A NEW CYCLE, A NEW MONTH

I am beginning a new cycle today and will be throwing a group of porcelain and stoneware pieces. The porcelain will mostly be to black slip and carve and the stoneware for a variety of techniques. I carefully plan out what to throw in advance to maximize use of the kiln space. This group will be composed of carved bowls, shallow wall bowls, covered jars and a few teabowls and using bowls.

A new cycle also means needing to make up white and black slips and several glazes. All part and parcel of making pots. I normally clean my wheel and throw the porcelain first and then move on to stoneware to avoid contaminating the porcelain as best I can in a studio that uses porcelain, stoneware and terra cotta. I usually throw the covered pieces last. Not sure why, just out of habit.

This kiln load is all spec work, in other words, no orders for this firing. This gives me a certain flexibility with how I decorate, though I tend to have a set group of styles and unless some new test glaze becomes a game changer, I stick to what I know and like. I am also going to use my old amber glaze (Funky Amber) again for the first time in a while. Following the lead of calcining some of the material in my other glazes, I reworked the FA amber glaze recipe to include calcining and added a pinch more frit and it would seem 99% of the crawling has been eliminated. We will see how it responds in an actual firing on something more than a test cup. I always keep my fingers crossed when it comes to glazing, but first I need to throw, trim and bisque before I can get there.