First glance doesn't look too bad, but it's sure waaay too shiny for matt black.
And you can't pick it up off the shelf...completely glazed to it...as were several other pots.
The kiln had new elements in it, and when our studio manager re-set the firing sequence, one of the numbers was wrong, so it held for too long, turning the glaze, and the clay to glass. After hammering it off the shelf, (which had kiln wash on it) the base was ruined.
Inside the glaze was thicker, but had boiled into an ugly mess. Getting the lid off also meant the clay of the rim shattered. Clay against clay had fused.
I kept the lid to remember my first attempt at Mishima. Then Charles put the pot in the trash and hammered it (upon my wishes) to shards. I also retrieved the handle. It wasn't made all that well, as seeing the cross section told me.
I'm just grateful to have another chance to work on another teapot. I've got 2 waiting to be glaze fired as this was written, and one of them will be in a show next week at Black Mountain Center for the Arts (Sept 10 opening) of "What's the Buzz." I'll be showing you what it looks like when it's finished. There are also some little tea bowls and honey pots.
Today's Quote:
When we do the best
we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life, or in the life of
another.
Helen Keller
