I picked up another 4 items today which came out of the kiln.
6) Our instructor had us making a series of small pitchers / creamers to learn how to make handles and spouts, and I didn't know what I would do with some many rather plain pitchers which didn't match anything. So I decided to decorate this one, with white slip. It is glazed in Bamboo. I dipped the handle twice, so that it would feel very smooth to the touch (a tip I picked up from Fredi, our substitute instructor).
7) I like the shape of this little pot, but again, I didn't want to end up with a plain pot. So I used a stamper I had created from Filo, in the shape of leaves, to make some imprints around the pot. I glazed it in Tam's Green. I was hoping it would turn out a lighter shade of green, and that the imprints would be a bit more visible, but I think it still turned out pretty good.
8) I am fascinated by spherical or near spherical shapes. I can't remember if I was planning to close the top or not, but ended up keeping a small hole, about the size of my finger, at the top. I wanted to decorate a bit, so I borrowed some tools from a classmate, and created some rough geometrical patterns in the surface. The Amber Celadon glaze picked up the patterns pretty nicely. I stuck my hole in the finger while dipping in the glaze, so the inside remains unglazed.
9) This is one of the pieces I started at the end of the last course, and finished it in this one. It was a bowl, which had started to flop on my while throwing it, so I intentionally introduced the undulations into the sides. Then I etched a spiral into the inside bottom with my finger. I really like the effect. To highlight the spiral pattern, I first brushed the bottom with Matt Green a few times, then scraped it with my metal rib, so it left the glaze only inside the spiral. Then the whole thing was dipped in Celadon, using tongs. It was so heavy, I almost lost it into the bucket of glaze. Next time I would dip half, and then the other half, so I could hold it with my hand. I've done that with other items now, and it works quite well.
Here's a sneak peek of a few more items I was glazing today, but didn't finish. The glaze deadline is next week, at which point I need to finish all my remaining items, if I am to have them finished this term. No worries, since I signed up today for the next course, which starts in April.
I am finishing these little teapots and lidded containers in red and green underglaze, since I am hoping I will get a more vibrant red this way, compared to any of the Cone 10 glazes we have available to us. I remember a bright red on my rose bowl (
#8 in this post) in my first ceramics course. My notes indicate it was red slip, although I don't believe we have any red slip, so I'm guessing it was red underglaze... Anyhow, the part which I coated in Clear glaze was very muted, but the bottom where it was just the slip or underglaze was quite bright red. But then one of my classmates said she used red underglaze previously, and it turned out quite dull. So I guess I'll just wait and see!
I think I finished (but not glazed) quite a few nice pieces today, but this one was probably the most surprising. I had thrown a simple wide bowl last week, with the idea that I would like to play a bit with slip trailing. I've watch some interesting videos online, and wanted to give something like this a try. So I prepared squeeze containers for turquoise, white and black slip, put the bowl on the wheel, and started laying down some rings of turquoise and white. But suddently the lid on the white slip burst off, sputtering white slip all over the bowl, my jeans, and thankfully not on anyone else's creations. So I blurred the turquoise and white together, and then ran a ring of black around the rim, which nicely slid down the bowl. I added some dots of turquoise, pushing the black more, and finally finished the rim with black, dabbed on from my fingers. The whole thing looked a bit flower like, so I added the black dots in the center to make it even more flower like. I really like the final result. I will finish it with a light spraying of Clear glaze, and when the turquoise and black slips take on their true colour, I think the result will be even more impressive. Stay tuned!
I have some other fun stuff today, like a pot which was a wonderful shape, but again too plain... So I asked my classmate Roma and she suggested I add a gecko. Which is what I proceeded to do. Then she was inspired by my gecko / lizard, and also added one to one of her pots. So much fun! I love all the creativity in and around the studio, and how each person brings some new idea which I can learn from, and likewise inspire them.
