Colorado Art Studio

Click on any image to enlarge photos and to scroll through the album.  The vases are hand built, wheel thrown, or a combination of both using either white stoneware or porcelain clays and are fired to cone 6 in oxidation, unless otherwise noted.  The hand-built vases are either printed with an original lino-cut or found textures.

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Greenware, porcelain with colored slip and black stain, 7″ x 6″
Greenware, porcelain with colored slip and black stain, 9.5″ x 4″
I was a busy bee at the Art Student’s League of Denver yesterday. That is where you will find me most Wednesdays until it’s time to pick up my daughter from school. I brought all my bisque that I had fired at home this past weekend to the league to glaze fire, since I haven’t made any bucket glazes at home yet. I’m trying to decide on a palette. As you have probably noticed, I tend to favor cool colors such as watery blues, aquas, whites etc. Could it be my Pisces nature showing through?

The 2 vases above were an attempt at a technique called Mocha Diffusion. Lest you think I was hyped up on a double caf non fat mocha latte while making ceramic ware, let me quell your confusion. Mocha diffusion is a technique where an acidic stain is applied to wet slip. Where the acidic stain and alkaline clay collide, the stain forms a dendritic pattern much like a fern or fossil. The original recipe calls for urine or tobacco juice as the acid and either iron oxide or manganese as the colorant.

I tried a little less drastic and alternative route after having watched a Robin Hopper video. I used apple cider vinegar and black mason stain. I didn’t have the ratios correct, so I didn’t exactly achieve dendritic patterns, but still like the effect. I also didn’t have any iron oxide or manganese on hand, so made do with the black mason stain. I should have read Robin Hopper’s article first - the suggested ratio is 1 heaping tsp. of colorant to 1/4 c. vinegar. I’ll try again after I have the correct ingredients…no not urine, but iron oxide. I also added water to my mixture which diluted the acidic content. I won’t do that again. I chalk it all up to learning. As soon as these are bone dry, I’ll bisque fire to cone 04 and then figure out how to glaze these pieces.

Must go now,

You know I couldn’t just end this post so quickly…. I decided to go out an preserve an image of my crab-apple tree that is almost in full bloom right now. Why, you ask? Because the Denver Metro area is under a Winter Storm Warning. We’re expecting up to 12″ of snow by tomorrow. Today may be the last time I see the blossoms until next spring. It’s going to be a little cold out in the garage studio tomorrow!