Sunday, September 19, 2010

Thought I Was Clever


Late this evening I had a really great idea. I decided to put some slip coated paper on two pinch bowls in preparation for my barrel firing tomorrow. I was thinking that the red clay slipped paper would absorb the colors of the fire differently than the white clay.


So I ripped paper towels into strips and coated it with red clay slip and applied it to a pinch bowl. The bowl looked so good I decided to try it with splotches on another bowl. It took me quite a while to rip the paper towel and apply the slip and then apply the slipped paper to the bowls. All the while I was thinking to myself, this is a really good idea. These are going to be so cool.


Then as the slip coated paper towel dried it started to peel up from the bowls. None of the paper slip stuck at all. Silly me, I thought I was clever. I could have just brushed the slip directly on the bowls.


At least this vase I made turned out like I wanted it to.


It rained this evening, so I hope to fire the barrel tomorrow morning, actually this morning. Comments are welcome.

6 comments:

  1. don't you love those moments when you think--- that didn't work!
    Lovely vase.
    You had rain! We need some the pond is down at least a foot.

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  2. When I barrel fired with a friend of mine we soaked spanish moss in a copper carbonate solution wrapped the pot in the moss, put it in a paper bag and fired it that way, The copper did all kinds of fun things and the spanish moss left beautiful markings. We also got some pine straw and wrapped some pots in that the straw also left nice marks. Boy, you got me wanting to get my trash can fired up!

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  3. I really like the vase that did work. And, I meant to tell you I enjoyed hearing Cream again...Strange Brew. Good Stuff!

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  4. Really like that vase. Your craft is really challenging.

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  5. Hi Linda, take a look at this video with Mitch Lyons: http://ceramicartsdaily.org/methods-techniques/video-of-the-week-decorating-pottery-with-colored-slips/
    You are in a good way. Keep traying your ideas and facing the challenges!

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  6. Hi Meredith, thanks, we had a brief downpour, then it stopped. I have no idea what I was thinking about that slipped paper towel. Ha.

    Hi Tracey, thanks, I've got copper carbonate, rio, salt soaked jute, spanish moss, spagnum moss, fertilizer, etc ready for the am.

    Hi Teresa, thanks, it took me a while to remember who sang the song I was humming in my head. Ha.
    Thanks about the vase, I'm like the waterfall effect.

    Hi Patti, thanks, yeah challenging, but I find if I experiment I sometimes discover some good things. thanks about the vase.

    Hi Acacia, thanks, I will have to check out the video, I figure I need to experiment with each firing so I have the potential of discovering new things each time.

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I love suggestions, questions, critiques, thanks for your comment