Wicked Wednesday's WOW! Nathan Bray

Nathan Bray's Cup

Wow-weeeee!!! love this cup by Nathan Bray!  Great form and a simply delicious glaze!

I'm Impressed! Platter Decoration Tutorial

Sometimes I just need someone to SHOW me how to do something!  There are soooo many wonderful tutorial videos out there, so, thought I'd share some of the ones that I feel are most helpful!

This was from FetishGhost blog and it features Jessica Fong.  Enjoy!

Here is my video showing the results of my latest kiln firing!  New video camera!!! Too fun!!!

Let me know what you think!!!

Second Guessing...How To Get Copper Reds in a Fibre-Lined Gas Kiln!

I'm Firing As I Write This! and I keep asking myself....so how do I get copper reds?
I've read so many articles, webpages, blogposts...and I'm still not sure!  So we shall see!

Currently, I'm following the advice of these lovely potters!:

Ric and Judy Pierce at One Tree Hill Pottery in Beechwood, Victoria, Australia have a webpage that gives technical advice on getting copper reds.  Click here.

They state, "Copper red needs an early and nice reduction. We start ours at 850 centigrade."


I started at 875 degrees centigrade??


"We measure the reduction by ensuring a consistent flame out of the kiln bung holes but not up the flue (as this is too much and certainly no smoke)."


I am doing this! I tried to close the flue up completely, but got smoke, so covered each side of the flue, leaving about a 1 inch opening.


"This is best done in the evening since the bung hole flame can be almost invisible in daylight. We don’t use an oxyprobe, although we own one, because its measurements don’t relate well to the conditions required by copper red."


I decided to fire during the day, as I've read that the barometer pressure drops when night fall hits, thus stalling or slowing down the kiln.  However, it gets dark now early (5ish), so don't know if I can completely avoid that issue.


"We keep this reduction up to 1200 centigrade after which it doesn’t seem to matter what you do. Just watch the reduction as it naturally increases as the temperature increases slowing the kiln unnecessarily. We gradually open the damper as the temperature rises while maintaining that bung hole flame. Fire to cone 10 but the top temperature is not very important (from cone 9 to cone 11 depending on the clay and the effects you’re searching for). The speed of the firing doesn’t seem to have a great impact on the results."


So, that's what I'm doing!  


They also said that, "Refiring a copper red pot won’t make a green glaze go red."


 Hmmm....well, I'm trying, but in most cases, I added additional copper red glaze, so we shall see!

Tom Coleman's Pottery

Tom Coleman's copper reds are infamous!  His article in Studio Potter explains how he gets them and he gives recipes!  

So with all this good advice, I should be able to get some copper reds!  Right???!!!

Be sure to check out Mud Colony for other great pottery posts!

Wicked Wednesday's WOW: Irresistable Raku: Andrzej Chybowski Flamma Pottery in Poland

Andrzej Chybowski Flamma Pottery -Warsaw, Poland

WOW!! Don't you just love this!!  There is something truly irresistible about raku.  It draws you in and seduces you with its fluidity, colour, earthiness, and tactileness.  The magic of raku is so evident in this piece.  I love the beautiful lines and fantastic colour!  WOW!!!

How To Get Copper Reds: PotteryEnvy: Copper Reds! and Joel Cherrico!

I've had a bit of success with getting copper reds in my glazes, but it is not consistent!

I'm always looking for the secrets or a guru to set me in the right direction!  Well...I think I've found a great guru for copper reds!  Here is the work of Joel Cherrico!

Joel Cherrico's Copper Red pottery pieces are amazingly gorgeous! 

His blog post on Copper Reds is most generous in information, recipes, and tips.  

I've already ordered the book Copper Red Glazes by Robert Tichane from Amazon for less than $2.00!!! Pretty exciting!  Thanks for the tip, Joel!

One of the most amazing things is his ability to get reds from top to bottom in his kiln!  I'm working toward that outcome!  I'd love to hear from you with your ideas as well!

Party on, Garth!

Fire Me Up! The Latest Firing Of My Fibre-lined Gas Kiln

I'm still in the glaze testing mode!  Does that EVER end?!  I just want the PERFECT glaze combination and PERFECT reduction and PERFECT colours!  Actually, I want at least ONE gorgeous piece out of this firing!

So the kiln is stacked.  I raised the bottom shelf about 4 inches to see if that makes the lower shelf reach temperature - which it had not done in the past!

This firing started at 9:45 and ended at 10:00pm-so right at 11 hours.  I started reduction at 850 degrees celcius - hoping to get reds!

Although I tried to keep the kiln in reduction the whole time, the kiln stalled out at 1250 and then dropped back to 1216. So I added more oxygen and dropped back the reduction.

The flames coming out of the top of the kiln were both green and yellow?!  I didn't know what that meant and was hoping for the best.

Because I placed the cone packs in bad viewing spots, I could only see the top peep hole cones.  Although they bent, I kept the kiln going til I got it back to 1276.  I should have stopped it when the cone 10 cone bent totally, but depended on the pyrometer and that was a mistake!

The results showed that we didn't keep the reduction and the glazes were "over-fired" - glazes almost melting off the pots and "boiling" glazes that never settled back down.

I did, however, get some good results!  I guess that is the way we have to look at it - hoping for at least a few good pieces!  Else I'd go crazy with frustration!!!

Here's a bowl that has been retired.  Initially, it was mid-fired to Cone 8 in an electric kiln.  I wasn't happy with the results, so added some glaze and retired it.

Here's the outside of that bowl - I added a rutile blue to the previously fired glaze.

This is a lovely little dessert set with a tenmoku glaze.

This is a funky little cookies and milk set.

So, all in all, I got a few pieces that I liked, learned a lot, and will refire many of the pieces soon!

Wicked Wednesday's WOW: Another Gorgeous Mug!

OK, Ok! I know.  I'm obsessed with these mugs!  Well, Be WOWed today and check out the whole line of glazes at Mangum Pottery.  Great job, Beth!!!

PotterLove: Alexandra Copeland

Alexandra Copeland

Alexandra Copeland

I suppose that my only excuse is that I am an American.  I had never heard of Alexandra Copeland.  Sad...but true.  We Americans sometimes focus too closely within our own borders and are not cognisant of the amazing work being done in other countries.  This is the case with Alexandra Copeland.  Her ceramic work is widely recognised and appreciated throughout Europe and she is Australian.

  

Source

As I am planning a trip to Europe in August, I thought that Alexandra Copeland's book, An Artists Travel Guide to the Ceramic Museums of Europe, would be the perfect book for me!  Well...it sells on Amazon for $141.00-$1999.00!!!   Wow!  I'd love to have a copy, but will have to figure out a cheaper way to get this book! 

Source

This is a self-portrait of Alexandra Copeland.  Source

Her work is absolutely the most impeccable, intricate and colourful that I have seen in ages.

Be sure to check out the other excellent pottery posts on Mud Colony! 

Wicked Wednesday's WOW: Danny Dastrup's Shino Mug

WOW, WOW, WOW!!! I'm sort of mug crazy right now and this one is so good!  Love the colours, the shape, the flow.

This mug, made by Danny Dastrup:  Centered Pottery, mades it looks so easy!  WOW!