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bubble glazing.
This is surely not a new technique, but there is a therapeutic and nostalgic nature behind blowing bubbles! At the greenware stage, I mix glaze, water and dish soap in a measuring cup to create a runny consistency. With a straw, I blow bubbles until they start spilling out of the cup and onto the pot. Sometimes I strategically place the bubbles and sometimes I let them fall where they may.
The piece is glazed in clear and fired as usual. The bubbles make such pretty marks, don't they? |
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marbled clay.
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I use 4 different clays in my studio which makes for an interesting variety and contrast in my work. I have a beige clay, a white clay, a red clay which fires to a and a speckled clay. I've recently started mixing the clays together to create a marble effect.
I start by sandwiching layers of each clay type together, kinda like making a mud pie - a little beige, then some red, then speckle on top of that, then repeat. I end of up with a ball of clay containing all the clay types. I softly wedge it, then slap it on my wheel and throw something. What is revealed is a marbling pattern of the clay bodies. It's quite stunning! At the glaze stage, the outsides receive a clear glaze coating so you can see all the swirls from the clays. |
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patterns and printing.
It started with texture and coils and black oxide resists, then scribbly lines drawn on pots, then I tried slip, then I swaped slip for colored underglaze. I started hand-building, I took classes and studied, I bought some stencils at rummage sale ... It was kind of a mess, but I knew I had a great idea.
This is a work-in-progress and it continues to evolve. |
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barrel fire pottery.Occasionally I fire my pottery in a large metal barrel.
Bisqued pots are prepared by wrapping anything combustible around them like paper bags lined with seaweed, tin foil sprayed with hair spray, or straps of t-shirts soaked in salt water. Each pot is gently placed in the barrel and layered in between earth materials like sawdust, sticks and crushed leaves. Then another layer of pots, and so on. When the barrel is full, it is lite on fire. As the earth materials burn and smoke, the intent is these actions are leaving behind interesting marks and patterns on the pottery. The barrel is left to cool and smoke and the next day it is cool enough to uncover the magic! |
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