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Some moody sunshine and a work half done.

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When I first signed up to do 'Understanding Glazes' with Matt @ceramicmaterialsworkshop, I got as far as throwing a hundred or so test tiles before the first week of class. This first week Matt mentions that he prefers a smooth surface.

So back to work I went making smooth tiles.

These guys are coming in handy thoug.

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Can you see the copper crystals?

This week I've been adopted by a Willie-wagtail bird and so I'm sure there's going to be a number of birds appearing in my sketches soon.

We'll catch up to them in a few weeks!

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These are some photos before being booted from the pottery studio.

Test tiles.

Lots and lots of test tiles for @ceramicmaterialsworkshop Matt's Understanding Glazes course.

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I love making wildcat bowls with all my heart. Nothing to hold back on and everything to enjoy. I even love the failures. This one has a snaggletooth face. I'm not put off at all.

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Sometimes I make things and fully commit to continuing them to the end... almost in spite of the results.

This monstrosity was already so 'extra' before I went and added the cheetah. That's why I added it. I just felt like there was no point trying to tone down this object.

So the aesthetic of this piece is out of character for me. I'd definitely make a face if I saw it for sale somewhere!

It pours excellently and holds a good deal of tea.

Now it just needs an outrageous teacosy.

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These vessels are dipped into a blue-black glaze and allowed to dry. Then I brush on my design using wax resist, allow that to dry overnight. The following day they are dipped into a tin white glaze.

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I like this picture still but I've been practicing and now these old profiles look very chunky to my eye. I'll have to photograph the current iterations as a comparison.

I've improved by using a handy rice spoon to reduce the corner of the interior, and also I followed the instructions given by Donte of Earth Nation Ceramics on refining your pulling technique. 'Intermediate Lesson No.1 (The 3 Pull Rule)' An extremely valuable resource for any potter learning the craft.

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Casserole dish enjoying a prime position on my pottery shelf. One of a set of three I made together. The first casserole dishes I've done. Unfortunately I made an error in the last firing which distorted the lids of the other two. I thoughtlessly applied the incorrect wadding for that firing temperature.

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This is the last picture of this plate. Glossy clear glaze fired and ready for use!

The cat is @8.cake’s Zelda and she’s been working as my model.

#amacounderglaze It looks sooo deliciously inky.

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Once my sister showed me a YouTube channel entirely devoted to holographic nail art. There’s a lot in common with that galaxy of sparkling nail paint and the constellations and surfaces found in some glazes.

This surface is pushing the limits between the speckling glaze and the wax resist design. Some people love it and others would prefer to be in the one space or the other. I like to get to the edge of that space but once the design is obscured to the point where it fails to contribute, or loses its intentionality, I reglaze or throw the piece out.

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Underglaze transfer - Think homemade temporary tattoos, but with underglaze, paper and porcelain greenware. Watching the witchy transfers of @mypapercrane tempted the experimentation. I tried several different handy bits of paper, and just painted the designs on with underglaze. Then the next day in the studio I messed around with some water and a rubber kidney and this is one of the resulting transfers. Imperfect but I liked the character added in the process. I did touch it up a little after these photos.

This cat is Zelda looking like a gorgeous fat puddle. Stripy cats lend themselves to this style.

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Our house is filling up with a medley of experimental pieces which we live with and use to figure out whether they’re ultimately successful beyond that initial looking good out of the kiln romance.

Storing many of the plates and dishes at eye height (on display but out of the reach of children) has really made profiles stand out to me. How they stack or group, designs and colours that can be enjoyed at eye level, but also on the table… their weight and balance, how easily they might chip, how the cutlery fits in them, what their best uses are… if my family likes to use particular pieces.

#cat #bowl #stoneware #wheelthrown #waxresist #wildcat #claw #slowfired #cone8 #handthrown #handcrafted #design #makersmovement #maker #modernceramics #pottery #clay #designer #tableware #artist #artisan #stilllife #contemporaryceramics #vessels #craftmanship #ceramicbowl #craft #designermaker #artisan #perthart

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Each trimming session is a commitment to trying to repeat or improve on an idea. Then I can see how it functions and looks over bisque, glazing and use… and keep moving forward.

Mostly I'm signing with my whole name, and the year MMXIX. Sometimes a drawing as well. This is time consuming, but I’m not a production potter and the pieces are hand-painted with original drawings, so that extra minute of signing is my way of trying to make a distinction. ‘This is going to be an artwork. I am going to separate this piece from others.’ I know that my pottery skills are only at their beginning, but my drawings are something I have been building upon over many years.

I want to keep working until the pottery meets with the drawings. Right now, that’s a 1 in 100 chance, but work long and hard enough and with a little luck I’ll raise the odds.

I’m ambitious enough to hope that my drawings will improve too!

I also am still insecurely using a massive amount of clay for my lugs to attach this small plate to the wheel. He’s not going anywhere!

#keramik #セラミックス #陶器 #céramique #poterie #cerámica #陶瓷 #도기류 #도예 #ceramic #trimming #porcelain #leatherhard #footring #venco #sunbeams #perthart #perthceramics #australianceramics #shadows #summer

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Squished teacup.

This is my favourite teacup. I made him a while ago now. I was so proud as I finished my trimming and held him up. He had thin even walls, wasn’t bottom heavy, he was probably my first perfect cup. I went to put him on the bat and flubbed it and he was on the floor. Disgusted and infuriated with myself I picked up this misshapen bent out casualty. He even had a small gouge in him. Silently with poker face on, I gently squeezed him back to a round and placed him back on the board. I don’t know why I kept him, but I did. When he came out of the bisque firing, I loved how he fitted in my hand.

The slightly bent out shape kind of surprises the hand as it closes over the cup. Like it was so soft that it distorted from the pressure of being grasped. You kind of squeeze the cup to reassure yourself and feel this lovely solidity.

So, he got lovingly glazed, and this is also how I discovered my favourite glaze combination for wax resist.

#cat #teacup #stoneware #wheelthrown #waxresist #wildcat #claw #slowfired #cone8 #handthrown #handcrafted #design #makersmovement #maker #modernceramics #pottery #clay #teabowl #tableware #artist #artisan #stilllife #contemporaryceramics #vessels #craftmanship #tea #craft #designermaker #artisan #perthart

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This is my first attempt at a double gourd. He’s more squat than I envisioned but has nice even walls and a sound weight to him. I am keeping all my first attempts at new shapes. They tend to be made with the last ball of clay as a reward at the end of a session, OR, have been made in a series of attempts. I’m very soft with myself when I try a new shape. I have a specific goal and a set of criterion, but I allow myself to play about a bit and I don’t destroy my attempts (straight away) but instead line them up in a progression.

One of the perks of these more experimental pieces is the freedom with which I approach their glazing. Very often I get my best glazing results with these more reckless pieces. On this guy the design of the wax resist is semi-obscured, but it lends interest to the piece. I like to leave fingerprints and drips from the second dipping and here I encouraged a bit of bubbling. It’s a miracle that the surface is unbroken, but it is. Sound and functional.

#stoneware #wheelthrown #waxresist #gourd #vase #doublegourd #bottle #ceramic #handthrown #handcrafted #design #makersmovement #maker #modernceramics #pottery #clay #designer #tableware #artist #artisan #stilllife #contemporaryceramics #vessels #craftmanship #ceramicbottle #craft #designermaker #artisan #perthart #Australianart

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This type of amazing surface is why I persist with the wax resist painting technique despite the sometimes disappointing or unpredictable results.