Finished Pieces and The Creative Roller Coaster

I couldn't sleep at all last night; my head was buzzing with new and exciting ideas. I was almost tempted to get up and start working on them straight away!

I left home to collect my fired pieces tonight in a good mood. I had a few questions to ask the tutor as well. I was interested to know why some ceramic pieces crack in cold weather and some don't - apparently it's to do with the moisture content in the piece, so the problem can be solved by using stoneware (which is water tight even without glaze) rather than earthenware (which is quite porous), and firing at a reasonably high temperature. (Please correct me if I've got a little bit muddled - my tutor doesn't always explain things very well)

I was also interested to know why he fires specifically at 1220c every time, when there is a range of temperatures suitable for the clay and glazes. He said that he had found 1220 was the optimum temperature for the glazes that we use at class. I beg to differ, seeing as I have used the cream glaze twice now (on my little head and also on the "Yes I Can" mug) and both times it has left a bubbled surface. So I have a "Yes I Can" mug with a finish that says "No I Can't". *Rolls her eyes*


He said he buys a clear glaze and adds other ingredients for the colours. The top firing range for the clear glaze is 1220. Common sense tells me that one should fire slightly lower than the top temperature to allow for temperature variations in the kiln, and I also know that adding other ingredients can alter the temperature at which a glaze vitrifies.

Talking of temperature variations in the kiln, this plate and mug were fired in the hottest part of the kiln, and the lovely brown colour that I was expecting has turned into this awful green, which proves my point about not firing at the maximum temperature really. (I'm not sure if the colour shows very well in the photo, but trust me, it's awful) I'm sure he wouldn't do anything as stupid as that with his own pieces.




The plate had warped really badly. The tutor said it could be my clay, as I don't know what the firing temperature for it is, or because the plate needed to be thicker. Oh well, it's a learning curve. How do other people make thin plates without them warping?


I've been looking at other glazes recently and asked my tutor if I could use my own, but he said he wouldn't fire the pieces because it's "too risky". Personally, I don't see what the risk is - if the temperature is within the firing range then what's the problem? And we've already proved that glaze run issues can be overcome.

So once again I feel like my progress is being hindered. It is so frustrating. I just want to learn and progress and improve.

The only pieces I was reasonably happy with tonight were the ones I had least expectation of - my roasting dishes. The small one (light green - achieved by using white glaze first and then green) is a bit patchy, but like I said, I had some trouble glazing it - the glaze was rubbing off in other areas when I was trying to clean the bottom. At least I can have some toad in the hole now!



These have warped slightly in the middle too. I'm guessing that it's because of the quality of the clay at class?

Has anyone else had problems with glazes bubbling? Is it because of the temperature? Actually, has anyone else had these problems with tutors?

Monday's Fun

As you know my clay class came to an end last week, but just as Cynthia said, that doesn't mean I have to stop making things! I felt a bit lost last night though, and I have to wonder what I did with my time before clay - I can't imagine life without it now.

Anyway, I thought my Mum's mug looked so much like a plant pot that I decided to make a plant pot in a similar design. Is this how ideas evolve?



If you compare these photo's to the mug in the post below you'll see that the mug is more "upright" for want of a better description. Looking at it now I see that I could have made this plant pot wider still, but sometimes such a small change can make such a big difference, so I wasn't sure how wide to take it. I have made small drainage holes in the bottom of this pot, so I still need to make a little dish for the pot to sit in. I'm trying not to worry too much about the fact that it's wonky, seeing as it will probably shrink and warp anyway!

I keep forgetting to mention the fact that I gave my little coil built pot away. I was a bit nervous as to whether the recipient would like it or not, but she loved it, and said "It's very rustic looking! I love rustic things!" Ahem. So moving swiftly on...

It appears my tutor does more than rustic. Anita spotted this lovely little collection by him at our local theatre. I love that Celadon glaze. I think all of these pieces are made from porcelain. Sorry about the photo's.




This evening I collect my glazed pieces!

Mum's Mug - Take Two

Last night I made my Mum's mug "for real". I showed my Mum the trial mug and she really liked the lino cut print on the side, but she wanted a bigger handle. She also preferred the shape of the flower mug and really liked the idea of having some flowers on her mug too, so I combined both designs and came up with this:


(The photo's are even worse than usual because they're taken in artificial light - it was just too wet and dark outside to take the photo's at the back door today.)

This is a monster of a mug! In fact it's so big it looks more like a plant pot with a handle attached! I'm not sure how much it will shrink though - the trial mug started out taller than an ordinary sized mug and is now fractionally shorter!


The trial mug is still wider though and holds 475ml or 17fl oz, compared to the usual 300ml or 10.5fl oz. I wonder how much this new mug will hold?


I suppose I'll have to wait until January to find out!

My Last Ceramics Class :(

...well, until January anyway, but it's too long! It feels like forever!

I got to class late this week. I was feeling really unwell but I was determined to go and finish that vase! Thankfully it wasn't too dry at all, but I decided to just add three more leaves and then call it finished. Just three more leaves! What a shame I didn't have time to do that in the previous lesson - it could have been dry enough to fire by now! Now I shall have to wait until January. Oh well. That'll teach me to talk less!

