Sunday, December 17, 2017

More Finished Items : Mugs, Vases, Plates and Platters

I wasn't able to pick up any more finished items today, but I was able to get into the kiln shed and peek into the locked cabinet, and see a number of my pieces.  A plate which is very pretty, and a number of small leaf plates which turned out well.  January, I guess.

In the meantime, I will post the remainder of what I have picked up so far, from the Fall session :

8) This little mug is thrown from 700g of B-Mix (white) clay.  I experimented with highlighting the stamp marks with Deep Blue glaze, Black stain, and Tenmoku glaze.  All three of them  showed through nicely through the Ash Yellow glaze, but the glazes are a bit more distinct than the stain.

9) This mug is thrown from 800g of H440 brown clay, and stamped with my handmade floral / sunburst clay stamp.  I glazed it Bamboo inside and out, but experimented with leaving the handle unglazed, along with the bottom, which shows the pattern from my wiggle wire.  I like how the handle is smooth yet gritty, and I think I'll experiment with this again.

10) This little mug started as 700g of H440 clay.  My notes say that I highlighted the hand stamped texture (alternating dots and feathery patterns - not very visible in this photo) with Deep Blue and Ash Yellow glazes.  I then glazed it in White inside, and Daly Blue outside and overlapping half the inside.  I like the soft lilac that emerges from the Daly Blue on White.  I'll need to experiment more with this combination.  The bottom part of the mug is unglazed, revealing the deeply speckled brown clay, and the wiggle wire bottom.

11) This mug was thrown back in July 2017, from 900g of B-Mix white clay.  It is heavily stamped, and the stamp marks highlighted with Deep Blue, Tenmoku and Matt Green glazes, then the whole mug is sprayed in Celadon.  It is the same glaze combination as the platter in my prior post.  A very satisfying combination for me.

12) My notes say that this 900g H440 brown clay handstamped mug was touched up Black stain, then glazed Bamboo, and Matt Green over.  Pretty nice.  I like the funky handle.

13) Just to mix it up, here is another totem piece from extruded B-Mix, with a touch of Kingsmill stain, and wax on the leaves, and then dipped in Tam's Green.  But it seems I didn't mix up the Tam's Green again, as it turned out more gold/brown than green.  But still very nice.

14) This leaf plate was created from a slab of B-Mix, with the imprint of an Oakleaf Hydrangea leaf, finished in Tam's Green (brushed) then sprayed Clear.  The ladybug is of course finished with Red and Black underglazes.  Very cute.

15) This grape design plate features the imprint of grape leaves from my garden.  The "grapes" are finished in Red and Purple underglazes, and the leaf in Matt Green, before being sprayed Clear.  I pushed two holes through the foot ring, so it could be wired and hung from the wall.

It's interesting, I met someone the other day who bought one of my platters last year, and they were still trying to figure out how to set it up on a stand for display.  It had not occurred to me that someone would buy a platter and try to display it.  So I should think more about providing a means for hanging them, just in case.  Or sell them with a plate stand, if I could find some good strong ones.

16) This funky vase was thrown from H550 grey clay, and then I flattened one portion of it, to add a Red underglaze peony using a stencil I borrowed from my friend Roma.  It is glazed White inside, and Flambe Red (our new replacement for the ill-behaving Copper Red) outside.  I can't remember how I finished the stencil part, I must have glazed it clear there.  But I didn't make a note of it at the time (I must have been in a rush).

17) This marbled pot was B-Mix (smaller stripes and cross at bottom) in H440 clay.  It has a rolled / hollow rim, and is finished in Tam's Green, according to my notes.  But it sure looks more like Ash Yellow than Tam's Green.  Again, I must not have mixed it well that day.  I think that was the day the Ash Yellow was very thick, so I was trying to dip it very quickly, and not stir it too much.

18) I've saved a number of pots from Fredi's Put a Lid on It course, since they were so much work, and I may save them for a wood or soda firing.  This one is H550 grey clay finished in Ash Yellow and the new Daly Blue.  I like the blue in the underside of the lid.

19) This platter cracked ever so slightly in the bisque firing (actually, I think it cracked as I was handling it subsequent to the firing), and I knew it could at best be an adornment to my garden, but I also thought it could look pretty spectacular, even if only for the garden.  So I glazed it anyhow, with Tam's Green.  It is just as spectacular as I had hoped, and will be happy to use it in the garden in the Spring.  I will try again with this platter again next year.

I think that's it for anything I can post before Christmas, anyhow.  But I'll look back on my notes, whether I missed anything.

Finished Items from the Fall Session - Plates, Platters and Mugs

I've been pretty pleased with  some of my recent work.  If all goes well, I will pick up more today.

1) It seems one can never have enough platters.  I like how this one turned out.  It features imprints from my handmade stamps, on BMix clay, highlighted in Deep Blue, Matt Green and Tenmoku glazes, with a bit of Tenmoku glaze to highlight the texture of the rim and handles, and then sprayed all over with Celadon.  A really fine piece.

2) This was one of my plates thrown from the H440 brown clay, which ends up so very freckly.  I highlighted some of the imprints (again, from my handmade clay stamps) in White glaze, and then dipped it in White, overlapped with Clear.  A subtle and pleasant earth tone result, and so very very freckly.

3) This mug was thrown from approx 800g of the H440 brown clay.  It is finished with a touch of Black stain to highlight the celtic knot pattern, and then Bamboo inside and out, leaving the bottom portion unglazed to show the dark brown clay, and bottom with the pattern of the wiggle wire.

4) This mug is also thrown from 800g of H440 clay, and finished in the new Daly Blue glaze, with the bottom portion and wiggle wire bottom unglazed.  I like how the new glaze is quite flowy.  Although the bright blue is quite darkened and subdued by the dark clay.

5) This is what the Daly Blue looks like on a white clay, this one B-Mix.  It shows a pretty sky blue, with touches of lilac.  This little mug features handmade clay stamping, an extruded handle, and is finished in a White glaze along the profile at bottom (the profile tool borrowed from my fellow potter, Herb) and inside, and then the outside dipped in Daly Blue.  I love the little ring of purple and blue inside the rim of the mug, where the Daly Blue has overlapped the white.

6) Similar to (4), but smaller, with a little thumb button on the handle.  Sweet little mug.

I'll post a few more next time I have opportunity.