Quest for glazes

Well after a couple years of deteriorating glaze results at the studio, Norleen has taken back 100% of the mixing duties, and already there are improvements! I can get back to some happy dipping and food-safe results with no more worries!

My Opulence testing continues for color mixing. I can use them for magnets and candle holders, beads and charms... they would be food safe at Cone 6 but since the studio only goes to 5, I will have to do additional testing before I can make dishes glazed with it.

No matter, glad to have our old standards back in action at Access Arts! Maybe, just maybe, we could have our old Goldenrod and Butter come back! Those were some amazing yellows, sorely missed.

Later, taters!

Getting ready for a happy new year!

Wow I've been too busy to blog. I don't know how people do it.

So my Twisted Sister and I shared a couple booths at the cooler-than-cool "Catacombs Art Market & Bazaar" here in Columbia, MO, down in the groovy North Village area. I am sure hoping all the artistic vibes of North Village are contagious. Made a couple hundred bucks, then sold most of what was left to a dear friend over last weekend. Other online friends are placing orders off the photos I posted. I have had nothing special, but some pretty things, that some people have wanted. My friends love me, that's all.

I was so busy glazing and firing for a couple weeks or more, I have forgotten how to throw! But we have already paid our booth rentals for the next Catacombs event, January 22 and 23 "Love Fest" to shop for Valentine's Day.... I keep wondering if I even stand a chance of making anything Valentiney, but I'm thinking not.... no experience with adorable wall pockets or petite jewelry boxes.... Will have a ball anyway.

My Twisted Sister makes pretty jewelry with Swarovski, silver, and her "therapeutic" paper beads. They were very popular along with her vintage '70s turquoise rings. Later I will make porcelain charms and other beads for her to make jewelry with.

In the meantime, I'm thoroughly disgusted with the glazes at the amazing studio I use. So I had to break down and try to mix my own. I believe I threatened to share this experience with you. Fair warning!

I found Opulence Matte Color Base and bought a bag of that dry mix, and 4 generic colors of Mason stains: Buttercup, Grass Green, Pastel Blue, and Crimson. Here are my first results, just starting at the bottom and working my way up in percentage of stain.

These are Laguna B Mix test tiles fired to cone 5. Rear tiles are 1% of a stain and front tiles are 2% of same.
First up, Grass Green and Buttercup (still invisible at 2%). I like the green!!

THESE. FEEL. SO. GOOD!!!! The backs of these tiles are like the most special river rock or beach glass. Soooo smooth. I'm SO much about the FEEL of my pots. I had to put signs up at the Bazaar: YES! PLEASE TOUCH!!  It's really important to me. I'm very pleased with this Opulence glaze.

Next up, 1% and 2% Crimson and (ahem) Pastel Blue, more later on that.

They still feel beautiful, and I can see I will be in love with the way it treats my textures, but they want more stain before they are "my" glazes.  Closeup below of the 2% Crimson, a sweet pink; much too sweet for this girl!

As for the blue, well, I had my tiny little bowls with screw-on lids to shake my test batches up... was about to walk to the sink for a dribble of water, and DROPPED the bowl of blue stain and glaze powder. It took a small bounce on the table and blue & white dust popped up into the air like it was fired from a gun. Shot across the table top and streaked across the floor. OK so my percentages are a little off on the blue. But it's pastel anyway... I'll want more stain, and actually will probably want a darker stain instead.

Just sweet as anything, and maybe I see a little pearlescence?

Different Drummer

I don't know why, or where the idea came from, but my next project is going to be to make an Udu. The sound of this GORGEOUS CLAY DRUM just completely enchants me. I think I will use decorated slips to make it, because I notice in several videos that the glazed ones sound too tinkly, like someone just slapping a vase. That kind of racket would make me crazy, the way my older brother made us all crazy with his finger tapping all the time. So I will not glaze mine. Then again, maybe my first one can be completely undecorated, so I can just get the sound right. I can see right now this could be a long process.

I got my matte glaze base the other day, and some Mason stains. Will start a few tests soon since the studio glazes are so ugly at ^5. I realize when I get my own kiln, I will have to test all over again at ^6 but I just can't handle those studio glazes any more.

I owe a lot to the studio, and love everyone there, but they get no credit for their cone 5 glazes. LOL

Counting down

Opened a hot glaze kiln tonight. Oochie. One more before the sale I reckon.

Tonight, some good, some bad. The clear glaze at the studio is milky and hazy and I swear I see a hint of lavender in it over my 5/6 red clay. It's tolerable on some things and crazy ugly on others.The white gloss at the studio is still reliable and I'll use it a lot to finish out the pieces for my first sale, with some brights sprayed over top etc... it's pretty and smooth to touch.

