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blood sports, celadon and diatomaceous earth

updated thu 5 jan 12

 

OnoUdidn@AOL.COM on wed 4 jan 12


Lilly,

It is my pleasure. I never thought I would be experimenting with glaze
properties.... here I go... interesting where clay leads one.

To think enjoying clay started because I saw a photograph of an Etruscan
(Bucherro?) pitcher and it's simple sensuality of line floored me. I had =
to
try and make it.

Now a few years later with my own MFT kiln (again thank you so much Mel for
your publications, your to blame as I was failing at shaping any form of
clay until I picked up your book "Pottery: A Life, a Lifetime" and even th=
e
one sided sketches suddenly all made sense. Then your book "21st Century
Kilns" led me to this beautiful kiln now sitting next to my small studio).

Between Mel and Professor Pitelka who both have dutifully and with great
care answered every question with soft spoken solutions a life time pursui=
t
has developed

I can remember looking at Ababi's work and just being amazed, his passion
was simply stunning and I never thought I would be doing any
experimentation of any sort with glazes.

Lilly if you can find anything about how the blood might have been used...
mixed into the glaze, painted on the bisque ware first and then the glaze
was applied? Suspected firing ranges? I would be deeply appreciative.

Now another question for any who happen to read this... I have recently
been given a 50 lb bag of diatomaceous earth. From what I have read it is=
80
to 90% silica, with 2 to 4% alumina, and 0.5 to 2% iron oxide. Has anyone
ever tried using this in a glaze? I am an UBER neophyte when it comes to
creating glazes but from what I've read in the posts here the silica may b=
e
an issue....

Thank all of you who make ClayArt what it is. I pray you have some idea
how you effect the quality of others lives.

Tom
(south of St. Cloud where the blankets have come off the horses at least
for a few hours.....)