Clay and glaze fit did not come easily for me. While in college, I worked primarily with a cone 10 stoneware clay and fired in a gas reduction kiln to cone 10. I truly enjoyed that kiln and it was always an adrenaline rush watching the little flames shooting out of the vents. The color changes of the flames were absolutely amazing. If only I could find glaze combinations that would replicate those colors. But anyway, when I set up my home studio and began developing a body of work inspired by the effects of human activity on our ecosystems, it was imperative to fire in the most eco-friendly means.
I bought a programmable electric kiln that fires to cone 10. It's a beautiful L&L with the best element holders on the market. To stay true to my conviction to work green, I fire my work to a maximum cone 6. I never dreamed that when I began to work from home that it would be so challenging to find a clay that I was happy with and then develop interesting glazes (that come close to replicating those wonderful cone 10 reduction glazes) that fit the clay. I do plan on posting those glazes in the near future. But I will say that Rutile is indispensable for making beautiful, interesting cone 6 glazes. The clay that I've been using is a cone 6 buff stoneware from Laguna Clay in Byesville, Ohio. Shipping clay can be very costly and it is worthwhile to find a nearby clay manufacturer. So, I periodically make the 2 hour trip to Byesville and load up the van. Not only do I enjoy the clay but the staff there are wonderful to work with.
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