phill

Thanks everyone! I just noticed this page...didn't know it existed with comments! Mregecko, this is a fireclay stoneware body from www.continentalclay.com. Fired in a hot cone 10 redux firing. (probably more like a cone 10.5).

The flame pattern on this tile is remarkable.The texture on the clay surface works well. Your wadding marks tell a nice story. I do wish I could see more angles, how thick the piece is, and a closeup of the texture. It is difficult to see how large the tile is as the background information doesn't lend much for guessing. Nice tile!

Thanks Biglou for the critique! You seem to know a lot about Japanese culture and language. It was fun looking up those words and figuring out what you were talking about. Now I see why you wanted to see the inside of the cup and the bottom of the foot. The reflection on the cup was a great critique, something I need to consider even when taking photos on the fly like I did here. Having a background in photography would be helpful--I have none. About the cup-- I have borrowed the form of the yunomi from the Japanese, but I have no history with it and prefer to simply call it a cup, thus the name of the photo "Veiled Cup." You rightfully give me a little flak for borrowing on the traditional yunomi form, however because I make no claim to know anything about the tea ceremony, Japanese tea culture, or Japan in general, I am okay with taking the flak and moving on. The yunomi form has influenced me in a positive way in which I love making it, but other than that the cultural references are neutral as I live in N. America. So instead I make the yunomi form in a way of respect because I simply enjoy it. Therefore regarding my cup looking like it was made from a gaijin and my foot being unusually large, I am okay with this. I am a gaijin and proud of it. The glaze was very interesting on this cup, which is why I called it Veiled cup. The glaze is a clear glaze but became almost milky in some parts, which I tried to capture in the picture. This milky veiling really set off the cup's form nicely too. Thanks for the time and effort you put in to this critique Biglou! I appreciate it!

Warren Mackenzie Grey. It's a cone 10 Redux glaze. Mac Grey Glaze: 50 Custer Feldspar 25 Whiting 25 Kaolin (I chose EPK)

These are amazing! I like that you're using clay for things other than bowls. There is a freshness in that regard. I like the corn deco on the first flute the most, and the bottom flute's finger deco too. The mouth pieces (the red cones?) look awkward but perhaps this has to do with functionality. I can't tell if the beginning of the red is where the taper begins, especially on the bottom flute. Is there a defining edge where the taper meets the flute body? If so, maybe try defining it more, maybe via carving circle lines around the flute at that edge, or by painting with RIO.

i have been working so much with clay decoration i got sick of it, and wanted to tone it down a lot. a lot of pots i made recently had no decoration, but then i found myself coming back to it repeatedly. so then i wanted to play around with just using my hands to decorate it, no other tools. in a drawing class i took a while ago, i remember being intimidated that i had to render perfectly, thus going towards a realistic approach. how little i know about drawing. i eventually let my guard down and started letting my lines to be courageous and unaided by any tool to draw straight. the lines thus became erratic but were doing some interesting things. this has translated to clay decorations, how i don't mind if i make a line and it ends up overlapping or being erratic. i think i am also inspired by crocheting and the spiral hats i used to make when i didn't understand the material and knots well. ps-thanks for the critique!

critiques welcome