opened the kiln this damp cold windy and grey morning first day of june and felt mildly disappointed

once I got the pots out though everything seemed fine, as always not quite what I was expecting of course.

I had managed to get a thicker coat of slip on some than would allow the scratched marks in the oxide to come though, especially on this one, except around the neck. now I know better how long to keep it turning in the slip, so I am looking forward to a pot that is like that neck all over.

still a good result though, the main thing being that my decision to use the chun glaze was a good one, this glaze works on the coiled pots rather than the dry surfaces I had in mind before

I’m also very pleased with the little plate I tried with slip and chun but no oxide, as the clay is a dark red stoneware it breaks through the slip and glaze on all edges enough to show all the mark-making. so I will get the other six fired this way.

some new mark-making, inspired by the stone carving at New Grange on this slab piece, and it was in the sweet spot for the chun to melt enough for a lovely blue

I have got freer with drawing on these little bottles

which is working well with the runny watercolour quality of the black iron oxide I paint on under the slip

on the littlest coiled bottle the scratched oxide is showing through very nicely. this is how it looked before glazing.

I am wondering how crucial the type of iron oxide is to the blue colour. this is crocus martis, a purple refined iron oxide and it does seem to be giving some strong blues as opposed to the black iron oxide which can just be black as it’s so strong

this is the first coiled jar I made, and I am very pleased with how the glaze came out. always a risk glazing pieces, and when it’s a large piece there’s more at stake. peering inside I see the inside is a beautiful blue  – a secret beauty.

impossible to show though. these combed-up necks are so important to finishing the form

and the bellies speak to me in a more full-bodied way than the slabbed pots can.

now I am trying out drawing on the coiled pots

and hoping I can use oxide slip and glaze in such a way that this will be visible but still have the veiled blue chun

glaze effect. I must try the pink stoneware too, I think it should work well.