Various Vases and Mugs and Skulls

Continuing on with some of my pieces from this Summer, before I post the recent horsehair raku results....  How about these pieces?

But first, I don't believe I posted the results of the totem pieces I was working on in May 2018...  Here is the full totem :

Other than the topper, my favourite piece was this one, featuring cherry blossoms :

(11) This ball was created from Columbia Buff w/ Grog clay, pressed into two matching slump molds, and then combined together and decorated.  I love how the Bamboo glaze breaks on the edges of the cherry blossoms and twigs, and the brown clay shows through.  It was such a winning combination that I decided to go on to create two vases using the same clay and methods.

(12) These were created from those same slump molds, although in retrospect, with the amount of time it took to combine the two halves, and smooth out the seam, and then add a foot to the bottom, and cut out the opening, I could have probably thrown and trimmed a vessel quicker.  So that's what I would do if I ever make something of this design again.

(13) The base of the totem is this large stump which I threw from 5 kg of CB w/G clay, then pushed out and carved, and added a slab at the top, and colored with black and brown slips on the sides, and brown and white slips on the top.  It is fired but unglazed.  The photo is low resolution (I'm too lazy to transfer another one), but it is really a very beautiful piece.  I am super happy with how it turned out.

The little skulls are from a one day workshop I took with David Robinson, in which I borrowed his skull mold, and pressed clay into it (rather than pouring it in), to form the skulls, which I then went on to decorate.  I made 3 skulls, one of which I already posted here, and it has already gone to a good home.  I don't know what clay we were working with, but it was a white clay, something like WSO.

(14) This sweet little skull is glazed in Bamboo and Daly Blue.  It then has a spiderweb pattern painted on in Blue Overglaze, and a little spider below (which you may be able to see, faintly).  I really like that colour combination, and the diagonal pattern it makes across the face.

(15) The final skull was carved with a spirally pattern, and black slip inlaid.  It is attached to a nice decorative base, which is also finished in black slip.  Then the whole piece was glazed in Ash Yellow, which still shows the pattern quite well.

I'm too lazy to take photos of the main piece which we created during the workshop, which is a decorative wall hanging decorated in slips.  When I take photos, I'll post them also.

I played a little with image transfers also, and made a few decorative mugs.

(16) This little mug made from approx 950 g of  CB w/ Grog clay is decorated in a gecko tessellation pattern, in black and green slips, on top of a layer of white slip.  It is glazed in Matt Green and Clear.  My notes seem to indicate that I first painted the gecko in Matt Green, waxed him, then dipped in Clear and dipped in Matt Green.

Here it is from a few more angles :

As you see, the bottom is textured with wiggle wire.  I love finishing my mugs like that.

(17) This little mug, thrown from 1000g of CB w/ Grog clay, is decorated in a geometric pattern of red and black slips on top of a layer of white slip.  It is glazed inside, on the handle, and on the top with Tenmoku.  My notes indicate that I brushed the body with Clear glaze and then waxed it with that wavy pattern (to simulate a drippy glaze, since nearly all of our glazes are very stable) before dipping the top in Tenmoku.  The bottom is textured with wiggle wire.

(18) This little dragon lidded vessel from CB w/G clay was created in Fredi's Vases class, using a fairly complicated technique.  The body is thrown but then altered to be oval.  I've forgotten the full details of how the lid was made, but I remember texturing the slab and draping it over a mould to get that round shape, and there was a trick to creating the shape to sit nicely within the rim of the bottom piece.  The demo piece featured a top which was strappy, so that it formed a frog for a bouquet of flowers.  I decided to make a solid piece, so I could add a dragon on top, and tail-like handles.  I realized as I was carrying the piece that I would need something to stabilize it, so it wouldn't topple over, so I came up with the idea to add a pair of feet on each side, which turned out to be a pretty nice touch, I think.  It is glazed in Bamboo, with Tam's Green used on the dragon parts, and highlights were done in red and black underglazes, with a Clear glaze overtop.

Okay, I'm mostly caught up, at least on the pieces which I've taken photos of.  So when I have a chance, I'll post photos of the recent horsehair firing, which was an smashing success.

Leaves and More Seashell Footed Plates and More

I am falling behind on posting my new work, but I'm going to try to catch up on my summer items before I start getting more Fall work finished.  So here goes with a set of leaf plates and such.

I made these plates since I had a bit of time and clay in between making the big gunnera leaves, and they allowed me to experiment with different glazes, before I committed to something for the big plates.  Unfortunately, they were not quite the results I had wanted.

All of the leaves were created from Willamette Yellow clay, which fires quite dark.  I was hoping the glaze would brighten them up a bit, but they still turned out darker than I had hoped.

