Bowl using Randy's Red, Opal, Nickel Matt

Made this bowl with my new Randy's Red.  whew, so glad that this batch came out better.  I didn't change anything, except I made a bigger batch.  My test batch was only 500 grams.  This batch was 5000 g.  After talking to my chemical suppliers I started to think that perhaps the test batch wasn't big enough for the red iron oxide to do its stuff.
I think I was right.  This isn't muddy at all. 



Don't know what I'll do with this bowl.  Maybe it'll be a Christmas present for someone.

Luncheon plates

I made a set of two square lunch sized plates using the wax resist method over matt green glaze. 

The green leaves came out a different color than the dogwood plate I made with Pam's glazes.  I had suspected that her Val's Green is different than mine and I'm not sure why.  I used my Val's Green to glaze a plate last week and didn't like the result.  I thought it was just the way I applied it, but now that I've seen these two plates, I have my doubts.  I have another leaf in the kiln right now that has Val's Green on it, so in the morning I will know for sure. 

I also used my white on the petals which is different from Pam's.  It came out slightly different and looks like I will need to give a heavier coat or possibly two coats of the glaze to give the look I like best. 

This is the plate I made with Pam's glazes.  See the differences?  On this plate, the leaf background recedes; in the lunch plates, the flowers recede.  I prefer the one below.



Ceramic angels in Cream Breaking Rust

I have some new angels that are in a creamy glaze instead of white. 

Dogwood Bowl

This is a bowl using underglazes on white clay.  I'm not used to doiong this type of work, but it was fun to do.  Love the bright yellow background.

It's a perfect size for cereal or, even better, ice cream!

Ceramic Angels

I've been trying to think of something I could make for my Compassionate Friend coffee-buddies in memory of their sweet children.  Like we use the dogwood to symbolize Boone, several of them have a symbol that reminds them of their child....butterfly, dragonfly, ladybug, etc.  I tried creating a few things out of clay but wasn't very happy with them. With the holiday season approaching I was also trying to think of something I could list on etsy and decided on angels. In the process of making some, I found myself making ones for my friends.  I will be giving these sweet little things to them soon and thought I should post pictures of them. These are in honor of Kelly, Tiffanie, Morgan and Claire. 

Here are a few that I've listed on my Mudpots shop on Etsy.

Turquoise sgraffito plate

Fired another sgraffito piece.  This time I used underglaze instead of making a slip.  I understood it would make a difference but wanted to see for myself. I painted about 5 layers of turquoise on the plate.  It looked completely opaque to my eye, but in glazing you can see it wasn't.

It doesn't look bad by any means, but it isn't what I'm looking for.  I am happy that the piece didn't warp!  Yea! It's a fun piece and Jordan loves it, but I'm going to try to sell it on etsy.  The color is beautiful. 

Some leaves

Fall is here and I'm in a panic.  The leaves are going to be gone soon and I've just started making some pottery using them.  This is a hydrangea leaf. 

And this is a small hosta leaf:

Both pieces are actually greener than these pictures, which look a little blue. 

I think this is a truer color:

I think these will be perfect for little snacks....yum trail mix, for candles, or just as an accessory on a coffee table of bookcase.  And.....they won't ever turn brown and die.  :)

Broke a bowl...sob

I broke a bowl that I particularly liked while loading the kiln.  I made the little flower stamp that I used to texture the bowl.  Think it's kinda cute and will use it again. 

This little dish came out well.  It's the first time I've like one of my glazes (opal)on the white clay.  On white, opal is looking greener than on the red clay.  It broke well over the edges also.  So, hallelujah!  This oval bowl would be good as a soap dish or to hold little pieces of jewelry. 



Here's the opal on red clay.  Much bluer than above. 

I think I could try to sell both of these on etsy.  If I could ever figure out how to make the shop banner.  lol

Taking a stab at sgraffito

I have two pieces of pottery that I made using the sgraffito techniques.   This is definately a technique that speaks to me.  Both have issues when firing.  Warping of the one with the tiny sgraffito lines.  Arggh.  I can't express how frustrated I get with warping of this white clay.   I purposely took these pictures so you hopefully can't tell it warped. It's supposed to dip to the center from left to right....it's warping front to back that I didn't like. 

The other piece in green and black has a tiny defect in it.  A hair had gotten caught in the slip when I applied it.  I know, that sounds kinda gross, doesn't it.  Hey, people shed.  I pulled it out and brushed over it.  I thought you couldn't see it, but you hold it just right in the light you can see it...darn, darn.  I thought I may be able to sell this plate.  Oh well.....

New glazing method

I tried a new glazing technique that Pam taught me, overlapping two glazes when painting a design on the plate.  I made these 4 tapas size plates, decorating them with whimsical floral designs.  They didn't fire flat, but I love the glaze combinations.

