Pots and Paintings

Archive for the ‘Pottery’ Category

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 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!

I thought I’d post some photos of the pots in my collection, most were purchased in the early to mid eighties. My collection used to be much bigger but a few got broken and others have been given to friends.

Those shown here include pots by Svend Bayer, John Leach, David Frith, Peter Dick, Roger Cochram, Alex McErlain, Mick Casson, Seth Cardew, Andrew McGarva, Ray Finch, Geoffrey Whiting, John Jelfs, Jim Malone, Mike Dodd, Alan Brunsdon, Phil Rogers, Richard Batterham, Wally Keeler and Derek Emms.

Just out of interest the Derek Emms teapots were bought at the Red Rose Guild of Designer Craftsmen exhibition held at the Royal Northern School of Music in Manchester, literally opposite the pottery room at the then Manchester Polytechnic. Derek was regarded as one of the best teapot makers in his generation. The Ray Finch jugs were bought at an exhibition at the Chestnut Gallery at Bourton-on-the-Water. The Geoffrey Whiting teapot was in an exhibition of his work in Kent (Maidstone or Canterbury, I can’t remember which), his teapots were also considered the best by many. He died in 1988 so the exhibition I saw could have been the last chance to buy a Geoffrey Whiting teapot!

And a few close-up photos of individual pots…

Above: Jugs by Jim Malone (left) and Michael Casson (right)
Below: Teapots by Geoffrey Whiting (left) and Derek Emms (right)

Some pots I have do not appear in these photos, including a large ash glazed pancheon by Alan Brunsdon and a Large salt glazed Jug by Mick Casson. I also have more pots by Peter Dick at a friend’s house which I’m hoping to photograph sometime, as well as a beautiful tall jug by Mick Casson.

Whilst visiting my parents earlier this week I dug some clay from their garden, with permission I might add. I’ve dug clay there before many years ago so I knew that it was yellow ochre in colour and fires to a bright red at earthenware temperatures. My intention is to mix it with a buff stoneware clay to add colour, and maybe also use some as a decorating slip. Tomorrow I plan to sieve some of it.

By itself the clay lacks plasticity so is very difficult to throw. I will probably mix it 25% local clay, 75% buff stoneware clay, and as said also use it for decorating some pots with combing or finger wipe decoration. Maybe I’ll be drawn back into slip trailing? I remember throwing some large plates with wide rims to slip trail soon after I began teaching whilst the memory of working at Peter Dick’s Coxwold Pottery was still fresh in me.

Here’s a video of me throwing a jar.
I’m working on my lifting technique to improve it but at least I’m making pots!
The video is 5½ minutes.