Mica Clay Qumran Inspired Jars

For the life of me, I can't get the mica sparkles no matter what I try. The darker jar is Manzano Red mica clay and the lid of that jar as well as the other jar is regular mica clay. The jars have one coat of clear glaze on them and are fired to ^05. 

I plan on making a lot more jars with two colors. I love how the clays look together. 

Raku Mezuzah Cover

This is one of the latest raku pieces. It's not quite what I expected (raku never is), but I sure like what I got. 

This piece is ^6 porcelain that came through the raku process just fine. 

Raku Is Not For The Anal Retentive

The two on the top are the original test tile for a dry raku glaze we picked up at NM Clay. I love the color. So.... Jim did some pieces in that glaze today. One of his masks blew up. You can see the blue metallic in one, and the other is a lot prettier in photo than in real life. In real life, it's gold metallic. 


The mask is also gold metallic. I love what the combustibles did to the texture. 


The trick is going to be to figure out what Jim did the first time with the test tile because I have a couple pieces that I want glazed the way the test tile came out. 

Jim's Dinosaur

Jim used the same drape mold, but attached the extrusions in a different way to make a dinosaur. 

Jim's Finished Pony

Jim's pony made from a drape mold, extrusions, and a lot of whimsey. 

My Qumran Jar Made from Mica Clay

I burnished this for all I was worth and fired to ^08. Alas, no mica sparkles. What did I do wrong? 

Jim's Second Head Sculpture

This piece is also using fiber clay. Jim is in the process of putting wild, bug eyes in the eye holes.

Jim's First Head Sculpture

This is the finished version of Jim's first face sculpture. He used a fiber clay to make this. As you can see, Jim is pretty detailed when he's working with underglazes. 

Jim's Newest Little Plates

Jim has been playing with little plates, texture stamps and glazes. He tried firing his mica clay at ^03. Killed the mica. 


When I get the jar I'm making out of mica clay finished, I'll glaze the inside and fire it no hotter than ^05. 

Jim's Fiber Clay Sculpture

What happens when you give  Jim a couple 25 pound bags of fiber clay, a mask mold, and some slip? You get a tower of people. 


The leafy form on the bottom came from a plaster mold Jim found at the ReStore for about 75 cents. 

The Latest Jars

I've started working on smaller jars. This one is made from a ^6 porcelain. 

This is the same red clay as the other two jars. However this jar is smaller and better made. I'm thinking that if I make another dozen or so jars, I'll have both the inside and the outside smooth. 

I'll be glazing the inside of the red clay jar and I'll be using glaze on both the outside and the inside of the porcelain jar. I'm making these so they are functional. 

Jim Has Discovered Paper Clay

When we stopped at New Mexico Clay on Friday, Jim got to see a demo using paper or fiber clay. He's now in love with paper clay. It works well for his extrusions and the slump mold. 


I've no idea what kind of critter this is... but it sure is cute. 

Mr. Bean's Magic Pony

Whoops! The bottom photo should be on the top. Jim is making a horse for Mr. Bean. He's been using two hump molds to make a bean shape. First was Mr. Bean. Now, Mr. Bean has a horse. Everything is extruded.