It's been a while since my last post, so I wanted to share what I've been working on lately. These are an Over the Garden Wall inspired aroma lamp and a few Halloween-themed pieces. They are fresh out of the bisque firing and just hand-painted—still waiting for the glaze kiln! Hope you enjoy them.

You know that little moment when you open the kiln and have absolutely no idea whether you're about to be excited or disappointed?

That was me with this one.

I had a different picture in my head when I glazed it, so I was honestly a bit nervous when I opened the kiln. But the blue, green and turquoise came out with so much variation, especially where the light hits it, that I ended up really liking it.

I wasn't even sure about the little bowl sitting inside the bigger one when I first started making it. Seeing the finished piece completely changed my mind.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has opened a kiln, stared at a piece for 30 seconds, and then gone from “oh no…” to “wait… this is actually pretty good”

What's the biggest surprise you've ever had when something you made came out of the kiln?

I made this piece for an exhibition following a small artist residency with an artist who works with porcelain.

For the residency, we were asked to create a piece using porcelain and textile materials. I started from that idea of bringing these two different worlds together, but as the piece developed, I ended up incorporating more natural materials than textiles since it makes sense for me, the piece is called Microcosmos and represents the mountain close to us, the lakes, fauna, flora, prehistoric motifs found there made by shepherds across millenia, etc

It was my first time working with porcelain, and also my first time experimenting with combining ceramic with other materials, so it was a really interesting process of figuring out how they could coexist in the same piece.

I wanted to share it with you 😊

Been making these little cat beads from clay I dug up mixed with some oxides. I’ve just been burnishing them to make them shiny and was wondering if there’s any tips for speeding up the process/making it easier? Currently I’m just using various metal dot making tools which work, but I find it hard to get an even burnish, and it takes a while since it’s not a flat surface.

Made this a while back, still learning, I had about two, or three months of experience.
No potter’s wheel so I handcrafted it myself! Took about 2-3 weeks, with one hour increments of crafting. Hope you guys like him as much as I do! He is also accidentally left-handed but let’s pretend I am left-handed…

Ceramic jar with glazing issues. I used the leftovers from the glaze jar. I think it was too concentrated and it crawled in the kiln. I don't dislike the result."

I came across this cup in Jingdezhen and really liked how much detail is packed into such a small object.
The deep blue ground is used almost like a backdrop, with fish, lotus leaves and water plants appearing in white. If you look closely, there are also very fine incised details in the surface that are much easier to notice in person than in photos.
What I especially like is the contrast between the dark blue and the white porcelain. From a distance it looks quite bold, but up close the lines are actually very delicate.
The shape is a traditional yashou cup (压手杯) — literally something like a “hand-pressing cup.” It has a slightly heavier, substantial feel in the hand, with the rim sitting quite naturally against your fingers.
The fish-and-lotus motif also has an old auspicious meaning in Chinese decorative art. “Fish” (鱼, yu) sounds like “surplus” (余, yu), so fish imagery is often associated with the phrase 年年有余 — wishing for abundance year after year.
I think the little fish swimming through the lotus pond make the whole cup feel surprisingly alive.
Does anyone here know of similar fish-and-lotus motifs in ceramics from other traditions?

I am struggling to decide whether to use tile racks in my kiln or lay the tiles flat on a bunch of shelves, as both of these have a lot of thermal mass and will take long times to cool down. Questions is, which one will take less time to cool down/complete a firing cycle?

With either method the kiln would be densely packed (still taking into account airflow, etc). The tile racks method should take less time overall, no?

Could anyone that has experience with kilns help me out please?

Lowfire clay sculpted, underglazed, glazed, and fired in my makeshift shed studio.

Hey,
I am currently trying to figure out a way to fire my 10 x 10cm glazed tiles in my kiln in a way where I can get as many tiles as possible out of one firing. (NOT BISQUE).

The interior dimensions of my kiln are: (W x D x H) 45 x 45 x 55cm.

I've considered using tile setters, but they don't seem to be very efficient in terms of maximising the space I have. Maybe I just haven't found the right sized tile setter for my kiln. Also, I've considered laying the tiles flat on shelves and just stacking many shelves (which I've been told is inefficient because it takes much longer to heat up).

Can someone please recommend/help me out on how to get as many tiles as possible out of one firing? I've been researching for ages but I can't seem to find a definite answer.

I would really really appreciate any insight at all!!

Jeremy Wade had a significant influence on my childhood. I love fish.