Found several coffee mugs to have rough lips. Not sure if I overlooked something before glaze or if glaze has bits in it (some do). Will pay close attention in future!!

The Amaco GDC (Gloss Decorating Colors) over HF-11 (cone 6 white) still come out SMOOOOOOTH and likewise the Potter's Choice Temmoku -- delicious to touch!!!!

I have 6 small, handled soup mugs I'm happy with and 6 soup bowls in same colors that are mostly fine but one of them realized an air bubble in the clay. I usually feel those bad boys while throwing and they haven't got away from me before. It's probably ok but I'll just give that one away to whoever buys the others. LOL

I'm so green at this it's ridiculous..............................

The Year Got Away from Me!

Bless me, Potter, for I have sieved. It's been 2 months since my last... OK enough of that, I'm not even Catholic. Been glazing up a storm!!!

Let me back up. The bank where we do business for many years, offered hubby their main branch lobby gallery to hang his photography for the month of December. This has been planned for months. Then, week of Halloween, they said, "Hey you want November too???" heh. heh. ... heh.  Well he said OK to November 15, then we scrambled to mat & frame a couple dozen pieces.  We decided to use my kiln money for that. Don't want to waste a chance, and I still haven't got a line on a good used kiln yet anyhow!

Meantime, I met a gallery owner who I fell in love with (both her and the gallery) and she wants me to bring some pieces in! WHAT?????? Then I found out about her big sale in December, like a big flea market art sale bake sale thing, HOLY CATS SIGN ME UP.

Not sure what came over me. Remember me? The one with no kiln??? OK so here I go again, toting bone dry "treasures" to the studio and cranking out a couple of bisque firings. I still haven't got room to walk through the house, but I see a clearing. I still have lots of things that need firing.

But for now I'm glazing my ass off and not even throwing. I have no idea what I'm doing buying a booth at a sale. I've never sold to anyone but friends and charity auctions before. Whew!!! Taking lots of coffee mugs and flower pots LOL WE WILL JUST SEE.

Dang it's gonna be a blast, because I am sharing my booth with my Twisted Sistah who makes jewelry and the next booth will be a friend from the studio. A blood sister will be manning the bake sale... The catacombs will be ECHOING I tell ya. (I'm the loud friend, here to tell ya!)

OK so I finally had a chip n dip make it past leather hard stage LOL and I decided to try the majolica on it too. Here's a pic.

It's obviously just sponged pink, orange, yellow, but OUT OF THE BLUE there is a single square of turquoise. LOL  The majolica tests were satisfactory and cheerful. Only the red bowl I painted grapes on, did not have enough coverage of HF-11 white, so it looks real dingy and muted.  The stripey vases and coffee mugs and whatnot came out cute and boy that stuff is smooth as a baby's butt. Too fun. Will do more.

Using a lot of Potter's Choice on some casseroles and mugs, and here are some Coyote cone 6 which is just lovely and smooth even at cone 5. These are "Shino" and "Mottled Blue."

Already tired of most of the commercial ones I have sitting around though, so looking for a nice matte base I can color with Mason stains.... That's another story. I reckon I'll drag you into that mess too.

Watch this spot! LOL

Screwing around while the stew simmers.

It's a gorgeous autumn day in mid-Missouri. The flood in the family room has receded, and I have the warranty for the new heat gun that died in the puddle. I have beef stew in the crock pot and we are just taking it slow.

I have been messing around with some altering and some hand building. Along with some big red stretched pots, I'm in the process of  "screwing together" a bowl.
Practicing on scrap:

I can make a circle in the clay with a drinking straw, then press a screwdriver bit into the center. That needs to be a small bit.

I think I prefer impressing a circle with a round pencil, then dropping a small ball of soft clay into the dent. Stick the ball into the hole by pressing it in with the screwdriver bits. I don't care for the hex head bit so much, but the flat and the Phillips bits are great!

Debating wax resist over the screws come glazing time, and/or other ways to make them stand out. Silly. :-)

Quick break in routine

Took a vacation day, on Woody's day off, so we could go pick up 400 lbs of clay. He said that ought to hold me for a couple weeks. Can you imagine if I had a kiln? LOL The car was NOT happy. I guess fat people don't drive Hondas.

Feels like a Saturday but I have to go back to work tomorrow. But but but but I don't WANNA! I have 150 lbs of red and 250 lbs of B-Mix calling my name from the garage.

But... 9 hours on Thursday and 4 on Friday, I'M DONE.

Should have bought more bats................