Post 43 New pots

I fired the kiln over the weekend and finished off three new pots. As well as the pots there were a few other bits and pieces of fun. These included my deadwood models and a couple of 'rocks'. The deadwood are in this post.

Ceramics can be a cruel teacher and I was given a lesson in this firing. You do something to try to slove a problem and this gives you an opportunity to learn something new or otherwise to get some reinforcement of something you already knew. I had read somewhere about a strategy to support works during firing by using small pads of fresh clay under the bisque work in preparation for the glaze firing. Ok I can do that I thought and formed small balls of clay and then pressed the pot onto these pads which deform as they flatten slightly.

What happens when you have a large pot that is going to contract during firing is that the pads must slide across the shelf with the pot to stay in place, or have the pot slide over the pad. If the pot contracts and the pad surfaces bind to shelf and pot then it will be encouraged to rotate if it cannot slide. As it rotates it presents a taller profile and lifts the pot off the shelf. If this doesn't happen evenly then you put a wriggle into the pot at a time when it is at its most plastic!
I got away with it for two of the pots but not the third. Lesson learnt.

Here is the wobble pot, an oval at 405 x 300 x 82
 

You have to show the good with the bad so here it is. Take a good look and take in the lesson, this is the last anyone will be seeing of this pot. It's headed for the big nursey in the sky! That said the glaze is great and I will use it again for sure; a nice mottled greenish pastel satin.

 The next pot, a similar oval of the same size. Its come out in great shape and the glaze is an opalescent blue green satin. Good finish.

The third pot is a smaller rectangular tub pot, 360 x 255 x  71. Also in pretty good shape with an off white/beige satin glaze. Another glaze keeper.

I posted some shots a while ago of some mock juniper deadwood models I made - designed to have a live tree attached like a phoenix graft. In this firing I took them through to maturity. They should now stay nice and clean in service and never rot!  I'd really like to grow junipers on them but it will take a lifetime for them to be any size. I have been thinking about Swamp Cyprus. They grow a bit faster,  would lock onto the 'deadwood' quickly and have a good bark colour and texture. I went to Bunnings this week and saw some Daintree Pines - a native tree from the  North Qld wet tropics. Very attractive fine foliage like a Casuarina. I bought two and will now get them attaced soon.

Deadwood 1 front - about 200 high

And from the RHS.

 

Here's a little textural detail.

Deadwood 2 front, about 250 high.

 And also from the RHS.

 When I get the Daintrees installed I'll post them here.