Books on Wood Firing

I am now making some pots for a Wood Firing Experience that is happening with other members of the Port Hacking Potters Group.
I don't know a lot about wood firing so I've been doing some research and took out some books on loan from the TAFE College library.  Wonderful images and lots of information, more than I could take in, so I'm just skimming and looking for ideas to help me with how to glaze and decorate....

The most recently published is The Art of Woodfire, A contemporary Ceramics Practise. by Owen Rye (2011) Owen is a well known and respected Australian Wood firer.

The next most recent one is a Japanese/American publication: Japanese Wood-Fired Ceramics by Masakazu Kusakabe and Marc Lancet. This second one goes into lots of detail - even showing how kilns are built.

Lots of ideas in my head now and I've thrown my pots but need to get a few bits and pieces together before I can finish them off.  Love this part of the process :^)

Been over to Mud Colony yet this week? and you can also Friend me on Facebook: my Group page: Anna's Aussie Ceramics or my Art Page: Anna's Ceramics.
Thanks for dropping by and I love to receive comments, see ya :^)

NEXT!!

That teapot in the last post went in the recycle bag as it was still cracking after 3rd try, just didn't want to be a teapot.
Soooo, next is a wood firing with members of the Port Hacking Potters to be held at Gymea TAFE College in August.

Cleaned out the studio and have some buff stoneware out on plaster batts drying.  Tomorrow I'll be wedging it up.  I'll only have a small part of the kiln as there are about 15 of us taking part.  I'm thinking bowls and vases....

Pushing the boundaries or just plain silly

this week I have been remaking teapots to replace the ones that blistered/bloated in their glaze firing. Now I am using Porcelain Paperclay.  I wasn't that happy with the first body so put it aside.  Then I threw the other two, lids, spouts. When I came back I thought that first one isn't so bad and you are supposed to be able to join wet to dry with paperclay, I'll give it a go.

I wrapped it up in plastic and it was looking good - next day it looks like this :^(
I looked up a couple of sites and they still reckon you can repair cracks with more paperclay so I'm giving it one more try.
So what have you been up to this week?  Checked out Mud Colony yet?  See you over there or look for me on Facebook - Anna's Ceramics

Contemplating teapots and wattle

I'm not game to post any images of my current teapots in case I jinx myself again - the last lot were made with Cool Ice Porcelain and they bloated, mostly on the handles even though I had turned them away from the elements in the electric kiln.  They were on the top shelf as I was using a kiln at college that was almost full.  So anyway, I'm remaking them.  This time with Blackwattle Porcelain Paperclay.  The Sydney Teapot Show is held each year at the Inner City Clayworkers gallery in Glebe NSW.  The show has various suggested themes and this year Blackwattle are sponsoring one called "Wattle they think of next" for teapots made using paperclay.  I've thrown some (I hope) functional teapots and now I'm looking at how to decorate them....

This one was made using TMK a porcelanious white stoneware clay

and was made as a commission for Jade, a friends grandaughter. 

I'm thinking the green and gold theme could be appropriate

A bit like our Floral Emblem :^)

A bit of research

I am currently organizing a wood firing 'workshop' at the local TAFE college for the members of the Port Hacking Potters Group.
Those who have elected to take the plunge have a range of experience from none to quite experienced.

This morning I went along to see the students at the college unpack their first wood firing in the same kiln we will be using.

As you can see there were some beautiful results and I am looking forward to the opportunity to do some different work myself....

Students work fired in 'throat' of wood firing kiln

close up

peering into the 'throat' after pots have been removed

don't forget to check out Mud Colony this week to see what has been happening in fellow potters studios.

worth keeping

These lids were made a couple of years ago and didn't fit properly.  Rather than discard them I have kept them as examples of the use of ceramic pencil and Chinese tissue print decoration.

I am now looking at them to decide on how to go about decorating one of my teapots...
so I'm quite happy that I kept them :^)

 I'm off to Mud Colony now to see what has been happening in your studio this week, or maybe I'll see you on Facebook :^)

Two Cool (Ice) teapots

This week I've made two teapots using Cool Ice, the porcelain which fires at Cone 6 (approx 1200).
Throwing it is fine, its the putting together without distorting anything that is tricky!  I guess I'm leaving them a little thick but then again they will shrink.....
Then of course there is the decorating ....

the one nearest the camera has a molded flower bud as the knob for the lid and a little chattering around the base.  The other one is plain for now.  I'll have my thinking cap on for a few days before starting on them.

Remember to hop over to Mud Colony and check out what others have been up to in their studios this week...

Boabs and Bottle Trees

I learnt something this week from the 'taster' of a drawing class that is part of the course I'm doing at TAFE.

I learnt that trees I had thought of as Bottle Trees are in fact the Australian Boab tree and the Bottle Tree is something different again.

How did this come about?  Well our teacher has travelled the Australian Outback extensively and for our drawing exercise produced a bag of fruit from the Boab Tree that she had collected.

Wonderful items to draw and very tactile as they have a furry coating.
Here is my sketch:

Pencil Sketch - Boab Fruit (May 2012)

The Aboriginal people used them as a food and even carved them with designs of emus and kangaroos.

You might like to see some clay work over at the studio blog at Mud Colony this week.

Back to the future and a little more jewellery

The TAFE course I am doing is actually an introductory course so in addition to the jewellery we are doing some hand building and preparing for a primitive firing day.
We have been asked to make some pots with an influence from those made traditionally in Papua New Guinea.

we are using a red raku clay and some slip

We are still putting some of our jewellery together:
Now that I have a better idea of how to use the pliers I'm happier with the results.

textured Cool Ice Porcelain, sky blue underglaze and glass beads

A little Steam Punk influence here. Cool Ice again but with iron oxide instead of underglaze.

You can also find me on Facebook: Anna's Ceramics  or check out some other clay workers over at Mud Colony.

Pouring more mud

I had hoped to have these fired for a market stall this coming Sunday but it hasn't happened yet.

slip cast and decorated with underglazes and tissue prints

tricky to slip cast these beads

not a very good photo but you can get an idea of how it looks

I'm also putting together some of my jewellery and I've made two key ring or bag danglers which I hope to sell at the Stanwell Park Markets this Sunday 6th May 2012 - they have a Facebook pagehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Stanwell-Park-Village-MarketMake-ItBake-ItCreate-It/151790061509854?sk=wall

I'll be sharing this post to my own Facebook page: Anna's Ceramics and my Fb Group: Annas Aussie Ceramics not to mention Mud Colony...  see you around :^)