Glazing

On Sat. I was talking about glazing. Here are some pictures of where that stands. The first shot is of my spray booth made from cardboard, duct tape and some nifty plastic fasteners that aren't visible. i spray a thin coating of slip on the bottom portion of pots that gives the clay some richness. It really is adding another " skin " of clay. You can see that in some of the shots. Also, that eliminates the need to wax the bottom of pots. I don't care for wax lines - they're too sharp. I've been spraying glaze more often as well as it allows for subtle layering and gradation. My spray gun gives general coverage and it might be fun to get an air pen at some point for spraying finer lines. This firing will include glaze tests using white stoneware and porcelain with the sprayed slip and some new glazes and combinations of glazes I've been using for some time. Also I want to mix up a concoction of soda ash, baking soda and salt to spray on top of glazed pots to see if it will approximate a salt/soda look. i was given some silica sand that was wedged into some porcelain and it looks great in a wood firing incorporating an addition of salt/soda. My aim is to see if that can be done in a regular gas firing. It could work ........

size does matter. or at least make a difference . . .

I'm nearing the end of a glazing cycle and loading the kiln as i go. it's a 60 cu. ft. kiln and holds a lot of pots. i do all my own work and it seems to take forever to get the pots in, the door bricked up and get the thing going. i think it would be great to have a smaller kiln and be able to fire more often. i always have glaze tests in every firing and am anxious to see the results.

i DO have a small guitar amp. it's a Fender Blues Jr. and it's all of 15 watts. that's not much when you consider players like Hendrix used STACKS of amps of 100 watts or more apiece. the thing about small amps is that you can really drive the power tubes 'til they distort and yield that " break-up " tone. ahh ...... the quest for tone. not too far removed from the constant tweaking of glazes. it's all the same to me, anyway. " lookin' for the heart of Saturday night ".

as soon as i can get this firing done there will be new images of pots to put on here. 'til then

happy trails ......

New Work

some new pots from a firing on April 21. the teabowls are small - about 4" in diameter. teabowls are "potter's pots". a favorite form we like to explore, born of the ancient tea ceremony/ritual. i'm not Asian and don't even drink Lipton very often but enjoy visiting this form regularly. it's a chance to "stretch out", in muscian's terms, and jam a little.

i've had numerous requests to make garlic keepers and have found them to be a popular item. they are 7" in height and retail for $35. just got a nifty hole cutter and used it on the latest batch that are in the bisque kiln right now.

the teapot has a spout that is "pulled" like a handle, cut in half, hollowed out and rejoined and attached to the pot. a lot of tedious work but it produces a gracefully curved spout. this is my first teapot with this kind of spout and i see doing many more like it.

all of these pots were sprayed with glaze. one can achieve subtle layering this way.

i'm well into another cycle of throwing and will be firing again in a month's time. it would be great to have a smaller kiln and be able to fire more often. mine is 60 cu. ft. and it takes a lot of pots to fill it.

jz jzpots@metrocast.net 603-942-7113 www.jzpots.com

In The Works

well, good morning. just got back from starting another bisque load and it's COLD here in N.H.. 2 degrees to be exact. thought i would post some shots of things in the works. these pieces have been thrown, and assembled in the case of the pig banks, and are drying. i like taking pictures of pots at this stage. something about the surface .......... they almost look like black and white images. we're doing the Boston Gift Show next month as part of a multi-participant booth sponsored by the League of N.H. Craftsmen, and we're taking the piggy banks to offer to the wholesale market. hoping they'll be a hit !! i've made so many of them i have it down and can generate cash flow with them. gotta do a little more work on the kiln. have discovered the second stage regulator that was part of the system when i acquired it isn't designed for that application and is acting as a restriction and has to be removed. i'm counting on good 'ole Home Depot to come to the rescue and thread some pipe. the kiln should fire like a rocket ship after the change and i'll have to make sure it doesn't go too fast. but i need it to fire as efficiently as possible with the price of propane being what it is.

guess i'm rambling now ....... i said i would probably talk too much.

one more thing - Michele's brother Paul built a light box for taking images and we tried it out last Fri. night for the first time. i'll be borrowing it and working with it, so will get the results posted.

adios amoebas ~

mugs

mugs are the most intimate item a potter makes. they get used often. choosing the right mug for that first cup of coffee is the first decision of the day. mugs are most likely the first form a potter masters. and they are all about the handle. well made handles make the mug successful. handles also become a stylistic trademark. like achieving your own " sound " as a musician, handles become recognized as made by a particular potter. i still love throwing 100 mugs in one sitting. after the first 5 or 6 it becomes a meditation ........ lately i have been stamping designs into them before attaching the handles. the mugs pictured above are made with a white stoneware, sprayed with slip and glazed with an amber glaze, fired to ^10 in reduction.

more coffee ................

Rules . . . . .

John Cage wrote " ten rules for teachers, students and anybody else. "

rules about no rules, really. good rules to live by. i can't say i understand his music very well but i admire his attitude toward it.