So we returned to clayArt Studios for the final step on our glorious pottery adventure. The pieces we made on our last visit had been fired and were ready for the glazing process. Akemi could barely contain her excitement!
“So,”I said to Rosa, our glazing guide, “did all of my pieces survive?”
“Yes,”she informed me. “Even the sun.”
“It’s not a sun,”I corrected her. “It’s Starro the Conqueror.”
But as I perused my collection, I suddenly realized one was missing. “Hey. Where’s Alphonse?”
Sadly, he was the one mini-masterpiece that did NOT survive, literally falling to pieces partway through the process. And so it was, with heavy heart, that I forged ahead.
My pieces were fired and ready to go! After sanding, we dipped the bases in hot wax. I lose my grip on the stargate and it ended up sizzling away in the pan like a deep-fried burger.
We had a choice of 6-8 color glazes to choose from, all of them kept in vast tubs whose contents ranged in various shades of brown although our instructor assured us the true colors ranged from oatmeal to dark brown. Some in the class sort of half dipped the bottom of their bowls and then, after the initial coat had dried, dipped the tops of the bowls in another color. Some created elaborate brush strokes on their work. My Starro offers the best of both worlds – a deep dip and finishing paint brush touch for the center eye.
Akemi, meanwhile, went the more standard route…
At one point she was considering something a little more elaborate that involved dipping just the rim of her bowls and adding a little swirl – but couldn’t figure out how to physically manage it. I offered to hold her over the vat by her ankles if it would help. She assured me it wouldn’t.
Pictured above: Akemi puts the finishing touches on Nib Nib.
And, in a little over an hour, we were done. Next week = the results!
This blog entry dedicated to the memory of Alphonse (February 17, 2019 – March 1st-ish, 2019).
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