Starfish

Suppose you found a large starfish on the shelf of your local pottery studio.  Wouldn't you want to press it down into clay to see the impression?  Of course.  Well, that was the inspiration for this piece.

First a slab of clay was laid over the upper surface of the starfish.  Then the rough shape was cut out and the clay pressed over the arms.  Then the clay was pulled off the starfish and the clay "reflected" so that the areas that were curled over the arms now formed the arms.  So, if you are following this, you arrive at an impression of the negative of the top of the starfish... that is, the in's go out and the out's go in.  But, all in all, it looks like a starfish.

The glaze was "Salt Buff" and the clay was Highwater Redstone.

Name: Starfish

Date: September 2009

Size:

Clay: Highwater Redstone

Glaze: Salt Buff

Blue Garden Glove

Now for something truly different, not thrown, not slab, not pinched, and not coiled.  Give up?  Just take an old cotton garden glove and a pan full of clay all mushed up with water, and start pushing the clay down inside the glove until the fingers are nice and plump.  Then continue to spoon in the wet mush until it's full as a tick.  Set aside to dry for a few days, and then think of what lies ahead. 

Well, for one thing, your going to have to time it right.  Too wet and you will not have the "hand" you desire and if you wait too long, the inside of the cotton glove will bond to the clay and you won't ever get it out.  In addition, it isn't going to be easy to slice open the glove... just ask me... it wasn't!

But suddenly, there it is... surprisingly rough (I didn't realize how many seams and other manufacturing details were inside a garden glove.

During handling, the little finger broke off, but that was reattached and all was well.

The glazing was carried out with such enthusiam that I did both sides... thus making it impossible to set on a kiln shelf.  Only with the use of a stilt (thanks, Nancy) was I able to have it fired... and even at that, I required the generousity of my friend Bob to offer me a little space in his kiln. 

Did I say I put on a coat or two of extra glaze?  Did I say this glaze runs a little?  It does and I did... so the end of the story is, there is a stilt stuck to the bottom of the glove FOREVER.  Makes a nice stand for the glove.

Name: Blue Garden Glove
Date: August 2009
Size: 8 x 5 x 1
Clay: Slip made from Highwater Riverside Grit
Glaze: Kathy's Opal Blue

Failed Cookie Plate

Here's a category I hope not to post to very often, the "failed" list.  As my friend Bob suggested, these are the creations that are best taken out to the backyard at midnight, with shovel in hand, and buried unceremoniously in some random location.

But the story had an interesting start.  I rolled a slay of Riverside Grit clay (Highwater) and cut bunches of 2D circles with a cookie cutter.  First I tried to fit them together in a single layer, but it was clear that the assemblage would not "meld," so I added a scored second layer offset over the first. 

The bisque firing was successful and everything was nice and solid.

Then, the fatal flaw... a bad glaze selection.  Tomoku Silver (which is actually supposed to come out silver breaking over blue) was applied in three coats.  But the silver never developed, except in a few locations, and the overall effect was to cover up the textures with a thick opaque blue.  Nothing like what I had hoped for. 

But, my wife rescued it from burial... by placing it in section of the garden where its unique characteristics would add to the assemblage she is creating.

Name: Failed Cookie Plate
Size: 7D x 1-1/2
Date: August 2009
Clay: Highwater Riverside Grit
Glaze: Tomoku Silver

Spiny Starfish

One day, after rolling out some clay, I found a particularly interesting piece of lace with a circular pattern.  After firing, this pattern was suggestive of a spiny starfish, if glazed properly.  The edge of the slab was cut according to the design in the lace.

Name: Spiny Starfish
Size: 4D
Date: August 2009
Clay: ?
Glaze: Chinese Blue Green Spines, Rambun Rutile (between spines)

Inscribed Circles Bowl

Continuing to work with slumping a clay sheet into a bowl, I rolled out some SC213, cut a circle using a large bowl, and pressed it into the bowl.  After a short drying time, I put the bowl (still into the bowl mold) on a cheap lazy-susan (since replaced with a nice turntable) and inscribed a series of concentric circles into the interior of the bowl.  After bisque firing, I glazed with 3 coats of PC25 Textured Turquoise.

Name: Inscribed Circles Bowl

Size: 8D x 1-1/4
Date: August 2009
Clay: 213
Glaze: PC25 Textured Turquoise

Bubble Wrap Plate

After rolling out a slab of SC 213 clay, I decided to impress the surface with a sheet of bubble wrap.  This lead to the "dimpled surface effect".  After cutting a circle, the clay was slumped into a bowl and set aside to dry.  The glaze selected was Coyote Fire Opal (MBG012).

The plate has become part of one of my wife's mosaic projects... called "Once in a Blue Moon".

Name:  Bubble Wrap Plate

Size: 6D

Date: August 2009

Clay: SC 213

Glaze: Coyote Fire Opal

Deep Cut Pressed Design Bowl

Early on in my developing pottery skills, I found a plastic bowl I wanted to use to make a ceramic piece with.  The plastic bowl has a deep exterior design, so I started by rolling a slab of clay and pressing it into the bowl.  The bowl was previously coated with Pam as a release.  Therefore, the interior of the bowl reflects the design on the outside of the plastic bowl.  The outside of the bowl was decorated by paddling a piece of lace into the wet clay.  The major problem encountered was trying to get air behind the clay so the piece would release from the plastic bowl.  Perhaps a small hole can be drilled in the plastic bowl.

This was my first experience with Falls Creek Shino.  This glaze has become a favorite.

Name:  Deep Cut Pressed Design Bowl
Date: August 2009
Size:
Clay: SC 112
Glaze: Falls Creek Shino

Three Legged Bowl I

Finally I get to write about one of my favorite projects.  The three legged bowl was inspired from a picture in a handbuilt pottery book... but I strayed pretty far from the prototype.

The bowl itself is made of 213 clay from a slab technique with some "slapping around".  The exterior was scraped with a serrated tool. The legs were rolled and after partial drying were also scraped with a finer toothed tool. 

The attachment of the legs was tricky and you can see the method used in the photo.
Glazing the exterior of the bowl with Salt Buff with Plum Chun drizzled on the edge.  The legs were unglazed.
This piece really pleased me and I will be trying other variations of it in the future.

Name: Three Legged Bowl
Size:
Date: August 2009
Clay: 213 & unknown red clay
Glaze: Salt Buff and Plum Chun