The Ceramic Knot

Early Halloween

August 10, 2021

So a few weeks ago we went to a new store nearby called At Home. It was like Bed, Bath, and Beyond on steroids. They were just setting up their Halloween section and I snagged these placemats.

Just got around to using them and made this serving bowl. Some of the smaller pieces of the placemat didn't quite come out. Have a piece upside down right now with the spiderweb that I'm not sure will come out. It ended up too thin to get all the corners.

canning

Canning tomato sauce

August 07, 2021

It's August and that means it's tomato season. There is a place by us that sells boxes of not perfect ones for $15 a box. Spent most of today skinning, coring, and processing roughly 65 pounds of tomatoes into marinara sauce. Ended up with 36 pint and 7 quart jars. If we are going to make it to next spring I'm going to have to pick up a few more, but I'm almost out of jars. Have a lot of canned stuff right night in jars, maybe need to binge on jam.

glaze

Kiln Results 8/3

August 06, 2021

There are times when you look into the kiln and just go OMG I made that! The first hexagon plate below with the fern is probably the most beautiful thing I've ever made. I took multiple pictures of it and none of them do it justice. In person its like looking into a pond and seeing a perfectly preserved fern leaf under water. I am in awe of it and can't believe I made it.

Really happy with everything that came out of the kiln. I think this is the most monochrome kiln I've ever done. Almost everything is green, but with all the leaf and lily pad imprints I was really feeling the green.

Fern was rolled into wet clay and then a 50/50 mixture of gersley borate and red iron oxide was brushed on. Clayscapes Oribe poured on with a thick coat	Seriously how gorgeous is this plate?
Left two: Georgie's Autumn Foliage wiped back with Georgie's Zinc Free Clear x3 outside. Mayco Winterwood x3 and Amaco Seaweed x2 inside Right: Georgie's Sand and Surf wiped back with Georgie's Zinc Free Clear x3 outside. Amaco Wasabi x3 and Seaweed x2 inside	Better view of the inside
Left: Speedball black undergaze wiped back Kentucky Mudworks Seaside x3 Right: Speedball black undergaze wiped back Kentucky Mudworks Celestine x3	Left: Speedball black underglaze wiped back Kentucky Mudworks Jade Moss x3 Right: Ivy Mason Stain wiped back Mayco Just Froggy x3
Speedball black underglaze wiped back Clayscapes Oribe poured	Iron oxide wiped back Clayscapes Oribe poured
Fern was rolled into wet clay and then a 50/50 mixture of gersley borate and red iron oxide was brushed on. Clayscapes Oribe poured on with a thick coat	Left Top: Speedball black underglaze wiped back Kentucky Mudworks Ocean Mist x3 Left Bottom: Speedball black underglaze wiped back Coyote Chrome Green x2 Middle Top: Speedball Leaf Green Underglaze 2167 Clear x2 Middle Bottom: Speedball black underglaze wiped back Mayco Green Opal x3 Right: Cobalt Wash Mayco Sour Apple x3
Speedball black wiped back Mayco Sour Apple x3	Red Iron Oxide Wiped Back Amaco Rainforest x3, Marigold x3, Swipes of Deep Sea and Indigo Float
Speedball Black underglaze wiped back Amaco Wasabi x3	Speedball Green wiped on the clay (I made a mistake that turned out happy), Coyote's Pam's Green x3
Top Left:Speedball Black Wiped Back Kentucky Mudworks Jade Moss x3 Bottom Left: Ivy Mason Stain Wiped Back Kentucky Mudworks Jade Moss x3 Top Right: Ivy Mason Stain Wiped Back Mayco Green Opal x3 Bottom Right: Speedball Black Wiped Back Mayco Green Opal x3	Speedball black wiped back Amaco Aqua x3
All Mayco Stroke and Coat with a top coat of 2167 clear Flowers - Meloncholy and Jack o' Lantern; Leaves - Sour Apple; Ribbon - Butter Me Up	All Mayco Stroke and Coat x3 Mandala from the center out Meloncholy, Blue Yonger, Cutie Pie Coral, Aquard, Rosey Posey, Moody Blues Over the Mandala - Speckled Pink a Dot Outer rim mixture of Meloncholy and Rosey Posey
Cobalt Wash Amaco Wasabi x3	Watercolor like effect on the leaf imprints - Mayco Just Froggy, Army Surplus, and Sour Apple. 2167 Clear on top
Speedball Avocado 2167 Clear

glaze

Kiln Results 7/29

August 02, 2021

I knew that before I could do another bisque firing I needed to clear my ready for the kiln shelves or I'd run out of room. There were several big pieces that I just hadn't been able to fit in, including a very large platter. The first picture is of the leaf bowl that gave me so much trouble. Before bisque a leaf fell off. I tried to reattach it, but in the glaze firing it fell off again. I sanded down the leaf that fell, refired it, and then glued it on - you can't even see it!

I was also doing a lot of experiments with green's this kiln because I have a ton of lily pad stuff coming through next. Searching for the best green's. My favorites were the Oribe, Wasabi, and Sour Apple. What are yours?

Coyote Pam's Green	Left: Clayscapes Cobblestone and Lake Blue Right: Clayscapes Cobblestone and Spearmint
Amaco Snapdragon x3	Sanbao Transfer Jessica Putnam Phillips 2167 Clear
Mayco Blue Opal x3 Night Moth x2	Amaco Deep Firebrick x3 Mayco Night Moth x2
Mayco Green Opal x3 Night Moth x2	Left: Speedball Black Clayscapes Oribe Right: Speedball Black Coyote Chrome Green x3
Speedball Black Deep Sea x3	Speedball Black Storm x3
Left: Clayscapes Oribe Right: Amaco Aqua x3 Amaco Lustrous Jade x2	Cobalt Blue Amaco Lavendar x3
Sanbao Transfer, Speedball Royal Blue Rim, Ceramic Shop Clear	Speedball Black Clayscapes Oribe
Speedball Black Amaco Aqua x3	Flowers and Handle: Mayco Stroke and Coat Candy Apple Red, Jack o' Lantern Center I didn't write the rest down, 2167 Clear over it all
Speedball colors listed, 2167 clear on top	Mayco Stroke and Coat Candy Apple Red, Army Surplus, Amaco Smoke
Left Top: Speedball Black Amaco Rainforest x3 Left Bottom: Speedball Black Mayco Army Surplus x3 Right Top: Speedball Black Mayco Sour Apple x3 Right Bottom: Speedball Black Amaco Wasabi x3	Left: Speedball Black Mayco Green Thumb x3 Right Top: Speedball Black Mayco Amaco Dark Green x3 Right Bottom: Speedball Black Mayco Just Froggy x3
Kentucky Mudworks Blue Suede Shoes x3