Glaze

I've been glazing and painting a few pots to go in the firing I'm planning to do Tuesday night.

It's difficult to see my very light sketch lines but this one is an amalgam of two childhood poems:  The Gingham Dog and Calico Cat and The Sugarplum Tree.

I  may have mentioned that I only use a few glazes....Linda Arbuckle Majolica, Andrea Gill's WOM, Ian Symons Clear.  I also use several Spectrum glazes, Majolica white, Clear, White Matte.  I add a little rutile to all my white glazes to give them a more mellow look.  The clears I use over white earthenware.  I don't do a lot of white work so the clears last a long time.  All my glazes are mature at ^04.

Commercial glazes have a lot of sizing in them; I use super hold hair spray on my studio glazes to give me a sturdy surface to work on.  I used to put acrylic medium in the glaze which gave a great surface but left too many bubbles when mixing.

Once pots are glazed they have to be completely dry before I start working on them.

I use Mason Stains for all my colors.  I mix them 50-50 with frit 3124.  Sometimes I mix them with paste (50% 3124; 50% Gerstley Borate...I usually keep a mixed pot of it around)  Mixed with frit the stains are more like water colors, mixed with paste, again 50:50, they are more like gouache.

I am a true brush freak.  I'm always buying them.  I use only natural bristle; synthetic is not as responsive.  Liners, sumi brushes, and mops are among my favorites.

For the first time in ages I threw some small kitty and dog bowls.  It was kind of pleasant to sit at the wheel and throw the same thing ten times.  It's been gray and dank lately so these are taking forever to get to a trimming stage.

There are thunderstorms and rain in the forecast, but the weather does not preclude have a great Labor Day celebration.

I'm putting this over on Mud Colony.  Take a look; there's always something new.

Enjoy the holiday or if you are not in the U.S.A. have a good week end.

As always, thanks for stopping by............*s*