First Finished Items from My "There's Mud in Your Eye" Class

It's been a fairly interesting course, making various vessels related to the consumption of alcohol.  I have chosen to make the ones interesting to me, and skipped the ones I didn't find interesting.  I had lots of other projects on the go anyhow, so didn't have any spare time anyhow.

NOTE : I plan to give one or more of these to my Honey as Christmas gifts.  I am pretty sure he won't read this post, but please don't let him know, I'm hoping for a surprise...

The first set were beer related weisen cups and steins.  You can see the marbling and throwing in this post.  All were thrown with white Plainsman 570 clay.  I then marbled in some Willamette Yellow clay (which is not available for sale yet, but my instructor gave me a bit to play with).  Over all, I was relatively happy with the results, but a bit disappointed how subtle the marbling ended up when the glaze was applied.  A few people have commented that they like the subtlety.  I guess I'm not so much a subtle person, I like it a bit more striking.  But anyhow, here they are, along with my techie notes, for my own record :

1) This weisen cup was thrown from 800 g clay, and a piece of yellow glass pushed into two sides, which then melted and ran in the final firing.  You can see the distinctive cross pattern formed from the yellow (iron oxide rich) clay at the bottom, and the marbling still showing through the Celadon glaze.  It is stamped in the inside bottom with my artist signature.

2) This weisen cup was also marbled with the same clays, and glazed with Celadon.  It is stamped on the bottom.

3) Another similar weisen cup.  I like the curves on this one.  It was also 800 g White clay with Yellow marbled into it, and finished with Clear glaze.  Stamped on the side near the bottom.

4) This is probably my favourite of the set, even though after shrinkage it is a bit small for a beer mug.  I really like the colours, with the Khaki inside matching nicely with the iron oxide of the Yellow clay, and I love how the Bamboo glaze broke around the wine leaf sprig, leaving the edges brown.  That was better than I had anticipated.  There is even some cool effect around the rim, where the Khaki ran into the Bamboo glaze.  I haven't had that before.  Love it.  Unfortunately, it developed a crack in the bottom (see bottom right photo), but the glaze sealed it, so it still holds liquid, and can be a functional piece.  It is stamped on the back near the bottom.

5) This is a sweet little vase, made from 800g clay, with just a small amount of Yellow marbled in.  It is glazed with Amber Celadon inside, and Clear outside and on top of the Amber Celadon on the rim.  Stamped on the side near the bottom.

6) This funky little vase was also 800 clay, with a small amount of marbling (but still a very distinctive cross at bottom!).  I was practicing the narrow neck, which is not easy to throw, but practical for holding only a few flowers upright.  (Or as a small corkable whisky container, in keeping with the theme of the class.)  It is glazed in Celadon and stamped on the side.

7) I wanted to experiment with glazing one of my tea / whisky / guinomi (sake) cups, so I could decide what to use for the others...  I think this Ash Yellow worked really well.  (I think soda fired would be the other alternative I'd like to explore, with this shape).  It is just a single dip in Ash Yellow, but it pools and breaks beautifully over the details of the cup, which exemplifies the wabi-sabi philosophy of embracing imperfection.  In this case, intentional imperfection.  The cup has a really nice light feel to it.  It may actually be quite pleasant to drink from.  It is stamped on the inside bottom.

8) This sculptural piece was not part of the class or anything I've done at Shadbolt so far, it was something I experimented with in my spare time.  You can read about the inspiration for and origins of this piece in this blog post, and the staining and glazing here.  I was a bit shocked and repelled when I first saw her, inside the finished ceramics cage, but I have to say she became much more lovely to me when I picked her up and brought her home.  So I'll see whether she finds a good home here, or will go to live with my creative friend, Miranda, who really liked her the first time she saw her.  I was intending to name her, maybe from a character in "The Secret Life of Bees", but I don't know that any of those characters (August, May, June) suit her.  I'll wait and see.

She is finished in Red Iron Oxide stain, which I discovered turns a metallic colour when applied thickly.  Her hair is finished with Black overglaze/stain, the butterfly in Yellow and Purple underglazes and Clear glaze.  Her dress in a Deep Blue glaze.  Her brilliant red lips are Red underglaze.  I'm very happy with that red, even though I think she should choose a colour which is more suited to her skin tone.  Her eyes are a combination of Black stain, one of the brown glazes, and Clear glaze.  I love how they shine and sparkle.  She almost comes alive.

