A few words for the New Kid On the Block
Jul 11, 2015 17:21:23 GMT -6
Post by Avi on Jul 11, 2015 17:21:23 GMT -6
A few words for the New Kid On the Block
OK, so this is the way most of us started:
1. Buy a couple of books. The two I would recommend are
2. READ BOTH BOOKS FRONT TO BACK.
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to it.
Buy a stack of post-it notes and mark glazes and techniques that interest you so that you can find them again.
Pick out ONE base glaze from each book based on the 3110 frit (the most common and forgiving).
Pick 3 or 4 of the most common oxides to start with (copper carbonate, cobalt carbonate, red iron oxide, nickel oxide) and create some test glazes (ON PAPER) you would like to try some day.
Imagine what they are going to look like.
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to "Hey listen to this. Doesn't this sound interesting. I want to make this."
3. Think about a throwing or hand building style that will be compatible with a crystalline glaze. This is not Raku or Wood Fired pottery you're going to make. The gaze runs and creates its own patterns and designs. You will not be able to precisely control the where and how. Create a simple canvas and let the glaze speak for itself.
Think classic Greek and Roman forms not the busy art nouveau forms (yes I realize not all art nouveau forms are busy but you get the idea).
Look at the post Lattice Structures, Peter Ilsley Workshop, Krystallos, Crystalline Spectrum, Ginny Conrow Retrospect in Everything Else and study every picture.
s3.excoboard.com/exco/thread.php?forumid=68786&threadid=637923
And this one; Electric Reduction Symposium
s3.excoboard.com/crystal/68786/703165
These are some (but not all) of the finest crystalline glazers in the world and you will learn much from the forms they are creating.
Find Phil Hamling's site at the link below. There are few places on the Internet with more information about crystalline glazing than this site. Phil re-started his crystalline journey just a few years ago after a long hiatus. His site chronicles that journey and provides a wealth of information. If you come as far and as fast as he has it will be quite a trip (hint read all 9 pages).
www.puttgarden.com/crystal/2007/Page.html
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to "Oh Oh come look at this. This is great".
4. Pick a clay. This is not Raku or Wood Fired pottery you're going to make. The clay needs to be a porcelain or a very, very white stoneware capable of firing to cone 10 or 11. There should be no iron in the clay. It will just color the glaze brown and make the pot muddy, If you want brown or tan put the iron in the glaze.
I use Colman Porcelain from Aardvark but there are many others that work well.
Coleman Porcelain - True grolleg body developed by Tom Coleman. Excellent fit with most glazes, translucent when thin, THE BEST
www.aardvarkclay.com/products.php?cat=27
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to "Oh I know it is the most expensive clay out there but I need it and it will make beautiful pots".
5. Get an automated electric kiln. You will need it!! I'm talking computer controlled with ramp/hold cycles not just a kiln setter. Although you can do a crystalline firing in a manual gas or electric kiln it can eat up a lot of time better spent on throwing and glazing. It does not need to be new but it does need to be automated and in good condition. I use a Skutt and other potters have been very happy with L&L:
www.skutt.com/index_dir.html
www.hotkilns.com/jh-series-crystalline-kilns
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to "Oh I know it is the most expensive kiln out there but I need it and it will make beautiful pots".
6. Build your own studio. You do not want to be getting up in the middle of the night to travel across town to look in on a kiln with a 36 hour firing cycle (or to "just take a peek"), trim a load of pots because they are "just ready and by tomorrow they will be too hard" or mix up a new batch of glaze because tomorrow is glaze day. It can be a garage or a shed in the back yard but it should be yours so you are beholding to no one who can tell you when you can throw, glaze or fire.
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and "I know it is expensive but now I can be home for dinner and I can make beautiful pots whenever I want. "How about you come out to the studio and I'll show you what I am doing".
More to come:
Avi
OK, so this is the way most of us started:
1. Buy a couple of books. The two I would recommend are
2. READ BOTH BOOKS FRONT TO BACK.
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to it.
Buy a stack of post-it notes and mark glazes and techniques that interest you so that you can find them again.
Pick out ONE base glaze from each book based on the 3110 frit (the most common and forgiving).
Pick 3 or 4 of the most common oxides to start with (copper carbonate, cobalt carbonate, red iron oxide, nickel oxide) and create some test glazes (ON PAPER) you would like to try some day.
Imagine what they are going to look like.
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to "Hey listen to this. Doesn't this sound interesting. I want to make this."
3. Think about a throwing or hand building style that will be compatible with a crystalline glaze. This is not Raku or Wood Fired pottery you're going to make. The gaze runs and creates its own patterns and designs. You will not be able to precisely control the where and how. Create a simple canvas and let the glaze speak for itself.
Think classic Greek and Roman forms not the busy art nouveau forms (yes I realize not all art nouveau forms are busy but you get the idea).
Look at the post Lattice Structures, Peter Ilsley Workshop, Krystallos, Crystalline Spectrum, Ginny Conrow Retrospect in Everything Else and study every picture.
s3.excoboard.com/exco/thread.php?forumid=68786&threadid=637923
And this one; Electric Reduction Symposium
s3.excoboard.com/crystal/68786/703165
These are some (but not all) of the finest crystalline glazers in the world and you will learn much from the forms they are creating.
Find Phil Hamling's site at the link below. There are few places on the Internet with more information about crystalline glazing than this site. Phil re-started his crystalline journey just a few years ago after a long hiatus. His site chronicles that journey and provides a wealth of information. If you come as far and as fast as he has it will be quite a trip (hint read all 9 pages).
www.puttgarden.com/crystal/2007/Page.html
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to "Oh Oh come look at this. This is great".
4. Pick a clay. This is not Raku or Wood Fired pottery you're going to make. The clay needs to be a porcelain or a very, very white stoneware capable of firing to cone 10 or 11. There should be no iron in the clay. It will just color the glaze brown and make the pot muddy, If you want brown or tan put the iron in the glaze.
I use Colman Porcelain from Aardvark but there are many others that work well.
Coleman Porcelain - True grolleg body developed by Tom Coleman. Excellent fit with most glazes, translucent when thin, THE BEST
www.aardvarkclay.com/products.php?cat=27
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to "Oh I know it is the most expensive clay out there but I need it and it will make beautiful pots".
5. Get an automated electric kiln. You will need it!! I'm talking computer controlled with ramp/hold cycles not just a kiln setter. Although you can do a crystalline firing in a manual gas or electric kiln it can eat up a lot of time better spent on throwing and glazing. It does not need to be new but it does need to be automated and in good condition. I use a Skutt and other potters have been very happy with L&L:
www.skutt.com/index_dir.html
www.hotkilns.com/jh-series-crystalline-kilns
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and they should get used to "Oh I know it is the most expensive kiln out there but I need it and it will make beautiful pots".
6. Build your own studio. You do not want to be getting up in the middle of the night to travel across town to look in on a kiln with a 36 hour firing cycle (or to "just take a peek"), trim a load of pots because they are "just ready and by tomorrow they will be too hard" or mix up a new batch of glaze because tomorrow is glaze day. It can be a garage or a shed in the back yard but it should be yours so you are beholding to no one who can tell you when you can throw, glaze or fire.
Do not worry about what your friends, relatives or significant other thinks or says to you. Tell them a Glazed Look is normal and "I know it is expensive but now I can be home for dinner and I can make beautiful pots whenever I want. "How about you come out to the studio and I'll show you what I am doing".
More to come:
Avi
