I am impatient and foolish. I don't always test glazes before using them on pieces I have worked hours to build and refine. There are no reasons for it other than these: I am impatient and foolish. Now this is not a blog about my personality traits, good or bad, but about clay, glazes, techniques and looking at well-made work by craftspeople and artists from all over.
However, I confess, the wisdom to be learned from working with clay is coming to me slowly. It is 5 years since I first used my kiln. In that time I thought I had been learning some patience. I spend much more time than before deliberating on which glazes to use, applying them carefully, and making test tiles. But wisdom, still is out of reach.
Last week I got a shipment of new glazes from Bailey's. Feeling overly confident, even thinking, "I am really getting a feel for this glazing stuff," I brushed and poured on the new glazes, happily foreseeing wonderful results.
Today I opened the kiln and saw many disappointing pieces. Some I hated on sight, but later said, "Actually, this is kind of beautiful. It's a mistake, but beautiful." Other things, I'm not sure - do I like them, or not? Others, no question, they are getting reglazed and going back in the kiln for emergency treatment.
Patience, wisdom. When will I learn?
"I couldn’t bear to put up any photos of the really ugly ones. The one that was supposed to be Shino and looks like wet, brown poop. The underglazes that made the salt cellars look like they’d been sitting in a waste facility air duct. Ugh."
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