She survived the two firings beautifully.  The only accident was that I broke off a curl from the back of her neck when I lifted her onto the bisque shelf, so I stained that piece, and will crazy-glue it back on with no difficulty.  There is only a tiny hairline crack in the base, but she seems sturdy and her weight is relatively balanced so she should not easily be toppled.  A really big success for my first such large (11" tall and 10" wide) sculptural piece, and that with no wadding or support while building her.  I'm super pleased with myself.  The possibilities are almost endless now.  I can't wait to attempt something equally daunting, as soon as I have some more inspiration.

Another Leaf Imprint Vessel and Bartmann Jugs in Progress

I stained my two leaf imprint items, and hope that they will be fired before my next class, which is in two weeks.  I stained one in red iron oxide :

...the other in a stain which is named "Bob Kingsmill wash", named after the ceramic artist who has taught a number of sculptural type classes at Shadbolt Centre :

On the second one, I glazed the inside, and then clumsily dripped or splashed glaze on the side of the vessel, but was able to wipe away much of it, so hopefully it will not ruin the piece.

I was so pleased with how these worked out, that I decided to finish my other large spherical vessel in leaves also, this time with a vine maple.  The leaves didn't appear to be very textured / veined, so I didn't know how they'd turn out, but I was also very pleased with the result :

Here are the various steps :

Pressing the leaves into the side of the vessel, this time using the roller I ordered from China (instead of the side of a ballpoint pen, and getting ink all over my hand).

Texturing with my rubber tipped tool, starting from the bottom, and carefully avoiding my artist's signature.

Finishing at the top.  Then carefully removing the leaves.

One of the other projects I've been wanting to make, which was inspired by my "Mud in Your Eye" course, is a Bartmann or Bellarmine jug.  Last week I threw 5 such jugs, so this week I added handles and the Bartmann ("bearded man") faces and embellishments.  I am super happy with the results.  We had a number of people from the soda firing class attend the drop-in workshop, including Arlynn Nobel, the instructor.  She encouraged me to save these Bartmann jugs for when I can get into a soda firing class (they are very popular, and usually have a waiting list by the time the class is announced).  I think I'll experiment with a couple of them in the Cone 10 gas firing, and save my favourites for a soda firing one day.

Here are my Bartmann jugs in progress :

...and from the side :

I really had fun with these, as you can probably tell.

I also brought home my first set of pieces from the first Cone 10 firing.  I will be posting photos soon.

Three Successful Pieces from One Day Raku Session

I left this morning, and returned home about 5PM, soaking wet and cold and exhausted, but very happy.  It was a very good day.  And one good thing about raku - other than the fire and smoke and excitement - is that you can bring your pieces home - DONE - at the end of the day.  I am extremely pleased with the results with all 3 pieces :

A) Look at this sweet little piece.  It could be a candle holder, or just a decorative piece.  I love the colours, and the crackle effect of the glazes.  Here it is from a few more angles :

For my record, it was thrown from 1200 g sculptural clay.  The raku glazes I used are : Red, White/Clear Crackle, Copper Penny (bottom) with triangular insets of Peipenberg Red-Bronze (which comes out a beautiful bluish colour).  The black lines between glazes were marked with a 3 mm auto detailing tape, and then removed, and naturally blackened by the combustibles in the raku firing.  I really like how sharp and clear the lines ended up.  If I had more time, I would have liked to draw even more lines, and also try out a 1.5 mm tape.  But the glazing process was already time consuming enough, and between helping with the various batches of raku firing, I felt rushed to finish my pieces before the end of the day.

B) This is my second piece, a big brother to the previous piece.  Here it is from a few more angles :

For my records, it was thrown from 2 kg of sculptural clay (that's a large piece, for me!).  The raku glazes are again Red, Clear/White Crackle, and Piepenberg Red-Bronze (which comes out bluish, with some flashes of shiny bronze/copper).  It really is much more stunning than even the photos convey.

C) This is my little "fish bowl" candle holder / vessel.  I am very pleased with it also, especially how the fish show up in bright colours against the dark green aquatic plants.  Here it is from a few more angles :

It was thrown from 1600 g sculptural clay, and then the second layer of fish and plants attached, and then the areas carved out in-between.  The raku glazes are Piepenberg Red-Bronze (ring on top), Apple Crackle (aquatic foliage), then each fish finished differently, using a combination of Yellow and Red underglaze (with Clear/White Crackle glaze on top) and Red raku glaze, and for one of the fish, just Clear/White Crackle.  I also used a bit of Black underglaze, for the center of the eyes (where I also avoided adding glaze), and some of the fins.

