WHAT'S IN YOUR ROLL?

This is my Demo Piece for the Stacked Porcelain Assignment.

Because it's only a demo I have to work quickly,

making a finished piece in 25 minutes or less.

However, 

these were my 2nd year clay kids and have much more interest patience with me,

so I actually was able to take about 45 minutes in the making of this footed bowl.

The kids are required to mix up at least 2 different colored porcelains to stack with.

Because of time restraints I only mixed up the one using Cobalt Carbonate,

a blue colored oxide.

Then I rolled it out into a long thin strip and stacked it with a white porcelain one.

I used a jelly roll technique to then roll these two stacked clays together.

Using the thin knife I cut nickel thick pieces off this roll and laid them randomly on my board.

Then a large white pre-rolled slab was laid overtop those,

 and the whole thing rolled together

to create an inlaid foundation.

I found a large newspaper mold and laid this onto.

Because the slab was so large,

 it wouldn't lay right so I crimped the lip in several places.

I also put a foot onto the bottom of the bowl ,

using the ends of the jelly roll which became slightly misshapen and interesting.

Sorry no pix.

And then two big revolting developments.

One of my senior boys,

accidently switched the labeled lids on the transparent and white glazes.

And me,

assuming that all was in order,

dipped this piece into the Transparent.

Only to find out after the firing it was really the White glaze.

I wanted to scream,

perhaps I did a bit to the Ceramic class.

I'm sure they thought I was foaming at the mouth.

LOL

You couldn't even see the Cobalt Blue design at first.

The other revolting development,

several of the inlaid pieces separated around their edges from the large white foundation piece.

Soooo,

I used my finger to put more glaze in the cracks and sent it thru the kiln again.

Then something good happened.

The refiring caused the blue to be more noticeable.

So I sent it thru at least 5 more glaze firings until the glaze took on a more transparent appearance 

and I was satisfied.

This turned out to be such a cool serving bowl 

that I'm thinking I'll gift it to my son and his girlfriend for their new home.