Ooops!

Somehow, this lidded jar managed to get itself into a bisque firing when it really needed to be glaze fired. Colors are interesting; almost similar to red earthenware but nothing like I had imagined. That lower firing for a cone5/6 glaze tends to mess with the original look I was after which would have given me more glaze interaction and dripping with creams and blues. 

Here is the re-fired results. I did add more glaze to it before the re-fire. The very glossy black with just a touch of rim color is a very attractive look. All new pieces sit on my coffee table in the living room for awhile. This helps me evaluate it and learn from it. Every pot is a lesson. This pot makes me notice all the blacks and dark browns in the room and instead of blending in, it stands out. A little bit of a lesson in decorating too.

Pot belly pot

When I brought this bisque-fired lidded pot to my pottery workshop to glaze, a very nice lady, whose work I admire, said, "Can you make the handles any smaller?" I laughed and said, "No, I tried, but I couldn't!" There is something about a large pot with a nice "pot" belly with the littlest handles  adorning its sides. Like a pair of ears, it gives it a little character, almost a personality.  Being that  pots are described as having a foot, shoulders, necks, lips,...why not ears! My husband liked the pot but thought that the handles were useless and hence, pointless. The pot and I beg to differ. "The better to hear you with my dear!", replied the lidded pot. Maybe I've been in the"momcave" too long. Have a good weekend.

Rough stuff and glistening glass

I used my nutmeg glaze on this mug. Love the color, not the finish. The exterior was very rough as if the glaze had not matured. It is a matte glaze, and I think more for cone 6 than 5/6 or possibly it wasn't a thick enough coat of glaze. On a vase, the rough exterior could be an advantage giving it a rustic look but for a mug?...not very pleasant to hold. Still working on that, but I did re-fire it with another coat of a creamy satin finish glaze which, as I had hoped, smoothed it out.

The color is a little lighter than I personally like, but it was not made for me. I sometimes forget that a piece of pottery that may be a disappointment in my eyes, may be a picture of perfection for someone else. Note to self: it's not all about me!

And here is a little dish that was fired with a cream glaze with glass on the bottom. The glass looks dark in regular light, but in the sunlight it glistens with a nice depth. Dark and light green glass pieces were used. The lighter colored glass, I'm finding, is the most attractive especially when it is not in the sunlight. I've been saving a few clear glass jars that I will take a hammer to. I'd like to see what clear glass will do over a glaze or colored slip. Lately, I'm feeling a bit unfocused since there are so many different techniques to try. If I put 10 pieces of pottery on a shelf, it looks like 10 different people made them. Not good if I want to create a cohesive look to my work, but since I never studied pottery/ceramic arts in a formal setting, this exploration may be necessary to achieve that. Maybe "Cohesive" work comes later.