Thunderstorm

[morgaina]

Yesterday was hot and muggy. I drug around not getting much accomplished. Thus it was a real surprised when a non-forcasted thunder and rain storm happened last night. Not good news to me because 1) I did a pit firing (it was completed thankfully and only one pot broke as a result. 2) I had a large cloche outside drying in the hot sun, 3) I had a large sculpture outside drying in the hot sun, 4) I had a 2 part plaster mold for the severed head curing in the hot sun. 5) My brazier was uncovered, my car windows down.
Eek all around.
Although the rainstorm left a beautiful, cooled-off day today.
Most of the pit pots turned out well.



I like the carbon clouds on this one. It's intended as a decorative vase so I'll wax it. It is burnished red iron oxide with the design carved through the RIO.


This is allmost 1 qt. size, just burnished white clay.



Also burnished white clay and larger than a quart in size.


This one is my favorite out of the firing. It's a large tumbler and I like the way the carbon is in the carving lines, burnished terra sigilatta.


Several of the tumblers together. Various surface treatments.


Bright! Shield your eyes, this is the raku vase done on Saturday.
loupnoir for all of these I took them outside on an overcast day. Hey you're smart ;-)

Comments

[monkeyjunk.livejournal.com]

DELISH!!!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thanks. We should do a pit firing together sometime. Many of your shapes would work well with this style of firing.

[monkeyjunk.livejournal.com]

I would so love to do that!!!
When circumstances better allow for it!!!
I dream of pit firing!!
THANKS!

[hroar.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! LOVLEY!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thanks :-)
I appreciate your comment. :-)

[hroar.livejournal.com]

You carve in patterns so beautifully, and the shape and firings fit SO well to the expression. thak you for making such lovely pots, dear freind!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much.
I'm so grateful for your kind words. :-)

[wortschmiedin.livejournal.com]

I just love those pots. and the tumblers too. Have to relocate to the US make some more money and purchase you dry my dear lovely, absolutely magnificent!!I love the mat(te, sp?) shine on the first ones ( i am not big on shiny) Absolutely frickin gorgeous.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I'll bet there are good potters near where you live too though.
But thanks :-)

[wortschmiedin.livejournal.com]

Oh yes there are but they don't do anything like that. it is a question of what sells. here a lot of *traditional and a special sort of artsy gets the buyers apparenty. I am in an old potter region I live literally 5 MInutes by car away from a clay dig?? a place where they dig up clay?
I go to a lot of arts and craft markets etc. I have NEVA EVVA seen anything like this. And I love it. I am not sayin I hat glazing ceramics per se but I love when the structure of the material doesn't get burried underneath something else. (OTOH I also like hygiene ;) so we have our share of glazed wares)
I work with clay myself I do scultupres and vases though I haven't gotten around to it for quite sometime. But I still want to learn to use the wheel. BUt I meant that: I am German we are blunt so let me put it bluntly: This has been so lovely. Thanx for sharing

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thank you :-)
I have the advantage (although often it doesn't seem like that) of having a day job, so I can make less commercial pottery if I choose to.
"I am in an old potter region I live literally 5 MInutes by car away from a clay dig"
This sounds quite exciting to me, Germany has such a wonderful ceramic history.
What part of Germany do you live in?

[wortschmiedin.livejournal.com]

I am in BOnn, (former capital next to cologne) on teh Eifel side. Adendorf is a village of potters and that is maybe 20 kilometers form here and in Witterschlick (as I said bout 5 minutes by car) has that clay dig. I don't know anything on specifically german ceramic history, we are not big on preserving the uniquely german parts of our ancestry... Sigh: I know a lot about roman potters though. Apparently there is also evidence that somewhere in teh Eifel they were getting close to the ENglish medieval pottery achievements early on, but they were aparently so much off the map in teh middle of nowwhere that it didn't make them famous or rich. anyway I only have ONE onlince source on that either

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

If you are interested. Germany has a wonderful pottery history. Copied by other parts of Europe. http://www.beerstein.net/articles/bsb-1.htm
this is an interesting article on how the Germans developed stoneware, the first Europeans to do so.
I don't think any potters got rich and famous, in general pottery was intended for the average person, not the wealthy.

[wortschmiedin.livejournal.com]

Actually you are right in as much as Brühl (pingsdorfer Wares) is about 10 minutes heading norths and Siegburg, the first really sturdy stuff came from there is 15 Minutes to the east from here. So I guess I am living in teh right kind of place. TY for the linky. There is an exhibition starting next week about the Langobarden and I found a pic of a pot that looks very much like what you have made, When hubby is back with the good camera I'll send you a pic via message, don't want to infringe on anybodies copyrights. I already checked they have it on the paper thingy but not online, but it looks very much like your stuff though a lot less even.

