Day 5

Day 5… glaze day! Our pieces from earlier in the week have been bisque fired, and are now ready to be glazed. This made me very nervous, because glazing is usually my least favorite and most challenging task. I find it very difficult to hold the piece correctly, making sure you do not cover any area you want to be glazed with your fingers. You must also dip it at the correct speed and angle to achieve an even coverage, whilst not panicking about dropping it or spilling any glaze. I find this difficult because each step has to be done in the correct time, too long in the glaze and it will cover too thick, and vice verse. If layering more than one glaze then the second coat can only be dipped after the first has dried. The way we were taught at Tortus was very different to the way I’ve done it before. It is the same way Eric glazes his pieces; very methodical. First you glaze the inside with a glossy transparent, Then once this has dried you dip the entire piece in a matt transparent and leave in the glaze for 5 seconds. Next, once this has dried you can quickly dip into a colored glaze. This technique gives an effect called ‘Hare Fur’. I learnt a lot about how to glaze this day, most of all not to be scared of it. It requires calm confidence. I’m looking forward to experimenting with different glazes when I go back to making at University. 

Today we also had another demo by Eric, one of his most challenging forms, its amazing how he does it so perfectly. The most vital piece of information I have learnt from watching these tutorials, is to always shape outwards from the top down. For example,  it is best to thin the walls at the highest point, so the clay below remains thick with the ability to support. After shaping the higher points, then the lower ones can be thinned out too. It makes perfect sense really, if done the opposite way round, you would be thinning out the base with thicker, heavy clay on top; this is much more likely to collapse or distort your piece.

Below is a video time-lapse of myself throwing a pot

Success from Day 5: Glazing is not scary. It can be easy if you stay calm… maybe even fun!

Final Pieces from Tortus Workshop