Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Game Set Match

Moving and other circumstances really interrupted my confidence and momentum working in clay but I am finally getting back into a groove. I'm extremely happy with this game set match.

 Set of four dinner plates which match in style but four different colors, glazed in a satin clear.

 You can see my brush strokes in the leaves but I like that; it shows they are hand made.

In comparison this one is a bit pale I may add more stain for the next batch. What, me making more of the same? What a switch-a-roo!  I better get started now before I go off on another tangent. Ha. I am thinking of other ways to use these new mason stains with some geometric patterns and some flowers; so many ideas and so little time it seems.

Here are the dinner plates as a group just before I unloaded the kiln this morning.

Here's a bowl fork and spoon set. The bowl is about three and a half inches tall and maybe ten inches wide, textured on the front and back. The spoon and fork were really made for that larger bowl from the last firng. So I may make another set of these a bit smaller for this bowl but you can see they are nice as a set.

Here are the fork and spoon about ten inches long. The handles have the same texture as the bowl. I plan to add a leather tie in the holes on the end so they can be hung from the wall.

Here are the nubs I put on the back for them to fire flat in the kiln. These turned out much better than I expected so I may invest in some stilts to fire other sets on rather than attaching nubs which are unglazed. These were a bit warped after drying and after the bisque, but I put them on the bottom shelf of the kiln hoping they'd settle back down again during the glaze firing, and they did.

Three creamy white vases glazed in clear. One of the dangles on the vase on the left broke off so I sanded the attachment spot and glaze it anyway, Only you and I know the truth. Ha.

Two toothpick holders in matt green. The one on the right might be too wide but maybe you can think of another use for it. There's more from this firing but I need to take more photos so stay tuned. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.

15 comments:

  1. Your plates came out great! I love the photo of them altogether in the kiln. Glad you are feeling like you got your groove back.

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    1. Hi Michele, thanks, I love the plates especially the red leaves. I have a photo of these plates greenware, bisque, and glazed in the kiln. nice to see the differences. Yes, a couple of good loads and pots that are usable helps quite a bit.

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  2. Well done.. 2015 is going to be an exciting year! I thought that the brush strokes worked particularly well with the brown leaves, they seem really lively and play nicely with the creamy white background.

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    1. Hi Peter, thanks, I am wondering how I can prevent them from showing if I don't want them too, more experiments I guess. I purposely randomly placed the leaves so they'd look like they were lying fallen on the ground.

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    1. Hi Joanne, thanks, oh I am so very happy with this load of pots.

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  4. These all look good. I wondered if the nubs were permanent when I first saw them on the utensils...I guess they are. Glad they straightened out in glaze firing...but if they'd been on stilts I wonder if that would have happened. Silts are pretty cheap and reusable for tiny little things...and you can grid off any roughness the glaze might leave with them. Great leaves...keep doing what you're doing, as long as you want to of course!

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    1. Hi Barbara, thanks, you know I probably could have set them on nubs that weren't attached, why didn't I think of that. ha, would have to glue them on and then the glue would melt but I will get some stilts because I think the spoon and fork is so cool looking. One thing about a ceramic utensil though is that they tend to clang against the bowl and I wonder how long they will last without breaking. I am now thinking of some of these leaves on some cups and bowls too, can't wait to get to work

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  5. These look nice Linda. You might like to Google Travis Berning from Dillsboro N.C. He puts multiple underglazes on leaves then prints on pots with them for a fall effect of leaves changing color.

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    1. Hi Dennis, thanks, I looked at Travis's pots when you mentioned it; I think I mentioned I made a bowl the way you say Travis has done but it broke while I was sanding it before the bisque, I need to make another one, especially since I now have these new mixed up colors of stains., thanks

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  6. Oooh.
    That second toothpick holder would make a great tea-bag catcher. Or even a spoon rest...

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  7. Hi Sue, thanks, leave it up to your imaginations, great ideas.

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  8. What a lovely set of dinnerware you are creating for yourself. When I saw your toothpick holders, I thought they would be nice for tiny succulents or air plants as well.

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  9. Hi Barbara, thanks, oh I may have to get some of those air plants for these and the othersmall pots I made

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  10. WOW!! great firing! The stuff in your next (today's) post looks good too. Particularly the top vase. The stuff that you are unhappy with probably does not come up to your expectations; it's still cool.
    I like brush marks as long as they work with the design, which your do very well endeed!

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