Pots and Paintings

Here are some of the pots from the last firing of the year (22nd December). I used very little rutile in the decoration this time as I felt a bit overwhelmed with the spectrum of colours on the jugs from the previous firing and wanted to learn how to control the colours of rutile better.

Well, in the space of 4 months I’ve got back into throwing pots and have learned a lot from each of the firings I’ve done in my gas kiln. I’ve had a lot of reject pots but also had some pots that I’ve really been pleased with. Thank you to Carisbrooke Priory for providing me with the perfect pottery workshop and a place to display and sell my pottery. Thank you also to all the kind people who have bought my pots and helped to spread the word!
Next year I will start up my drawing and painting again, so will need to manage my time between the art and the pottery. I’ve certainly felt a lot more relaxed since I stopped the design work to pursue the pottery and I’m looking forward to more creativity and greater success and sales in 2012.

Thursday was a glaze firing day which caused me a bit of stress. I saw the temperature climb to just over 1200′C and then the pressure began to drop, and the very thing I was not looking forward to happened…  the gas cylinder needed changing over. In the couple of minutes it took me to change cylinders the temperature dropped back to about 1140′C. To cut my story short I finally got the kiln to 1280′C followed by a 50 minute soak, however neither sets of cones were bending as I had hoped, but as I have to vacate the premises at 4pm I turned off the gas to end the firing and went home feeling somewhat negative about the results of the firing.

The good thing is that the glazes have a wide maturing range from 1260′C to 1280′C. I’d prayed for good results before the firing and…  well I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. The range of colours is quite remarkable, and the use of rutile has produced some stunning autumnal colours! I used the word raving for the title which can mean wild and out of control!

The colours of rutile!

Closeups of two of the jugs.

The slides below show more of the jugs and the amazing range of colours achievable with the same glazes (chun/tenmoku over reactive slip; chun/tenmoku over red taggs yard).

Last week I finished making some narrow necked ginger jars.
It’s a step nearer to throwing bottle forms and something I usually struggle with, but I was pleased with my efforts. Then on Friday my order of glazes arrived…

New brush decoration motifs

… so, much of this week has been taken up with mixing the new glazes then glazing the pots that came out of the last biscuit firing. It took much longer than I thought because I wanted to try out some new brushwork motifs using my favoured combination of rutile and iron oxide, and I was suffering from a cold so didn’t have my usual energy.  I need a lot more practice with my brushwork, and I need to buy some new chinese brushes as well as a new hake brush to replace the one that finally expired this afternoon! Now I can’t wait until next Thursday when I will be doing the first of another run of glaze firings.

At the end of the following slides I’ve posted some comparisons to show examples of glazing before and after being fired.

Before and After

Last Friday I unpacked the kiln after the previous day’s biscuit firing, then got on with making more pots as I’m still waiting for my order of glazes to arrive. I threw a couple of 4lb storage jars before deciding to concentrate on making small pots which would hopefully sell quicker, so began with some small ginger jars.



I also have some pots for sale in the Priory shop now…

…and I’ve been offered some display space for my pots in a shop window in Shanklin High Street. I’ll take some photos as soon as they’re in place.
Here’s one of my lidded jars on a wood column which I thought could look good in a display.

I thought I’d show you what I’ve been throwing since last weeks firing. I need to fill up the kiln for a bisque firing this coming week, then get on with some more glazing for another run of glaze firings. I’ve ordered more glaze but in the long run I want to mix my own glaze by making use of wood ash and local iron-rich clay.

Some 2lb Jugs.
I decided to go for 2lb clay as an intermediate size to what I’d already made, so I began with some jugs.
The first few were thrown with st. thomas clay. Now I’m using a buff stoneware which is more challenging to throw with, but that has pushed me to improve my technique so that I’m fussing much less and making each pot much quicker, which is good.

Above: one of the first 2lb jugs thrown. The latter ones have a slightly taller form to them. Looking at the handles already done I think I need to attach the remainder higher up so they spring out from the rim itself.


It’s interesting that the jugs at the front are taller than those behind, even though they are all thrown with 2lb clay. Either the shape has changed or I’m simply getting more out of the clay.

2lb Storage Jars
Staying with the 2lb lumps of clay I moved on to throwing some more storage jars. 

The more I’m throwing, the more uniform they are getting, almost identical heights and widths of rim. Also I’m throwing much quicker now, so maybe it’s time for another video to show my progress.

The mugs I threw the other week got their handles added. Larger mugs hold more coffee (or tea, or drinking chocolate..) so a one finger handle is not really sufficient.


That’s all for now. After the storage jars I want to try something different, like mixing bowls with a pouring lip, or soup dishes or candlestick holders. And I eventually want to return to doing some slip trailing on plates!

