THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF Cu & Fe2O3

I have been playing around with one of my base glazes for some time trying to see how far I can go with it and trying to create a specific type of “glaze runner” that I am interested in. I first altered the glaze by adding large amount of red iron oxide to it and from there began adding amounts of talc and copper. As I moved the amounts of copper and red iron around, I ended up with a very runny, iron saturate glaze that was highly refractory on its own, but showed promise over the basic base glaze.

Over time and some fine tuning, I ended up with a partridge feather (yamatorige) style running glaze that exhibits copper, golden and red iron tones. Though just in its beginning stages, it appears I can control the length of the running, by varying the thickness of application. If you have looked around my blog at all, it may be apparent that I like glazes that are very glassy and also ones that are very runny. I am not sure why, but it may have to do with my interest in wood fired pots with runny ash tamadare and glassy bidoro. At any rate, there would seem to be a number of applications that I can “run” with for this glaze and I have yet to try it on a more or less horizontal surface. One thing at a time.

This bottle was dipped and then pulled out 1/3 and then again out 1/3 to get three degrees of thickness. The three levels are relatively easy to see in the first picture. The teabowl had the interior poured and then in for one 4 count dip. That surface had a wide array of effects and this partridge feather glaze needs more testing and more pots to glaze. It is always nice when you can actually get to where you are going……………..