I loved my first experience with raku firing, and this one was even more successful in many ways, so I very much look forward to the next opportunity, which will hopefully be in the Spring.

P.S. I was intrigued with these raku skulls (which make me think of the Terminator movie) which are NOT MINE, they were made by David Robinson of DMR Ceramics.  Pretty cool.  I was tempted to ask him if he could sell me one, but it occurred to me that my family may not be as fond of them as I am.  What do you think?  Would you (or someone you love) like one of these on your bookshelf?

I think I would pick the very shiny one on the left.

Unintended and Surprising Result

I passed by the studio today just to drop off my leafy goblet.  I can't wait to finish that one, and hold it in my hand.

While I was there, I peeked in the "cage" where all the finished ceramics are locked up, and tried to find my pieces that made it into this first firing.  I can see that one of them turned out really nicely, much like I had hoped.  But many of the others were a disappointment.  In particular, the marbling effect on my early beer glasses / steins doesn't show well through the glazes I used.  Perhaps I'll need to spray the glazes next time, instead of dipping, which tends to apply them too thick for my liking.

I also found my unnamed negro lady sculpture.  When I was staining and glazing her, I was told that I might be applying the red iron oxide too thick, that it would end up looking metallic.  I understood that to be a metallic sheen, but would have expected it still turn out a chocolaty brown colour.  So I sponged the oxide off in many areas, but the result was still this :

It's funny, my first reaction is that she is scary looking.  Certainly not the effect I was trying to achieve.  But when I showed a photo of her to my wildly creative friend, Miranda C, she absolutely loved the piece, and offered to give it a good home if I don't want her.  She had a wonderful story to tell about how this piece triggered great memories for her, from Hornby Island, I think it was...

I'll bring her home (hopefully tomorrow), and see if she grows on me, or whether she will be happier with Miranda.  I have to say I am very pleased that she seems to have survived the two firings very well, with no cracks or accidents.  That is a really significant success for such a large piece, and my first real attempt at a sculptural piece (other than my raku lady, which also amazingly survived her firings).  I am excited about the prospect of trying something like this again.  Watch out world!

Oh, and the other thing which really pleases me is that the red underglaze I used for her lips, turned out so brilliantly red, even without a glaze on top.  I am very pleased, and will be using that color again!  The yellow underglaze on the butterfly is also nice, although even a small layer of clear glaze on top seems to be adding an opacity which I am not sure about...  Next time I'd leave the yellow unglazed.  Good to know, since I really haven't done a test firing with these underglazes.  (Although that would be the logical first step.)

I'm looking forward to a raku firing tomorrow, with three of my pieces ready and patiently waiting (unlike me, who has very little patience, but luckily is distracted by other things while I am waiting).

Leafy Goblet

I was thinking to roll a thin coil and attach that to the goblet, but as I started rolling a coil, I realized that either it would be too thick, or too difficult to wrap it on the goblet, without crushing or deforming it.  I guess if I had a thick foam pad, that may work.  But anyhow, I decided instead to make my own slip, by mixing clay and water, and used slip trailing to draw branches / vines onto the goblet.  Then I used the plaster sprig mold I made a few weeks ago, to make leaves.  Here is the result, from a few different angles:

 You can see my glass cup with the slip I mixed up:

 ...and the round sprig mold lying on the counter, behind the goblet :

What do you think?  I'm really lovin' it.  If I had more time, I would be really tempted to throw a few more of these.  Although I guess I've run out of time this term, so I'll need to try again in the New Year.

Productive Day in the Studio - Throwing Jugs

I am only somewhat following along our course content, throwing and creating the pieces which inspire me, and observing but giving the others a pass.  One which did inspire me, but I was busy with other activities at the time, was a wine or beer jug called a Bellarmine or Bartmann jug.  The name Bartmann comes from German "bearded man", and the jug, decorated with a face of a bearded man, was made in Germany (and perhaps surrounding areas) in the 16th and 17th centuries.  The name Bellarmine apparently comes from Cardinal Roberto Bellarmine, an opponent of Protestantism, and thought to be caricaturized in the jugs.  But even if some were caricatures of Cardinal Bellarmine, the jugs were popular long before his time.

