished. Quite a remarkable result, one I am very pleased with.
4) This is a very sweet bottle. Since the items are "non-functional", I tried to make a narrow neck, so there would be less temptation to fill it with water and flowers. It was also formed from H490 clay, this time approx 800g thrown on the wheel. It was also burnished, and then saggar fired, quite likely in a paper bag again, surrounded by sawdust, but also wrapped in fresh ferns. I love how the pattern of the fern fronds comes through so clearly but naturally. The neck I believe was finished with black terra sigillata. Again, waxed and polished once fired. I'm very pleased with the result.
5) This egg is quite interesting. It was thrown from 800 - 1000g of WSO clay, and then when bone dry, coated in yellow terra sig (my notes indicate I may have then added white terra sig on top), and burnished with plastic or a microfibre cloth (I experimented with both). It was saggar fired in aluminum foil, to which I added various organic materials. One which shows through as a sort of scaly pattern (especially on the bottom) is the steel mesh from a steel kitchen scrubbie. Or was it copper? We were very busy that day, I took a few photos, but no time for notes on what I used. Although we are sure that the little grey caked-on spots were created by fertilizer pellets. Some of the terra sig also seemed to flake off, adding further variation and interest.
6) As these are non-functional pieces, I made a lot of egg shapes, as they are beautiful for display, but there is no temptation to use them for kitchen or floral purposes. I believe this one was coated in white terra sig and burnished. This sweet little thing shows a really nice variation of color from whites and yellows almost to black. It also has a distinct pattern on it, I seem to remember it was a cedar branch instead of a fern frond. And held against the pot with glue while I stuffed it with other combustibles. Sweet result.
7) This is a fun little egg. It was thrown from 750g of H490 brown clay, and then Linda indicated that the red terra sig would provide a very similar color to the H490, so I decided to test that out, and applied bands of the red terra sig. I believe it was then saggar fired in a paper bag. It shows a nice discoloration on one side, as if it was burnt by the pit fire, which it effectively was.
8) For this egg, I decided to round out the bottom, so it is more like a true egg. It can sit upright or lay on its side equally well. It was thrown from WSO clay, and finished in green and blue terra sig before being saggar fired in the pit. It bears a distinct pattern from fern fronds which were wrapped around it. And a dark blotch on one side. Quite an interesting egg, with lots going on.
9) For this and the next egg, I can hardly tell which photos belong to which one. They both have beautiful charcoal/black finishes, with some blues and other variations. This one may have been the WSO clay egg which I finished in blue terra sig. It has some scales or lines on it (top right) which were formed from strands of a pulled-apart copper or steel scrubby. It also has marks which are indicative of the fertilizer. Other than that, I can't remember which other combustibles I wrapped it in before the aluminum saggar. Anyhow, I'm pretty pleased with the overall impact.
10) This one is more likely the white terra sig, which polished up more glossy than the other colors of terra sig. It was saggar fired in aluminum foil, with various combustibles, and has some nice variations in color, against a very dark, mostly black, background.
11) Linda had a neat idea, to thrown a pot and use sodium silicate to push it out and create a crackle effect, and then pit fire it. So I seem to remember (I'm too lazy to hunt for my in progress photos) that this one was brushed in blue terra sig before adding the sodium silicate and pushing it out. But then when it was bone dry, I applied white terra sig and polished up the top and bottom, to contrast nicely with the rough, crackly surface. I seem to remember this one was saggar fired in a paper bag, as I didn't want to add more patterns to an already busy surface. It looks like something which has been dug up after a very long time buried in the ground, or pulled out of the rubble of a fire.
That's it for the pit firing. A very enjoyable process of making the pots, and an exciting process of preparing them for the pit, and some very fine results. A very successful course, and I would be happy to take another course like this again.
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