Rich Reduction at cone 7-8

Here is a couple of pieces from my last firing. Using my latest method of firing this kiln (see last post) I can now really push heavy reduction throughout the kiln. All pieces are from a mixture of clays using a lot of grog for temper, and have a good coat of an iron oxide wash.


The iron and heavy reduction gives a nice grey sheen to the pieces.  This is a great unglazed look for a pine or juniper. Here is a commissioned piece for a beautiful pine:


I enjoyed designing this pot, with the tree design in mind. Here is the other side:

I also fired some other bonsai forms.  Here is a medium nanban, perfect for a literati style evergreen tree:


Here is a commissioned nanban, very rustic, measuring 17 inches across.  It was quite a lot of work being coil built, and it required a lot of pinching!


Here is the bottom; a double ringed foot for support and five drainage holes and tie down holes:


All in all it was a very successful firing with all cone packs looking identical.  I am quite fortunate to the the kiln gods looking over my creations. Enjoy!












Comments

  1. Rob,

    Saw your tests and have done a bit of bonsai.

    I sometimes use a clay called Earthen Red from Highwater and just fire it at cone 6 in an electric kiln. It is a low fire body but at 6 it gets really tight and starts to turn brown. Much hotter and it can bloat. Try it and see if you like the color. It is really easy. The clay color changes from 5 - 51/2 - 6 - 6 1/2. (Ah Leon uses it when he teaches teapot workshops in the states.)

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  2. Thanks John,
    I actually am going to be moving into the direction of high fire, cone 9-10 relatively soon, but the clay you are talking about sounds very interesting. I do know that for bonsai pottery we use clay bodies that vitrify fully so that they do not absorb moisture and break up upon freezing.

    BTW, I am very excited about using your new book. I have never seen such a well composed and thorough glaze book! Thank you for opening many doors!

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  3. Hey Rob, how big is the first one? That pot is really cool and would really look great with a nice pine.

    Have a great week buddy!!!!
    Sam

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  4. Hey Sam,
    If I remember correctly that soft cornered rectangle was 8 inches across. It did NOT last on my display long....

    Cheers!

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  5. Hi,

    Very beautiful work. Awesome. What are the dimensions of the tird tree please?

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-Rob Addonizio