Yes, it’s time for a few more of my pots and things I’ve been busy making!

Some finished bowls and things, turned and on the drying shelf ready to be bisque-fired (the first firing)

This is a large platter I made over a mould

And here it is all finished!

Some pictures of my throwing in action!

A couple of finished mini-vases

Some bisque-fired bowls ready to be glazed

I usually wax the bottoms before the glazing, as you need to ensure there is no glaze on the base. Glaze melts into a glass-like coating in the kiln during the 2nd firing, so if it runs down onto the shelf your pot will get glued onto the shelf and be ruined.

I’ve also been practicing making mugs and pulling handles. Pulling handles requires a rather hilarious hand gesture similar to milking a cow – you have to hold the clay in one hand, and with lots of water gently stroke and pull the clay down in an even motion into a long strip

Then the handles get glued onto the turned mugs!

I’ve also struggled to make mugs the right size – clay shrinks in the kiln by about 15% but it’s very hard to gauge how much bigger you need to make them in the first place! So far I have made some tiny espresso mugs, and I am trying hard to throw over-sized mugs so they will shrink down to the right size!

Here are 3 bowls I did with similar glazes – all have midnight blue with different ying ching accents…

And here they are after they came out of the kiln

Some more experiments with glass in the bottom – pleased with these!

And very pleased with how these turned out in terms of glazes, although they are still a bit too small!

Also the little brown one was PERFECTLY round when I threw it, and it was PERFECTLY round when it was bisque-fired and glazed, but after the final firing, the edge with the handle is all flat and mishapen! I asked my teacher, who said it often happens that the weight of the handle can pull on the clay during firing, and that because the final firing goes up to a much higher temperature than the bisque firing, it has a more dramatic effect.

Here’s my latest haul. I can’t keep them, as running out of room, so torn between saving them up as xmas presents and having a little sale!

On the left is one of my favourite mugs, bought years ago and much beloved. On the right is my attempt to replicate the complicated glaze effect – vaguely similar but not quite there yet!