[asa-asa-asa.livejournal.com]

COOL! For the 2 that are around 1 qt in size, are they something one could use for cooking in coals? If so, will they be at Crown and available? ;)

[gwen-the-potter.livejournal.com]

Asa = addicted to pottery...

[asa-asa-asa.livejournal.com]

yes, that is true! :)

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Yes and yes :-)

[asa-asa-asa.livejournal.com]

WOOHOO, can I call dibs on the 2nd one?

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'll save it for you.
As you probably know, pit fired work is a bit more fragile than stoneware.

[asa-asa-asa.livejournal.com]

YAY, thanks! I will be careful with it, and it will probably be a while before I am brave enough to try cooking anything in it. :)

[gwen-the-potter.livejournal.com]

Luv luv luv them. I'm thinking about building a pit on the patio. We did a pig in an above ground pit with cinderblocks this last weekend. I'm thinking it would work for small batches of pottery.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

And that's what this is. You probably remember my little 'ghetto' above ground pit from when you were here. That's what these were fired in.

I went to a pit fired workshop with my Guild last summer and the lady had dug a huge pit in the ground near her studio, lined it in cement, layed a cement sidewalk around it. Sufficient oxygen got to it to burn well, interestingly. Quite an involved pit. Don't think I'll be doing that any time soon though.

[gwen-the-potter.livejournal.com]

Cheesus, if you go through that much trouble, might as well build an actual kiln.

Definitely will experiment with an above ground pit. Woo hoo!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

She originally was thinking of advertising in the ceramics mags and leading pit-firing and aluminum saggar firing workshops professionally. She didn't do a workshop this year, so I don't know what her plans are now.

[parlor-games.livejournal.com]

I really like that blackish finish. Gorgeous. James and I have lots of pottery - we use it for our every day dishes. :) I will definitely have to pick something up from you sometime (should have stolen it from largesse instead of gifting it to some ingrate foreign crown, dammit!)

[gwen-the-potter.livejournal.com]

Hey, my view is, Crown gets first pick!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thanks,
You know where to find me. :-)

[brighidross.livejournal.com]

Oh my...they are all so beautiful!!! I love the shapes...and the larger ones are just gorgeous!!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I'm glad you like them.

[viking-food-guy.livejournal.com]

I love the tumblers! Particularly the two-tone "large" one. We have two of your pitfired tumblers, and they are my favorite drinking vessels.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thank you.
The pit-fired work really has a different feeling than stoneware.

[dame-eleanor.livejournal.com]

So beautiful!! Another crazy for pottery person, here. I am much enamored of the two 1 quart pots! You do such gorgeous work! The matte tones, and dark colors are fabulous. I'm saving my sovereigns and groats for the next time I see you selling at an event!! ;->

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thanks very much.
Even when I am not merchanting, I usually have a box or two of pottery for sale.

[doll-paparazzi.livejournal.com]

Those came out SO nice. I wish I could do a pit firing. :( ::is jealous::

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Have you read Palus Behrenson's "Finding One's Way With Clay"? he has a very simple sawdust firing kiln that he claims can be fired within a city. I don't know if it is still true however, laws may be more stringent than they were when he wrote his book.

[doll-paparazzi.livejournal.com]

I have a patio with maybe 12" of dirt. I have no space at all for a real kiln. I can fire my raku kiln, but that's over concrete.

[countess-e.livejournal.com]

Damn yer good.

I didn't call when I was over; it was so bloooooody hot, we just got the Child unloaded, had dinner and crashed. I hand it to you big time for working outside over hot kilns in that weather, you're tougher than I'd ever be.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

hehe thanks
I don't blame you for crashing, that heat was energy sapping.
For the most part when we weren't doing raku things, we stayed inside in the AC. I spent a lot of time indoors when I was doing the pit too.
Firing kilns does make you ignore self-preservation quite a bit however.

[loup_noir]

They look great, and look! no shiny bits.

Should these go into the site? Now is a good time to tell me.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Yes please,
I took a big bunch of photos like you suggested too.

[not-justagirl.livejournal.com]

they're beautiful!!! I love that shape for a drinking vessel... fits so perfectly in the hand!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

Thank you.
It's a good Norse design.
Our ancestors really understood pottery.

[joycebre.livejournal.com]

wow. want.

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

And I want to make them.
A good team :-)

[daedin.livejournal.com]

Ahh...the loverly loverly pots. So nice! You are amazing :) Thanks for the pics, dear!

[copper-oxide.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed making and firing them. Thank you.