This was a fun little technique and I plan to use it more often.  Think I'll gift these plates.

I hate warping!

Ok. I guess everyone has something about working with clay that frustrates them.  For me, it is warping.  My understanding is that it is worse with handbuilt pieces which is what I work on.  I just took some pieces out of the kiln in which warpage raised its ugly head. 

In the Brooklyn red clay I made a few pieces.  I hadn't done any coil weaving since I've been back at Pam's so I decided to copy one of her pieces.  She's a pro at the weaving!  Actually the weaving was the easiest part for me.  I still have problems with making my edges smooth and attaching feet so my pieces are level.  This piece did end up level, but the edges still need improvement. And, my strips aren't exactly straight.  Hey, it's handmade....give me a break.  This is fired at cone 6 and glazed in my favorite opal:

I also made a textured platter/bowl which is glazed in overlapping Opal and Randy's Red.  I didn't put a foot on this piece and it's a tiny bit wobbly, but not bad.  Warping was a little problem.

Also in red clay, I made a piece similar to the one I gave my friend's daughter when she announced her engagement.  It's a simple oval platter which is glazed in overlapping Randy's Red and Nickel Matt.  I added a small amount of Opal drops on top. I like this piece.

I wanted to try sgraffito carving on the white clay.  I made some slip colored with chrome and brushed it on the soft clay.  Then I carved.  I think I should have let it get a bit harder before carving, maybe leather hard. This piece warped pretty badly on the ends.  Arggh. The warping happened during both bisque and glaze firing.  That surprised me a bit.  Here's a picture after bisque firing.  The slip color is pretty accurate. 

 Now here's a picture after applying a clear glaze and firing to cone 6

The deep green color really surprised me.  I loved doing this sgraffito, especially on the white clay.  I plan to keep working on fixing the warping problem. 

Seagrove, NC potters

We had a wedding in North Carolina this past weekend, so X B and I decided to take an additional day and visit Seagrove, NC.  We stayed at an absolutely lovely B&B, The Duck Smith House, owned and operated by two sisters, Barbara and Suzanne.  What gracious hosts!  From the moment we arrived, Barbara and Suzanne were all about making us comfortable.  Barbara showed us the home and offered us drinks, cheese and crackers.  Suzanne was busy filling the dozen or so birdfeeders in the backyard black walnut tree which was filled with wrens, cardinals, bluebirds, woodpeckers and the most beautiful yellow warblers and goldfinch.  Two delightful other couples were staying at the B&B with us; we had a nice conversation with them at breakfast over Barbara and Suzanne's incredible stuffed french toast.

Seagrove was an interesting area.  There are 100 or so potters in the area who open their  galleries/studios to visitors.  X B and I visited about 10 potters, each with their unique wares.  Everyone was very friendly, willing to answer any questions about their pottery.  I bought 3 pieces.  One is a dogwood mug from Turn and Burn, done by an interesting potter who often uses emu feathers and horsehair in his pieces. It is a nice compliment to my other dogwood mug that I purchased in Boone's memory.

The other two pieces are done by a husband and wife team, Dean and Martin.  Their gallery had many lovely pieces; I had a difficult time choosing.  Here is a vase that Dean made:

The other is a 9" plate that Martin made.  She paints the flowers, waxes them, and dips in a matte glaze.  I love the way the matte glaze runs around the flowers. 

I could have bought some other pieces, but this was all I had budgeted for this weekend.  In particular, I liked O'Quinn and Smith Pottery galleries.  I will definately be planning a return visit to Seagrove, NC

Test tiles from the kiln

Well, I finally got my kiln repaired.  He needed to put in a whole new bottom in the kiln because the glass that had fused on it was too deep.  He also needed to replace the lower heating element.  So, I guess it's about as good as new as it can be. 

I made my first test glazes, 500g of 7 glazes: Randy's Red, Narragon White, Opal, New Blue, Floating Blue, Nickel Matt, and Cream Breaking Rust.  It was exciting to do my first kiln firing of some test tiles.  Here are the glazes:

 Left: Nickel Matt     Center: New Blue       Right: Cream Breaking Rust

Left: Randy's Red                Center: Narragon White           Right: Opal

Left: Opal over New Blue   Center: Opal over Randy's Red   Right: Narragon White over Nickel Matt

I made several other glaze combos....some were really ugly.  But, I figure it's best to save all of them.  Don't want to make the same mistake twice. :)

My favorites are Opal, Cream Breaking Rust and Narragon White. I made up 6000g batches of these three.  My Randy's Red doesn't look exactly like Pam's. It's a bit browner.  I gave her a test tile to fire in her kiln, so I will be able to tell if it is the glaze formulation or the kiln.