Red Shino Platter

This is one of my favorite pieces that came out of the gas kiln at the Harvard studio this fall. I love this glaze – it’s called “Malcom’s Red Shino” and when mixed with “fire”, it develops fantastic results with just one application and a little wax resist here and there: carbon trapping (the blackish areas), various tones of red and orange, and a luminous sheen around the edges. It makes me long for a gas kiln of my own, something that won’t happen anytime soon though. There’s just no place to put it. I’d have to build an outdoor shed and have either a gas line or a propane tank installed. And if the truth be told, I’m a little afraid of gas. I mean, I cringe every time I turn on the stove. Still, the thought of all the incredible glaze effects that only a gas reduction kiln can produce nags at me every once in a while. Maybe someday the time and place will be right.

In the meantime, I keep plugging away at refining my electric glazes and continue to take classes to keep up with all that is going on in the world of ceramics. This winter I’ve switched studios and am taking a class at “Purple Sage Pottery”, to try someplace new and to be closer to home. My teacher is great and the group is small and intimate – some of the students I already know. Last but not least, I have access to a gas kiln and look forward to experimenting with the studio’s glazes and making some new discoveries.