Making some Progress,

I fired the bottom ring of my little, newly hooked up kiln yesterday! Yippee! 

 So, now I have a bit of bisque, including some test cylinders,

 Already the underglaze colors look brighter, so it will be exiting to see them with the glaze over top.  I have 2 glazes that I want to test, one from Lisa in Savannah, and one from the Digital Fire/Plainsman web-site. I went to Tree (the pottery supply place here in Saskatoon) and what a co-incidence, she had a test cylinder with the exact same glaze on it that I meant to test!!  (the frit that I requested is an odd one, and she had just got some of it in to mix up this same glaze) 

(the underside of some little dishes that I made some weeks ago)

So after seeing the sample of the glaze, I am super excited to try it myself!

 One of the things that I threw in my first bisque firing were these three flat shapes that I cut out to use as push molds for more little trays.  these will be a bit larger than the ones in the previous photo,, about 5" x 8" or so,
Of course I fired another load today.
I wonder if my little half-kiln would make it up to cone six before I get the new elements....

Various shapes,

I find that I make little runs of various types of pots, which is probably quite typical of most potters.
Lately there have been:
1. thrown mugs
2. little trays-- rectangular and oval
3. oval slab vases
4. two-sided slab vases
5. cylindrical slab mugs
6. small rounded thrown dishes

I would like to make other items, but I need to make slump or press molds to facilitate those shapes ( things with a curved floor to them)  I have a few things prepared to fire that will be bisque molds, but maybe I should consider plaster.
 Other shapes I need to plan out so that I can develop some templates to construct them from slabs (such as butter dishes).
I think that up to this point the shapes have been driven by the consideration of how to apply decoration to them.  I have been exploring various forms of applying underglaze and slip, including silk-screening onto the form.  It obviously needs some form of flat area.
However, by needing this type of surface, I have discovered some shapes that really appeal to me.  These include the cylindrical slab mug, the 4 sided slab bowl,  rounded oval vases and these 2-sided curved wall vases.

experimenting with a hollow handle a la Sandra Pierrentozi  (sp?)

the upper area is actually a pink background,

all ready for surface decoration!

this one has some extra clay added to the top and lower band

two sides of the same vase.  the dark grey areas are just the bare clay showing, which will be white when completed.

Being pretty new to slab construction, I have been making quite simple forms.  No lids yet!  I think that there is a lot to learn about construction techniques. (Up until this latest spate of hand-building, the most I knew about it was from adding handles to mugs!)  However, I am learning, especially about the nuances of soft to more firm leather hard slabs,...

pattern play

 I am learning how to make silkscreens to add more pattern to the surface of the pots
It is interesting, but I need to develop more familiarity with it.
I made a few screens last week, and on Thursday I made some pots with flattish areas to put the pattern on. 

 Monday, I trimmed up the items, and put handles on the two mugs.  I did some decorating at the studio, but wasn't able to concentrate too well, and so I brought a few of the things home to decorate later in the day when I can think better. 

 I'm liking the turquoise, brown and red combo.

 this screen with the little flowers seems to be the most useful one I have made to date.

You daub thick underglaze through the screen on to the surface of the pot, and it helps if the surface is smooth.