Porcelain Vessels

I love throwing with different clays and one of my favourite clays is porcelain. In this case I have gone all out and thrown in Southern Ice which is one of hte most expensive clays at around $35 a bag.

With porcelain you have ot be so fussy to cleanliness as it tends to pick up all sorts of grit and I find it drys pretty quickly so you need to watch it and ensure that you turn it at just the right time.


But even with its issues it is like butter to through, I love the way it fires so white and pure and leach green glaze (which I have used here) seems to be made for it!


As you can see by these pots they look carved........ what I have done is used shellack and metholated spirits to paint on a design on a raw pot before a bisque firing, and then when it is dried on the pot wiped away the clay from around the design with a damp/dry sponge.

The tricks of the technique seem to be

• Dont use an overly damp sponge
• Make sure the shellack and metho mix is thick enough (or use two coats)

When the piece is fired the shellack burns off and leaves the raised clay underneath. In the rose pot the effect with a candle inside is stunning.

Thanks for looking - I hope you have enjoyed it
Love
Carol