Have you ever had clay go so completely wrong and think, I like it. Later do you think I can use this, and wonder if anyone else will like it? Do you throw the pieces away or say to yourself, so wrong and yet so right?
When I called the studio today to see if my pieces were fired, they said yes. Then they asked how did you get the dots on the inside? I said, oh those are slip I'll explain it when I get there. As I was driving up there I thought, Gee, I don't have any dots on the inside, only the outside. Could they have bled through? No, that wouldn't be possible. When I got there I walked up to the shelf and saw moon craters, perfectly formed moon craters. I love them, EXCEPT, I wish they were on the outside instead of the inside.
Many moons ago, I love that phrase and it sure works for this situation, I made several pieces with cassius basaltic clay with porcelain slip applied to the outside of some pieces. I was warned not to use the clay because it could be fickle. Then I was warned to only use it for sculpture and not functional pieces. Then I was warned the clay is subject to dunting and bloating and not to use glaze. Then I was warned that the slip would just fade out due to the dark color of the clay. Some of those warnings were correct. But the slip turned out just perfect, the clay did not dunt, but it did bloat right through the interior glaze, which gave me moon craters.
Did I listen? No. Do I ever listen when it comes to clay? Well maybe some of the time, but most of the time I want to try it for myself. I want to see what will happen. What do you think I am going to make next? Of course, a sculpture using cassius basaltic clay with moon craters on the outside and I think they will be so wonderful to see, to feel, to look at, to contrast with the black cassius basaltic clay.
So from now on if someone tells you not to try something with clay, please follow their advice and listen to them. But, of course you know I'm not going to listen to them, after all this is one of those times for the phrase do as I say, don't do as I do. I intend to make use of this clay and glaze mishap, a moon sculpture is in my future.
More work up next, some good, some not so good, so come back again and please make comments, I'd love to hear from you.
linda, those are totally wild and very cool... it does no good to try and figure out if someone might like them because someone will, you just probably don't know who. i had a severe problem with a glaze once and was distraught at the outcome and moved on and some people came over to look at pots and there were two of these failures on the floor under the table and sure enough, those were the ones they wanted.
ReplyDeleteHi Jim, thanks so much. I hope I can repeat the effect on a sculpture. they really do look like hollow craters, so much so that Gary said are they solid? will they stay that way? You can almost see through them. Oh Gee I just thought of something. It may not be possible to do on the outside, because I glazed a bowl and it was smooth, but the bowl was very thin, maybe the glaze did this because the clay was thicker on these pieces or because it was hotter inside the piece. It may be one of those happy mishaps that I can never repeat again. Boo hoo. We shall see.
ReplyDeleteI remember what I did with these I poured the glaze on the inside and let it sit a bit - that's the ticket it has to absorb a little and then it will heat up and want to pop back out, yippee I might be able to do it again.
ReplyDeletewow thats just freekie...hope it happens again...
ReplyDeleteLunar eclispe of the MOON heheheh
ReplyDeleteWhat fun, fantastic! Keep on experimenting, that's what I say! Love the moon craters. The first example looks just like what happened to a small glaze test I did with shino glaze over tenmoko, That blew white bubbles too!
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the craters on the inside, I hope you can do ti again!
ReplyDeleteYou know when I first started taking Raku workshops, I never did what the instructor said, I would just say "what if" and try it. I got some great results that way! You have to try things if you are ever going to learn anything right?!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! You just never know what you are going to get when you open the kiln. The contrasting strip with the moon craters inside is my favorite!
ReplyDeleteHope you can repeat, I think it is stunning looking.
ReplyDeleteGlaze failures from functional ware are often intriguing surfaces for sculpture! I keep a notebook of how such "failures" happen -- asusming I know. Sometimes they seem random.
ReplyDeleteLove your little L* logo. Is that how you sign your pots?
ReplyDeleteHi Ang, thanks, I hope it happens again too. The photos don't show it, but the contrast between the black clay and the white slip or white craters is really great.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, lunar eclipse, there are so many ways I can go with this technique.
Hi Peter, thanks, yes every time I experiment, I get something great, I tried a previous experiment though and it didn't work, that will be up next. I think the trick is - can the experiments be repeated. I heard the saying about shino, "shino first or suffer the curse". I think glazes over shino are ok, but under not so sure.
Hi Kitty, thanks, that must be why the place where I got them fired was asking how I did it, they must have wanted to do it too. I'm actually thinking of getting some more of this clay and making a few things just to try it.
Hi Tracey, thanks I am a bit of a rebel from way back so I guess it comes out in my clay, and I suspect you are too, He He, but something good may come of it as you say.
Hi Jewels, thanks, I like that one too, wouldn't it be neat on the front of a large wall tile? I have several ideas in mind.
Hi Patti, thanks you can't appreciate the smoothness of this black clay in the photos, but it is very rich looking and lots of folks like it. I just love the richness of it especially with the white slip contrasting to emphasize it.
Hi Lori, thanks, I really have to start cataloging all these ideas. I pride myself with a good memory, but I can see over time with so many pieces I may forget this littlel tidbits. The L with the star I had made up into a star and that is how I sign my pots, sometimes just with the stamp and sometimes with my name too. In post coming up I will show the back of a piece to show the stamp. I meant to do that some time ago but forgot. thanks for reminding me.