Glazy glaze..glaze...QUACK!

Yesterday was a wonderful rainy day here in upstate NY and I spent nearly all of it in the studio glazing bowls. Every year the studio where I work donates around 200-250 soup bowls to the Empty Bowls project. My contribution to the project comes in the way of glazing. Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I love, love, LOVE to glaze and I relish the opportunity to glaze things that are bigger than a quarter. :) My friend, Maryanne (who happens to run the studio) is a production potter who throws bowls in a matter of minutes. I love her bowls. They were meant for me to glaze. So she throws and I glaze. Yay! Above is one of her bowls that I glazed from the last gas firing. I was so thrilled with the outcome that I set out to try to recreate the same look. We shall see if it works - you never really know when it comes to reduction firing.

Here are some of the bowls in their "before" state. I'll try to get an "after" later in the week after we fire them.

This bowl above was done in a similar way to the bowl below. I didn't write down what exact glazes I used in the finished bowl (a big no-no) so I had to take a guess as to what glazes I used. Usually I pride myself on being able to identify any glaze combination but this one did have me a little stumped (but I think I got it... maybe).

I loved this bowl so much that I promised to glaze a zillion more if I could keep it. :)

And you know it's Spring when the ducks return to the studio! This little sweetie was staring at me through the door. She seemed to remember that last year I fed her crackers so I scrounged around the studio and came up with some Fritos for her. Not the best duck diet, but she was pretty pleased. Her boy must have been out scouting for nest building property. Like a good duck-boy should. :)

Comments

I participated in Empty Bowls when I was going to college with my daughter, 2001 or so. Someday I'll graduate!
You are my hero, I always hated to glaze. I would prefer to be the one throwing than the one glazing.
We had ducks last week in the drainage ditch in our backyard.
SummersStudio said…
My goodness, but that is a stunning glaze combination on that bowl. I want one too!!!!! It is fun isn't it to glaze something just a wee bit larger.
Round Rabbit said…
Ha! Yeah, I think most people dislike glazing. I have always thought it would be great to collaborate with a thrower and do a line of pottery. I just love to work with great forms - like a blank canvas! :)
Round Rabbit said…
Yes, LeAnn, it is nice to glaze something big! I miss having the time to make bigger things... I really need to allow myself that fun now and then.
Dani said…
I WANT THAT BOWL!!! I soooo will be looking for it at the lunch!!

:)
TesoriTrovati said…
Gorgeous glazes. I took a pottery class with my son last year. He was much better at throwing than I but it was a lot of fun.
The ducks are coo-coo today. On the deck outside my office window one lady duck stood on the brick wall and quacked. All the other ducks are pairing up. One poor lady was pursued all day by three bachelors. And the duck on the deck was scaring away finches and cardinals. It was like Wild Kingdom, I tell ya! Enjoy the day! Erin
P.S. Love Empty Bowls! This year my potter friend is having the artists in our coop paint original artwork on large bowls that will be auctioned off. I am going to try my hand at painting something that someone might want. I wonder if they would let me bead it somehow?
Jen Judd said…
That bowl is gorgeous! I think it's amazing that a "plain jane" looking "before" piece comes out of the heat amazingly colorful. The heat/fire/chemistry of the art world is pretty awesome. :)
Andrew Thornton said…
I love that bowl too. Make more. I'll give you bags and bags of Fritos to feed as many ducks as your heart desires!
I love these! I like to glaze, but I can't say I LOVE it! It depends on my mood :O) One more thing from one Central New Yorker to another.....You can always count on having that rainy day to do something that requires you stay indoors ;o) Looks like you made good use of the lousy weather...woke up to snow this morning...ughhhhh!
mairedodd said…
these bowls are wonderful! i really hope you do share the after pictures... and i LOVE mallards... it's always so special when the ducklings appear...
Filomena said…
Just to a note to tell ya how much I enjoy reading your blog. You're my hero! We have a cabin near Bath but live full time in NJ close to NYC. We plan on moving to "the country" some day and I am already planning my art studio and barn area for my rabbits and birds.
Keep up the good works! You inspire me! :)
PinkVelvetBird
Michelle said…
Love that bowl! Great glaze combo, Nancy. I'm hoping to go to this lunch for the first time this year. I'll be looking for a bowl like this one... It is nice to see the before/after shots.
Alice said…
In high school I worked with clay as much as I could. I loved the glazing part, maybe more than the building of the form, because you never really knew what the outcome would be.

You did a wonderful job on this bowl, and I hope you are able to recreate the glaze colors again.
noricum said…
I *love* the glaze on this bowl!
Andrew Thornton said…
So are you going to sell that lovely bowl? I'm smitten with the glaze. I can't say that I've been seduced by glaze before... well, unless you're talking about glazed doughnuts... but this is a knock out!
Round Rabbit said…
PinkVelvetBird - you are too sweet! Thanks so much for your kind words! Bath, NY isn't too terribly far from me, maybe a little over an hour or so. Drop me an email sometime when you are going to be there and maybe can meet for lunch in Corning! :)
Round Rabbit said…
Andrew, sorry but that bowl is my baby at the moment. :)
However! That is the way I plan on glazing the line of pottery I am working on with Maryanne. So hopefully there will be many many more bowls for you to fall in love with. :)

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