My tutor was very pleasant and complimentary again! Maybe we just got off to a bad start? (Or maybe I over-reacted about the glazing issue?) Or maybe he's really shy and feels more comfortable with us all now? (Although some of the students go back year after year, so he knows them well) Or maybe he's just really happy that he won't have a class for five weeks?!

Next week I shall go in to pick up all my glazed pieces. I never did make any test tiles - I suppose these early pieces have become my test tiles really. My expectations aren't very high for the roasting dishes as I had a bit of a struggle glazing them, but I really hope the flower plate and mug come out well, which I glazed last night. We shall see...

Sonnet of the Sea

It's interesting how we all feel connected to different things. For Jafabrit it's trees, for me it's the sea. What do you feel connected to?

Sonnet of the Sea

Barefoot, I stand upon the sandy shore
The wind blows freely through my misted hair
The roaring of the sea fills me with awe
I'm energized, and left without a care

My very soul calls out to the expanse
If I could walk on water, I would run
Oh sea, you have seduced me, I'm entranced
I long for you and I to become one

I fall upon my knees and grip the sand
Just please don't tear me from this place I be
The power of my soul, at your command
If I should leave my life will part from me

But now I'm "home" with no words to convey
Just what it was I found and lost that day

by Linda Dixon

Edit: I hadn't titled this piece until it came to writing this post, and I've just realised my obvious mistake - that this is a Sonnet, not an Ode.

It's all about the Journey

Oh yes, it's all about the journey on this blog, so you get to see everything, good or bad, and this is definitely bad!



This is my still life drawing from last night's class. We could draw anything we wanted, and I wanted a challenge, and boy was it! For some reason the photograph seems completely different from what I was looking at! Who says the camera never lies? Even so, I know that the horn at the top is too narrow, and the nose is too short (I should add that this drawing is unfinished). I need practice! But this was the last drawing and painting class for six weeks. Where can I find a skull from? *Linda looks around at possible candidates for beheading*

Anyway, I know I was supposed to be skipping the last drawing class and going to my clay class again last night, but I got a call during the day saying that the clay class had been cancelled. Unfortunately, thinking I was going to be working on my vase the following night, I didn't put a damp paper towel in with it, so I don't know if it will be damp enough to work on next week. I might have to call it finished. Also, although it might be too dry to work on, it won't be dry enough to fire because I've wrapped it in plastic. Of course if I could have gone in to class last night I would have left it to dry afterwards. Oh well. It happens. I'm sure the tutor wouldn't have cancelled the class without a very good reason.

I still have one more class left next week and I have re-enrolled for his classes starting in January. I know I moaned about my tutor before, but now that we have the glazing issue sorted out, he's actually not that bad. When I think about it, he might not be very enthusiastic or complimentary but he lets me go into class early and he allows me to bring pieces from home to be fired; I'm not sure if other tutors would. He also said he would help me to choose a clay that's right for me to work with at home, which I thought was nice. (I'm running out, and I wanted a nice white clay this time, but there are so many! It's quite confusing!)

I have a bit of a dilemma regarding classes. I really want to do more than one clay class next term. I have the chance to enrol on the Tuesday evening class with the same tutor, which would give me more time to finish the pieces I start on a Monday effectively, but that would mean that I won't be able to go to the drawing and painting class. There is another class nearer to home on a Tuesday, and I can see the benefits of having more than one tutor and possibly more glazes to choose from, but again I wouldn't be able to go to the drawing and painting class. I think there might be other classes held during the day time, but I won't know for sure until the prospectus comes out in January, and if there aren't any, by that time it will be too late to enrol on a Tuesday evening class because the spaces fill up quickly. I obviously need drawing practice though, so maybe I should stick with that class on a Tuesday!

This Week's Ceramic Class - Unbelievable

Remember me mentioning that miserable so-and-so of a tutor of mine who is critical and negative all the time? Well, I'm convinced he must be reading my blog! I took my flower mug into class tonight to be fired, and he said it was "excellent" and "very good"!! Wow! How amazing is that?!

I was hoping to finish my vase tonight but unfortunately, I didn't get as long to work on it as I was hoping for. I wanted to leave all my glazing until next week - the last week - but the tutor suggested I do some tonight in case everyone has the same idea and there ends up not being enough room in the kilns. So I didn't quite get to finish my vase but the tutor said I can go in tomorrow night to finish it. (If you're reading - thank you!)

Actually, I've decided I don't like glazing that much. When I'm a rich and famous potter (cough) I shall hire an assistant to do all my glazing for me, and then I can concentrate on the really fun bit - playing with clay!

I forgot to take my phone with me tonight (which has my camera on it) but a very nice lady in the class offered to take a picture for me and send it to my phone, so this is the vase so far!


I'm not sure how clear the picture is but that is supposed to be twine with ivy leaves cascading down. I'm not complaining about the photo at all - I was very grateful that the lady was willing to take the photo for me and send it to my phone, so I didn't want to push my luck by insisting she take a perfect photo! (Like any of mine are perfect!)

So, tomorrow night should have been the last drawing and painting class, but I've had to prioritise, and I shall go to the clay class instead. Next week I shall be glazing again.