Glaze and Chemistry

The last kiln firing was spectacular mostly due to a new glaze I am working with.  The glaze is a bit of a celedon and you can just look forever into the glaze and not see the bottom.  The glaze is very difficult to "photograph" so I may need to go see Dan Milner who takes amazing images of objects. 

This is the first time I did the chemistry for a new base glaze recipe that worked.  These recipes are generously handed down to those who wish to explore and study the field of ceramics. Before, I mostly would experiment with only the additions to the base glazes to alter color and transparency.  At this point, I am feeling a bit selfish with the recipe for this glaze. 

Glazes are tricky and they need to fit a clay body properly or else the glaze can do all those things like crawl and craze.  Since I do so much wax resist on the surface of an object to create pattern, the glaze can be a bit problematic.  Sometimes, the glaze can be too powdery causing the brush full of wax to struggle and pull rather than glide on the surface of the form.  Not this new glaze, the brush danced across the surface.  I do hope that this glaze continues to behave.  Their are so many variables such as humidity in the air that cause a glaze to react a certain way.  Only time will tell.

I will post images of the new work over the next few days.

Concept to Creation,
Theresa Yondo