Terracotta Clay (meaning baked earth) - a type of earthenware clay, the fired clay body is porous. Fired terracotta is not watertight, but surface-burnishing the body before firing can decrease its porousness and a layer of glaze can make it watertight.

A Terracotta Warrior

Earthenware articles may sometimes be as thin as bone china and other porcelains, though they are not translucent and are more easily chipped. Earthenware is also less strong, less tough and more porous than stoneware or porcelain clays, Earthenware is less expensive and easier to work with. Due to its higher porosity, it must usually be glazed in order to be watertight.

http://www.sandybrownarts.com/sandybrownarts.htm

Sandy Brown is one of my favourite potters and I hope to one day own one of her beautiful earthenware plates/platters.

Stoneware Clay - is tough, dense, impermeable and hard enough to resist scratching by a steel point, and differs from porcelain because it is more opaque, and normally only partially vitrified. It may be vitreous or semi-vitreous. It is used to produce tableware and art ware.

Stoneware pieces by Gwyn Hanssen Piggot

Porcelain clay - Porcelain derives its present name from old Italian porcellana (cowrie shell) because of its resemblance to the translucent surface of the shell. Porcelain can informally be referred to as china or fine china in some English-speaking countries, as China was the birthplace of porcelain making. Properties associated with porcelain include low permeability (vitrification) and elasticity (which make it a difficulty clay to work with); considerable strength, hardness, toughness, whiteness, translucency and resonance, and a high resistance to chemical attack and thermal shock. 

http://www.kriscoad.com/

Above is some tableware pieces by Australian Artist Kris Coad made of Southern Ice Porcelain.

I have tried many clays over the years (earthenware, terracotta, stoneware) and in 2008 I took the leap and tried some porcelain clays: Imperial, Southern Ice Porcelain and Superior Porcelain. They are all good clays, but for the work I do Southern Ice fits best. It’s a challenging clay, and some days requires a lot of patience, but every time I open the kiln I love the look, feel, texture and results the clay offers.

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I was hesitant about the black background.. and more than one pair of eyebrows were raised by family members at the outset but I kind of like it. I’m generally averse to black but there is a boldness about it, and once it gets fired and glazed, it will make the other colours pop!

I wonder also if I should leave the black matte and only shiny glaze the areas of the image. We’ll see.. Very soon I will be making a trip to the kilns again!

x GP

I have started a whole little collection based on a single pomegranate. To reiterate my aesthetic, I love all things eye-catchingly pretty, floral, fruity, and bright. This essentially sums it all up. Gritty details: Made from terracotta earthenware clay and wheel thrown. The process is ridiculously time consuming.. the decorative process alone for one pot took me almost an hour.. after that I started to get a little faster at it but it still takes at least half and hour. After throwing the pot, turning it, and smoothing out the surfaces it’s ready for the second stage. First I scratch out the image/design with a needle, then paint the background, before painting over the image. More intricate detailing for the leaves/stems/pomegranate interior is added using a ‘sgraffito’ technique – which is basically a method of scratching off the paint with a needle to reveal the raw surface beneath. (I can’t believe I just described a 3 hour process in 3 sentences.. sooo MUCH easier said than done)

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It’s semi tedious to post all the photos here, so I’ve also loaded an extended album on my Facebook Page!

A note: once fired, these colours should come out incredibly bright and vibrant and darker. Especially the ‘red’ pomegranates – which looks pink in the photos but will in fact turn a bright firecracker red. I’ve used DECCO underglazes like this previously but since I bought these paints last month I’ve only just begun to exercise a diversified colour scheme. (I haven’t been able to source it yet, but I also want to get my hands on a Royal Blue underglaze plaint.. it looks purple when applied fresh but after firing comes out into this stunningly deep dark blue.)

More posts on pomegranates to come! I’ve made a couple short vases and plates which will be decorated in keeping with my theme – but all individual and all unique of course!

x GP

Below I’ve used DECCO slip colours in coppery green, manganese alumina pink, and matte blue. They’re basically the same stuff that the paints are made from except they come in a powder (?); a bit like a very finely crushed pigment which can then be diluted with water to achieve varying degrees of consistency and application effects.

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I’m not sure if I will extend this design to the point of making a collection. It’s a little overly pretty and dainty. I think I’ll tire of it quickly although no doubt it has potential to look really good if I made a whole set of matching fluidly wavy-edged cups, saucers, bowls, dishes &c. It reminds me a bit of a fairy garden.. I wanted to experiment with a theme that is inspired by botanical imagery but this might be overkill with the pink?

x GP

made and manufactured of earthenware and are applied for

steeping tea in scorching h2o. Typically, these teapots are

hand painted and have an opening and a lid, wherever drinking water and teas are

additional. They have a spout for serving the tea, as effectively as a grip for picking up the teapot.

Porcelain teapots have openings at the leading inside of the lid, so as to

enable air access within.
Allowing air inside of the pot

facilitates stop the spout from dripping or splashing when 1 is serving tea.

It is advisable for one to use connoisseurs of tea, to rinse the clay teapots with some

boiling water ahead of one makes any

teas in them, or even pouring some. By rinsing the pot with the scorching drinking water, 1 gets rid of remains of tea that might have stacked inside.
This also warms

the teapot and can make it ready to be employed.

Before buying any earthenware teapots, it is worth noting that they come in distinct dimensions, which might

variety from five.five oz, to 32 oz for the bigger teapots.
With these

clay teapots, a single can use them to serve tea or even coffee.
This is to say that even

teas bags and loose leaf teas can be poured from these teapots. Nevertheless, when

using loose leaf, one requirements a strainer or teas filter in

circumstance the teapot does not have its very own.

Porcelain teapots, significantly as they are meant to mostly serve tea, can also be

applied to serve scorching apple cider, or mulled wine.
Traditionally, most teapots

come in circular shapes, but today, this is gradually changing. One can get teapots that with different dimensions and designs, like Santa clauses, frogs,

roosters, fish, or sorts of fruits. On the other hand, depending on individual

tastes and preferences, it is up to anybody to choose which styles to

opt for and what sizes suit them.

I will post some pics of some of the beads I have been experimenting with so everyone can see what I mean.  They will make some really cool earrings and matching necklaces.. If done correctly, I think I can almost make them look like they are lamp worked beads!!

I am pretty excited!! Well, back to the other job!!

Bert ∞

Glenda Stone and Deb Miller are the principals with other artists paying a small fee to display/sell their items.  They are fabulous artists as well as working so hard to get this little shop running.  And, they both work day jobs too!! Better go for now! More info later with pics!!

Bert