Cay Denise

Today, I threw a couple of bowls, but my ability to center was not working.  It could have been partly due to the new-to-me clay I tried using.  In addition, I trimmed three others.  One of those three ended up being very experimental...in that I tried a version of mishima on the interior of the bowl.  Mishima is a technique of painting a leather-hard vessel with an underglaze(s), then waxing the layer, and finally...carving a design in the underglaze/wax surface before the vessel is fired into bisque. I tried it, and we'll see how it comes out.    Below are the five vessels of Batch #8 that I brought home today.  Of them, there are two new things I tried.  The stripy one was done with one base layer plus a second layer of alternating painted stripes of the base color and mulberry.  The other first is where I used a base layer and added two different lip colors of different widths. Lately, I've noticed other potters getting some great results...

The photo shows my newest batch of finished glazed pieces.  I'm still in experimental mode where glazes are concerned. In addition, I'm going to be exploring painting with underglazes.  They allow the painting of designs.  There is also a broader range of spectrum colors with underglazes, though they tend to be more translucent when fired - at least that's my impression.  I have yet to prove myself right, and that day is coming soon. I will have some bowls to share soon.  In creating a few, I've learned that using heavier clay (3 lbs. instead of 2 lbs.) makes a big difference in what you can wheel-throw, and bowls is one of them.    

Louise Fletcher's 'Creative Reset' taster was excellent this year.  She re-worked the entire content, and it was better than ever.  So much so, that I've signed up for her 13-week 'Find Your Joy' course that begins next Monday, September 15th!   I've finished most of the pre-work that she and her team have staged in the online 'hub' where all the course content lives.  One part of that is reviewing all our work and placing photos of the pieces we love in a journal for the class - along with the reason we love those selections.  In doing this, I've seen so much growth in my work because most of my selections were created after the last Find Your Joy that I took.  Stay tuned for sharings along the way...