Fire up the Quattro! (err sorry kiln.)

At long last I have found time to start a new batch of Raku firings. It's always filled with trepidation- as you know the score - results are so unpredictable. Even when you're an old hand like myself.

Anyway some reasonable results have occurred- I'm firing the copper mattes quite high to about 1045/50 degrees c- and sealing them up for 15 minutes before allowing for a short burst of re oxidation- the another 10 minutes reduction- before re oxidising and assessing.

With a fair wind- it works. If you muck up your timings or are having a bad day....copper mattes do tend to frustrate!

Anyway I start the firings early now- with the kiln going on at 8- I do 2 or 3 firings a day. It's much more manageable that way- and far less tiring than firing all day like I used to. If things are not going your way it's best to survive and live to fight another day!

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Some more Crater glaze test results

I've been blathering on about Crater and Lava Glaze recipes here and on Facebook too. I suddenly "got the bug" as well as a commission- (more on this later) so hence the rather manic activity testing out glazes and destroying kiln shelves in the process with runny, bubbling glazes.

I tested 2 recipes- after first trying the usual recipes from the internet and in various books. As I suspected - few of them gave satisfactory results- either it was "pilot error" or the glaze authors just happen to neglect to tell you that vital missing ingredient, kiln temperature or soak time etc! (Know the type of thing?)

Anyway I resorted to testing 2 standard glaze recipes which I've had for years. A turquoise matte and a Lucy Rie white stoneware. The jury is still out on the turquoise variant- but the white is rather nice. A little suggestion from Potter Jan Lewin Cadogan http://www.janlewin-cadogancontemporaryceramics.co.uk/
put me right by suggesting to mix the glaze …

New work at Online Galleries part 1

Lots of new work is now up and online at #Artintheheart. This is a great site founded by Dawn Birch James, and has an eclectic mix of British arts and crafts. She's looking for new talent and especially Potters!

Have a look at my store for decorative Chawans and bowls.

https://www.artintheheart.co.uk/marketplace/store/raku-ceramics-by-shaun-hall/

Mo Jupp

My connection to Mo was as a student at Middlesex University in the dog days of the ceramics course during the 90's. He was my personal tutor for four years. Diminutive of stature and blinking in the funny way he did, we all came to love him as a tutor.
Middlesex then, had a reputation for slip casting and mold making, and I was awful at both! Instead I had more of an interest in sculpture rather than functional tableware. Mo seemed to take an interest in my progress. He was very perceptive of individual students' abilities and offered guidance without ever dominating the discussion. He could be critical of course, but in such a way that was constructive and not "dead ended."
At times he played down his reputation ,when we first year students twigged what a great artist he really was. He simply claimed that he was a big fish in a small pond unlike his heroes - Giacometti or Modigliani. Modestly he said his income nearly all came from teaching. Yet here was a g…

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