They're alive! After 5 months of planning, testing, making, breaking, remaking (and breaking again), my first ceramic wall lights are out of the glaze kiln and onto the wall.
Still can't believe they actually worked 😅 Process photos coming soon! Already planning improvements 😆

#ceramics #pottery

Never expected that the main problem with kiln rental is deducing where people are located.

Website: Massive amount of info about the kiln, rules, prices

Me: Great, where are you located?

Website: 🤷‍♀️your guess is as good as mine

#potterylife

First full size test of the wall sconce idea.

Used Earthstone ES10, the easiest clay I have, to get to know this shape.

Shallow deep footed bowls are HARD.

Bottom is black engobe, top is white, middle, raw clay.

Top/middle gets a shiny clear glaze to reflect light and contrast with the bottom.

4-day wood kiln building + fast fire course with The Ecomusicology Project & Jack Smith at Stanmer Park, Brighton, UK.

What a weekend! Got some wicked pots and discovered Mayco glazes are absolute performers even at cone 12!

Next course Aug!

#ceramics #woodfiring #cone12 #mayco #brighton #pottery

Today's mission: completely wreck my trimming tools on 6 bowls thrown with seriously groggy clay.

Added one porcelain piece for comparison - gotta see just how brutal this clay really is!

Tools may not survive.

#ceramics #trimming #groggyclay #tooltorture #pottery

Total surprise from firing this Mayco Green Jasper over Dark Brown engobe to cone 7!

Produced unexpected blues, greens, blacks, and matte areas. The scraffito cuts reveal the clay beneath - Green Jasper's transparent base lets you see the contrast clearly.

#ceramics #pottery #handmade

Who needs exfoliation when you throw with sculptural crank?

My hands are smoooooth.

#pottery
#ceramics

Glazing marathon complete: 6 hours later and ready for firing.

The bottles test Mayco Milk Glass over various engobes/stains - uses way more glaze than expected for decent coverage.

Left vase: Green Jasper over black scraffito engobe.

Cups recreate successful test tiles 🤞!

#ceramics #pottery

Out of the bisque kiln and on to decorating! Threw it with White St. Thomas clay, added white engobe, then applied my custom Cricut-cut stencil and brushed on speckled Mayco Cenote glaze. Need to clean up those edges before the final firing 😂 #ceramics #pottery #handmade

Finally, an olive oil bottle that looks right and the pourer fits tightly in the neck!

White St Thomas clay, glazed two coats of Mayco Micro Jade, then one coat of Micro Ash and a second coat of Micro Ash only at the top.

#pottery
#ceramics

This week's pickup from the kiln.

3 Royale porcelain mugs, one bubble underglaze, 1 sponged underglaze, and 1 sponged slip.

And finally, 1 vivid green citrus juicer made from white St Thomas ☺️ 🍋

#ceramics #pottery

1 jug glaze test for making a brushing glaze out of a dipping glaze.

Rim is a manganese wash. Clay is Earthstone Extra Smooth.

Backdrop is a Canadian linen cloth from my Great grandfather, late 1800s/early 1900s. Think I'll keep using it 🤍

#pottery
#ceramics

Bubble glaze time.

The drips look kinda cool, maybe I can do them on purpose next time!

Royale porcelain with Scarva nano colours mixed into fluxed underglaze.

Hopefully it will fire nicely

#ceramics
#pottery

When a cat steps in the reclaim.

#pottery
#ceramics

Things I cannot say without my original accent:

- Bar Harbor

Went to the theatre and an audience woopsie stopped the show for a second.

The actors pausing lead checking in with the audience made me experience the show differently.

They were working hard on a show for me to enjoy.

I've felt superfluous as an audience member I guess. This was different.