Sunday Ceramics 17

Hello out there in internet land, I just remembered that today is Mothers day, so to those of you who have Mothers I hope you enjoy your day. For the rest of us, the motherless ones, today is a day to avoid the internet. The outward show of affection or affectation that annoys me the most today is the football commentators wearing flowers in their lapels. I do not know why it is this token that makes me so stabby, but it does and so later on I shall be glaring daggers at the TV if the footy is on.

Enough grumbling from me.

How was your week in your studio?

Mine has been busy. I spent a couple of afternoons inside by the fire making skull beads as rewards for Dr Mel Thomson a infectious disease researcher at Deakin University, Pozible Fundraiser, Hips For Hipsters, 

Dr Thomson says,

Every week, I sit in the clinical infectious disease meetings at Barwon Health. Every 3-4 weeks, there is a ‘bad customer’ described that has one or more infected implants, usually in their Hips, caused by biofilms. These can lead to secondary problems with heart valves becoming infected as well. Sometimes these patients cannot undergo revision surgery or have failed such treatments. So are left with no hips. This is usually due to the failure of all currently available antibiotic therapies. 

They always look offended as I stab a feather through their head to make the hole.

I unpacked the kiln in time to take the SOOPER SEKRIT Mothers days gifts down to the local primary school. The kindergarten children had made their mum’s small bowls that they had pressed a doily into to make patterns and then they painted the bowls with coloured slip. I was given a round of applause and a jar of jam that the children had made and my grand son seemed very pleased that his Nanny was a potter.

I was very pleased that all the work had survived as it is a huge responsibility firing things for children.

My Clay Kids have been making fairy houses and assorted treasures and this week the only thing in kiln that was my work, was some tests and a handful of spoons.

The tests shown below were interesting in that I am now thinking about testing again after having a year or two of just using my basic palette of reliable glazes. The slip painted onto bisque ware flaked off where it was applied thickly as I expected it to. I had been hoping that it might stick as there is a clay down at Bruny island that fires to a lovely purply red that sticks well to bisque. All in all the two tests didnt produce any surprises here.

The top body is a walkers ten, and I have glazed with a clear glaze. The next body is a clayworks CRT and I glazed with a Matt Glaze. The blue is a cobalt test.

The test pieces shown below were fired to cone 9 and the KR is easily snapped in half. The 50/50 KR and Ball clay, snaps in half with minimal pressure as well. The KR and Fire clay mix is as porous but stronger and the Clayworks LGH and KR mix is strong but boring.

So I think I will go with my original plan for this commission and just use the KR as a glaze, rather than in the body.

It was so cold in the studio the other day that I painted spring flowers onto some espresso cups and I shall put these cups into my shop once I have taken a better photo, probably tomorrow, if I remember. I am never going to be a zillionaire.

That is it from me for the week. Now I am off to get ready for CLAY CLUB. (yay)

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