Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Mostly Good

I love this glaze when it turns orange and green. I have used it for years and just recently figured out how to exploit its possibilities. At first I applied the glaze in one dip after various wax resist applications. Now I water down the glaze quite thin, dip once then apply wax resist. After the resist dries, I dip again and behold a real dynamic glaze surface.
Same with this glaze. Thinner is better, you get more green and the crystal growth makes me happy. I think the crystals develop with the slow cooling. This kiln is large enough to retain the heat for a long time. Two days of cooling and I'm still wearing gloves to open the kiln.
Another successful glaze application.
I changed the shape of my pitchers and gave them more of a neck. I like this new shape, it opens up possibilities to change the handle angle and spout size. Looking forward to continue exploring the strengths of this form.
It's interesting to me that you can work with a glaze for a long time then suddenly realize there's a better way. That's why I only work with 3-4 glazes, the possibilities are endless when there's time to focus. Too many glazes lends to the temptation to discover the next best thing instead of exploring the depths of what you already have.

In all a good firing. Some pieces that I looked forward to like plates were disappointing. I'm going to place them in another location in the kiln next time. If you make enough work you'll get something good.

1 comment:

Sabrosa Cycles said...

nice. very nice. i love myself some orange.