Clay Festival

Clay Festival ‘11

Sat/Sun 4/5 June 2011

BERARIO RECREATION CENTRE

cor. Dolores Avenue & King Street

(SECURE PARKING IN GROUNDS)

Hours:  09:00-17:00

An exciting line up of workshops and presentations by

leading ceramists from across the country

 

PRESENTERS EXHIBITION

DEMONSTRATIONS IN TRADE HALL

FINISHED WORK FOR SALE

BUMPER RAFFLE

FIND

TRADE STANDS

BOOK STALLS

FRESH INFO

NEW TRENDS

GOOD FOOD

LEAVE

RELUCTANTLY

FULLY INSPIRED

INVIGORATED

WELL INFORMED

EAGER FOR THE NEXT ONE

Information & Booking:  Cynthia McAlpine

Tel. 011 791 5153  /  Fax:  011 791 5076

e-mail: ceramicssa@icon.co.za

         

Potter's Tips from John Shirley

A SIMPLE TIP TO REDUCE THE CRACKING OF THROWN FLATWARE:

THE BIGGEST CAUSE OF CRACKING IN FLATWARE IS THE USE OF GUT FOR CUTTING THROUGH THE WORK. TRY SUBSTITUTING A TWISTED CUTTING WIRE FOR THE GUT AND YOU WILL BE SURPRISED. THE PROBLEM WITH GUT IS THAT IT IS SMOOTH AND OFTEN THE ITEMS RE-STICK AFTER CUTTING THROUGH, AND HENCE THE CRACKING WHICH SOMETIMES ONLY SHOWS UP IN THE GLAZE FIRING. THE TWISTED WIRE DOES A MORE EFFICIENT JOB OF RELEASING THE WARE FROM THE WHEEL OR BAT AND GREATLY REDUCES RISK OF CRACKING

Potters Tip - from John Shirley - Mocha Ware

THIS EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE, LITTLE USED TECHNIQUE, OPENS MANY POSSIBILITIES TO THE POTTER LOOKING FOR AN UNUSUAL WAY OF DECORATION.

MOCHAWARE IS CREATED BY USING A MOCHA TEA WHICH IS MADE FROM AN INFUSION OF TOBACCO MIXED WITH COLOURING OXIDE. THIS IS APPLIED TO A FRESHLY APPLIED AREA OF SLIP AND ALLOWED TO FLOW DOWN THE SURFACE CREATING FINE VEINED TREE-LIKE DESIGNS WHICH CAN BE USED TO CREATE A VARIETY OF DECORATIONS AS WELL AS MAKING INTERESTING ‘LANDSCAPE’ PAINTINGS ON POTS.

TO MAKE THE ‘TEA’ ADD THE TOBACCO FROM ONE CIGARETTE TO ONE TABLESPOON OF BOILING WATER. ALLOW TO COOL AND THEN ADD ABOUT A TEASPOON OF MANGANESE DIOXIDE OR OTHER COLOURING OXIDE OR CERAMIC STAIN. MIX WELL AND STRAIN OUT THE TOBACCO. AS A BASE SLIP REGULAR CASTING SLIP, FINELY SIEVED SEEMS TO GIVE THE BEST RESULTS.

TAKE A LEATHER HARD POT, DIP INTO SLIP, AND IMMEDIATELY APPLY SMALL DROPS OF ‘TEA’ WITH A LOADED BRUSH TO THE PIECE, ALLOWING IT TO FLOW DOWN THE SLIPPED AREA CREATING THE VEIN-LIKE DECORATION.

THE PIECE IS THEN ALLOWED TO DRY AND CAN BE FURTHER DECORATED IF REQUIRED, AND THEN BISQUE FIRED IN THE USUAL WAY.

ONE CAN EXPERIMENT WITH GLAZE IN COMBINATION WITH THIS TECHNIQUE ALTHOUGH I HAVE ALWAYS LEFT PIECES I HAVE PRODUCED WITH THIS TECHNIQUE UNGLAZED.

THIS IS A RELATIVELY SIMPLE TECHNIQUE WHICH COULD BE COMBINED WITH BRUSHWORK TO PRODUCE SOME EXCITING RESULTS. TRY SOME AND HAVE SOME FUN!

Potters Tip - from John Shirley - Wax Resist

One of our leading ceramists and member of Ceramics Southern Africa, John Shirley, gave us the following tip on Wax Resist.

WAX RESIST

WAX RESIST CAN BE USED AT MANY STAGES OF THE POT’S DEVELOPMENT BUT AT THE GREEN STAGE SEEMS TO BE APPROPRIATE, BECAUSE THE BISCUIT FIRING WHICH FOLLOWS WILL BURN OUT THE WAX. I FIND A MIX OF 1 PACKET OF WHITE CANDLES TO 1 CUP OF PARAFFIN TO BE AN EXCELLENT MIX FOR HOT WAX. HEAT CAREFULLY UNTIL IT IS JUST BEGINNING TO SMOKE FOR OPTIMUM RESULTS. ALTERNATIVELY A ‘COLD’ EMULSION WAX CAN BE USED. THE WAX IS APPLIED TO THE DESIGN TO BE RESISTED WITH EITHER A BRUSH OR SPONGE APPLICATOR. SLIP OR OXIDE IS APPLIED OVER THE PIECE WHEN DRY (IMMEDIATELY WITH HOT WAX, ABOUT ONE HOUR WITH COLD WAX).

THE WAX WILL RESIST THE OXIDE LEAVING A FEW ‘BEADS’ ON THE SURFACE OF THE WAX. TRADITIONALLY THIS IS CONSIDERED PART OF THE EFFECT. THE PIECE IS THEN BISQUE FIRED WHICH BURNS OUT THE WAX AS WELL AS PREPARING THE POT FOR GLAZE. THE POT WOULD THEN BE GLAZED AND FIRED IN THE USUAL WAY. MAKE SURE THAT THE GLAZE YOU ARE USING WILL LET THE OXIDE YOU HAVE USED SHOW THROUGH AFTER FIRING!