This morning I glazed another dozen birds - all in Oribe. They go into the gas kiln tonight and will emerge Thursday morning. I'm modeling birds every night, trying to add to my inventory. Another barrel firing is planned for May 2nd and I'm anxious to try more of the terra sig we made in Jim Whalen's workshop.
I have to confess...my focus is split. While I'm fond of the birds, my real passion is for the parietal art pieces. Four new bottles await "drawings." The largest stands 9 1/4". (That creature topper will go on a different bottle.)
That's all for now. Fred & I going to watch "Bottle Shock" and then it's lights out on the 3-day weekend. I wish they came around more often.
5 comments:
Great post, and that first pic is especially beautiful. Saw the sign on your shelf and sadly, I don't think your pieces have made it into a bisque kiln yet. Glad you're doing both cave art and birds... both are so unique. See you soon!
Can't wait to see your mason stained pieces after they are fired, they look great already and so intriquing; the birds on the shelf are so beautiful, have you ever glazed any in white or left them unglazed? Also do you polish your birds before firing - they look so smooth? I would like to polish some of my pinch bowls and wonder what I should use to polish them.
Hiya Amy,
What a good time we had tonight. Things happening in Ron's class look great & your yunomi are wonderful!
Yes, the birds & beasts await a bisque but it's just as well since 14 more birds (here at home in my kitchen) will be ready for finishing and bisque soon. With pieces so small I wonder...will I EVER fill a kiln? ;)
Linda, hello! Yes I love the experimentation part. Who knows what the results will be? I'm not sure the parietal stuff appeals to a large audience. But it's what I do for me.
Thanks for your kind words about the birds. I have never intentionaly glazed any in white. But sometimes the shinos I use stay white. I have had nice results with birds glazed in what we call Tom's Clear. It gives them a very slight blue cast, almost like a celadon. Recently I've been using Oribe exclusively.
I sand all of the birds with a fine scrub pad. Then I polish them with my thumb. I don't mind a few lines on them. I like to think it gives them personality, not perfect machine made but all handmade and all different.
Some birds I hard burnish if I intend to barrel fire them (w/o terra sig.) Speaking of which, I hear you barrel-fired again. Going to your blog now to see the results!
Thanks for the info Becky, I got a pumice type stone at the dollar store and sanded all the pendants I made for the barrel firing this time and I was surprised that not one of them broke when I sanded them. I guess they are stronger than I realize after they are bisqued.
I like your parietal pieces and I'll bet there will be many folks who will like them as well as. They have an historical and ancient feeling which emanates from them after you have fired them and the surfaces are very rich which I'll bet is so hard to achieve, but you seem to have mastered that.
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