Well, I'm officially on spring break for the semester... and I have to admit, it's nice to have a little down time. Here's a little bit of what I've been up to in my clay classes~ last week in glaze calc we did tests via Triaxials, vs. the line blends we had been doing up until this point.
You start by mixing up a base glaze (I chose Satin Mint Green~ which in the glaze books looks a very pale green w/ some light caramel undertones~ I'm hoping to make a nice glaze for some projects I'm working on...) then you divide the glaze into 3 buckets- A, B, & C. A is your base glaze, and to C & B buckets, you add a percentage of other colors.
You then measure out in various percentages from each bucket to create 21 different variations & dip the tiles to test. Exciting stuff, no?
Looking forward to seeing the results once they're fired, which should be some time next week.
Also still working on my throwing skills! Inconsistent, yes, but perhaps a bit better.
Trimming bowls, throwing cylinders, putting handles on mugs.
Also got about 6 pieces out of the kiln last week. About 1/2 were total junkers... but these combos I found interesting.
While the bowl itself is nothing special, I do love it as I used some of the glazes we mixed in glaze calc class on this one. It was from the "slop buckets," which are basically leftovers from our tests... but I had to try it on an actual piece, rather than just looking at test tiles. Kinda cool.
This one was from standard glazes we use in class. The dip on this one was a little sloppy, but I like the color combo, and I have to admit that the "sloppiness" of the piece is growing on me as I use it.
:)
This one is funny- it's not quite a plate, & not quite a bowl... I call it a "plowl." Ha ha! Experimenting w/ dipping & sponging on glaze to form a pattern, I thought this one turned out alright.
And, last but not least... the bears! It was crazy windy & blustery yesterday- too yucky to go out for a hike, so I stayed in & made bears most of the day. I do love making those little guys. :) In other clay news, the big bear made it out of the kiln intact (Yay!) & hopefully I'll get it glazed here in the next few weeks, depending on how the glaze testing goes. But in the meantime, I think I'll be taking a little well deserved clay break.
:)
7 comments:
Wow you are in an awesome clay class. The glaze testing looks very interesting. Your bowls are looking really great. Totally Love your bears!
Have a nice spring break.
gosh there is so much to discover, explore and create in this field. your bears look wonderful as do your bowls and platebowl!
Someday, I will say that I knew the beginnings of
Becky's Bears!
fun! love them all- and can't wait to see big bear! happy spring break :)
So glad to hear that "Big Bear" made it through the fire. You have some wonderful pieces to show for your work this semester, Becky. That dark green dip is stunning! What would a whole group of bears be called? You've got that happening right in your home! (I'm thinking of bears waking from their winter slumber as I walk/run now.) Yours seem friendly enough... Have a restful break, Becky - are you off work, too? My 5 Grands arrive for the week on Friday (their break is next week).
Hi Becky,
The Glaze stuff makes my brain hurt :-).Glad you are learning so much and I love the plowl and the bowls and all the bears!
Glad the big bear made it.
Hope you are having a great break!
xoxo
Those bowls are beautiful, and still love the bears :) can't wait to see big bear
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