This technique is dicey, and works a lot better on this white stoneware than it did on the Very Sad porcelain box featured in an earlier post. The issue is that the clay needs to be cut and prepped and then dried to just-the-right leather hard stage before the surface can be underglazed and etched. THEN, the pieces need to be scored and slipped to put them together while stiff enough to hold their shape, but moist enough to make a good bond. It's a tedious journey of waiting then working quickly. I once heard someone say that war was long periods of boredom punctuated by moments of terror. It's like that.
I do love the look of the water etching. The branches are slightly raised, though the final glaze makes the surface smooth, even though it still has a dimensional look.
This mug is a smaller size that John prefers. I made the handle larger than usual so that all of the fingers fit under it, rather than floating the pinkie on the outside of the handle. I'm not sure why I don't absolutely love it. It's ok, though.
Finally, I had some clay left over from all of the slab building, so I made labels for some new plants in the garden. I used under glaze to color the dark clay, then stamped or scrafito'd (scratched) through the under glaze. The contrast between the color of the clay and the under glaze wasn't as sharp as I would have liked, but these labels will work. And it's a great way to use up bits and pieces of clay.
The red won't get lost in the garden, but the green is harder than I'd like to read.
It remains cool this morning, after weather that was cold-ish and rainy for the past couple of days. I'm ok with all of that, though I would love to get my transplants into soil. We're supposed to reach 60 today, so garden work is imminent. Spring still merely threatens, though. I'm looking forward to seeing her for real.
