sheppard.lin

Hi clay folks! I'm a technician at my local studio and we want to switch to a new colored slip pallette for some of our lessons. We currently work with a 3-5% mason stain addition. I want to make a navy blue, forest green, dark red, and mustard yellow. If you've made these colors, which mason stains (#s) work well, and what percentages do you use them at to get a vibrant color? I'll totally play with line blends too, just thought I'd check if anyone has a good starting point! Lindsey

Thank you all for your advice! I have lots of experimentation to do now!

Great! Thank you for the input Jeff! I'll try adding more neph sy to some of the slips i'll be using. Im curious now!

@fergusonjeff @GEP Yes, a photo is a good idea. I've also emailed the artist for her input as well - but there's usually value in trying different strategies to get a certain outcome. Piece by Emma Smith.

Hello again, another wood firing question for those of you with more experience! I'm going to try a few different clay bodies in an wood firing next month. I'm in Ontario, Can - so I'm going to test a porcelain and Tony Clennell's clay body for sure. I've also seen a lot of work with gorgeous deep purple/brown tones. Are there any clay bodies/slips/kiln placement that I might experiment with to get this color? Thanks, Lindsey

Hello all, I'm participating in my first wood firing, and I have been doing some reading about using flashing slips. Some say they are applied thinly over bisque wear, others seem to apply before the bisque. Anyone have some experience with these methods? Photos would be greatly appreciated as well! I'm also interested in trying to spray some slips. Thanks!

Hi DieselClay, Thanks for your response. I am currently in Ontario, but looking to move to southern AB. Ideally I would like to end up in the Calgary region, but my family is in Lethbridge. I have a B.A. and a Bachelor of Social Work, but i'm finding that my passion is in ceramics. I've taken a few ceramics courses in university, but most of my learning has been self directed up until this point. If I had the time/money to do another degree, I would apply to ACAD... maybe one day I could do that, but at the moment it would be difficult. Right now I'm looking for a bit of both. I'm looking for someone who can help me to develop my artistic skill (I tend to lean towards functional pottery, but I'm certainly interested in branching out into the world of visual arts). I've started making my own glazes, but someone who could help me to learn this would be great. I also need guidance in developing a business model. One day I would love to be selling/teaching youth in a non profit setting (to use some of my social work degree). I definitely have a long way to go, but this is something I am very passionate about.

Thank you both! I will try loading the kiln differently to even it out. The cone was not bent properly even after the hold. I was hoping the hold would bend it, but it didn't. I think you are right about the cooling! I will try crash cooling for a few hundred degrees, and see if that works. It makes sense that that would be the issue.

What kind of ceramics apprenticeships are available in Canada? I'm determined to develop my skills, but I'm finding it really challenging to learn without guidance and access to an experienced ceramic artist. I would LOVE to get a degree in Ceramics, but i've already done school and I simply can't take out more loans to pursue this. I know part time paid options are more common in the US, but I haven't found anything comparable here. I'm originally from Alberta, so AB or BC would be amazing!

Hey all! First time posting here. I'm new to firing, and i've been having some difficulties getting my kiln to fire to cone 6 properly. Here's my problem: When I check the cones at peak temperature (2180 in my case), the cones are not bent properly yet. Last night I just let it cycle down anyway. However, when I opened my kiln at the end of firing, the cones were overfired (at least at the top of my kiln). I've been slow cooling, so is it possible that the heatwork as the kiln fires down is actually causing the cones to bend further even at lower temps? Firing Schedule: 220/60 - 100 degrees/hr 2000/0 - 350 degrees/hr 2180/15 - 108 degrees/hr (still not getting my kiln up to 2192, but that might just be a problem with the PID or thermocouple) 1400/0 - 125 degrees/hr OFF I have no idea how to tell if my pieces are over/underfired because of this. Do I base it on what the cones were doing at peak temp, or what they looked like at the end of firing??