sommerjono

Yes. Currently I have an abundant supply of ash, n. syenite, grolleg, potash, cobalt carbonate, copper carb, r. iron oxide, local red and white clays, spodumene and alumina hydrate (you might be able to tell I have a particular fondness for shino's and ash glazes based on this list). I am willing to buy more materials as well, but I'd like the glaze to be pretty simple still.

The entire pot is wonderful, but I am looking to recreate the the blue slip as a glaze instead of soda firing over colored slip.

I am hoping to model some of Shimaoka's work, particularly his jomon pots in cobalt blue. The brilliance of the cobalt is wonderful and the rope inlays are human. I cannot soda fire because my kiln is a converted soft brick kiln, but I regularly fire cone 10 reduction with ease. Is there any way to mimic these surfaces? I have experimented with little success. I primarily use a local iron rich stoneware as my body and keep my glazes simple, all under 5 ingredients. It is an idyllic way of approaching glaze, I admit, but the materials' integrity gets lost in complex recipes (to me). I have also seen some interesting results with thickly applied shino's that are regularly white with some blushing that utilize the addition of cobalt. Hopefully I can avoid this predicament in the future by building a salt kiln! thanks all.

Thank you all for the wonderful replies! I wasn’t expecting anyone to even notice my post, let alone to get so much help right away. Mark and Jeff, your suggestions will be explored thoroughly. I’m only 23, married 7 months ago, trying to make a living in a field that hasn’t gotten much traction in my area, but if that says anything, i’m happy with a good challenge, I just needed a place to start — thanks for all the support!

I have recently lost interest in firing my converted gas kiln due to a shift in style towards caustic atmospheres, i.e. wood, salt or soda. My biggest road block is sourcing bricks to build a new kiln. I’ve read up on kiln building and all that, and am quite handy when it comes to putting things together, but I can’t find any bricks! I’ve looked on FB Marketplace and Craigslist within 500 miles with no luck, and new brick costs way too much. I’m from the Akron, OH area and could use some help.