Fuzzy Clay and Fresh Work

Water etching paper porcelain is tough. It leaves a rough texture that I'm hoping I'll be able to easily sand away after the bisque firing.
If you click on the photo for a closer look, you can see that the clay looks sort of fuzzy. I sanded it when bone dry and it brought out the paper fibers. It's one of those little things that amuses me, a new discovery that's just fun. My hand was fuzzy, too, when it was covered in p'slip.


Below are the two things I had in the last kiln. When I first saw the sculpture I was shocked - the glazes I had layered were Susan Filley Black and my own mix, which when tested resulted in a deep shiny black. Instead I ended up with a rich blue. I was put off by it at first, but as I looked at it for the next few minutes I realized it reminded me of the ocean, with a small mountain of land floating on top. Though it was never intended to, this could easily become a commentary on the state of the world today, on what it could become if we continue on our path of over-consumption and ignorance.
It's still a work-in-progress. It will be fired again with a lichen glaze on top of the red, and when it's set up in the exhibition I'd like that part of it to feel warm (viewers will be able to touch the work in this show). So that's my next challenge... any advice?



In Seth's words, this bowl is "rad" :-D I'm so excited about it! This photo doesn't do it justice. It's one that might be hard to let go of, and if my latest goblets are successful, I would consider submitting the set to Madison & Main. That's been one of my goals this past year, to get into the local gallery. Sadly I haven't yet had a strong body of work that I would feel confident approaching them with, but I would still like to try.