Thursday, 12 September 2013

A large work in progress

The lower section for this piece was thrown a few days ago and in the rush of doing other things I almost forgot about it. By the time I got back to it, the clay had become quite hard and I wasn't sure if I could successfully coil onto the rim..anyway, I tried, and this is the result. To begin with, I didn't have a clear vision of what I was making..I had in mind to make a kind of totemic form, rather like a standing stone, but eventually it turned into something quite figurative; a very tall bottle vase.


As the vase stiffens I am layering a coarse texture onto the outside, using a darker clay body. If the piece survives the bisque, I would love to be able to fire it in an anagama kiln.

Next day: it's so damp and humid at the moment, I had to use the hairdryer on the upper half so I could start applying more texture. I am always a little surprised that the pot doesn't collapse after adding all this mushy slip!

Stage two: texture added

And now I have quite a big problem.. it's dawned on me that the piece is a little too tall for my electric kiln. Oops. I'm wondering if I can extend the height of the kiln with lightweight kiln bricks and cover the top with ceramic fibre and kiln shelves for a bisque firing. Has anyone out there tried that and succeeded? I guess the danger is uneven temperature and the pot cracking, but I may have to take the risk.
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4 comments:

  1. Midori12 September 2013 at 14:09

    Wow, it looks very tall. I love the shape! : )

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    Replies
    1. Mark Smalley13 September 2013 at 01:33

      Thank you! So wet at the moment, the clay isn't drying at all :(

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  2. Charlene Doiron Reinhart18 September 2013 at 09:25

    I'm a little late in replying. Wow, what a beautiful jar! I guess you've tried leaning it in? Is there anyway you can single fire it in the anagama? In the past I used a homemade raku kiln to slowly bisque taller pieces. Then I got a blank ring for my kiln. It sounds like your plan is doable. This is how I think--Make another tall piece. Pick the one you won't mind losing and fire it first. If it all works out both will come out fine and you'll have twice the fun!

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    Replies
    1. Mark Smalley18 September 2013 at 13:43

      Hello, Charlene, thanks for your visit and kind comments. My kiln is too narrow to lean it in unfortunately, and if I were to fire in an anagama, I'd probably have to transport it quite some distance. I think the raku kiln is a possibility..I could build one quite cheaply and I have the gas burners. The back-up vase is also a good idea, thanks, I may well try that first! :)

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