My Favorite Piece Ever... & Other Clay Stuff :)

Polar Bear~ Hand Coiled & Shaped, Ann's Soda Clay Body, Cone 10 Soda Fired,
 Satin Mint Green Modified Glaze.
Dimensions: 13" Long, 9" High, 6" Wide

I had built this bear a few weeks ago & it was one of the last of my pieces to go into the kiln. While I will generally find something that I don't like about whatever it is I'm making, when I finished building this piece, I absolutely fell in love with it. The posture, form, & shape of the bear all came together in terms of what I have been working towards. Now, you know that can all change when you do your glaze work... I have had many a piece that I have ruined with funky glazing. Fortunately, I had been testing this glaze (Yup~ Satin Mint!) in my Glaze Calc Class for the last half of the semester at least... on various clay bodies & with different variations & additions of color, so I had at least a general idea of how the glaze would look. I've included several views so you can see the glaze effects form different angles.

Click to enlarge any image for greater detail :)

I was really beyond ecstatic with the results! The guys that loaded the kiln had placed it facing the Soda... so the blueish crystal effect on his nose & foot are a result of that placement & the reaction of the soda & the glaze. While soda firing can be unpredictable, I think sometimes that is the beauty of it... and I don't think it could have worked out any more perfectly in this case!

:)

It is my piece de resistance! Everything else I got of the kiln seemed to pale in comparison, and I had A LOT of stuff in the final firing. I will not bore you with it all, but will share a few things. I tried to do a series of bowls/cups with the dark brown clay in attempt to achieve the same results I did here. No such luck! I used the same clay body, same glaze, and same firing technique.

The two above were about the closest I got to the effect I was looking for.

But check this out- and I am not kidding you! The inner glaze on the bowls above are the same glaze on the inside, same clay body... and were in the exact same kiln!

Same thing with this bowl! This tells me two things- this particular glaze & the soda fire combination yield very unpredictable results!

This was one of my last bowls of the semester- the shape is not great, but I love the glaze... it's the Ronbeck Blue that was developed in my glaze calc class- over Bailey's Red.

This was the inside of another bowl w/ the Ronbeck Blue... I didn't have time to photograph it properly... off it went to it's new home in Seattle w/ my best friend who was here visiting.

:)

"Oso"

This was the bear that I had made for a friend at work. It was supposed to turn out with that coppery somewhat iridescent finish... but It came out more of an oilslick finish. I can live with it... though it is no Satin Mint Green!

:)

These were some of the series of little bears that I had made... I was actually going for the oilslick finish on these. These are not glazed- the effect is simply from the clay body & the soda fire. I did not photograph them all, as they would not all fit on my little background paper. I've enjoyed making them, but I think for future sculptural clay work, my plan is to keep working on the larger Polar Bear form. It's been a great semester & I feel like I've learned a lot. Though I am a little sad to see it end, I'm also looking forward to having more time to get out & about & do some of the other things I love. 

Happy May Everyone... and thanks for visiting!

:)

Results from Glaze Calc Class

Finally got "Big Bear" glazed & fired. Though I think the form could be just a little better (it's a process & I'm still learning how to "go big" & my skills are not quite there yet) I am crazy about the glaze results! I have been working on variations of the Satin Mint glaze in class- the results you see here are from 3 different points on a 21 point triaxial. The darker brown in between the front & hind legs is simply the clay body & the effects of the soda fire.

Bear Sculpture~ H: 8 1/2", W: 8 1/2",  L: 21" Satin Mint Glaze, Modified. High Hills  Clay Body,  Soda Fired~ Cone 10

This is not my favorite angle, (his head looks funny!) but I wanted to give you a 360 view so you could see all the variations of glaze color & texture. (Click twice to enlarge for greater detail.)

Of the 10 or so small bears that came out of the kiln, these 5 are the ones that made the cut. The others I either was not happy w/ the glaze effects, the posture of the bears, or both. The one on the left is Satin Mint green on a dark brown clay body! I find it extremely interesting how totally different the glazes look on different clay bodies.

I also got a bunch of functional work back, but this cup was really the only one I was excited about. Why you ask? Well, because of the glazes!

While I did one dip from the Shino bucket from a premixed glaze, the other 2 glazes are from glazes we mixed & modified in glaze calc class. The center stripe is... *wait for it* Satin Mint Green!! (I know, I am totally obsessed w/ this glaze!) The rim & inside of the cup is "Ronbeck Blue," a result from mixing a line blend from my glaze triaxial slop & a classmates glaze triaxial slop. If you haven't figured it out, it has been named after my classmate & I, and it's a hit! Only 1 week of classes left~ got most of my remaining work glazed Monday... just a few more pieces to do & that's it. While I'm ready for a break, I also feel classes are coming to a close just when I started getting into the swing of things. Already excited to see how the final pieces turn out!

