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Marian Williams Pottery
Marian Williams Pottery

Third Firing of My Gas Kiln and Results!

FiringFiring a Gas KilnGas - ReductionGlazesResults

Before firing this time, I decided to get some expert advice from Ann Lee.  Ann has been doing pottery for over 30 years and is a wealth of knowledge!  Her kind ways and gentle nature have made her an institution of sorts in the Tweed and Murwillumbah, Australia pottery scene.  She is highly involved in both the Murwillumbah Potters Group that works at Fernvale and the Tweed Unlimited Arts at Banora Point, NSW, Australia.

Ann gave me great advice on how to read the gauges, how to adjust the gas flow into the kiln, and when to open the bungs to check for reduction.  I thought that I had listened well!  But…after firing and showing the pictures to Ann, she told me that I wasn’t supposed to LEAVE the bung open the WHOLE time!  I was just supposed to open it and check on it!  Cripes! I left it open the whole time! It’s a wonder anything good happened!  But, it did!  Hooray!

My besties, Liz (my daughter) and Ronnie (my husband), were not there this time! I fired the kiln completely on my own.
A few little wallabies stood by in anticipation – me too!
I stacked the kiln with more levels, heights of shelves, and packed it as full as possible.  Again, I used lots of cone packs.
I put the kiln into reduction at 850 degrees Celsius.
I opened the lower bung to check to make sure that I had a 3 to 4 inch flame coming out of the front of the kiln.  I did!  So I was in reduction!  I did not understand that I was to put the bung  back in – I left it out the whole time and the firing went fast.  I shut down the kiln and closed it up at 7 1/2 hours when the pyrometer showed 1280 degrees celsius and the cones had bent.  I had no way to observe the cones on the lowest shelf.
So…as you can see, the top cones bent, but the two lower shelves cones did not bend fully.




Here are some of the results from this firing. 
Messy, but some interesting results of overlapping.  Shino, royal blue and “other”.
I really like this one!  Greg Daly Opaque Green on the bottom and Greg Daly transparent green on the inside and top, with a wrap of copper red.
Peter’s Tenmoku with Emmanuel Cooper’s Chun on the rim.
Sprayed transparent blue.
I got some reds!!!
This platter was sprayed with floating blue and copper red.  The copper red reduced on half of the piece.
Another piece that reduced only of half of the bowl.  Royal blue dipped.  Waxed design, then copper red sprayed over the inside.
Copper red sprayed on top of royal blue.  Celadon on base
Bowl dipped in opaque green, then waxed inside and sprayed with another glaze! Wish I knew which one!  Damn!

Color Crush: Bob Hasselle Pottery

Amazing PottersGlazes
Source:  Bob Hasselle Pottery

Man oh man!!!! I do love colour!  So look at this!!! Bob Hasselle’s pottery and glazes just make me want to swoon!  I’ve been out of commission lately (back!*#@) and have only dreamed of making something so gorgeous!  Love the glazes, the colours, the pottery!

Yum!!! Gorgeous Pottery! Bob Hasselle Pottery

Check out his facie (Facebook Page).to see more of his work!

PotterLove: Gary Huntoon

Amazing PottersHandbuilding
Of all the potters that I know, have studied with, or attended their workshops, one stands head and shoulders above the rest.  His name is Gary Huntoon.
 I first met Gary when my friend, Judith Wagenseller of the House of Clay in Oklahoma City, and I attended a workshop at the Kerrville Arts Center in Kerrville, Texas.  We had a blast, returned the next year and became good friends with Gary.

Here’s a (very poorly set-up!) shot of a box I made at that workshop.  My daughter, Liz, found it in some old photos and scanned it for me (thanks!).  Not bad for early work, although Judith and I tried to “copy” his work exactly!  The washes used on this piece are a really wonderful addition to any glaze pallet and I’m blogging about that wash soon!

Gary and his “carpenter” tools for pottery
Gary Huntoon
Gary Huntoon’s Puffy Lids-Magic!
Source of pictures above
Gary’s work is impeccable.  His work shows the precision of a master potter, with many of his techniques resembling those of a master carpenter.  My personal favourites are his porcelain hand built mugs-sublime!

