two firings

I suddenly need a lot more pots and have been catching up with glazing those already bisqued and making more through August, in between enjoying the beautiful weather, walking at Morston,  squidging bare toes in muddy creeks, visiting and having visitors …..

2summer scene

the aim was to make some of the medium sized pots which have either sold at fairs, or been taken by galleries (and sold straight away, in the case of the Bircham Gallery)

2rawpot

like this. though it was harder to scale down, and several were rather taller. I mixed solaris gris with grog and old clay which had been sitting in a bucket. the result was very unplastic and difficult to work with, but I love the cracks you get with this sort of clay.

2rawbowl

a couple of bowls too, since I had none left.

2opening first

first firing 22nd of August, opened the kiln with great trepidation, heart going like a hammer … but it was a good firing, not so much of the horrible peel-back crawling.

2angel

I tried some of the old bisc pieces with the slip-and-chun combination. this one had a porcelain coating over a crank/buff stoneware mix. the porcelain seems to react a lot more with the oxide and with the chun, resulting in some running of the oxide in the glaze, and green reduced iron staining rather than any optical blue. still a nice piece though.

2selection

a selection on the kiln shed floor. another ewer form, which came out very well.

2blueblobs

this is one of my favourites, it’s one of the lidded oval boxes, and the slip was thin enough that the oxide dribble marks show through nicely, while the chun was thick enough to do this blue drop thing.

2painted

again, the painting of the oxide coming through the slip. this piece has been hanging around un-glazed for I don’t know how long, because I didn’t have a glaze that would work well over the plain pale buff body. now I do!

2raindrops

thought I would try the slip and chun over the pink grogged stoneware combed again – very pleased with this one.

2second

firing two, 27th August. had a bit of a worry over this firing as I took it up to 1260C without getting cone 10 over properly. that and the pots right up in the arch.

2openingsecond

anyway, I think it was the fact that the cones were protected from any direct flame by the shelf on the right. it was fine.

2opening2nd

that roof is looking very precarious

2bluebidori

the one nearest to the flame has two beautiful blue drips – bidori is what the Japanese call the glassy green drops you get with ash glazes.

2bowl

the second of the bowls high at the back. no distortion

2bowloutside

and the chun is lovely.

2closeup

more good things happening, with a fine combed clay.

2pottop

I quite unconsciously placed the pot with the netted crackle against the chicken wire …

you can see the photos of the two firings here

and here

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