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more on gray shino and bubbles in glaze

updated sun 6 jun 04

 

Liz Willoughby on sat 5 jun 04


Dear Clarissa and Claybuds,
After sending off the reply late last night on gray shino, my
interest was peaked again to look it up in "Famous Ceramics of Japan
12, SHINO, by Ryoji Kuroda". Wonderful book on Shino with good
illustrations. Definition of Gray Shino (nezumi Shino): A slip of
oni-ita clay is thickly applied to the surface of the pot, then a
design is incised into it using a pointed bamboo or metal tool. The
entire pot is then covered with feldspathic glaze. After firing, the
pattern shows white, while the overglaze is gray. Occationally the
gray will have a faint purplish tinge - a highly prized effect.

There is a potter here in Ontario, Eric Wong, that uses a blue slip
under his very fat glaze to create a nice gray shino.

I highly recommend the book above for anyone interested in studying
old shinos from Japan, or Asia.

About the bubbles that people are talking about on fired shino. I
made a small sculpture, just as a study a year ago. I just brushed
on soda ash dissolved in hot water. I used a lot. When it came out
of my cone 10 R firing, it had tiny bubbles all over it. I used
paper clay, so I imagine the clay really sucked up that soda ash
solution. I always bisque to 04, and that was the only time that I
had bubbles. I believe that Malcolm Davis does a low bisque, cone
08, so that the clay will absorb a lot of soda ash from his glaze.
Maybe that was the problem?
Just thinkin'

Meticky Liz from Grafton, Ontario, Canada

who is finally getting stuff done outside and in, after a very busy
May, and a wonderful conference in Toronto. The presenters were Nick
Joerling and Suze Lindsay. One of the best workshops that I have
been too. My head is still spinning after the wood-kiln building
workshop with Mark Peters in May. All from North Carolina.

Carissa Doying Salazar on sat 5 jun 04


Thank you Liz,
I will find that book. Rick, do you think your bowl might have a slip
underneath the glaze?
Carissa


>Dear Clarissa and Claybuds,
>After sending off the reply late last night on gray shino, my
>interest was peaked again to look it up in "Famous Ceramics of Japan
>12, SHINO, by Ryoji Kuroda". Wonderful book on Shino with good
>illustrations. Definition of Gray Shino (nezumi Shino): A slip of
>oni-ita clay is thickly applied to the surface of the pot, then a
>design is incised into it using a pointed bamboo or metal tool. The
>entire pot is then covered with feldspathic glaze. After firing, the
>pattern shows white, while the overglaze is gray. Occationally the
>gray will have a faint purplish tinge - a highly prized effect.
>
>There is a potter here in Ontario, Eric Wong, that uses a blue slip
>under his very fat glaze to create a nice gray shino.
>
>I highly recommend the book above for anyone interested in studying
>old shinos from Japan, or Asia.

Lee Love on sun 6 jun 04


Liz Willoughby wrote:

> There is a potter here in Ontario, Eric Wong, that uses a blue slip
> under his very fat glaze to create a nice gray shino.

This is John Baymore's recipe for a blue slip for under shino-type
glazes (he tries to replicate Japanese impure cobalt, Gosu):

EPK 25
OM4 25
G200 Felds 20
Flint 20
Borax 5
Zircopax 5

9% R.I.Ox
.25% Cobalt Carb

Apply to bisque

>
> I highly recommend the book above for anyone interested in studying
> old shinos from Japan, or Asia.

Shinos are exclusive to Japan and are not found elsewhere in
Asia. Though, I think, looking at examples of old nezumi shinos, I
believe they were trying to duplicate Chun blue glazes.

> had bubbles. I believe that Malcolm Davis does a low bisque, cone
> 08, so that the clay will absorb a lot of soda ash from his glaze.


I bisque much lower. Back home, after meeting a Mashiko
potter in St. Paul at the Northern Clay Center, I started bisquing at
012. In the wood kiln, the high temp of my bisque is 012 and the
rest is lower. At my teacher's workshop, the noborigama bisque was
only to red heat at the highest temperature. Some of the bisque could
be very soft.

Every new Deshi would end up breaking at least one of
Sensei's matchawan (sell for about $5,000.00 when finished) in the
glazing, because they were so soft. It was sort of "right of
passage." Sensei would always be non-plussed and just tell the Head
Deshi to go get a replacement. I would take the new Deshi aside
and tell them, "It is okay, everyone breaks them in the beginning. I
broke two." It always struck me "funny" that the softness of the
bisque was never explained to the new people. It is very similar to
military bootcamp, where you are told "the right way" only after you do
"the wrong way." A way to break down "self confidence" and form a
dependency upon the group.

--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://journals.fotki.com/togeika/Mashiko/ Commentary On Pottery