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.