The Need for Test Pieces

When going through the studio, I found three paper bags that must be fifteen or so years old. I had bought them years ago, when I still lived in Glendale, California, and threw at the Youth House. They are three dry ruku glazes from Laguna Clay Company.

One is called dark red, the second is black lacquer, and the third lost its label sometime in the five or so moves since the glazes were acquired. It might be a glaze called awabi shell, or it might be lithium slip.

We have seven raku glazes. Four of them we have no idea what they will look like, and the fifth one is a base to add mason stains to, so it can be one of four different colors (basically, shades of green or red).

I went returned to the studio this afternoon, and threw again.

Two tallish, quasi-vase like shapes. I put slow spirals into the pieces, so I can see what different thicknesses of glazes accomplish.

The plan is to trim them tomorrow, and then let them dry until early next week. We will do a bisque firing early next week, and then take a collection of glazed pieces down to The Clay Studio for our first raku firing.

Julie has been saving the bits from our shredder for use in the reduction chambers. Our shredder puts out diamond shapes shards of paper.