dannon rhudy on mon 6 jun 05
It's unlikely that a slip-dipped leaf will be
quite what you have in mind after it is fired.
If it makes a "shell" it will be more fragile than
eggshell. You might consider brushing slip
onto the back side of the leaf and pressing it
gently onto/into whatever form you want the
leaf impression on. Then just leave it there,
fire as usual, and see what you get. Try a
few. Don't worry re: kiln. There won't be
much ash from a leaf.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
----- Original Message -----
Teresa Wooden on mon 6 jun 05
I would like to experiment with applying leaves dipped in slip to my pots.
I fire ^6 electric and have read that ashes can damage the kiln... I'm
wondering if the combustion of the leaves burning out will be a problem.
I'm not even sure if it will work at all...will the shell left by the leaf
be too fragile, will it just crumble as the leaf burns out, etc. If anyone
has tried this or another technique to get leaf decorations I'd really
appreciate hearing about it. I've been cutting them from thin slabs or
carving them onto the pot, but it's so time consuming and difficult to get
the detail.
Thanks,
Teresa Wooden
novice potter
Pat Southwood on mon 6 jun 05
Hi Teresa and everyone else,
I pounced on this post because I am doing ash glaze firing in an =
electric kiln and would like to chat with any other s doing the same. =
Swop recipes?
I have been slipping the inside of my white s/w bowls with a porcelain =
slip, my daughter was at the workshop last week and asked for one to =
decorate. This was all her idea:
She gathered good leaves with strong veins and carefully laid them on =
the slightly firm slip. She put them all over the inside and pressed =
lightly.
After a small snack and a check on the wrens' nest we carefully peeled =
back the leaves.
The detail was fantastic. Because the leaves were fresh they were at =
their most pliable and the fine particles of the porcelain slip were =
perfect for fine texture.
A happy 8yr old.
It might work for you! You could try dusting fine ash on the slip when =
its a bit dryer and (with a mask on) blow it off gently so it just stays =
in the veins ??
It sounds as if it would look good anyway!
Best Wishes
Pat Southwood
Don Goodrich on wed 8 jun 05
Hi Teresa,
I've done some decoration of pots with slip-covered leaves.
Rather than dipping them, I brushed the slip on, let it dry somewhat,
brushed on another layer or two of slip, then applied the leaves (slip side
down) to the outside of leather-hard pots. A little slip would inevitably
ooze out from under the edges, so the outlines would have to be cleaned up,
but this is much easier than carving them by hand. Cleanup is particularly
important if you're using slip of a color that contrasts with the pot.
I fired the pots with the leaves still on. Hard to say whether there was
any adverse effect on the elements, but probably no more than that from
burning off wax resist. The technique reproduces shape and vein detail
quite well, although the veins are negatives of the originals.
The most easily used leaves, in my experience, are ones that one finds
in the spring after they've been lying on the ground all winter. Fresh
green ones don't hold much slip; some are so waxy that it just rolls off.
You might try collecting choice leaves all year, keeping them pressed
between pages of a book (old phone books work very well), then ignore them
for a few months until they're well dried. You could also use a food dryer
to hasten the process. Janet Kaiser once suggested to me that one
can "skeletonize" leaves by soaking them in bleach, and this also works but
they're rather fragile afterward. Worth trying, though.
As an experiment, I once fired several leaves coated with stoneware slip
all by themselves. As Dannon says, the resulting pieces can be very thin
and fragile. However, after brushing on several layers of slip to the
thickness of heavy paper, the fired leaves turned out very well. They
reflect the original shape and texture exquisitely, and are quite durable.
To avoid too much handling before firing, do all the work on a firebrick or
piece of ceramic board, then load the whole thing into the kiln.
I'll try to put a photo of them on my website today so you can have a look.
Check http://dongoodrichpottery.com/leaves.jpg to see.
Hope this helps. Sorry if it's infoglut.
Cheers,
Don Goodrich in steamy Zion, Illinois
Teresa Wooden on wed 8 jun 05
Many thanks to those who responded to my questions, both on the list and
privately. I have some new ideas to try and really appreciate your
kindness in sharing your experience. I'll post a link to some photos of
the results I get with these new ideas on applying leaves. I'm learning so
much just by reading this list!
Teresa Wooden
Wisconsin
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