April 23

I didn’t get to glaze anything today because the bisque kiln was still too hot.  I let myself sleep in, which was nice.  Usually I get to school right at eight, but I decided that because I’m in such a good place with my project, I’d have a more relaxing morning.  When I got to school I trimmed my four teacups and I threw two more extra ones.  Then I waxed the plates that I painted yesterday, so they’re ready to get dipped in clear with everything else.  I also threw a serving dish, that I think has a really nice shape.

            The big electric kilns don’t get up to cone 10, so I have to do two smaller firings, but that’s okay because I’ll be able to get some finished work out faster.  Cone 10 is the high fire temperature, which is for stoneware and porcelain.  The lower temperatures – cone four and six, etc. – are for terra cotta, and also other glazes on stoneware and I think porcelain, too.  The colors that you can get from low temperature firings can be a lot brighter, like the middle eastern majolica works.

            Tomorrow the bisqued work will be out of the kiln so I’ll be able to start glazing all of the cups.  I don’t know how quickly the decorating is going to go, and I only have three blocks to work on Wednesdays.  But if all goes amazingly I’ll be able to get them all finished and maybe even clear coat them.  Hopefully I’ll be able to start loading the kiln on Thursday, and then I’m not sure when I’ll be able to actually fire everything.  I definitely have enough work to fill the kiln, though, if I get everything glazed.

            I was looking around online at dinnerware things and I was thinking about making a porcelain berry bowl if I have extra time.  I’m definitely going to focus on the more basic things first.  But a berry bowl would be a cool thing to have.  I always just leave strawberries in the plastic container, but I would feel a lot classier if I put them in a berry bowl instead.  I saw a porcelain berry bowl at a store a while ago, and it was really adorable because it looked like one of the little cardboard-y pints that blueberries come in.  I don’t know what that material is called.  It’s like an egg carton.  It’s like Styrofoamy paper.  I wonder if it’s its own thing or if it’s just called cardboard.