Black is Back
I am still working on developing a really good black crystalline glaze and I think I am finally getting there! I am a part of this really great online crystalline glaze forum that has helped me along the way. There are a lot of wonderful artists on there who have given me some great tips and pointers. I love seeing their work on there as well. It can definitely be humbling at times to get on there with my questions and images, but I am grateful for the resource! This is my latest test run for black crystalline. I want to keep working on it to get it even more black, but I really love the way this has turned out. It is, however, hard to photograph.
These are also the largest crystals I have ever grown! They are so sweet and the texture is actually really smooth! I want to try this glaze again but increasing the percentage of manganese by a little bit for the next test. I need to try this out on a vertical surface as well. Cool things are going to happen…I hope.
Sorbet Cups & Caramel Plates
I am not officially back to work full-time, but I am going to ease back into my work as I can. I had said I was not going to do work the month of June, however, I have kiln firings to keep up with. Yesterday, my husband and my dad came over to the studio with me to help move my greenware pieces out to the garage so I could load them into the kiln to bisque. It took about an hour to get everything sanded for the firing, moved to the garage and loaded into the kiln. I was starting to feel a bit stressed about the work I needed to get done within my tight timeframe. It feels good to have that firing going.
Anyways, this little set came out of the kiln before Noah was born. It was originally a commissioned set. When they came out of the kiln, there were hardly any crystals that had formed and four out of the six bowls had broken. It was pretty upsetting to open the kiln and see that, but these pieces that survived have really grown on me. I love their caramel color and subtle turquoise crystals that sprouted occasionally. I am thinking of posting them for sale on Etsy because they are in great shape. The crystal formations were the only thing that didn’t come out as hoped. My favorite pieces are the little bowls. They are the perfect size for sorbet! (In fact, I made homemade lemon-berry sorbet which is in those little bowls. Very yummy!)
See, aren’t they a great size for sorbet? They also make a great rice bowl. I have since, remade this order and delivered it. They look a lot different, but they are the right glaze and what was originally desired. Maybe you will see these pieces on my Etsy shop soon. Poke around on there if you would like! I hope your weeks are off to a good start!
A Custom Dinner Set
This post is a special one for me. It is, because these pieces were my final commissioned order to complete and send out before the baby arrives (which could be any day now)! It feels like quite the accomplishment to get done. Yesterday I finished up some wet work in the studio and then cleaned up. I wanted to leave my work yesterday feeling like it wouldn’t matter if I happened to go into labor at any moment because I am ahead of myself and the projects I am currently working on are for me and can be done at my own pace. This particular commission has been a long time coming. This family has had to wait a while for their pieces because of kiln troubles, and then breakage during its final glaze firing. Very frustrating. They could not have been more gracious and patient as they waited. I am happy to hand deliver these to them on Sunday! Here is a peek at their order: 4 lunch plates, 2 mugs and 6 dessert/custard sized bowls all to be glazed in blues and greens (for the love of the beach)!
Dinner for Twelve
Twelve dinner plates and twelve lunch plates all to be glazed in Black Crystalline: that was the commission I received from my Aunt and Uncle. I told them I didn’t have a black crystalline glaze and I had read it can be a tricky one to figure out. They said, “we can wait, I am sure you can figure it out”. I appreciate the confidence and the patience! I am actually excited to experiment creating this new glaze. Nothing like a little chemistry, right? I have yet to actually test fire anything for this glaze, but I have come up with a few different recipes and variations of them to give it a go. Once I fire those tests, I will be able to make any adjustments needed and try for other tests before coming up with one that will work well. I am aiming to achieve silvery gray crystals against a deep black background. It will look awesome if it comes out that way. I have seen just a couple of potters who specialize in crystalline glazing achieve this glaze. It is so stunning. I am hoping to mix and test this glaze by next week. I will definitely be sure to share my results with you. As far as the plates go, all twelve lunch plates have been thrown, trimmed and bisque fired. The dinner plates are all thrown and waiting to be trimmed and then bisque fired. They are coming along nicely. I would like to have them completely glazed and finished by the end of the month. That of course depends on my glaze!
Dinner plates drying out on the racks
Lunch Plates right out of the kiln
Make it a Square
In designing dishes, I wanted to create a different look than just your typical round plate. Squares are in, so I wanted to create my own square dishes. Since I am not using a mold to press my plates, my design is more of a “rounded” square. I throw the plates just like I normally would, except I throw the plate with an extra wide rim. I do this so that I can cut off sections of the rim of the plate to create the square shape. The first one I did was not very successful. I didn’t have a wide enough rim and when I cut the rim down to make the square shape, it actually took the rim away altogether. When I made the next one I definitely left plenty of room.
I really like that this plate is not a perfect square. At first I wanted to have the edges form a perfect square with nice 90 degree corners, but the rounded center of the plate makes it difficult to achieve that. The flattened corners of the plate keep it unique and I think they will make a neat set with the dinner plates as well.
I have a little fine tuning to do when I trim these and some straightening of the edges before I bisque fire them. On to the dinner plates!
Hand-Crafted Pottery by Arryn 