Monday, February 4, 2013

I Got Green

Just when I was ready to give up on the copper wash I got green on my leaves instead of the dirty brown. Several folks suggestd I thin down the wash and that did the trick, thanks to my fellow bloggers. Both these plates are listed in my Etsy Pottery Shop. They're both about 7 inches square.

These look blue green in the photo but they are more green than blue in person. The veins of the leaves show up very nicely.

These are the same hearts from the last post after firing. I'm in the process of listing these in my Etsy Pottery Shop too. The hearts are the perfect valentine's present or hostess gift. The larger hearts can be a ring, candy, prep, or condiment dish. The small hearts can be used as ornaments or pendants. The darker color is brick red, the lighter a rose red plum, and the two white ones have a clear satin glaze over the natural color of the stoneware clay. The white ones are so soft and warm looking I plan to make dinner plates with the same pattern and glaze. My thinking is any food will be appealing on a white plate.

Right after I unloaded the glaze load I loaded a bisque. When I started the kiln it was already 100 F warm. I felt like I was working in a pottery factory, unloading and reloading right away. It's kind of nice firing during the day. I fire all day and let the kiln cool down at night and then when I wake up in the morning the kiln is just about ready to unload. No danger of rushing the cool down or taking a sneak peak. I hope I won't be sorry, but I overlapped part of the owl platter across two shelves to fit it in. What do you think? I'll be checking it real soon, the kiln is down to 300. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

18 comments:

  1. Hello Linda:
    Your leaf dishes really are most attractive and we imagine that you are more than pleased with the results.

    Dinner plates in white to the design you show will be lovely. It is true that all food looks appealing on white, far more so than on colours.

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  2. nice green, it worked really well.

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  3. Hi Jane and Lance, thanks, since I cook so much I thought having some white dishes in the cabinet would be a good thing.

    Hi Meredith, thanks, guess one should never give up with clay. Ha.

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  4. Just love the green leaves series.

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  5. Hi Laura, thanks, I plan to make some larger plates and some platters with these colors too. I already have some fern bowls and others made that need to be fired.

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  6. That platter should be fine, I have to do that all the time and haven't had issues (she now knocks on wood). I love the hearts, they are really quite sweet.

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  7. Congratulations, the green leave plates have come out beautifully. Just shows, one has to persevere with ceramics! I've just been reading about Chinese potters who, a thousand years ago, were putting real leaves into their dark glazes and the ash would leave a ghostly outline of the veins in the fired piece.

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  8. Good firing, Linda, and, yes, the green is great! By wash do you mean copper carb or oxide in water? The hearts are sweet. Have a good day. T.

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  9. Green leaf dishes are lovely. I like the hearts too, hope the owl platter comes out fine, it is so appealing!

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  10. Hi Lori, thanks, I unloaded this morning and it is fine, now loaded for the glaze fire same spot cause the kiln is chock full. Even though the crochet pattern is done quite a bit, this one was made by my grandmother and I love using it.

    Hi Mark, thanks, oh that must be wonderful to see the ghostly outline of the leaves in high fire, someday I hope to do the high fire again, perhaps in my raku kiln.

    Hi Trish, thanks, yes the wash is copper carbonate mixed with water and just slightly brushed on. I dip my brush in the wash and then wipe most of it off on the side of the jar. I find even if the pieces looks like they only have a little wash, the copper has soaked in and adding more is too much. I add the wash when the piece is green, then I bisque. Then I put a green glaze over the top and glaze fire them.

    Hi Barbara, thanks, I do hope all this load comes out; there is a lot of work to slip painting all these platters, the owls, the sunflower, two cabins, four fern platters, and one egret platter; one small problem can be the end of a piece.

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  11. The armadillo platter is too cool.

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  12. Hi Joanne, thanks, did you see he was inspired by the one I saw in our yard. I hope he turns out. Bet kids would eat their vegetables if they were served on an armadillo platter. Ha.

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  13. I love seeing the different stages of your pottery....it makes me want to take a pottery class. How satisfying it must be to lift that kiln lid....

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  14. Those hearts look so hot!

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  15. Hi Dee, thanks, there have been many, many disappointments and much work behind this, but opening the kiln is definitely the high point each time.

    Hi Midori, thanks, no matter how many times the heart is done or shown in pottery or paintings it always appeals I think, the universal symbol of love and warmth. It gives an instant smile to me.

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  16. Oh Trish, I think I may have mixed in some frit 3134 with the copper too. I should have labelled it. I am so bad working off the cuff and all.

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  17. Wow, you are really back to business!
    Great stuff!

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  18. Hi Ms. Sparrow, thanks so much, I am firing and glazing and firing again, have another load in their to unload to day.

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