Fresh from the Kiln
Crystalline glazed vase with manganese, iron, ilmenite, & titanium. Approx. 7 x 7 inches (180mm x 180mm).
Detail of vase with ilmenite showing up as black speckles.These are some pots that I unloaded from the kiln yesterday. I thought that you might like to see them whilst they are still almost warm! Really pleased with progress made with glazes. I tried some tests with ilmenite this time, which is an interesting material that contains titanium with iron and other impurities. Ilmenite is sometimes used in stoneware glazes or clay to give a speckled look to them, especially if the pot is to be fired in a reduction atmosphere. It is a heavy material, and usually somewhat coarse with a tendency to settle quickly to the bottom of the glaze bucket. I was wondering if the titanium content of it might seed small crystals. This didn't happen for me, but the ilmenite did give a lovely texture to the glaze, and some "movement", as it settled slowly through it when the glaze was molten.
The glaze has a look about it of a freshly painted oil painting. The growth rings in the crystals were all put in by varying the temperature as the crystals were growing. I am growing the crystals for between 5.5 and 6 hours in the firing. the pale widest band in the crystal represents about 2 hours of growth.
6 x 5 inch pot (150mm x 125mm) Multiple glaze firings. The multiple firings result in small crystals with lovely fine detail..., almost like they have been miniaturized!
Detail of the pot above. The crystals have formed wonderful abstract designs.
Bottle, 7 .25 x 4.5 inches (185mm x 115mm). Multiple firings.
Green Bottle, 8 x 5.5 inches (205mm x 140mm), crystalline glaze with copper and cobalt.
Vase, 5.5 x 6.25 inches (140mm x 160mm) with crystalline glaze with rutile. Rutile is another titanium bearing material with iron impurities.
Detail. The white crystals have gold margins which brighten noticeably as light falls on them.
Vase, 6.5 x 5 inches (165mm x 127mm), crystalline glaze with manganese and cobalt. Multiple firings.
Glaze tester: titanium, black iron oxide, manganese, cobalt, ilmenite.
Glaze tester: titanium, ilmenite, manganese, red iron oxide.
Comments
Nice addition.
I do like the shape of your bottles, Peter, especially the green one. Lovely work!
These are my very first tests with the ilmenite so far, so the manganese, cobalt, & ilmenite is still to do. Regarding costs of materials, the only really expensive one there is the cobalt.
For bulk storage of materials I use plastic rubbish bins (trash cans??), and the smaller amounts I tend to gather up recycled plastic containers... and even the occasional home made pottery jar! I'm not entirely virtuous in the storage department, in that I have bought some plastic containers... but it would be fun to have made them.
The show in Dunedin Florida is still in the selection period at the moment. All interested potters had to submit photos of work first. I don't think I will know anything before the end of this month, or early next month.
The pots on this post were all fired in the electric kiln. Some had more than one glaze firing.
Thanks Meredith, Hollis, Pat, and Kitty, good to hear from you.
Kitty, I think your comment has just about inspired me to develop a range of pots (lidded containers) for people who have a sweet tooth! Toffeeeeeee...., mmmmmmmmmm!