Anyhow, my search for images these jugs peaked my curiosity, and I decided I've got to make one.  Since I didn't have a face to add, I thought I'd first make a sprig mold, but then I realized I could use slip trailing to add the face.  So today I started throwing jugs.  Here is the instructor's jug, before the handle was added :

Here's my first attempt a similar jug :

I was really pleased with the result.  It is not easy to throw this shape, and get the nice round belly, then pull in the neck so narrow and tall.  I went on to throw 3 or 4 more jugs, most of them similar in size, one smaller.  None of them turned out quite as nicely as the first one, in my opinion.  But I'll have my work cut out for me next week, adding handles (which I dread), and adding the bearded man (which I look forward to, but don't know if I can get so many done in the allotted time).

I also threw a sake container, and I think the shape of it turned out really nice, although it was a bit shorter than I had hoped.  But I guess I didn't take a photo at the time.

I also went on to throw other round shapes, like my favourite spheres, and vases which had a sort of spherical shape and a straight neck/rim.  I was very pleased by the results :

You'll notice in the last photo, the little vessel with hearts cut out of the sides.  This is the double-walled vase I threw last week.  The shape is not beautiful, so I didn't want to spend too much time fussing over too complicated a pattern.  But since the cutouts are in the outer wall, the inner can still be filled with water.  I think this will make a cute little vase, even if the opening at top is a bit wider than I perhaps would have chosen.

Today's class was all about throwing goblets, and our instructor showed us a number of different options for throwing the cup and throwing the base, and even a very tricky one where he threw both as one piece.  I didn't much like his examples, and most of them were too small, so once they shrunk, they would be the size of shot glasses, not goblets.  I was already winding down and cleaning up when he passed by the studio and asked if I had thrown any goblets.  So I decided I'd give it a quick try, and in 10 minutes, threw a base, a cup, and even a stem to add between, since I figured that would look better than the stubby ones he showed us.

Because the timing would be very tricky, of drying it enough to work with it, but not letting it dry out too much by next week, I decided to bring those 3 pieces home, and assemble them before returning them to the studio.  I've already added the stem to the base:

I think it has some potential.  I have some thoughts in decorating it also, if I have time (which is not usually a problem, I somehow can always make the time).

Next week is the last class before the bisque deadline.  Wow, time has gone quickly, as always.  But I am pleased the size and number and level of difficulty of the pieces I've been throwing in this class.  As well as some new decorating ideas I've picked up.  And then, I am super pleased by my experiments in my spare time, exploring sculpture and piercing and carving and other techniques.

P.S. Before going to bed, the pieces were not quite leather hard, but firm enough to handle, so I added the cup to the base :

It's funny, but I really like the shape.  That seems like a goblet to me, and may even be big enough to be useful for drinking.  I have 3 thoughts for decorating : (1) hold off, and use glazes to decorate, (2) add some simple sprigs, like the grape leaf I used for the beer stein, or (3) add something interesting, like a vine twisting up the stem and onto the cup.  I consulted my 14-year-old, and he thought I should add the vine.  Hmmm.  That is also what I want to do, the most.  But I wish I had two goblets.  One which I could experiment with, adding the vine, and the other to just leave alone, and experiment with glazes.  We'll see.

Another Leaf (Fern) Imprint Vessel

I was so pleased by my experiment yesterday, inspired by @leavesofclay, that I decided to decorate my other more spherical vase using the same technique of imprinting leaves.  This time I foraged for leaves in the garden before it was dark.  Good thing, since it is a gorgeous full moon tonight, but I wouldn't want to be out there with a flashlight looking for leaves tonight.  I have too vivid of an imagination, and have watched too many movies...

I was thinking of decorating with various different types of hardy geranium leaves.  But then I pinched a few different kinds of ferns too, and soon decided to make an all fern design.  It incorporates four different kinds of ferns.

It is somewhat therapeutic to make the little indents all around the fern fronds.  The time seems to pass quickly.  Although afterward my neck is a bit sore, and often my left hand is sore from holding the vessel.  This time I was careful to rest my hand against the counter, so it wouldn't be bearing too much weight.

When the ferns are removed, the imprints left behind are not as dramatic as those of the viburnum leaves, but I think they look really pretty.  What do you think?

That's the only two vessels I have at home, so I'll need to wait until Wednesday to do any more playing with clay.  Hopefully these will dry by then so I can take them in to get them bisque fired.

The one with an opening, I will give it a nice glaze inside, and just leave the outside rough and stained.  I think it would make a really nice vase.  If I could bear it, the other one would make a really nice ceramic totem topper.  Although I suspect it may want to stay indoors.  We'll see.