TAKI

I finally got the kiln fired on Friday and was able to unload by late Saturday afternoon. The results were mostly good with a few pieces just not making the grade, but that is to be expected. The two altered and paddled vases made it through the firing and each has something different to say. The larger of the two came out mostly a tempered green with hints of browns and greens intermixed. The smaller vase came out with a wider array of surface effects from rich green areas where the glaze pooled to running waterfalls (taki) at the lugs where the glaze built up and flowed down freely in a cascade of varying hues. I am constantly amazed at what can be done with Oribe style glazes and copper in particular and each and every firing adds another chapter to the mystery of possibilities, not only about the surfaces but what one person can make with nothing more than a lump of wet clay, a handful of different powders and a little heat.

"It is the dim haze of mystery that adds enchantment to pursuit."  Antoine Rivarol (1753-1801)