by Eleanor Hendriks
A while ago during a pottery class focussed on glazing, I joked with my students about the Pottery Lottery. Playing the Pottery Lottery (PL) is what I call it when we put glazes on our pieces without really knowing what they are going to look like. Students almost always play the PL because they haven't had enough experience with the glazes to know how they might work.
A while ago during a pottery class focussed on glazing, I joked with my students about the Pottery Lottery. Playing the Pottery Lottery (PL) is what I call it when we put glazes on our pieces without really knowing what they are going to look like. Students almost always play the PL because they haven't had enough experience with the glazes to know how they might work.
I provide tile samples of the glazes we use in my studio but there are so many variables in glaze application that the tiles give only a small part of the possibilities. Even more unpredictable results come when glazes are layered or mixed.
During a class with some students who were really spooked by the PL, I lead the way by putting glazes on some of my own pots in combinations that I had never tried before.... and this time I WON the Pottery Lottery!
I used underglazes under a glaze that might have been opaque and hidden all my painting -but it didn't -in fact it has a soft aged look that I will probably be repeating.
I used underglazes under a glaze that might have been opaque and hidden all my painting -but it didn't -in fact it has a soft aged look that I will probably be repeating.
I spilled one glaze over another and rather than cleaning it off I went ahead and splattered a third glaze on top of that. There are some fabulous subtle patterns where the glazes met that I will try to repeat on some other pieces...
I would never have thought of putting these two colours together -I did it by mistake at the end of a long late night (early morning actually) glazing session -and I LOVE it!