I had my best oxidised firing so far on Thursday, what a relief and encouragement!
I kept to a 60′C/hour temperature climb from 1000′C upwards and by 1262′C on the pyrometer the bottom cones, nos. 8 and 9 had bent perfectly. Here are a few of the best, with a fuller representation at the end of this post as a slideshow.

This lidded storage jar is 8″ (20.5cm) tall. The body is thrown with 3lb clay with brushwork in iron oxide.

above: two 1lb Lidded Jars, approx height 5″ (13cm)
Brushwork in iron oxide.

Another two 8″ (3lb) storage jars.
The decoration on the one above has rutile as well as iron oxide. I like the little bit of chun blue around the knob on the lid!
On the jar below the chun/tenmoku glaze has been poured over the iron red glaze whilst holding the pot upside down.


above: Handled Jar, height: 8″ (20.5cm)
The Jar was thrown using red keuper stoneware clay, and the double poured bibs suit it well I think.
 
3lb jug / 2pint (2.5pint to the rim), height 7.5″ (190cm)
The glaze got a bit carried away with this jug and I had to chip it away from the kiln shelf which is a shame because I rather like the result.

I did another glaze firing on Thursday, 1260′C oxidised, in my 9 cu ft gas kiln, but should have waited for the cones to bend more so the cool spots were too cool for the glaze to fully mature. I’m still testing glazes and getting used to how they respond to the variation in temperature according to where they were placed in the kiln.

Here are some of the pots from that firing:

Lidded jar, height: 180mm
A beautiful plum red where the flame was nearest!
The glaze was allowed to dribble as it was poured on. I like the spots of chun blue.

A taller jar thrown with 3lbs clay.
Height: 230mm

Jar. Height: 150mm
The brownish colour here should ideally be the plum red of the first one.
Another glaze firing next Thursday, so I look forward to even better results. I’ll have to order some more glaze very soon!

Today I threw some more mugs. They’re ideal for glaze tests and give me some repeat throwing practice. I weighed out 1lb of clay to make these.

Whilst I was having a coffee break I heard a pheasant and its call seemed to be very close. I looked out of the doorway and sure enough there it was, about 20 feet away on the grass. I rushed back inside to get my camera and fit the telephoto lens on it, hoping the pheasant would still be there. It was, and after a few initial snaps I walked towards it in the hope of getting some closeups. I can see myself doing an oil painting from one of these sometime…


The pheasant’s markings are beautiful.

Just after taking this photo this pheasant found itself next to another cock pheasant, and in seconds there was a flurry of feathers as both took to the air in a scuffle…

Seeing these movie stills reminded me of the paintings of Manfred Schatz. He does an excellent job of catching birds in mid-flight. This illustration is from the book Painting Birds.

‘Feathered Magic’ by Manfred Schatz

Just before glazing some pots for the first of 3 glaze firings, the 1lb lidded jars got finished, speed dried and bisque fired along with some other pots which hadn’t made it to the previous bisque firing…

I then selected my least favourite pots for a glaze firing on Thursday, as I wanted to test some glazes and glaze combinations in this firing. I thought if I select my least favourite pots I won’t be devastated if the firing isn’t perfect. I’m still learning to fire this kiln up to produce good results all over. I staggered the front kiln shelves with the back ones to encourage better heat distribution, and made sure that pots were kept away from the immediate area of the flames, and of course had two sets of cones in place.

I also made detailed notes of the glazes I’d used and the location of each pot in the kiln. I won’t bore you with the details right now, but I do now have a good idea of how I will glaze the pots for a glaze firing next week.

I did make one mistake however, which I won’t make again… I left the chimney dampers off after the first 10 minutes cooling, and I should have covered them completely. So, I suffered quite a lot of crazing, alas.

So, here are a few photos:

This bottle was being re-fired. It had been under-fired in a previous firing.

I really like the results of the pouring on of both the red glaze and the overlapping chun/tenmoku glaze, especially on this jug. Just a shame about the crazing!

This teapot had a fine crack in it before glazing, but I decided to glaze it anyway.

This mug had Oatmeal glaze on first, then an overlap of Chun/Tenmoku.
I was not expecting such a dry blotchy surface for the oatmeal, but the overlap glaze shows promise, without the crazing.

I wanted to make some small  pots that could double up as glaze tests, and rather than choose to throw lots of mugs I decided to throw some small versions of my lidded storage jars. Well soon after I got started I wanted to give up and go back to throwing 3lb jars, these 1lb jars are so fiddly. My bamboo rib has lost its definition so can’t cope with the angle needed for the rim of the jar, so  I’ve been relying on my little finger to shape the rim, mmm… I need to make some new throwing ribs! Still, I decided to press on and not give up, persuading myself that soon enough I would improve and find them easy, or easier at least…

Yesterday I did a bisque firing so I now have more pots waiting to be glazed. I think tomorrow and Friday will be glazing days, in between throwing lids for my fiddly jars!