New Pots, Always Fun!

And yes, all fired at home in cone 6 oxidation. And, I like the results. Progress!

This blue is going to stay as one of my favorite glazes. I love the way it runs, but clear glaze near the bottom  -- it really runs.

I tried to get a mixed blue/purple on these but made the blue too thick and the red too thin; the details matter.

Definitely another favorite glaze. It shows the iron spots in speckled clay wonderfully. Why the white/blue drippy effect? No idea.

Several months ago, at the Norton Simon Museum, we found these gigantic sycamore leaves, and I, of course, saw pots in them. About a foot across, and the real leaf, except for the veins. Those I drew, looking at a real leaf.

And a big fig leaf from our tree. I like the realistic leaves, though there is no reason pots need to be real leaf forms. I guess those are just very attractive shapes in themselves.

 Here's another leaf shape, used unrealistically. These are patterned on a nasturtium leaf from our yard. Little plates, for tea bags or as a spoon rest, or whatever you think of. Someone told me she needed a small plate for her retainer! And another way around the loss of the UCSD Crafts Center: I've missed the glaze sprayer, been unwilling to buy an air compressor just for this use. But there is a small mouth blown (blow hard!) sprayer for small amounts of sprayed glaze, ok just for effect over glazes applied some other way.

I love this field. There's no end of things to discover and learn.

Form and the Details that Matter

I've been developing a shape for jars or casseroles (same thing, choose your use). It's shape that attracts me to pots, more than color even, and far more than decoration.

I do not have much education in art or aesthetics, and so am not sure who knows this or can jump right to the best form. For me, it is often a surprise or discovery to find a good form. I think as I become a more skilled potter, I am improving both in hand and eye. 

This was the first pot in this shape. I like the handle and the rolled rim of the pot. Otherwise, kind of boring.

When it comes out well, the handle really swirls. It's light, simple and loose, and very practical --just what I like.

Ah, better when the sides slope in, on both pot and lid. The rim has a lift to it too. I'm not sure if that's as good as the rolled edge.

OK. This is it. The sloping sides, the lifted rim, the and a continuous line from pot sides up the sides of the lid. Still having trouble getting those lids to sit evenly on the pot.

This one worked well. And a safe glaze that should look good with food.