I have been working on a group of hand-built bowls and plates for some time. I’ve fired them with their colors and I’ll spend the next few posts going over the results. Here are earlier posts in the series, if you want to take a look back. They are listed in reverse order; read from the bottom up if you want to go in order.
Kiln Time for the Bowls and Plates
Update on the Hand-Built Bowl Project
Bowls and Plates – Update
The Future Holds a Secret
I took the bowls and plates out of the kiln. If you remember, they were in for the firing of their underglaze colors. I fired at cone 06, since I am using lowfire white and terracotta clay. No disasters and no huge failures. I breathed a sigh of relief.
I have also come to a decision. Though these are all “functional” objects, I’ve decided not to glaze them. I don’t like the look of my work when it’s glazed – the shine detracts from the intricacy and seems to hide or obscure the details. I just don’t like it, and I’ve been dreading the glazing step all along for this reason.
By skipping this step, it means these items are not food-safe, can’t be washed in the dishwasher, and so on. Well, I just don’t care. I didn’t make them for the public and I don’t mean to sell them at a show. If I let them go, it will be with written instructions along the lines I just mentioned. To me, I guess these items are “sculptures” rather than something to stack your potato salad into for a family dinner.
That means that these pieces are all finished now. What you see is what they are!
First, I’ll show you the large bowls that were made without wax resist being involved. I have a picture of each one from the top, showing the interior design, and then a side view.
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- Bowl #1
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- Bowl #1
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- Bowl #2
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- Bowl #2, side view.
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- Bowl #3
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- Bowl #3, side view.
Next, I’ll show you the bowls that were included the wax resist – first, the unfired bowl with resist in place, then the fired results. You may be surprised at what emerged.
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- Bowl #4 before firing. This wax resist is protecting a layer of black, helping me to make a separation between the center and the blue color.
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- Bowl #4.
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- Bowl #4, side view.
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- larger bowl, terra cotta clay
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- Bowl #5
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- Bowl #5 side view
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- Bowl #6, before firing, with wax resist in place.
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- Bowl #6.
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- Bowl #6, side view.
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- Bowl #7 before firing.
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- Bowl #7
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- Bowl #7, side view.
And here is one bowl that didn’t satisfy me. The white dots are too much contrast for the rest of the design, I think, and too plain. Not to mention the dislike I have for that irregular blob – what happened there? I believe I will give the spots some kind of detail and fire the bowl again in a later load.
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- Bowl #8 – Here’s how it started out.
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- Bowl #8.
OK, I think that is enough for today.
Claudia McGill and Her Art World 
these are just brill
Thank you. They took time and concentration but in such a pleasurable way!
They’re all great but I love #2 and #7.
Thank you. I am happy with the results, and even the one that needs more work, I can see what I want to do. A very satisfying feeling.
Beautiful
Thank you!
Such a lovely collection! While I think having a bowl of cereal in one of these would be a fantastic start to any day I can totally understand wanting to keep them as they are. What an exciting process!
Thank you. From my experience i just don’t much like how glaze looks. I think the shininess is hard for me to see the patterns correctly. It is just the way I see, I think. Plus. There is so much risk in adding glaze. It is unforgiving of anything but perfect smooth underglaze application and that’s a weak point with me, hence the style I’ve developed to go a different direction. But I understand the pull to make things that could be used for food. I think if I do simpler designs- but then I’m getting away from what I like, all this detail! Aaah! Maybe in the next round of what ever I make, I’ll seriously plan for it from the start.
They came out gorgeous! Love #’s 1 & 7 . So with the glazes you used these are not food safe ? Beautiful as is to mount on the wall then! It’s all art 🙂
Thank you! Yes, I would need to put a glaze over these underglazed surfaces to make an impervious smoothness to make sure no food bits even microscopic are left behind to do their bacteria thing. I figured, these can be for display. Why not?!
It’s like christmas opening a final fired kiln! Love #8 🙂 Great work !
Thank you, that’s exactly it. Like Christmas and you have such anticipation.
They are like abalone shells. What is called Pawa in New Zealand.
I looked them up and I think you are right. Wow! The shells are stunning. And I do see the resemblance to the bowls. With all the colors inside. I’m flattered. Thank you.
They also have a rough outer surface that looks similar to the sprinkled surface of your bowls.
Yes. My grandfather used to fish a lot in local rivers and several time brought me a less vivid version of these shells- they were pale with some iridescence and greenish and knobby on the exterior. I like it that this memory has been called up as a result of your observation as well as how it enriched my view of the bowls with the connection to those spectacular shells you mentioned.
Great luminosity in the blue on bowl 4 – and yes to glaze or not to glaze – sometimes matt is best, I agree. Plus sculptures indeed – I’m a one-trick pony – and don’t much else other than paint (or collage) – but appreciate all these.
Thank you. I have found with clay that glaze alters the color and also there is that shininess that seems to be a barrier to seeing the piece well, although I am sure my off-kilter eyesight has something to do with it. There is a challenge to working on something that’s not paper or flat that I like – trying to make my designs fit the object.