Glaze Firing with Oddballs

Last weekend I had a chance to do some glazing and firing at my home studio for the first time since summer.

newly glazed lidded forms

I had a couple pieces that I had glazed this summer but never got a chance to fire. Actually, I forgot them when I was loading the last glaze firing. I also had a few pieces I had made late in the summer and hadn't glazed until last weekend.

glazed oddballs before firing

All seven pieces were fired to cone 6 in a small kiln load. I glazed them with the same glazes and approach as much of the functional work I did this summer. The forgotten mug was a "storytelling" mug from the series I did earlier this year.

storyteller mug

For the newly glazed pieces, I didn't go to all the trouble of doing storytellers. I just did some simple slip trailed decorations so that I could finish them before December. I added some color on the handles for a little change. Both the simple slip trailed pieces and storytellers are at Oak Hollow gallery for the Holiday show. 

a couple of mugs

Among the oddballs was a funny little teapot I think I made in the summer of 2015. I hardly ever make teapots (a fact made fairly clear by looking at the teapot). I was describing to my daughter what it was I liked about this teapot and she pointed out that what I like is the mug. The lid is an odd shape, too wide and quite possibly made for something else. The opening of the spout is too wide and the spout itself is a little low. The teapot is quite small, and a funny shape for a mug, but also a funny shape for a teapot.

oddball teapot

I like the glazing of the body, specifically what I did with the spout. Usually I make teapot pieces during class but get too distracted helping students to actually finish my own teapots. I could certainly use some practice, but I don't get very excited about the form, so it's tough to make myself practice making them when I am home. It is tough to find time to finish such a complex form at work (Seriously, I can finish bowls and the occasional mug, but something that takes more than two steps usually takes more time than I can manage at school--without shirking my teaching or grading duties.)

pitcher plants with underglaze, in progress

Though I haven't gotten them to a kiln yet, I also continued under glazing some sculpture from this summer. These pieces still need a second and third coat of the red and something in the interior, plus a few touch ups on the blue. Estimated time for completing these pieces is probably well into 2017.