rayaldridge

You might look on youtube for a video of Michael Cardew centering in his 80s. As I recall, he makes the classic point that as one ages, one loses some strength, which one must make up for by increased cunning.

I do get streaking in glazes with extra titanium, and I like the effect better than rutile, because the titanium doesn't have the heavy iron content. My impression is that titania in the slip does not have the same effect, since slip stays put, and hare's fur streaks can't develop unless the glaze moves. My use of titania in slip is to kick off certain surface effects. In the past, I've used it with clear glazes that sometimes develop a matte surface if cooling is prolonged. The glaze seems to pick up enough titania from the slip to go opaque and matte over the slip. If I resist the sl

I used about 5% of gerstley borate for the boron and 8% of titanium dioxide in my slips. My favorite glazes also rely on boron and titania too, so probably the interaction is complex. I have one slip with no colorants other than 15% titania, which under a clear glaze over porcelain gives pale cream and yellow colors, but I don't use it for that purpose. I use it with colored glazes that have a tendency to develop crystalline surfaces. The titania in the slip kicks the crystal development, which yields a color and surface texture difference. Here's an example:

Well, it is, plus these plastic stencils are reusable multiple times. The idea came from the paper stencils described by (I think) Bernard Leach. As an additional tip, you can find plastic you can run through an inkjet printer to make these stencils. The plastic is slightly too heavy for optimal use on complexly curved surfaces, but for the larger scale work and cylindrical pots like mugs that I use it for, it works okay.

Joy, I use a similar technique with plastic stencils. But I do it with slip on the leatherhard pot. The stencils stick to the pot very well, using a little water to stick them on. I then spray or dip with colored slip. When the slip is set, I peels off the stencil, which can be re-used. I often make marks on the reserved image to enhance or define it.

Words to live by, and not just in the studio.

I've fused stained glass to porcelain for many years. Much of the advice above is accurate. Don't use too much, crush or cut the glass into small chunks-- quarter inch or so. Use only in low horizontal spots where the glass cannot overflow. Do not use in culinary pieces, because the glass will craze violently. This is a very pretty look on stuff that will not be used with food. I've done a lot of porcelain paperweights, for example, with stained glass wells. The glass will not separate from the porcelain, unless it is too thick. Some of the traditional SE potteries used chunks of gl

I hope the next challenge will avoid too specific a goal. I participated in a couple, but I just wasn't interested enough to devote time to a specific form that was narrowly defined. And at the moment, not interested in tile, though I've made quite a few over the years. I tend to find the more nebulously defined challenges more thought provoking. Still, my suggestion is the albarello, or medicine jar. It's a simple form, but can take many shapes and if we're not sticklers for authenticity, many decorative approaches.