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black majolica

updated tue 24 jun 03

 

Margo Miller on sun 7 jul 96

I have just returned from a two-week workshop with Deborah Groover at the
Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA), and I've brought back more than a year's
worth of information and inspiration. Anyone who has the chance to attend a
workshop with Groover will find her both generous and knowledgeable. She
learned the technique in Cortona, Italy and has had 10 years of working
with it. If you'd like to know more about her black majolica process,
write me and I'll tell you what's involved. While in Cleveland several of
us had the opportunity to visit the studios of some friendly CIA faculty --
Judith Salomon, Bill Broulliard, and Angelica Pozo -- what fun. Margo
Miller

Ceflores@aol.com on sun 14 jul 96

Have had limited experience with white majolica. I am very interested in
your recipe for the black. How do colors work with it?

Ceflores

Maria Elaine Lanza on fri 19 feb 99

Hello Clayarters... what do you think about substituting 8% black mason
stain #6650 for the zircopax in the following ^6 midrange white majolica
glaze in order to get a black majolica?

Gerstley Borate 5.34
Nepheline Syenite 33.14
EPK 4.63
Dolomite 2.28
Whiting 9. 35
Flint 45.26

Totals: 100.00%

Also Add:

Zircopax 10.14
Bentonite 3.30
Epsom salts 0.55

I found this recipe and the suggestion of the substitution in separate
clayart archive files and question whether if its at all possible and if so
if the percentage amount of mason stain if enough to give an opaque black.

Appreciate any and all comments that are relative to doing majolica at ^6
temperature.

Marie Elaine

Joan Ashworth on fri 20 jun 03


I have seen some exciting work done (because of where I live, the work is
always in pottery magazines or books) in 'black majolica' . The inglaze
pattern is usually in light oranges, turquoises,etc, and appear to be
transparent. The description of the work speaks of 'colour saturated' washes
and glazes.

Two questions which I hope someone can help me with:

First, can you paint colours onto a dry black glaze surface?
Secondly, how do you create 'saturated colours'?

I would really appreciate some help with this.

Joan
in Durban

Russel Fouts on sat 21 jun 03


Joan


>> I have seen some exciting work done (because of where I live, the work is always in pottery magazines or books) in 'black majolica' . The inglaze pattern is usually in light oranges, turquoises,etc, and appear to be transparent. The description of the work speaks of 'colour saturated' washes and glazes. Two questions which I hope someone can help me with: First, can you paint colours onto a dry black glaze surface? Secondly, how do you create 'saturated colours'? I would really appreciate some help with this. <<

Who's work was it so we can see too, maybe it's visible on the Internet.

As to #1, I see no reason why not and for #2 probably the same as any
other maiolica but I think the colors might have to be more opaque and a
bit more intense to cover the black.

Dave Miller, John Pollex and "a french woman who's name I can't
remember" do some great work with bright colors on black but it's
considered slipware rather than maiolica. You can find lots historical
examples of maiolica done on colored bases; various blues, yellow as
well as black.

Russel
--
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
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Helen Bates on sat 21 jun 03


Majolica & Lowfire Recipes from Linda Arbuckle on the SDSU CeramicsWeb
site:

includes a black majolica recipe but nothing specific on decorating
colours for this surface.

(Linda is or has been a contributor to Clayart.)

CeramicsWeb Home Page
http://grafik.sdsu.edu/ceramicsweb/ (if you have the old Ceramics Web
link, it redirects to this one.)

Helen
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Ababi on sat 21 jun 03


a simple test will show you the problem of painting / coating above a black glaze or a
dry black or even a black engob.
Take any color watercolor oil pastel Mason or similar or an engob.
draw a leave on a white paper and over a black paper. In the second case the shape
you drew,vanished somehow.
The solution I offer you is to add to the solution that Linda Arbuckle offers means, 2 or
3 parts of G.B. and one colorant- another part or half of white stain or ultrox or tin
oxide. Test it of course!
Ababi Sharon
Glaze addict
Kibbutz Shoval Israel
ababisha@shoval.org.il
http://members4.clubphoto.com/ababi306910/
http://www.matrix2000.co.nz/Matrix%20Demo/Ababi.htm

---------- Original Message ----------

>Majolica & Lowfire Recipes from Linda Arbuckle on the SDSU CeramicsWeb
>site:
>
>includes a black majolica recipe but nothing specific on decorating
>colours for this surface.

>(Linda is or has been a contributor to Clayart.)

>CeramicsWeb Home Page
>http://grafik.sdsu.edu/ceramicsweb/ (if you have the old Ceramics Web
>link, it redirects to this one.)

wynne wilbur on sun 22 jun 03


I didn't catch the original question about black majolica, but I think I can
answer a few questions (hope I'm not being redundant).

Steve Howell (of Florida) has worked with black majolica for years. He
basically takes Linda Arbuckle's recipe, takes out the opacifier and adds
8-10% black stain . The bright colors he uses for decoration are actually
the same majolica recipe with other colorants added instead of opacifier or
black. When these are painted on top of the black (quite thickly by the way)
they retain their bright color after firing. Using Linda's majolica colorant
recipe (3 parts GB to 1 part stain) decoration will also be visible on the
black surface but the color will be much more subtle.

Deborah Groover (also a Florida artist) also works with black majolica
although in a very different way. After coating the pot with the black
glaze, she puts a thinner and slightly more fluxed coat of white majolica on
top (or is the black slightly more fluxed? - can't remember right now), then
colored decoration. Upon firing the black melts through the white and leaves
spots of black popping through the white. It's a much less controlled but
beautiful effect.

Both of these artists have work pictured in Matthias Ostermann's book - the
New Majolica - and Steve's is in the new Penland book, so you should be able
to find some good examples.

Hope this helps!

Wynne
--
Wynne Wilbur
Assistant Professor of Art
Truman State University
wwilbur@truman.edu
660 785-4435

--
Wynne Wilbur
Assistant Professor of Art
Truman State University
wwilbur@truman.edu
660 785-4435

Joan Ashworth on mon 23 jun 03


Thank you so much for this information. It answers all my main questions.
Joan
in Durban