slip-decorated – Gillian McMillan — Rara Avis https://www.gillianmcmillan.com Mon, 10 Jan 2022 21:59:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 Soda & Slips https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2021/12/17/soda-slips/ https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/2021/12/17/soda-slips/#respond Sat, 18 Dec 2021 02:26:38 +0000 https://www.gillianmcmillan.com/blog/?p=11859

This evening’s blog will be a photo gallery of my final pots of 2021. After I retrieved four pots from the Fraser Valley Potters’ Guild holiday firing I fired the remaining teeny plates in my electric kiln.

When Marianne came by my studio to pick up her now-four-times-fired Grooved Vase she found that I had finished some more of the jolly teeny plates she’d ordered for Christmas presents. She was delighted with the soda-fired vase, with its grooves and pale green glazed rim and is looking forward to filling it with a bouquet or Christmassy greenery. Then she selected lots of wee plates. She plans to top each pair with a goody or two as gifts.

I also finished making some teeny black, white and red plates for Mike McE. So after I returned from Granville Island on Tuesday he came by to select ten from the twelve available. It was a really interesting assignment from a retired Art teacher, to use the limited palette and dream up different designs. He says he’s really going to enjoy using them for his family gathering at Christmas.

Here are my two current favourite pots. The lid on the Moon Jar fits very nicely and I’m pleased with the varied and now glossy surface. I love how the ditches retain colour and the ridges are lighter. This one is staying with me for a while.

My tall jug was given a good spot on the top shelf of the kiln where flames could reach much of the surface. The pale blue orange peel on the rim and the upper area contrasts nicely with the colours on the lower part. The second soda firing improved the surface immensely. I’m not sure that this eccentric jug will be used to serve libations but I think it will work well as a vase filled with an extravagent bouquet. Dreaming up and throwing the four sections for this fellow, and then assembling them and adding the extruded rim, make a contented me.

 

With minimal Christmas preparations this year I anticipate getting back to making pots very soon. Luckily our little family live nearby so we can look forward to a day together. It’s so sad to hear about families who can’t congregate this year. Stay safe and make the most of quiet Winter days and look forward to a happier, healthier New Year.

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