What a tiny little world we live in.  I just took a phone call from my clay 'Sista' Adriana Christianson (she who organises Mud Colony) who was having afternoon tea with another clay pal Connie Lichti.  Both live in Melbourne, both have studios at Northcote Pottery, and both know me.  Connie didn't know of the connection though - I met her on my first session of the ANU Ceramics Distance Diploma about six or seven years ago, and I've never even met Adriana - yet both are my friends.  AC and I are both clay bloggers and have formed a great friendship, talking more often than I do with some of my oldest and dearest pals.  Adriana is a fabulous production thrower, and decorator of the most lovely bowls, currently with two distinct series, one Retro all sixties/seventies green and orange patterning and her divine Bird Series with red, black and whites, brushwork and sgraffito and the odd carefully placed element of gold.  I have one of the bird series and use it every day.

BLACK AND GOLD, LOW DISHES - ADRIANA CHRISTIANSON

Connie is like me, I would say, more of a studio potter, she is also a quiet achiever, and very knowledgeable and capable.  Everytime I spot work of hers online I marvel at  how her works grows.  I love the texture on these pots.

REDUCTION SHINO ^9 BY CONNIE LICHTI

This week I have been testing multiple textural glazes while waiting patiently for my large vessels to dry.  One man's glaze fault is another's glory, a glaze that crazes is to another person a 'crackle' glaze, a glaze that crawls will bug the hell out of the potter who didn't want it to happen and thrill the socks off someone with a looser more adventurous view of how a pot might look.  I like not limiting myself in terms of clay or temperature ranges when I envision a series of clay work, that way I am open to more possibilities.

   Here is a little gift a very old kiln gave up when I closed the door, a sheet of rust the size of my hand.  The second snap is a close up of the hot reds and cool blues.  I was careful to photograph it in good light, no flash here, nor photoshop.  The rust is crumbling every time it is handled.  I want to preserve it and hold it together with several coats of matt laquer and frame it in a box frame.  My pal Andrea wants me to place it on some glazed work and let the alchemy do its thing.  

For my glaze tests I needed some bone ash, and it was hard and lumpy so I had to resort to the pestle and mortar, and sieve.  I was mashing up fired cow bones.  I have a lot of patience, I enjoy bowing to what a glaze asks of me hoping to be rewarded for my efforts.  The ancient porcelain mortar is about 30cm wide.  

 It is easy to see why most potters make pretty decent cooks, many of the processes and mindsets required are similar.  I added some stains and am playing with yellow ochre to see what value it can be.

 Can't wait till Monday to open the first kiln load of tests.

I wanted to tell you about all the ceramic materials I got when I bought a kiln from a retiring dutch potter last year - and to appeal for translators of the labels as Google Translate is not too good on ceramic terms, but that will have to wait till my next post.  Meanwhile, check out Mud Colony, a growing group of clay bloggers who s post together weekly when we can - worth a read!!  Ciao - Elaine