RaKu MaNia

Pottery is a creative passion shared by many. It brings people together who are likeminded and equally passionate about the same thing. I recently had the pleasure of meeting a new friend brought about by a our shared love for clay and raku firing. Rhonda Morris lives about 30 - 40 mins from my home in Appin NSW and we met for the first time simply because we share an interest. We intially met via the American website 'Cone 6 & Other Ways With Clay' www.cone6pots.ning.com The founder of the website George Lewter was calling for potters around the world to host a raku firing day and invite potters to get together for this event. As it turned out, Rhonda and I are were the only two in the world that ended up getting together for a raku firing day. Rhonda and I had a lovely afternoon. We chatted, glazed pots then as the sun went down we set up for the firing. Despite a very windy evening, our raku firing was fun and a success. It is definately something that I would love to do again. Here are some pics of our firing.

Waiting for the Raku Kiln to reach temperature. This is a kiln i made myself. Details in earlier post on this blog.

What a beautiful sight to behold. Nothing beats opening the kiln and taking out red hot pots.

I was taking pots out of the kiln and Rhonda was adding additional reduction material and putting on lids

Fast and exciting!

Don't fall in the pool Rhonda!

Rhonda's pots straight out of the redction bins, prior to being cleaned

View of my pots in the reduction bin



My pots after alot of scrubbing!

 The next night and the following week, I did other firings on my own. Talk about hectic! I dropped one pot in the rush of getting them all out before they got too cool. Here are the results of some of those pots.

'Under the Sea Sculptural Pots' - Raku Fired



Detail of reduction on one of the 'Barnicles pot'



Detail of light reduction - Copper red in cracks

Japanese style Ikebana Vase - White Crackle, Raku Fired

Tea Light Candle Holders, Raku Fired - Copper Matt glaze with some nice reduction

Set of 3 Square Raku Fired White Crackle -  Art Deco Style Vases

Large Open Plate - Raku Fired White Crackle with Copper Wash highlights

Detail of Underside of Raku Fired Plate

Thanks to Rhonda Morris for a great day and for letting me know about the 'Mud Colony' via facebook www.mudcolony.blogspot.com

Darwin Trip for Creative Inspiration

A recent holiday with my family to the Northern Territory gave me some renewed creative inspiration. It is a harsh and beautiful place at the same time. A landscape like no other. Not going into much detail as the photos say it all. I was a fantastic place to visit and we have some great memories to take with us forever.

Handprints in Clay

Here are some examples of some Clay Handprint Impressions I have done recently at my daughters local Day Care Centre. These lovely little treasures can be admired for years to come by parents and relatives. I have tried to keep them fairly inexpensive and at $35 each for what you see in the photos, so they are quite affordable too. The whole process is quite simple. I take along pre-rolled soft slabs to the day care centre and have the children press their hands straight into the soft clay. I then bring them home to trim and decorate. They take about a week to dry and are then fired twice in my kiln. I am looking at expanding to other day care centres in my area in the coming months. If you are interested in finding out more about these, please email me and I will be happy to answer any questions. Or call me direct on mobile 0418 180 636.

Clay Handprint Impression - Violet Underglaze and Clear Glaze

Clay Handprint Impression - Green Underglaze and Clear Glaze

Clay Handprint Impression - Cobalt Blue Underglaze and Clear Glaze



Clay Handprint Impression - Red Underglaze and Clear Glaze



Botanical Theme Pinch Pots

I made a heap of these little pinch pots to sell at the markets. My inspiration came from doing a bit of gardening and appreciating all the different textures of the various plants in our garden. They are a nice little piece to sell, that can be used as a trinket bowl for rings, ear rings, paperclips etc. People don't seem to think much about parting with a few dollars as a pose to the more expensive pieces. I really enjoyed making them. Single fired to 1200 deg c, I underglazed the textured areas inside and then it wiped back to highlight the plant design, then a clear glaze was applied to the inside only. The underside was left unglazed, as I like the contrast to the glazed interior and also shows the fingermarks of the maker during the making process giving them a very earthy and handmade quality.

Here is the clear glaze recipe that I call 'Perfect Clear'.

Perfect Clear (can also be single fired)
Cone 5 -6

Soda Feldspar            40
Gerstley Borate           30
Ball Clay                     20
Silica                           10

It is good to brush on with a wide mop brush and seems to even out nicely during firing.



Small Botanical Pinch Pots single fired to Cone 6



Botanical Pinch Pots

 

Raku Leaf Vase and Ammonite Vase

Here are a couple of Raku fired pieces that I made recently.

I used some leaves from my garden to make the leaf design on the front. It was made by wrapping a soft slab around a cylinder, then after removing the cylinder, I pushed the top together and pushed a dowel right through to make the hole. A base was added and impressed decoration once the piece was a little firmer.

To decorate, I brushed copper carbonate onto the bisque fired surface then washed back a little so that the copper carb remained in the textured areas. The whole pot was then sprayed with a 'White Crackle' and glazed and fired to 1000deg cent in my raku kiln.

Raku Fired  'Leaf Vase' with White Crackle glaze and Copper Carb detail

Here is another piece I call the 'Ammonite Vase'...



Raku Fired 'Ammonite Vase' with White Crackle and Amethyst Glaze





















Waiting for some fine weather to fire some more pieces that I have ready....

Mucking Around With 'Dry Glazing' Techniques - Cone 6

Dry Glazes and Engobes for Cone 6

This is obviously NOT to be used for functional pieces (for those that are new to ceramics), only sculptural pieces. Best when used over heavy texture, carving, sprigging etc and applying the engobe in varying thicknesses in combination with the dry glaze.

