Kiln Opening

Here's pics of the latest kiln opening...

3 pitchers from it...

A bunch of bowls...

Bowls and teabowls-- near some of Becky's birds.

Two pitchers while still in the kiln. (L-R: 1st and third piece)

two teabowls on the top back shelf.... shino glaze with some blue/green celadon as an accent.

there was copper in the kiln atmosphere which made some of the blue/green celadon turn purple. I LIKE this!

The same pieces--- these are in the back right stack. Piece on the right is a new form-- think I'll call it a soup bowl...

the back stack of the kiln.

some teabowls on the bottom of the left stack.... oh, and a frog!

blue/green celadon bowls....

more bowls....

these bowls are among my favorites! that's Greg's teabowl on the left.

bowls towards the top of the kiln. on the left, the bowl has a new design... I may make more of those.

Under those two bowls is one on the left made out of porcelain with the same glaze--- the blue/green celadon. Looks icy white. Wish I liked throwing with porcelain clay--- too slimy and smooth! Doesn't work for me though.

Will post some more close-up pictures of the shino teabowls.

All in all, a wonderful firing! only one bowl warped--- actually the one on the right in this picture above. It quickly turned into a bird bath bowl out on my small patio outside my home.

Decided after this firing to focus more on the shino teabowls... make a bunch of them as I really like the variation in colors due to reduction, glazing, copper in the kiln atmosphere. Plus, using some granulated rutile... soda ash... and wood ash is an added element of mystery and beauty with the shino glazes. :)

Spotted shino pottery, on the way!

The Waiting Begins

Ah... I like this picture. Was in Asheville recently reading and sitting by a lake and this swan came to visit. Think some food was wanted, yet it turned into a holy moment of sorts. Can't fully explain it. Still, this picture tells me that taking a teabowl wherever one goes is a very good thing. :)

The gas kiln was loaded this pm. Here are some pictures of the front stack.... the three yunomis on the bottom of this pic, from left to right are mine.

All in all, I have 40 some pieces in this firing. Will be fun to see how these turn out! Kiln will be unloaded on Monday or so. Firing is all day Friday.

Those 'pink' bowls on the top shelf are mine. Blue/green celadon glaze as a base.

Those two yunomis on the middle shelf are mine.

My shelf is rather empty, except for five teabowls that need glaze. Will put them in the electric kiln as they're made with recycled clay. Will experiment a bit with cone 5 glazes.

More on the Way

Glazed a bunch of pieces- here are the finished results and a look back to how they got to the finished stage! Here are teabowls glazed with a blue/green celadon glaze and sprayed with accents of alfred's blue or catherine oribe.

Here is a vase for my nephew- base glaze in blue/green celadon with alfred's blue. Also put glaze at the top of the handles.

More teabowls. Some have some granulated rutile, soda ash, or wood ash on the outside.

Granulated rutile is on the middle teabowl in this pic.

3 pitchers- each with some blue or white glass on the handle.... I think these have spotted shino as a glaze base.

I used this newly purchased atomizer :) and this newspaper to help apply it. I'm excited to see the results from the kiln. These get loaded this Wednesday. Firing begins Friday and ends Sunday. Cone 10.

Teabowls BEFORE sprayed glaze is on them. Teabowls are still my default form.

Before I glazed any of the bowls, I used a small brush to apply some wax to parts I didn't want glaze to settle on. Also used this (what is that white thing on the side called?) file of some sort to help make some surfaces smooth. This all always takes longer than I think it will.

The three things I sprinkled on some pieces. The darkest is the granulated rutile-- then to the right, the wood ash from my parents' fireplace (put it through a sieve to make it fine), and then the white is the soda ash. This will be the first time I use granulated rutile on my pieces. I wonder how they'll turn out?

Some pieces on my shelf awaiting glaze. Adrienne, my instructor taught me how to stack these.... the big vase on the right has a bowl over it (she didn't teach me that; it just worked well).

The container where the wax is held- and some teabowls waiting to be glazed.

This bowl on the top has words from Vespers 86, I think... words I know from heart that are sung each week at Holden, where I go and visit at least once a year. I miss that place; hence, the words.

The bowl right under that has a new design.

Am starting on some jar forms.... lidded forms. Here's the beginning of a small jar.

Teabowls before they were trimmed- drying to the leather-hard stage.

More teabowls. A few somewhat new forms.

Here's that holdne bowl, right after I etched the words onto the outside with a sculpting pen-like tool. Time will tell how these all turn out! how I love life in the pottery world.

Shinos and Celadons

Will be glazing this weekend. Spotted shino and blue/green celadon OR blue/geen celadon and alfred's blue are the combos, I think... both with some wood ash sprinkled on them. Here are 20 some pieces. These days, time in the studio making pots is pure grace.