Set of Tea Bowls - Peaceful Meadow

Although we have several glaze combinations that work well together, I am not done testing glazes.  I want to push the glazes that I know work well together to make my pots even more interesting.  I am experimenting with texture and ways to define space on a pot.  And, I am still searching for that elusive brown.  So I continue try new glazes on test pots.

 

Here are some things I’ve realized through glaze tests:

Tea Bowl - foot ring

  • I don’t like breaking glazes on rims because of the resulting tactile quality
  • I like to blur the transitions between glazes
  • A pop of red is more powerful than a large wash of red
  • I notice colors used in advertisements and fabrics and try to translate some of those into glazes
  • Texture makes color more interesting
  • Pairing glazes with different light reflective qualities (glossy/satin/matte) can enhance color
  • Taking notes is invaluable – telling myself I will remember is a lie
  • Establish a central place for all notes to go – I throw them in a notebook
  • Keep the pots with great glaze applications visible for inspiration
  • A self critique is necessary to get more useful information
  • A critique from some one else can help get a different perspective and new ideas to try
  • Using the pot can change my opinion of the glazes