(1) TOP : This Davidii leaf is probably my favourite of the batch, and it likely the approach I will take with one of my big gunnera plates.  It is unglazed, with Kingmill wash picking up the details of the veins, and the snake below.  The snake has Bamboo glazed eyes.
(2) BOTTOM : This is probably my next favourite.  The Hydrangea leaf is highlighted with Kingsmill wash, and then glazed in Ash Yellow.  It seems I brushed it on, which is why it has slight brush marks, and the glaze is fairly thin (thin fires brown, and thicker fires yellow).  The snake below is unglazed, with only Flambe glaze to make the eyes shiny.

(3) TOP : This Davidii leaf turned out relatively well, just a little dark for my liking.  It is Tam's Green glaze on top, and the snake is finished in Kingsmill wash, with Shino glaze for the eyes.
(4) BOTTOM : This Davidii leaf is even darker.  My notes say underglaze + Tam's Green brushed on top, but I don't remember which underglaze I used, and I suspect it was only applied on the veins, and brushed off elsewhere.  The bottom features 3 ladybugs seemingly in a meeting.  They are finished in red and black underglazes.

(5) TOP : This Davidii leaf is highlighted with Kingsmill wash, and then a Green overglaze/underglaze applied to the whole leaf.  This has been my experience previously, that an underglaze often needs an actual glaze over it, to get the correct color.  In the case of green, it seems to end up brown without the presence of glaze.  So a clear glaze over would have probably worked much better.  The snake under is unglazed with just the eyes glazed in Tam's Green.
(6) BOTTOM : This Davidii leaf was also Kingsmill wash with Green overglaze.  I wish I had been able to spray (or perhaps even brush) one of these with Clear glaze, to see whether I would have obtained green.  Or whether the clay is too dark to really end up with green.

(7) This is another one of my series of 4 footed plates with seashell designs.  See the previous two in this post.  It is made from my current favourite clay, the Columbia Buff with Grog, which is currently not in stock, so I am anxiously waiting for a new order to arrive.  Hopefully soon.  This one features a small starfish, handmade by me, in combination with the other shells from my sprig mould.  The starfish is finished in Flambé glaze, the seashells in White glaze, and then on one side it was dipped in Oatmeal glaze, and on the other side, probably 3 dips in Daly Blue, receding to create the illusion of waves on the beach.

(8) This is the final one in the series (for now, anyhow :-) ), it is again from Columbia Buff w/ Grog clay.  On the sandy part, I had applied white slip, and in the center, turquoise slip.  To the center, I finished it in Daly Blue (on top of the turquoise slip), and then Bamboo over the white slip.  So this one plays with darker shells on a whiter beach, compared to the previous one which is whiter shells on a darker sandier beach.  I think I prefer the result in (7), but it's always worth experimenting with different glazes and techniques, to get the one you look the most.

(9) This one is a pretty cool footed bowl I created by texturing a slab using a crocheted doily, and then draping it over a slump / hump mould.  The edges are rolled back, and the reclaimed clay (a mixture of browns and whites) was highlighted with Kingsmill wash, and then a Daly Blue glaze applied inside.  I really like the contrast between the bright inside and the dark textured outside.  The feet are textured to match.

(10) It is ironic that they look so big in the photo, as these little miniatures are only about 2" (5 cm) tall.  I realized this Spring that I don't have a good vase for lily of the valley or other little flowers from the garden.  So I made a couple of miniatures for that purpose.  They are both from Columbia Buff w/ Grog clay, and dipped in White and then Daly Blue glazes.

Enormous Gunnera Leaf Pottery Bowls

The funny thing is that the 2 gunnera leaves I brought to the studio to create bowls from, are actually among the smallest leaves on my gunnera plant.  The biggest ones, they wouldn't fit in the kiln, nor would I have the strength to lift them, unless I made them in sections.

Anyhow, here is the first gunnera bowl, which survived the bisque firing with only a small crack.  So I have my fingers crossed (when they're not in clay) that it will survive the final firing intact.

I prepared a slab using the slab roller, and pressed the leaf (with some of the prominent veins shaved down to a manageable thickness) into it, using a pastry roller.  I then slumped it onto the outside of a big mold which I know has been used for bird baths, and has fit into the kilns.  I wanted to make a sort of foot for it (although not a precisely level one, as it will probably just go into the garden, not stay indoors), which I did with coils.  Then I reinforced it in various spots, using leftover strips from the slab :

So far so good.  And it did just fit into the kiln :

After that first leaf, which was almost too much for me to handle, I decided to make a smaller leaf.  This one I am hoping will end up in the living room or kitchen.  So I made it a nice even foot (extruded, since I am not particularly adept at rolling coils), and placed it on with a level.  I am really excited to see this one.  I think it will be particularly beautiful.

Here they both are, waiting for me to continue working with them in September.  I didn't want to rush the first one, which I plan to finish with stains, perhaps not even glaze at all.

In between working on the huge gunnera leaves, I also made a few small leaf plates from hydrangea leaves and Davidii Involucrata (my beloved David or Dove Tree) leaves.  I amuse myself by using a small snake as a foot.  I think it is a lovely surprise when someone turns the plate over (although perhaps not everyone thinks a snake is a thing of beauty as I do) :

Stay tuned.  I hope to be able to pick up some of these pieces prior to September, and will be sure to post photos.