These recipes and techniques come from an Australian ceramic artist by the name of Simone Fraser. I have long admired Simone’s work. The recipes and techniques below were obtained whilst studying ceramics at Hornsby TAFE some years ago. Her website is well worth a visit to see some examples of how she still uses these engobes, dry glazes and techniques. http://www.simonefraser.com.au/

Step One - Apply Engobe to leatherhard clay over texture and bisque fire to Cone 06. You can cover the entire tile/piece or sponge back in places to reveal the clay body underneath, which gives you another variation (very nice).

I don't nearly have enough texture on these tiles for this to work effectively, but at least it's a guide. When heavier texture is used, it gives the ability to apply the engobe thickly and then remove some in the high areas giving better results.

Photo below is just to give you an idea of the colour of the engobe on its own after bisque firing. You can also add more oxide quantity to each engobe base than I have here. Additionally, you can make up other colours. Up to you. Test, test, test. The engobes don't look like much when initially fired to Cone 06 but at Cone 6 with dry glazes etc over the top, they work their magic.

Engobe Base Recipe

Eckalite                60

Silica                    20

Potash Feldspar  20

Bentonite              3

Step Two - After bisque firing the engobed tiles, I apply various oxides washes over engobes then sponge off/back in completely in areas to ensure that the underlying engobe is also visible.

NOTE: In all of the tiles shown here I have used a 'Rutile' wash (resulting in red) and a 'Manganese' wash (resulting in a metallic dark brown to black). You will notice that the wash is prominent in the deeper texture here but that is up to you. Also, other oxides work too. Again test.

When I was taught at college, we were only taught to use the engobe and dry glazes in combinations. I have found that adding the oxides wash just adds another dimension.

Step Three - I then sponge on the 'Dry Glazes' so that they appear on the very top surface. This allows the underlying engobe, oxide wash and clay surface to show through.

There are endless possibilities with this dry glazing technique. They can be sponged on, dipped, brushed on and then wiped back. I like sponging on or brushing using a stiff fan brush as it then just touches the surface as I am trying to keep the deeper texture free from glaze.

I have not covered all the variations as they are endless. I find that it works well to use contrasting engobes/oxides under the glaze to achieve the best results.

Here are 3 tiles and how I decorated each one. I see that I have alot of improving to do with this techniques, but trial and error is the key to success.  

Tile One

This tile has the following;

·         Engobe with 4% Chrome added to the base. Painted covering the entile tile.

·         Rutile wash on the left and Manganese wash on the right and sponged back lightly in places.

·         Cobalt Dry Glaze (Base with 2% Cobalt) sponged all over the very surface, making sure not to sponge in deeper textured areas.

Tile Two

This tile has the following;

·         Engobe with 1.5% Cobalt Carb added to the base. Painted covering the entile tile.

·         Rutile wash on the left and Manganese wash on the right and sponged back lightly in places.

·         Moss Green/Brown Dry Glaze (Base with 3.5% Yellow Iron Ox plus 3% Copper Carb) sponged all over the very surface, making sure not to sponge in deeper textured areas. Moss Green/Brown tends to be green where heavier and moss brown were lighter application is achieved.

Tile Three

This tile has the following;

·         Engobe with 8% Iron Ox added to the base. Painted covering the entile tile.

·         Rutile wash on the left and Manganese wash on the right and sponged back lightly in places.

·         Cobalt Dry Glaze (Base with 2% Cobalt) sponged all over the very surface, making sure not to sponge in deeper textured areas.

Dry Glaze Base Recipe

Eckalite 2                    23 (I think EPK would be a sub, as Eckalite is a Kaolin)

Soda Feldspar             16

Whiting (calc carb)     28

Molochite #200           23

Frit 4193                      8

Add; 2% Cobalt for Blue

         3.5% Yellow Iron Ox plus 3% Copper Carb for Moss Green / Brown

         6% Copper Carb for Apple Green (i did not have an example of that          

          variation above)

Reliable Cone 6 Glaze - Chrome Tin Red

Flower Sculpture Glazed in Chrome Tin Red at Cone 6

This flower sculpture was made some months ago now and intended to be used on a steel rod in the garden. However, it looks just a nice sitting on a table. I have glazed this piece using a Cone 6 glaze called Chrome Tin Red. Its one of the most reliable cone 6 glazes I have ever used and you can experiment as I have done, by over spraying with other glazes to see what happens. Here I have used 'Fake Blue Ash' and a glaze called 'Nutmeg'. I used a white earthenware paperclay from 'Blackwattle Pottery' located in Ingleburn NSW. John manufactures his own clays onsite and I have found them to be excellent. The white earthenware clay I buy from John are recommended to be fired to 1150 deg c from memory, but I find it fires to 1200c with no issues to date. I have also used his 'White Grog Raku' clay for my raku pieces.

Here is the recipe for 'Chrome Tin Red' Cone 6 Glaze' - sometimes known as 'Raspberry Red' or 'Burgundy Red'

 

Whiting                       21.00 grams

Gerstley Borate            8.00

Edgar Plastic Kaolin     9.00

Talc                              4.00

Custer Feldspar         31.00

Ferro Frit 3134             9.00

Silica                          18.00

Tin oxide                      5.00

Chrome oxide              0.2

Total                        105.20 grams 

		Here is another Chrome Tin Red/Pink glaze that is also reliable. 'Chrome Tin Red/Pink' Cone 6 (Glossy) Gerstley Borate            21.00 grams Nepheline Syenite       16.00 Edgar Plastic Kaolin    11.00 Whiting                        20.00 Silica                           32.00 Tin oxide                     05.00 Chrome oxide                0.2 Total                         105.20 grams
		No fussy around with the firing of this glaze and I have found that it fires well no matter what the firing schedule, but I would recommend a hold for 1/2 hr at around 900c on the way back down. I have even used this glaze in single firing with good results. Good luck and drop me a line to let me know what you think of this glaze.