Raku and sagar fired.

A few piece done recently tried sagar firing for the first time in the raku kiln, used seaweed and several oxides then wrapped it in several layers of aluminium foil.

"Just us"

A piece I made for the Kenilworth Art Show, 

I made  this piece depicting my 4 sisters and myself, I am the only one living in Australia, my sisters all live in The Netherlands so we don't see eachother very often!

Step 2!

I worked out how to get the photos here hooray!

A few pieces I did recently, happy with the glaze!

Well lets try this again!

Can't believe it was in 2014 that I last added a post! Totally forgot how to et into my blog so that took some time to do.  Now I have trouble getting photos from my ipad  onto the post hopefully I can get that one worked out soon!

"THE WATCHERS"

Some new work, yes I am still here!

The watchers, clay, partially  glazed, recycled object Imbedded rusty iron plate on bottom.

Approximately 55cm. High.

Stoneware clay, copper wire, glazed inside. Height 15cm.

Disaster...... Time consuming!

Naked RAKU.

Applying resist slip, glaze and scratching the design.

Design before carefully brushing of the excess.

Take 1!

In the RAKU kiln, even before firing was finished all the glaze came of wich is to early as it has to come of after the reduction so the carbon can burn into the clay that is exposed without glaze.

I put it before a clay forum and got the advise that the clay was not dry en rejected the glaze.

Take 2! 

Put new glazes on and Let it dry for a week, fired again... Same problem!

Take 3! 

Made up new glazes and did a trial run with just this pot, hey presto got it right this time!

Now back to the other pieces and finish them hopefully, fingers crossed!

And back with clay!

It's nice to have another interest than clay, and I really like doing the glass, result are a bit faster to archieve a nice change.

But then I mis the clay!!!

So here are a few pieces I did this week, some for naked Raku, some for a soda firing I wil attend in a few weeks and some pieces I tried after a Ruthanne Thudball workshop.

Ruthanne Thudball demonstrating.

Rhutannes pieces.

Some of mine.

So a bit of everything but that is how I like it otherwise it gets boring!

Glass Fun!

I started glass fusing and absolutely love doing this, a new challenge, goes a bit quicker than clay wich is great and the possibilities are endless, for now anyway!

A it of jewelery

And some window art, it really needs the light behind it.

Where have I been??????

I can't believe it's nearly a year ago that I posted something. Not good, not good at all, not even good enough!

 

I hope I can get back in the swing of it, I'll do my best!

So Here are some of the things I did in the year gone by...

Raku

Survivors!

Had a bit of a journey with these, tried a different technique, made a frame from metal screen then wrapped it in slip soaked cotton strips, some got a bit fragile but I managed to save these.

Naked Raku, had trouble with these as well!!! Very difficult to get the slip and glaze layer of, hours of scraping did the trick.

What can I say.. Always have to do some chickens!

And some more...

Porcelain spoons, with decals.

And then they are finished.

Naked Raku

Porcelain, inside

Porcelain, outside.

Porcelain bowls.

Stoneware.

And my usually friends, my silky chicken is sitting on 12 eggs hopefully they all hatch, I only have one chicken left at the moment last year we had a goshawk nesting nearby and got all the other chickens I had, so carefully this year, I might have to have them locked up all day which I really don't want to do.

So here is hoping the goshawk will nest somewhere else!

In full swing!

And here is a load to be fired, patiently waiting and drying which doesn't take long in this beautifully weather we are having at the moment, it's spring!

And that brings in some nice visitors on the bird feeder!

Horsehair.

Been itching  to do more of my horsehair and feather raku, which isn't really raku but is called so because it is done in a raku kiln and taken out while hot but not put in a reduction bin.

 All ready to go to the POP-UP gallery, we are so lucky to be still in these premises, hopefully for some time to come but we never know when it will be leased and we have to move out and find another empty shop and a landlord who is happy to have us in there.

A bit of neglect!

I have been neglecting my blog, as you probably discovered!
No real reason for not attending to it maybe there was not much to report.

But I'm back and hope to ad a regular post to keep you informed.

Some work I have been doing in the meantime, "terracotta canvas"

Terracotta clay with a porcelain slip, under glazes and a clear glaze over the top.

Now I remember why I have been away so long, I have been using my IPad more then my computer and at first I couldn't add photos to the post so I sort of gave up!

Having it al worked out now, there are no more excuses!!

CLAY PUSH GULGONG

At the moment I am in Gulgong attending a ceramics conference that is going for a week.
10 master potters at work and demonstrating from all over the globe and what a feast it is!
All working in very different ways from making big pots and I mean big pots, bigger than me!
And that just in one day!
The town is buzzing with potters about 400
Lectures and exhibition openings every day, we start at 9 in the morning and stop at about 8 at night exhausted and full of new ideas witch will be explored we I get home( or maybe not all of them!!)

a closer look.

Here are a few of the pieces that came out of the kiln.

some pieces I tried, I think I want to do them again in porcelain,

 these turned out a bit heavy for my likings.

More mugs, always popular in the shop.

And some bowls with decals I brought back from china, I really like working with them.

 

Kiln firing finished!

Still cooling down, but so far it looks good to me, always a surprise opening the kiln to see if the firing was successfully.

Some bird feeders and plant hangers that went into another firing.
Happy the way these colors turned out.