Finished Items from July Pottery : First Two Seashell Footed Plates and Sea Blue Mug

I was happy to be able to pick up my first few items from the July pottery workshops before glazing the remainder.  In particular, I was able to see my first two seashell / beach themed footed plates, which helped with glaze selection for the final two.

I'm very pleased by how these pieces turned out. (Some days the glazes actually work for you instead of against you!) :

This is a shot of some of my pedestal plates in progress :

And here they are, one by one :

1) This was my first footed plate, thrown from 1200 g of Columbia Buff w/ Grog clay, which is a wonderful and versatile gritty clay from Seattle Pottery Supply.  Sadly, our studio has run out of it, so I need to wait until September to use it again.  Good thing the studio is closed for all of August, so it won't feel as long of a wait for the clay.

It is sitting on a sturdy little closed pedestal, and I used a silicone mold for fondant making, to make the pretty seashells.  It is glazed in Bamboo, with a bit of Daly Blue poured in the middle, to look like water on the beach.

2) This pedestal bowl/plate was thrown from 1300g of the Columbia Buff w/ Grog clay.  It also features seashells, but this one is more of a beach scene, with the waves washing across the seashells.  I glazed the seashells in White, the starfish (which is my creation, not from a mold) in Flambe, and then waxed the top of the starfish and some of the larger seashells, before dipping it twice (or maybe even 3 times) in Daly Blue, each time receding to the one side, to simulate the wave washing the beach.  I really like this effect, and think I will be doing more of these in the future.

I have two more similar pedestal plates which are probably being fired by now, or very soon.  I can't wait to see those also.

I didn't take enough photos of the blue mug yet, so I will post notes about it once I have some accompanying photos.  Same with the big stump I was creating for my sister, or potentially for my garden, if it doesn't suit the purpose I had in mind for her.  Stay tuned.

Focused Workshop Sessions

I am so happy to be back in the studio for July, as June and August the studio is closed.  Since I'm not in a class, I have only 4 hour workshops on Wednesday and Sunday.  So I have been very focused during those times, making as much as I can, as my head it exploding with ideas of things I want to try.

I have been trying to make items suitable for the horsehair raku workshop in September, but I keep getting distracted by other ideas.  Sunday I threw, trimmed and added pedestals to 3 plates, along with throwing a nice little vase, and an egg, both of which would be suitable for the horsehair raku firing.

Today I decorated all 3 footed plates, with a seashell design, trimmed the little vase, and then made another bowl with 3 feet by draping a textured slab over one of my hump molds.

Here are the 3 pedestal plates before decorating :

...and after decorating :

One by one :

...and that slumped bowl, which I haven't turned over yet :

Midnight Raku Fired Pieces

Recently I had the absolute pleasure of participating in a Midnight Raku class.  It started on the Friday night with wood fired pizza, then glazing, and we started firing 8:30pm (a bit earlier than the 9pm that was planned) and went until 1am.  By the end of it, some of us were fading a bit, but we all went home happy, smelling like campfire, and treasuring our precious raku fired pieces.

I had signed up for the midnight raku session at the end of June back in January, but only realized in my last two classes at the end of May, that the studio was pretty much closed for the whole month of June.  So I quickly had to make some pieces, as I refused to drop out of such a fun event.

So these are the four pieces I pulled together, just after glazing them :

And here they are, at midnight, just after firing them :

And in the sunlight, where the true colors are best seen:

Not bad for quickly created pieces.  As the raku pieces are non-vitrified, and not supposed to be food safe, so effectively non-functional, I like to pierce my pieces, so they can only be used to hold dry items, or candles, or the like.

Here's a few process shots :

The raku kiln, with the pieces red hot at 1860 F, just before being carried out by tongs, and placed into a bed of newspaper and sawdust, and covered with a metal can.

The "burping" process, where the cans are tipped up, and the combustibles allowed to ignite again, or helped along with a small blow torch.  This apparently causes the oxygen to be consumed, providing a good reduction.  The pieces are allowed to smolder in the cans for 10 minutes (we have one person designated as a timer), and then they are again carried by tongs, to an area where they are doused with cold water.

It was quite dramatic working in the dark, by the light of a spotlight, with the steam billowing up around the pieces.  We couldn't help ourselves but to hover around, waiting until the pieces were cool enough to touch, so we could admire the results.

Then we scrubbed them up a bit, and set them out on a table, where we could admire them, and compare notes, while we waited for the next batch to come up to 1860 F, and then repeated the whole process again.  All night, 6 to 8 pieces in the kiln at a time.  What a wonderful way to spend a night!

One of our classmates, Wilf, was making beautiful native style masks, such as this one, which he modelled for a photo :

… and this one, which broke into various pieces during the process, but when glued back together, will be outstanding :

I am already looking forward to my next raku courses.  I have a horsehair session in late September, following by raku workshops in October and November.

More Results from the Pit Firing

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.