making bowls

it feels like spring already and today I didn’t need the woodburner on in the workshop.

I’ve been adding to the bowls I made in October. I generally make bowls using finished or biscuit fired bowls that I like the shape of as moulds, made of three or more pieces and joined as slab pieces, and I don’t hide that process in the finish. the newspaper keeps them from sticking and taking on any marks from the original, and supports higher sides too, also makes it easier to lift them out .

the inside gets smoothed into the shape with a big curved wooden throwing rib, a lovely tool. then I draw into it and comb areas, sometimes straight away, sometimes the next day.

and work on the outside the next day when it has stiffened up enough to handle.

this one is from a different bowl, which is a thrown one made by Nic Collins, the original has a lovely spring and tension, and also an anagama induced warping, which I love. by the time my bowl is finished it has changed considerably, but there is still that spring from the base there in the end.

smaller version, soup-bowl size.

these start in a small bowl with the newspaper, but because they are small I can get them out as soon as the pieces are joined and work on the shape free-hand so to speak.

they soon stiffen up enough to decorate

but I have to be very gentle

now I have eight of these, and eight of the bigger ones

and I just need to wait for them to dry out so that I can do another bisc firing

I opened up this kiln-full at last today, everything is fine, I fired it very very slowly, and the cast arch is definitely different, for a start it holds onto its heat for ever; I am going to try it with cones and the thermocouple lower next time to see if what the pyrometer said was true!

this bowl was made in a different bisc bowl, and it worked better, so I will retire Nic’s back to the kitchen.