Earthenware jugs and bowls.

Fresh from the kiln, new earthenware jugs and bowls.

I have had to reduce my hours in the studio and try to adapt to throwing mostly with my right hand, and using my left in a light supporting role, rather than using both hands equally as I would normally do. I find that I am comfortable throwing 700 grams of clay (about 1.5 pounds), and can make objects of this weight for a couple of hours or so at a time without worries of further aggravating the shoulder. If I think about it and remain vigilant not to add any power from the left arm and shoulder, I can throw larger amounts, but going above 1 kg feels like I am starting to take a risk. This limitation is frustrating in some respects, but interesting in others. There are rewarding moments to be had when a rethink of some technical problem allows progress, and it is stimulating from a creative point of view to try to find forms that are rewarding to throw that are around 700 grams.

I have always had a fondness for jugs, or pitchers, and 700 grams (1.5 pounds) of earthenware clay will make a nice jug that has a fired height of 140 - 150 mm (5.5 - 6 inches). 700 grams will also make a generous sized breakfast bowl, just right for porridge to help a potter get through winter!

Detail from the jug above.

My attempts with majolica decoration are making progress, and I get enjoyment out of improvising patterns with the brush and a restricted colour range. I know that there are stains that can be used to give a very full palette of colour, but I am very happy with cobalt carbonate for blue, copper carbonate for green, red iron oxide for brown, and the odd excursion into manganese dioxide for a slightly purple brown. I may branch out in future and include an occasional blob of red or yellow, but I like how a restricted colour palette seems to sit well with an object made of red clay. I also like the "watercolour" quality of these oxides, which is something that stains don't usually seem to have.

This little jug was intended to be taller, but got all "curvaceous" when I had a momentary lapse of concentration and nearly had the thing collapse. I salvaged things and was pleased that I did.

Most of my jugs have the "twisted handle" look. The twisted handles are made from a rolled, slightly tapered, slug of clay that has been rolled diagonally over corrugated cardboard, then slapped down hard onto a flat surface. I am finding this form of handle much easier to make than a pulled handle that would require me to hold a round sausage of clay up in my left hand whilst pulling down on it with a wet right hand (rather like milking a cow!). I still do a few of those, as in the jug below, but most handles are now of the "twisted" kind!

When my jugs were still at a soft leather hard stage, I added texture to some of them with little clay stamps that I made some time ago. I wasn't too sure if the majolica decoration and the stamps would work all that well together, but I quite like the way the stamps add a bit of textural interest that is waiting to be discovered.

I have shown mostly jugs on this blog post, there were some bowls in this firing as well that were also made from 700 grams of clay (1.5 pounds), but I don't want to overload you with photos, so this will have to do!

 I have some shallow bowls and a few more jugs that will be going in the kiln this afternoon to start their bisque firing. I hope to glaze them midweek, and might even feature them on the blog a few days from now!