Freeform Friday: the Majolica experiment

In my last post, I shared with you a little of the background and the history of this style of ceramics/decoration. Now I have put it all to practice. 

This summer, during the clay camp I teach, my teens did a Majolica project. I had made simple terra cotta plates for each student, and while their thrown pieces were bisque firing they glazed.

They did a fantastic job and really enjoyed the process. They best results seemed to occur when they built their design out, making choices as they went. It was organic, and they were able to assess and make creative decisions freely. Those that had a precise plan still had great results, but it seemed the freedom of "off the cuff" was more rewarding. ( The students were using Amaco Velvet underglazes over  a ^04 opaque white glaze.)

Thursday - 

This morning I sat down to do a few test pieces- I am using the Amaco Gloss Decorating Series glazes over the same low fire white glaze. Sadly this series is discontinued. My glazes had dried, and I have reconstituted them. Its been a long road to get here: sitting down to glaze with colors and coffee.

I like an orderly glaze table. 

Keep your coffee and brush water on opposite sides of the table. 

The discontinued GDC series. 

Building up background areas. 

The test pieces. Before

All in all - I need to learn from my students. For the most part I am not thrilled with this selection. I need to just play with color and pattern and not get too precious or whimsical with details and motifs. I'll fire these today, so I understand what works best with layering and thickness. Then I will glaze the rest...

Friday - the results     ( Please excuse the 1. brevity 2. coffee stains on the counter. you'll see. I'm still on my first sips.)

So I open the kiln today, just 5 minutes ago - looks great! I am sorely disappointed that this line of glazes is discontinued. They are lovely. Fully fused into the base glaze, they feel satiny and the colors are intense. The top pix, with coffee, shows both the level of gloss finish, and a bit of the texture. The glaze looks bumpier than it feels.

I am not thrilled with my designs. But seeing these is sparking ideas in my coffee deprived brain. I think I need to go peruse my "Eye Candy" page in Pinterest, and pull out my Mehndi/henna design books. Thats where I am headed... 

So tell me! What do you think? 

Off to drink coffee, and glaze! 

Jenny
www.jdaviesreazor.com

Freeform Friday: Majolica!

Majolica -
In one word, one style there is so much history culture and tradition...

In my next pair of posts I would like to dazzle you with pictures, place Majolica in art/ceramics history, and show you how I am applying it to a series of pendants and charms. Ready? Cool...

Majolica is a tin glazed pottery - which translates as a colored earthenware clay body, with an opaque white (tin-based) glaze. Decorations are painted on top of the white glaze...
"Tin-glazed pottery is pottery covered in glaze containing tin oxide which is white, shiny and opaque. The pottery body is usually made of red or buff colored earthenware and the white glaze was often used to imitate Chinese porcelain. Tin-glazed pottery is usually decorated, the decoration applied to the unfired glaze surface by brush as metallic oxides... The makers of Italian tin-glazed pottery from the late Renaissance blended oxides to produce detailed and realistic polychrome paintings.

The earliest tin-glazed pottery appears to have been made in Iraq in the 9th century... From there it spread to Egypt, Persia and Spain before reaching Italy in the Renaissance, Holland in the 16th century and England, France and other European countries shortly after." (Thanks Wiki)

1. Dish with bird, in Islamic-derived style, Orvieto, ca.1270-1330

2. A Hispano-Moresque dish, with Christian monogram "IHS", . Valencia, c.1430-1500.

3.Iznik dish - British Museum. Dated 1540-1550.

4. Persian Pottery from the city Isfahan, 17th century.

Tracing its history is an amazing cultural trek across the Medieval landscape. And I love that kind of thing... Persian pottery ---- Islamic Moorish Spain---Renaissance Italy---then a jump to the left  (Is the Time Warp playing in your head now?) and into Victorian England where they really change it up... It's Maiolica in Italy. It's Faience in France. It's talavera in Mexico... I can't get enough!

1. An albarello (drug jar) from Venice or Castel Durante, 16th century. Approx 30cm high
2.  plate depicting the birth of Venus, by Francesco Xanto Avelli of Rovigo, 1533
3. Coppa amatoria depicting Elena Bella, majolica, from Castel Durante, Urbino, c. 1540–50
4. storiato decoration on a plate fromCastel Durante, c.1550-1570

1. detail of plate by William de Morgan Victorian era/late 1800's
2. G Jones majolica quail game tureen 
3. from Pinterest... sorry no details.
4. 19thc Victorian French Majolica Palissy Ware. Pike Fish Platter

And the modern contemporary era? Yes, many current potters are still using the age-old techniques in new ways, with modern aesthetic sensibilities! 

1&3 - Posey Bacopoulos
2 &4 - Linda Arbuckle

Are your eyes dazzled yet? Do you want to time travel to the Middle Ages and serve an apprenticeship? ( I do, but I'm an art history geek like that...)

Majolica isn't for everyone. Some pieces is so over the top, so ornate, so colorful. Embellished to a crazy place. But, you ask... where is the connection to Art Jewelry? 

Let me leave you with a teaser for my next post in 2 weeks. I have majolica pieces in progress - pendants and charms. These are part of the all-encompassing countdown to Beadfest. Stay tuned in 2 weeks - to see the results. I promise to post them - whether they are good, bad, ugly, or over embellished! 

Until then - have a colorful weekend.
Jenny 

www.jdaviesreazor.com

Resources:

Overview of tin-glazed pottery

Islamic pottery

Moorish pottery wiki

Mexican talavera pottery

Victorian Majolica

Great article on L. Arbuckle's technique and glaze recipes.