:)

Kiln Alchemy :)

Just got some work out of the kiln that I am really excited about! As you may recall, I was not getting a lot of results that I was super crazy about w/ the recycled clay I was using this semester. After seeing some results a classmate had using a darker (but more expensive) clay body, I figured I'd give it a go. I had actually used this clay while taking a class @ Santa Fe Clay last year & had liked some of the results, but never achieved results like this. FYI~ these were all fired in the soda kiln, which is also a new experience for me... & I find the results quite intriguing.

Laguna Dark Brown Clay- Spotted Shino inside, Coleman Teadust outside, Salt Fired, Cone 10

It's my favorite piece of the semester so far!

Check out the inside surface- It is truly Alchemy!

I tested it on one of my little bears too & thought it made for an interesting surface.

I ended up making 32 of these little guys. I was going to glaze them all like this, but I changed my mind. While I'll definitely glaze some more like this, I also wanted to test some other glazes. I currently have 12 still drying, 10 in the bisque kiln & 9 glazed & awaiting firing.

Interestingly, this bowl was dipped in the same glaze as the top one, but 2 dips instead of one- the effect came out totally different. I like it o.k, but nearly as much as the top one.

This was a test cup. The glaze was made in my glaze calc class from mixing 1/2 of the slop from my Satin Mint Triaxial & 1/2 of the slop from a classmates triaxial (Peach Bloom Glaze- modified.) It's a little drippy, but I like it for inside surfaces. (I also tested this clay on one of the bears w/ the dark brown clay- can't wait to see how it turns out!)

More test cups- using Ann's Soda Clay, flashing slip, Purple Haze liner & dip.

Ooooh, I also got all my new triaxial tests back, minus 1 tile that went MIA. (It's like the 1 sock that goes missing when you do laundry!) I retested the Ann's Soda clay body on the left, and High Hills on the right. 

Out of the 21 points on the triaxial, these 3 were my favorites. I hope to use a combo of these three to glaze the big bear, which has been patiently waiting on my shelf for the past 6 weeks or so! We are quickly coming up towards the end of the semester- just when I feel I'm getting into the swing of things. I've been super busy, trying to get as much done as I can... because the more I do, the more I learn... and that learning is just good stuff!

:)

Glaze Test Results & Other Clay Stuff

 We just got our test results out of the kiln for the triaxial glaze tests we did a couple of weeks ago... and let me tell you, I found the results pretty exciting! It is totally amazing to me that just very slight variations in color combos give such a wide range of results and totally change the effect of the glaze.

The tiles above were fired in the gas kiln. The top tile is the base recipe for "Satin Mint Green," while the left corner is the same recipe w/ copper carb added, & the right corner is the base w/ added rutile. All the tiles in between are variations of the three.

We fired 2 sets of tiles~ gas on the left, and the soda kiln on the right. (My soda tiles 4, 16 & 21 went MIA, but I'm hoping they show up when the next soda kiln is unloaded.) Click on image twice to enlarge to see detail in the test tiles & how the same glaze gets totally different effects in the soda kiln.

Above is a line test that I did w/ a classmate. We took the "slop" (mixture of the three color points on the triaxial) from each of our glazes & mixed various percentages of each~ Satin Mint green on the left & Easy Red on the right. Pretty fascinating, eh?!

This bowl is the result of taking the "slop" from my Satin Mint recipe & applying it to a piece. The tiles are great for testing, but it is nice to how it looks on actual work. The glaze went on really thick, and did run off the pot a bit in the soda kiln, but I love the effects!

This piece was also glazed w/ the Satin Mint Green (dipped in point "C" on the bottom, "slop" on the top, and point "B" in the middle- from the triaxial test) & soda fired~ it really ran off the mug! But, I was not dismayed! The reason I picked this glaze to test is that I am trying to come up w/ something cool for my larger bear sculpture. I chose to dip the mug in various percentages of the glaze tests to see how it would react... and I am thinking the results are turning out really cool! Problem is, I made the larger piece on a different clay body... which changes everything, and so far my test tiles on that clay body look totally different than the effect shown here. Will have to run more tests!

:)

Recycled Clay, Spotted Shino~ full dip, then Bailey's Red over

We also got some work back from my wheel throwing class. Out of 6 or so pieces, this was the only one I liked! Most of my bowls were thick & clunky, and I am having difficulty achieving consistent results on the recycled clay I am using. For example, the Spotted Shino you see in the middle stripe above has also turned out almost pure white, orangey satin & gray! 

More bowls... after I finished the last bag of recycle, I switched to a dark brown clay that I've used in the past. I still have quite a few recycled bowls to glaze, but I am hopeful that I'll get some cooler results w/ the rich, dark clay body.

And, yes, the bears are still multiplying.

I figured I'd do ten, which turned into twenty-three... so far. One of the guys in my class suggested I do 100! Don't have time for all that presently, but should get 30 or so done & ready to be fired in the next couple of weeks. Keeping busy, to say the least, & am really enjoying my classes this semester!

:)

Clay Updates...

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.

:)