Mars (Martianware) clay, finally fired

Mars clay bulbs with small impressions (left) and flower stamp impressions (right)

I finally got around to firing some of the pieces I made last month with the new Martianware clay. In fact, I fired them a while ago and only just got around to taking pictures this weekend after my most recent glaze firing was completed.

Salty Mars covids and bulbs before firing

Since I wasn't sure about the clay, I didn't make a lot of items with it. Then, before firing I got concerned about the salts damagining my kiln walls or elements. The soluble salts show up on the oustside of the forms as the clay dries, and they also act like glaze mixed into the clay, creating the unusually texture surface. Firing a salt kiln can be hard on the walls and the elements. Though this was clearly a lot less salt than a salt kiln, I decided to play it safe and make some saggars in which to fire the work.

Saggars after firing

I threw and slab-built four saggars which I can reuse in future. Being extra cautious, I also fired the pieces on stilts which was probably unecessary, as it turned out. Based on how the saggars look inside after firing, I'm guessing these were unecessary, too. The floors of the saggars have a bit of spitting, little freckles of color, but the tops look just like the outsides, no damage.

 

Interior of a thrown saggar with salt speckling from the Mars clay

I fired the pieces in a bisque firing with a bunch of other greenware. This Martianware clay isn't supposed to get too hot. This bisque was cone 06 and fairly full. The Martianware ceramic surfaces have varied colors ranging from brown to red and a rough, crumbly texture. I can't tell how much their location during firing or drying or their building techniques impacted the colors, so I'll have to pay closer attention next time.

Mars clay Covid Balls

The surfaces feel crumbly, as is evident in some of the pictures where there are little dustings of crumbs that I didn't brush away. The bits that do flake off don't stain my photo paper and removing them from the surface doesn't seem to impact the colors of the original form. I haven't tried scrubbing these pieces yet, but they feel like raku work that needs to have the ash washed off.

Mars clay bulb (other side)

 

For a few of the pieces, I mixed the Martianware clay with my regular pugged reclaim and the result was underwhelming. Theese pieces just look like a bit of terracott has gotten into or onto the regular clay which looks white after bisque.

Mars and reclaimed clay Covid balls after bisque

In one case, as a test, I glazed the rest of the form (the part made of reclaimed clay) and left the inset Martainware clay circles unglazed. I then fired the piece to cone 6. As expected, the clay fluxed and bubbled a bit. I knew the clay wasn't designed for this temperature, but I was just curious what would happen. 

The black dots are actually the Mars clay fired to cone 6. The lines and yellow surface are glazed

I made COVID balls and Ericano bulbs out of the the Martinaware clay. On the COVID balls, I didn't do much to the surface, relying on the clay itself to create texture. For the bulbs I tried a few different things: sprigs, impressed stamps and a texture roller/stamp. The impressions look pretty similar after firing, as the clay sort of takes over and obscures the texture. The sprig additions are easier to see on one side than the other, based on the clay color and how it shows up differently in the higher and lower areas.

The front and back sides of the sprigged bulb made with Mars clay

The clay is fun, but working with something like this requires a really different planning process, especially for someone who is used to focusing on texture and color. I could see this clay working well for the darker, moodier work I did for my politics bulbs series, but I'd have to think about what can and cannot show up as far as texture. This clay could lend a gritty feel, but it could also obscured what I want to show. And, honestly, I've felt a bit exhausted in thinking about this work lately. 

Mars Covid ball

This past week I was a bit disappointed in my kiln results, which tends to be opposite of a motivator. But while I was photographing the work I realized that I had quite a bit of work. Some of it disappointing, but at least I've been making. Some loads are like that.