Tuesday, March 29, 2011

New pots, briefly.

Well, I haven't done any potting for a couple weeks now.  Apparently having a puppy is a near full time job, even with two, we think, relatively bright adults to share the duties.  But we're getting there.  I anticipate getting back into the throwing in the next week or so.  Hopefully.  But no promises.  I'm trying to be realistic in my limited optimism.

Meanwhile, I've been processing the results of my glaze firing, of which I shared a preview.  I had some (I think) really stellar results.  And some that were anything but. 
Remember this guy?  Red, green, and yellow bands of slip.  All blue and white.  Wild.  I think the pigments were just too close to the natural clay composition.  I will re-attempt with a white slip body.  But at least I now have a lovely new place to store all my trimming and carving tools.
Same here (from left): Red, green, red, green.  Not so much, post firing.  Try, try again.

Set of bowls - special order.  Very pleased with this glaze result.

 Anyway, I'm still working on the "official " shots of all these pots.  Spent a couple hours sanding all these feet last night while watching the remake of the Karate Kid.  Entertaining, fun movie.  Lots of deja vu throughout the whole thing.  Kinda bizarre.  Anyway.  So there will be more pots coming shortly, but this should do it for now.

Oh, just one more thing: which of the following glazes do you think turned out better for the exterior of my mountain vases?  I think it's pretty clear that the iron red glaze is the right choice for the interiors.
Sandstone (left) or Caramel Cream (right)
I'm a little torn on this one.  I think the Caramel Cream is lovely - it does a much better job of showing the brown slip vs. the rest of the pot.  But I think I'm more keen on the general feel of the Sandstone.  If you think to, please leave me a comment if you have a preference or feeling.  I think this is what they call "market research" in the business world. 

Thanks for stopping by and keep posted for the rest of the pots from this firing!

4 comments:

Anita said...

So...can you do some magic photography and put the red inside the caramel cream? My eyes are drawn to the caramel...i think cause it looks more 'desert' like....but would be fun to see the red inside it! ?? I know I ask too much!!

ladyofclay said...

just stumbled on your blog.
Very nice work. Strong forms and really nice carving .
I think the Carmel cream gets my vote for overall appearance. Although the one on the left the slip fades nicely top to bottom, I find the interior distracting....

Mr. Young said...

I dunno Luke, I really like that first picture! I would use that pot any day.
I would choose the sandstone. It gives a better contrast between the sky and the mtns.

Unknown said...

The caramel cream color itself is very nice. But I like the overall appearance of the left pot. I prefer the bold color of the interior/top and I like more pronounced coloring above the mountains.

In the right hand pot the mountains don't show up very well, and the sky color is muddied by the caramel cream.

But obviously, some people prefer the caramel cream pot. So I don't think you can turn these comments from 4 people into a mandate for one over the other. You'll just have to make both... I'm sure they'll all sell.