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Category Archives: Barrel Fired

A Primitive Type of Firing

April 15, 2018Barrel FiredDavid

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otterpottery

74 Johnson Avenue
Markerville, Alberta -
Phone 403-638-5177

My first try at making a dozen mugs to specificati

My first try at making a dozen mugs to specification. I hope the customer likes them. I could barely get my hand in them!

Another piece of pottery with heavy texture but th

Another piece of pottery with heavy texture but this time raku fired. This isn’t a great picture but you get an idea of the effects. The textures form by forcing some clay through an open bag that is a lattice of woven plastic strands. A bag that breathes such as for oranges or onions. The right amount of force on the clay gives a landscape of hills and valleys like the last posting. A glaze with copper as an ingredient is applied and raku fired. You get a the shiny copper and greenish finish depending on how much oxygen is available when fired. The reduction happens mostly in the valleys. There is less oxygen available here giving a shiny surface. The high points have plenty of oxygen available and become green. Imagine walking through this magic landscape. All the valleys are shiny gold and the mountain peaks around you are green. A life of gold surrounded by the green of nature.

A set of 3 nesting bowls with the Northern Lights

A set of 3 nesting bowls with the Northern Lights and a starry sky. A panoramic view of the lights dancing around the rim. There will be #Sundre #potteryclasses starting the week of May 27th. I have changed one class to making pottery using molds with one class on the wheel. Still 6 lessons. We have space available for every evening 7 to 10 pm if you would like to come and have some fun creating. Mid-Day classes will be available starting in July. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #wheelthrowing #ceramics #potteryglazes #slipcasting

It is important to experiment and try something ne

It is important to experiment and try something new. Here are two slab-built mugs using the Nerikomi technique. I added a bit of brown clay into my regular clay and mixed them up together. Not too much or you lose the color separation. Using a very fine wire I took the equivalent of a small, very thin layer of skin off the mound of mixed clay. I put several thin clay pieces on the surface of a freshly made mug and used a brayer roller to get them to attach. Very delicate work! Next time, I’ll use brightly colored clays. Join the two colors together in an organized way and make a repeating pattern! Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre starting the week of January 21st. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #Nerikomi #slabbuilding It is important to experiment and try something new. Here are two slab-built mugs using the Nerikomi technique. I added a bit of brown clay into my regular clay and mixed them up together. Not too much or you lose the color separation. Using a very fine wire I took the equivalent of a small, very thin layer of skin off the mound of mixed clay. I put several thin clay pieces on the surface of a freshly made mug and used a brayer roller to get them to attach. Very delicate work! Next time, I’ll use brightly colored clays. Join the two colors together in an organized way and make a repeating pattern! Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre starting the week of January 21st. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #Nerikomi #slabbuilding

#potteryclasses in #Sundre are starting up the wee

#potteryclasses in #Sundre are starting up the week of November 5th. To enroll go to http://www.otterpottery.com/pottery-classes/ . This teapot is out of the last wood firing. We reached 2228 degrees Fahrenheit. Some of the wood used burnt very hot but gave little of the desired ash deposits. Next time I could blow wood ashes into the fire to amp up the runs. Still a lovely pot. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #woodfiredpottery #lessons #arts #woodfired #teapot

A nice combination of glazes. To me it suggests th

A nice combination of glazes. To me it suggests the Northern Lights in a starry sky. Not too much and not too little to suggest the lights dancing around the rim. SOMETHING NEW! Join us for the new revamped #Sundre #potteryclasses starting the week of May 27th. I have changed one class to making pottery using molds with one class on the wheel. We have space available for every evening 7 to 10 pm if you would like to come and have some fun creating. Mid-Day classes will be available starting in July. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #wheelthrowing #ceramics #potteryglazes #slipcasting

This lantern is slab built. The graduation in the

This lantern is slab built. The graduation in the sizes of circles suggests hay bales in fields stretching off into the rolling distance. A candle at night reveals light chasing itself around the surface. Join us for the #Sundre #potteryclasses starting in mid-May. Space for creative fun is available every evening, 7 to 10 pm. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #art #wheelthrowing #ceramics #potteryglazes #extruder #clay #sculpture #lantern

#potteryclasses in #Sundre start the 2nd week of #

#potteryclasses in #Sundre start the 2nd week of #September. Enroll now! This lidded pot has been barrel fired. Additions of low melting or fuming materials were added for the firing which permanently stained the clay. There is no glaze on barrel fired work because of the low temperatures achieved. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #sundreclayart #ceramica #raku #lessons #barrelfiredpottery #handthrown

With sculpture I try different glazes, textures an

With sculpture I try different glazes, textures and shapes. There are many types of glazes that you can`t put on a pot and then call it food safe. These pieces are so interesting to touch. The white glaze is a crawling glaze. You brush it on the pot and in the kiln, the heat makes the glaze melt. This is when the white glaze travels due to surface tension to accumulate at different spots. There is no control on this. It is very exciting to open the kiln and see what new surface has formed each time. Isn`t that great??

