Design Concepts

A year ago , when i opened the kiln and found the various pots cracked -- i was so disappointed. Strange, for now when i open the kiln and the pots are whole -- i'm still disappointed !!!
I find the designs aren't what was expected. The colors are close but no cigar to what careful calculations promised they would be. Colors do not blend. Instead of precise shading, the main color merely looks "washed out".
Such was the case yesterday when the kiln was opened.

It seems that designs which look great on paper aren't necessarily apropo for ceramics. Then, there's the color scheme. So it's a whole new ballgame.

Haven't forgotten y'all. Have been nose to the grindstone, trying to figure out design concepts which will transfer to the ceramic medium effectively. New techniques which will lend themselves to glazes and to the subtle shading necessary to highlight form and indicate depth.

In pursuit of this found Toni Platon-Tiu's site ( http://blogs.inquirer.net/happynest/2007/08/12/your-life-is-your-masterpiece ) which questions how we would see our life if we viewed it on a canvas.
Toni asks: "What colors are most dominant? (On the canvas of your life.) Tell me about the figures you see, the shapes and lines that are forming. Is it abstract? Is it defined by still life? Is it set in a meadow with red poppies? Tell me what you see."

Intriguing, eh? But i didn't have time to pursue this line of thinking, for the pursuit of ceramic design and glaze coloring took precedence. Did find a link on Toni's page which led to leaves, trees, and flowers. ( http://www.art.com/asp/display-asp/_/ID--4094/_Branches.htm?Leaves_&ui=CB0D1238EBF54142AAFE685A1AC6043F )

Recently, tried Emmanuel Cooper's zinc, nickel + barium recipe #404. Trying for pinks. However, there is no latitude in his 2282 degrees F !!! The glaze did not vitrify at 2167 F. Had anticipated this might be the case, so on the other half of the plate added some Wollastonite hoping to bring the vit temperature down. This sort-a worked. But the glaze pooled in glossy globules. On both halves, the expected "pinks" came out shades of tan + brown.

The explorer in me is greater than the perfectionist. And since this was an exploration forey, i also tried woodash and strontium carb mixed in with the 404 recipe with the addition of the Wollastonite on a section of the plate.
Here were my pinks !!! Floating on top of a glossy dark brown pooled between the plate's side and bottom.

Ah sure now, and if you don't hear from me for a day or two, you'll know i'm knee deep in chemical dust trying to transfer what is in my head to plates, bowls, etc., and have it appear to be more than just a jumbled mess of colors!

Toni, still referring to the palette of our lives, says: "If you don’t like what is on your canvas, no worries. You have a palette of unlimited colors and you are in control of what colors and strokes to use."

Betcha anything, she's never messed around creating pottery !!!

Happy Glazing Days
Chae