Mark_H

I think I’ve figured out what I’m going to do. I used 60-80 mesh granulated manganese, in the percentages shown below. Interesting that the speckles are sometimes larger depending on the glaze, because the glaze can cause them to spread out a bit. The 0.2% test looks the closest to my previous claybody. But there have been times in the past when I wished they were a bit more sparse. 0.1% is too sparse though, so I think the right answer for me is 0.15%.
 

I feel like any diagram or 2D representation of my career path should involve crayons, lol!
To say it was indirect for a good long time is an understatement.I did start off being pretty focused, and got a whole BFA in ceramics, but when I graduated, I had what I know now to be the crash that every gifted kid with case of undiagnosed ADHD seems to wind up with. So I worked a bunch of wildly unrelated retail or reception jobs for the next 14 years, and made pots on the side while Life Happened and Was Not-pretty (TM).
After having a couple of kids and coming to the conclusions that 1)I make a terrible employee but an awesome boss, 2) since I can predictably earn a couple hundred bucks every time I resupplied the one gallery I was in, maybe I just needed to consistently get my work in front of people to earn some adult money. 
Once I had relaxed and begun to see opportunities and possibilities again, my work did some pretty rapid growth and development. I built a TON of new forms, I went from cone 10 reduction to cone 6 ox, and went from using a white porcelaneous stoneware to a red stoneware with white slip deco. I challenged myself to keep the qualities of the cone 10 work that I really enjoyed while incorporating some of the easy turnover and colourful elements that cone 6 offers.  
I don’t think I know of an artist that has had direct, linear path. We all seem to incorporate bits of our lives and our loves and our experiences into the work we make.

I'm not going to wedge.  Had carpel & bicubital tunnel surgery (from contracting) and after finishing my studio build I wouldn't dream of not getting a pugmill.  For the younger folks out there who plan on having a long career/hobby; any tool that can save your back/knees/wrists/elbows/lungs is paying you forward by extending your body's usable lifespan IMO.

I'm not going to wedge.  Had carpel & bicubital tunnel surgery (from contracting) and after finishing my studio build I wouldn't dream of not getting a pugmill.  For the younger folks out there who plan on having a long career/hobby; any tool that can save your back/knees/wrists/elbows/lungs is paying you forward by extending your body's usable lifespan IMO.

I had 3 bones taken out of my wright wrist in 2012-I have not wedged  any clay from a bag  of new clay since then to speak of. I bought a peter pugger (used shortly after surgery) and do wedge that output either. I can wedge but choose to do so very rarely. I work with  high fire porcealin and have not seen any issues without wedging. 
At one time I weged the heck out of clay. These days  why bother the clay really does not need it out of the bag or pugger.
If the clay is homogenous and air free its ready to throw in my world.
I feel the montra of must wedge all clay is a false statement and should be questioned.
Modern clay is air free and homogenous these days ,at one time that was not the case
 Test the the limits and see if it matters you may find it does not.
My hands /wrists are much happier now-If I had it to do over I would have not wedged for the past 40+ years either 

This is what almost every Monday looks like on Glaze day-its whats on the workbench which is every flat surface I can find in kiln loading area. These are all the pots we glazed today(my assistant and I ) and I loaded the small 12 cubic kiln and the large 35 cubic car kiln(I forgot to take that photo but I have posted it more times than I can recall.This may be my last workbench shot this year not the last fire but the workbench is always looking like this every week since Sept when sales took off. As in above post my back hurts as do my feet and arms. These long days are killer on the body. I lit the kilns for a slow rise and will finish firing on Tuesday -unload them both on Thursday. I start throwing agin in am and this week is the last cycle this year for me. 98% of this glaze ware fit in the two kilns and I got it done by 6 pm. Out of a bath now feeling sore like i do every Monday night.Pottery is a contact profession and at my level it can wack you.I loaded over 50 advancer shelves in the se two kilns this afternoon. We cheated a bit and waxed a the load and I glazed a hour yesterday to get a jump on todays madness.My booth is closed for Monday and Tuesday so I could work without distractions of going and coming twice a day to booth.
I'll get the burners up later tonight to go thru quartz slow and get up at 5 am and kick both kilns up hard and go back to sleep a few hours.Fires will be over in afternoon at a soft 1/2 cone 11.  Slow two day cool. All pots are porcelain .I;m out of a few items right now and need some of these for orders NOW.
The beat goes on. Its days like this I wonder when folks ask about being a potter and how much do you have to work every day.I strongly feel if you ask that question you are not cut out for it. Time for some more Queens Gambit on Netflix.-Mea I'm putting my feet up tonight.

Ok, here's my custom swingtop lid on the growler.  Wasn't too bad!  I'm using a silicone gasket, it's a little stiff, but it holds water, is very nice and tight with a good solid click when its locked.  Basically a miniature jam jar setup.
I didn't want the typical grolsch style cap, it comes with too many design restrictions.  So I'm glad this came out well.  

Blackthorn Yesterdays glaze loads
The 1st photo is the small updraft gas kiln the other three shots are the larger downdraft car kiln
packed up most of these pots for future wholesale order in gallery about 10 drive from here.I take them about 1/2 way down in next Month (late May ) if I'm allowed to go.
The fires turned out very well with only a few refires(3-4 pots with pits) It's pits that happen with so much rutile glaze used in a reduction atmosphere . I have learned very well how to get near 100% refires to work at this point-it all depends where in kiln they go. Working with most of the glazes for over 40 years now I can usually control how much they run. I had one runner in all these pots and it was a sponge holder fired to a hard cone 11 near burner.
Min the new Seafoam satin matt glaze came out super in the small kiln bottom (hot spot)Thanks again for that help
Glazes range from black to browns blues and greens to landscapes-shiny to matt.
I decided to work one week in clay and take the next week off and so forth to get my other projects done. Back to clay next Monday.
I unloaded on Friday  afternoon and by saturday mid day  they where all packed in boxes and accounted for.Some for wholesale otrder some for lacal supoermarkets some for a gallery when they reopen.
 

Hi folks, 
I have been doing some thinking about the white liner glaze that I have been dipping the hazelnut and the white clays in before spray glazing. So I decided to try a piece without glazing the whole piece in the white glaze, just the inside and neck. I think you can see the difference. Seems like to me, the white is bleaching out the cream rust glaze here, pieces I had sprayed with the cream rust, the variegated blue and the rutile green would always be more blue and green. Interestingly enough, the hazelnut pieces would have more browns in them. 

 
best,
Pres

As I mentioned in the Events section, I have a big show coming up soon. Lots of good stuff coming out of the kilns now.

Been doing noodle bowls this week but took a break to make this jar.  Had to mix it up.  Over the weekend I did a bisque and a glaze firing of some mugs for Christmas gifts, they turned out OK, had some bowls in there too which turned out better.  Will focus on bowls the rest of the week, want to make enough for a kiln load by the weekend and see if I cant get them bisqued and glazed.  Looking for a used kiln this holiday season for bisquing since that part of my firing takes the longest and I have to babysit the kiln the entire 12 hours.  It would free me up to do other things.

Busy glazing once again, Honey Jars this time to be out on Thursday for trip Friday.
best,
Pres

Working  on found object texture tiles to be raku fired and assembled for a wall hanging.