For those who are wondering what salt fired pots look like, here are my sixteen examples. Jackie’s kiln and ten pounds of salt have resulted in consistent orange peel all around these pieces. There is a difference between salt and soda firings and I am pleased to have some more salty pieces for my record. Soda firings produce orange peel too but in those firings I find that potters make their work and apply flashing slips with a view to exploiting the variability of the effects. Most pieces will have some or lots of orange peel but the smoother areas may retain luscious colour, depending on the flashing slip recipe.

When I make and spray pots for my next soda firing I shall take ideas from this salt firing and adjust my decorating ideas. As my brother would say ‘all grist for the mill’.

The big tea-pot holds seven cups. It was just what I was wanting for when I serve tea to my Raiders .. next blog.

The next one holds six cups.

Enjoy looking at all of them. Except for the terra sig/rutile slip on two bird beaks and a terra sig/green stain on the third, all the work was sprayed with Jackie Frioud’s spraying slips. She has dark blue, red, orange and yellow. I’ve made notes of all and am comparing the colours with some I have from my time at Medalta and with some that Shadbolt offer.

Green still seems to be elusive – so if anyone can advise me on exactly what Jane Hamlyn does to get her green swooshes please tell me. I’ve tried a spray of titanium dioxide.. nothing. rutile, yellow slip, green slip. Jackie has a yellow slip but it did nothing over blue. It is actually more glaze-like than a slip.. see the taller jugbird. I really like the contrast between the beak texture and the body. That jugbird found a home yesterday.