Ash Glaze

This is my new favourite glaze.  A few years ago we cleared some cedar trees from the area where the new garage was going to go.   The wood was taken away to be milled but the boughs were all burned in a big pile leaving a lovely fine grey ash from the branches and green bits.  I finally tested the ash in a very simple 2 part glaze of ash and slip clay and this is what I got.  The soft yellow is from the back of the kiln and the dark brown is from the front where the heavier reduction occurs.  It has a soft, buttery, feel and the slight rivulet look of a proper ash glaze, which it is.  I'd thought that this would be a potters' glaze with limited appeal to my regular, non-potter customers but surprise, surprise - more than half the ash glaze pieces from this firing have sold, and not to potters.  It's always so gratifying to have the pieces that you love the most be well received by your customers.

New glazes New pots

So all in all it was a pretty good firing.  Each firing seems to have some little niggling thing that needs fixing next time.  We've got the bloating sorted but now there's this little problem with blisters and pin holes at the back but I've got a plan ...

I've been buying Indian fabric stamps from Maiwa Handprints for a number of years now.  Love that they're keeping a dying craft alive, love that they've been used to print beautiful cloth until they're worn and love that I get to use them after that.  I love being part of that giant web of people who make things.

So I've been madly stamping and trying different glazes to see which ones work best.  I'm liking the one called Reitz Green from John Britt's cone 10 glazes book.  If you put it on thinnish it picks up all the stamp impressions and has this lovely black/green thing going.  The temmokus are too thick but the shinos sometimes work really well.  There's a new ash glaze that's great with stamps too but that's for the next post. 

It's been fun trying out some new things.  Made a few teapots.  First ones in over 4 years so not quite as smooth as I'd like.  One dribbles, one glaze ran and fused the lid completely, one ran a little and needs the lid ground and one is ok but pours a bit funny.  Teapots need a serious rethink.  But the little soya sauce pourers are pretty damn cute and pour well too.  The condiment/jam pots are new and so are the nesting bowls.  There were also several sets of tumblers on 10" trays.  Haven't had so much fun making things in ages.  And it's summer.  And the strawberries are ripe!  We picked 16 lbs this morning before the heat hit.  Life is pretty good.

Reitz Green tumblers on 10" tray

Orange shino colander

Reitz Green Teapot

Reitz Green bowl with residual salt flash and Strawberries

Red Shino nesting bowls (biggest is 91/2")

Red Shino olive bowl

Red Shino unomi

Reitz Green small faceted bowl with lots of residual salt

Condiment/jam pots

Soya Sauce pourers

Red Shino ice cream bowls

Reitz Green mug

Tall Tea Dust temmoku jug with residual salt front & back

Loaded

It's hard to be original in posting when the basic cycle is always the same.  You make the pots and bisque them and glaze them and fire them.  That's it.  So here are a few photos of the table and shelves full of pots ready to load, two stacks done, and the basic loading position.  I step in and out of that kiln at least a hundred times each time I load.

We fired yesterday and it seemed to go pretty well.  The pyrometer is toast, wires are fried.  The readings swung wildly from 1100 degrees C to 0, back to 300, maybe 900 for awhile and then we just ignored it.  We tried for the slow rise in temperature to see if we could get another no-bloat firing but with the added attempt to increase the air/fuel ratio so the tea dust will happen.  Fingers crossed.  I'll unload Saturday afternoon but probably won't post photos until Monday or Tuesday. 

After a disheartening Farmers' Market last Saturday I'm hoping for better this week with the return of the sun.  For those of you who haven't seen the youtube clip, check out Potter at an Art Fair.  Kind of eases the pain to know you're not alone!