Pottery classes are just about finished for the ye

Pottery classes are just about finished for the year. After many years of making pottery and giving lessons, I have my own teaching method. Everyone got to make a cup or bowl on their first night trying the wheel. Some made several vases. It is wonderful to see everyone so happy and excited about the success of their first go at the wheel. Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #Christmas #raku #newyears #2019

We had some good weather and got a raku firing don

We had some good weather and got a raku firing done. It is always exciting to get a very quickly finish pot. Instant gratification. Be ready for unexpected surfaces, colors and of course – lots of fire! For the #potteryclasses in #Sundre I don’t teach raku. You can’t predict the amount of wind here. We have #giftcertificates available for the Pottery classes after #Xmas Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #Christmas #raku

The long flowing lines left by the harrows follow

The long flowing lines left by the harrows follow the contours of the landscape. This sculptural, black raku piece shows the shadows of machinery dragged across fields. But, the synchronizing of the lines as they flow up and down, twisting around the hills make me think of the lingering shadows left behind by a murmuration. Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #Christmas #raku #newyears #farming #sculpture #murmuration

The order that you apply the glazes gives differen

The order that you apply the glazes gives different effects. White over black gives the speckled pattern. Extra interest is added by the random crawling of the black glaze on this butter dish. We will be at several #christmasmarkets in the #Sundre area this year. On November 18th at the Sundre #market. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts

The November #potteryclasses in #Sundre are starti

The November #potteryclasses in #Sundre are starting to book up. For information and to enroll go to http://www.otterpottery.com/pottery-classes/ . To commemorate the long life and companionship of a favorite horse, a piece of pottery was to be used. I was brought some hair from the horse's tail and we decorated a few pots. What a beautiful reminder. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #horsehairpottery #lessons #art #horse #remembrance

A French Butter Dish. Keep your butter nice and cr

A French Butter Dish. Keep your butter nice and creamy all the time while sitting on the table. The butter goes in the bell-shaped top. Put enough water in the base to submerge the rim of the top to make an air tight seal. Makes a great Christmas Gift. I will be at the #Bergen #christmasmarket, 10 kms south of #Sundre on November 24th. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #butterdish

Remember, #potteryclasses in #Sundre. This lidded

Remember, #potteryclasses in #Sundre. This lidded pot has been heated in a special dedicated kiln. Once the black glaze develops, a salt is placed in the kiln and it vaporizes. Everything in the kiln is then covered with a thin film of material. This effect is the same as gasoline on water. The thin film reflects light from the surface and the base of the film. The interference of the reflected light waves creates the color patterns as the film varies in thickness. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #sundreclayart #ceramica #raku #lessons #handthrown

This is a project I have worked on a long time and

This is a project I have worked on a long time and now it is hanging on the wall. The challenge was to make a landscape from clay coils. The glazing can be a single layer or a combination to use the resulting interaction. The #Sundre #potteryclasses are starting at the beginning of September. Reserve your space now! Everyone is welcome. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #sundreclayart #coilbuilding #ceramica #claybuilding

Some more pots made from the riverside earthen war

Some more pots made from the riverside earthen ware clay. The foreign particles in it were mainly grass/weeds and the odd pebble probably placed there when the river was high. It is a very nice clay to throw. I threw these three pieces and then tried different glazes on them - these fit very good. Even the tricky crawling glaze. On another piece the glaze was a bad fit and it cracked the pot. Unfortunately, the #potteryclasses here in #Sundre do not use this type of clay. Space is available in the pottery classes. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #earthenware #terracotta #lessons #art #redclay

Here is a student`s work from the classes that end

Here is a student`s work from the classes that ended in December. With the vibrant, cranberry glaze highlights on this small serving plate, it stands out and sings. I have changed the date of the upcoming pottery classes to start the week of January 21st. To enroll, have a first, second and third choice of days that you are available. With only 5 students per class it helps if you can be flexible. Join us for #potteryclasses in #Sundre. Visit http://www.potteryclasses.page for details. #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #January #mug #plates #trays

This year Otter pottery of #Sundre has improved th

This year Otter pottery of #Sundre has improved their display booth. You can get a good look at some of my pottery on sale now. There is a special sale date, Dec 15, 10 am to 8 pm. Guest artists work on display too. Some bargains then!! We have gift certificates for Pottery classes starting in January. http://www.potteryclasses.page . #Olds #Didsbury #Carstairs #Innisfail #Bowden #Reddeer #Calgary #pottery #handmade #arts #Christmas

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