Last Saturday was the first day of the salt glaze workshop with Chris Baumann of Clay Fetish Pottery. Due to a miscommunication in the times of the class I was extremely late; essentially I missed the entire workshop. Chris was wonderful and insisted on hanging out and going over everything again while permitting me to make the platters as promised. This also benefited a couple of the other students who wanted to stay and do more work.
We made the platters using a slump mould that Chris had built. It was created to accommodate making multiple oblong platters which was a great idea for the class as well as for producing a good supply of these for inventory. If I like the way these come out (and so far I do) I may consider building one of these forms for myself.
The slump mould is an interesting way of creating pieces. The clay is rolled out using a slab roller and then laid over the mould; when the clay was a bit firm we worked it into the oblong hole in the mould with a soft rib, gently shaping the curve of the platters. After allowing the clay to dry a bit more the platters were removed from the mould and the edges were cleaned with a grating tool and then smoothed with soft ribs. Once this was completed we added feet to the bottoms so the curved platters were able to stand.
We made the platters out of Lizella, porcelain, and stoneware so we can experience the ways the salt glaze will react to the different clay bodies. We have some pieces where a veneer of porcelain was attached to Lizella and others where a light porcelain slip was painted over the dark Lizella, the idea being that the Lizella will show through the slip.
Chris also had some stoneware tiles available which the other students made into sushi plates and decorated with slip. I decided not to make any of these as it was getting late.
Chris was kind enough to show me his kilns and discuss the effects of the heat and salt on the equipment. Understanding the extra cost in materials and labor in salt firing may give buyers a new appreciation for the pieces.
Next week we decorate!