Hungarian Lamp

Hungarian PotteryInspiration

My lovely daughter, Liz, brought this to me from the USA. It was in my pottery studio in Texas and I missed it so!

I bought it in Budapest at a Christmas craft fair. It is so unique and lovely! Just thought I’d share it!

Why Do I Blog About Clay, Pottery, Ceramics?

BloggingMusings
Why do we blog about pottery, clay and the processes surrounding it?  For me, it is the ultimate way of recording what has been a miracle in my life.  I would like to share it with the world and the teacher/educator in me feels the need to pass along my hard-learned knowledge.
Other potters, such as  Scott Cooper, write blogs and he was also contemplating this exact thing – why do we blog?!
Scott started that  “it works as both a photographic record and firing record.”  He also mentions Michael Kline, “who’s just back from a blogging sabbatical, and the man I think of as the Godfather of potter bloggers — has been writing about the whys and wherefores of his endeavor over at Sawdust and Dirt.” 
Another potter/blogger that he touts as a great influence is Carter Gillies.  His post about pottery eyes is brilliant!  He states, “This is the critical role of my blog. It is a tool to pry open our eyes and our perceptions.”
So, I will continue to blog.  As a record.  As a tutorial for others.  As an inspiration for others and myself.  And, ultimately, as a tribute to the love affair of my life – CLAY!

Glazes and Glazing: Chemicals and Mixing Glazes

GlazesGlazes and GlazingStudio and EquipmentTools and Equipment
The glaze chemicals that I “inherited” when buying my gas kiln were in a variety of container and marked, but it was hard to work with them.

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So I put them in newer plastic containers and labeled them.  So good!  Now I could easily see what I had, didn’t have, and what I had to work with.  Amazingly, I’ve had to buy only a few chemicals to mix the glazes I chose to try.
I also “inherited” lots of tools for mixing glazes.  Great savings!
This is a view of the shelf with the 36 glazes that I decided to test.
All nice and clean and lined up!
I glazed the inside of some test bowls one colour each and the outside of the bowl another colour.  Thinking this would give me a good idea of the way the glaze would “fit” the piece.
I’ve learned since doing this a couple of things:
1.  Number each bowl
2.  Take better notes on what you do to each bowl or test piece-exactly!
3.  What “fits” on the inside isn’t necessarily what will “fit” on the outside.
4.  The overlapping areas are sometimes the most interesting.
5.  I must do more tests, on more pieces, do more overlapping, take better notes! and number each piece with info on the clay type as well!
After the glazing and firing, the buckets aren’t quite as pristine and clean, but what the heck!


I’ve done test tiles and attached them to most buckets.  All in all, it was a great exercise.  I’m learning more and more about glazes, mixing them and testing them.  Onward and upward.

Foodie Pottery: Food Looks Better On Pottery

Amazing PottersCreationFoodie Pottery
In the 90’s, I attended a workshop at Pine Mills Pottery in Pine Mills, Texas.  David Leach was doing a workshop for Daphne and Gary Hatcher as the two of them had apprenticed with David in the 70’s.

As part of the weekend workshop, the Hatchers provided the evening meal which was served in the studio.  It was the first time I had ever seen pottery serving food in such a way that it made the food seem grander, tastier, more beautiful  – it was definitely a foodie experience!  The banquet that they served that night in their studio blew my mind! – not just the food, but the presentation and the beautiful serving dishes.
The huge, gorgeous pottery platters laden with meats, the gloriously glazed bowls filled with fresh salads and the gorgeous goblets of wine made the experience seem so synthesised – one could enjoy the tastes of the food while admiring the beautiful art work of their pottery.
It was then that I had one of those “epiphany” moments – that was the type of pottery that I hoped someday to create!  I have worked to that end since and have only recently begun to have some mildly acceptable results.
Here is a platter and a bowl that I recently made – it is a start!

CreationPotterLovePottery Classes
I don’t know if I’m going to do this, but it looks great!
An online pottery course is a new idea for me! But I have been involved with e- learning and it can be fantastic!  Work at your own speed, when you have time, etc.  Check it out!
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