Glazes, frangipani and a forgotten bunny

So finally I have new pottery to display here and I realise I have neglected to show this bunny bowl from a while ago. At least I think I forgot. I can't find it anyway.

I was inspired by the bunny stamp I bought some time back.
Meanwhile more recently out of the kiln are a few bowls I used as glaze experiments, reason being that the bowls themselves were so ugly and I couldn't believe I even let them go in the kiln.
Firstly, copper rust glaze in two thicknesses:

I prefer the darker shade.
Next up, as seen on Jayne's blog, tenmoku/satin white and tenmoku/hyacinth blue/satin white:

Really interesting effects.

I love the variations you can get with the tenmoku/hyacinth combination. Here is an older bowl and a newer bowl with the same glazes but quite different results:

I have always liked to make a hollowed out base but I thought I would try a flat finish for a change. In the process Jayne has helped me improve my turning so that the shape continues on rather than stopping abruptly. You might see the difference here:

Off topic, I have always loved frangipani flowers and recently we planted some cuttings which look like they will be successful. I am fascinated by the development of the growth and decided to document it.
1. Tips of branches turn green and pointy things appear. (excuse lack of technical language)

2. Pointy things turn out to be leaves!

3. Something unusual starts to appear amongst the leaves.

4. It gets taller.

5. Look closely as it grows and I'm fairly confident that each of these twirly things is a flower bud!!!

Practical pottery

Hasn't been much to report. It's been a bit cold to head into the studio. Did pop in and pick up a sugar bowl fresh out of the kiln. I love the beauty of pottery but it's great when it becomes functional. I noticed a stem of orchids hanging down in one of my pot plants and it was in a spot where it hardly gets noticed or appreciated. So I cut the stem and brought it inside. It now has pride of place in my Gary Rith vase.

Gary Rith Pottery

I got to open my Gary Rith Pottery! Check it out...

So beautiful. The first thing I noticed was the weight. As I picked up the packages I thought "This can't be pottery." I am so used to handling my own amateur pieces which still have quite thick sides because I am too scared to go any thinner. I love the little flecks/grains in the clay. I've seen Jayne get this effect and I've always admired it. Can't wait to get some flowers into the vase. What to put in the bowl? Hmm.
Here is a shot of the pottery in place in front of my white timber shutters. Amazing the difference in the photo with different lighting.

Oh and I got a bonus Godzilla fridge magnet! :) (Have neglected to take a photograph.)

Bigger bowl and the latest pendants

Away from the studio lately but have managed to get a larger (for me) bowl out of the kiln and a couple of new pendants. The bowl opens out to 15cm or 6inches to give you an idea of the size. It's not enormous, but it is a step up from my little bowls. I am finding that I am not needing to cut the tops off these days to level out my bowls. This in itself is an achievement!

Not sure about the tree pendant. I think the colour on the leaves needs to be darker to stand out more.

In other news, I get to open my Gary Rith pottery soon! Yay!!!
And here's a photo of one of my crimson rosellas...

More pendants

Haven't created much lately, lots of other things going on. But I have managed to get two pendants out of the kiln. I made the images using my handmade polymer stamps from Giselle No5 on etsy. Painting the images with underglaze (three times each of course!) was an effort with my shaky hands but well worth it once I saw the finished items.

Muscle building

It appears that I have not been taking this whole wheel throwing thing seriously at all for the last eighteen months. I attempted (successfully I might add) a Larger Piece Of Clay yesterday. Twice actually. My arms are sore today. I even used my stomach muscles which can't be a bad thing. These bowls/pots I have been making all this time now look like they belong in a doll's house. (Ok, I'm exaggerating now.) The two bowls I threw yesterday are certainly not fruit bowl size, but they are bigger than a breakfast bowl. I might glaze them in my new favourite combination of double dipped tenmoku/hyacinth blue just like these two smaller affairs that just came out of the kiln...

Don't you just love spectacular glaze effects?
In other news, the pottery club now has Running Water in the studio. Running Water! I was so excited I took a photo.

A few new things

So here is an addition to the "collection" of clear glazed bowls. I'm quite pleased with it. I really like the colour combination of the orange and green. And my throwing is getting better! Thinking of attempting larger pieces soon.

Also, I made a much improved Cat 2.0 for a cat loving friend. The tail actually broke off during the first firing due to another potter's creation exploding. But I added lots of clear glaze over the underglaze and it seems to have done the trick.

Finally, the saga of the Christmas decorations. These take much more time than you would think. There is the sanding and the painstaking process of colouring the letters. The star on the left is clear glazed which I prefer. The one on the right is white underglaze which is a fail. Dipping in white glaze rather than painting with underglaze may give a better result but I don't know how to approach the colouring of the letters. I like the natural effect of the clear glaze anyway.