Project Title: Ceramics: A Study into the Effects of Oxygen on Glaze Composition
BASIS Advisor: Joshua Winter
Internship Location: Greenwich House Pottery
Onsite Mentor: Adam Welch
During my senior project, I intend to analyze and discover the hotspots in the kiln. I have secured an internship at Greenwich House Pottery, during this internship I will be loading kilns, mixing glazes and clay. When loading these kilns I will be strategically placing my pieces/test tiles in the kiln. I wish to see the differences that the kiln position can make on a final look of a piece. I have been working with ceramics for over a decade and I have intentions of following this into college. My study should help clarify some of the factors that make gas-fired pieces unique.
My Posts
conclusions
Jun 10, 2020
As my time conducting a senior project comes to its close, the feeling is bittersweet. I was very fortunate to be able to complete this project in a form. Even though I wasn’t able to finish my planned research I think that the work I completed is a reminder of why I became a ceramic […]
week 8 Crystalline pottery
May 23, 2020
Blog 8 crystalline pottery.One of the most interesting pottery firing techniques that I have never participated in is a crystalline firing. During this firing crystals are grown in the glaze on the exterior of the piece. This method of firing is very expensive and has any precautions that must be taken to not ruin the […]
blog 7 colored slip decoration
May 07, 2020
Another way of achieving color on a piece is with the use of colored slip. Slip is the watered-down clay slurry. With the addition of mason stains, this liquid can reach bright colors. Much like underglazes, slips give you a glimpse of the colors your pieces will reach when they are done being fired. Underglazes […]
blog 6 luster firing
May 07, 2020
Not all firings are designed to fully melt the glass in the glaze. One of the most simple low-temperature detail firings is a luster firing. The luster glaze is applied after the glaze firing, the final temperature reached by the firing is just enough to set the luster. Most electric firings are cone six and […]
blog 5 gas kilns
Apr 27, 2020
Last blog post covered my firing schedule during the school year, this blog post will cover my summer firing schedule. Another common firing method is gas firing, this is the original method of firing I intended to study throughout this project. What makes this method of firing method unique is the variance that is created […]
blog 4 electric kilns
Apr 27, 2020
As I am still stuck in my home for the foreseeable future I think that explaining my normal firing method is important as it acts as a touchstone for other types of firings. My normal firing schedule takes around 18 hours to complete, I fire my pieces to cone 6(2200 degrees), it takes 9 hours […]
wood firing
Apr 14, 2020
This week I decided to explore wood findings. This type of firing is one of the most labor-intensive, as the fire must be maintained around the clock for up to two weeks. This style of firing originated in Japan and the traditional name for wood firing is anagama. The most distinct part of the wood […]
Raku
Apr 03, 2020
In lieu of recent developments surrounding the coronavirus I have been unable to access my onsite placement. This has not prevented me from being interactive in my research project. On the last day before quarantine I was able to go to a raku workshop in New Jersey. This was my first experience in raku firing. […]
introduction to my process.
Mar 13, 2020
For whom it may concern, my name is Ike Lobel. This blog will serve as a recording device for my progress through my senior project. My project is about the intricacies of gas kilns. I have been working with ceramics for over a decade and this will be a culmination of everything I have learned.my […]