Unintended and Surprising Result

I passed by the studio today just to drop off my leafy goblet.  I can't wait to finish that one, and hold it in my hand.

While I was there, I peeked in the "cage" where all the finished ceramics are locked up, and tried to find my pieces that made it into this first firing.  I can see that one of them turned out really nicely, much like I had hoped.  But many of the others were a disappointment.  In particular, the marbling effect on my early beer glasses / steins doesn't show well through the glazes I used.  Perhaps I'll need to spray the glazes next time, instead of dipping, which tends to apply them too thick for my liking.

I also found my unnamed negro lady sculpture.  When I was staining and glazing her, I was told that I might be applying the red iron oxide too thick, that it would end up looking metallic.  I understood that to be a metallic sheen, but would have expected it still turn out a chocolaty brown colour.  So I sponged the oxide off in many areas, but the result was still this :

It's funny, my first reaction is that she is scary looking.  Certainly not the effect I was trying to achieve.  But when I showed a photo of her to my wildly creative friend, Miranda C, she absolutely loved the piece, and offered to give it a good home if I don't want her.  She had a wonderful story to tell about how this piece triggered great memories for her, from Hornby Island, I think it was...

I'll bring her home (hopefully tomorrow), and see if she grows on me, or whether she will be happier with Miranda.  I have to say I am very pleased that she seems to have survived the two firings very well, with no cracks or accidents.  That is a really significant success for such a large piece, and my first real attempt at a sculptural piece (other than my raku lady, which also amazingly survived her firings).  I am excited about the prospect of trying something like this again.  Watch out world!

Oh, and the other thing which really pleases me is that the red underglaze I used for her lips, turned out so brilliantly red, even without a glaze on top.  I am very pleased, and will be using that color again!  The yellow underglaze on the butterfly is also nice, although even a small layer of clear glaze on top seems to be adding an opacity which I am not sure about...  Next time I'd leave the yellow unglazed.  Good to know, since I really haven't done a test firing with these underglazes.  (Although that would be the logical first step.)

I'm looking forward to a raku firing tomorrow, with three of my pieces ready and patiently waiting (unlike me, who has very little patience, but luckily is distracted by other things while I am waiting).