Glazing floral inspired stoneware garden pieces

We're going to be moving house soon, which has given me the impetus to finish some of the pieces I have been working on so they are less delicate and more easily transportable. This also means I can photograph them and get them on my Etsy shop too.

I've had two large floral stoneware pieces hanging around in the 'in progress' shelf for some time now - no excuse for them not being finished other than laziness. So today I had a day to myself and prepared these to and some test tiles for a stoneware firing.

I'd previous glazed a similar earthenware piece in a shiny white glaze, but wasn't really happy with the finish. I knew I'd be able to glaze these two in a more subtle glaze.

Here's the first one (an identical form to the earthenware one) being glazed - pouring the glaze over it over a large bowl.

Glazing a stoneware floral piece with P2227

The glaze I am using is P2227 from Potterycrafts. This has a nice subtle semi-opaque off-white quality that works well with the glass. I'd used this before on a prototype piece but was keen to try it was a different glass colour.

Once the glaze has dried there is a lot of touching up to do by hand as the pouring method doesn't cover every part of the piece. Luckily the glaze is quite forgiving and tends to even itself out where application is not even, and will show interesting variations in opacity rather than highlighting drips and edges. After that is complete I upturn the piece and wipe excess glaze from the base before returning it upright and adding the glass. I use glass nibblers to cut pieces of glass from a sheet and drop them into the petals. During the firing the glass melts and flows so its not necessary to be too neat.

The second piece with  'antique' pink glass. The piece is more sunflower or daisy-like.

Glazed stoneware floral piece with pink glass highlights

I've finally worked out that the easiest and safest way to get these into the kiln is to add the glass with the piece on the kiln shelf, so I can just lower each shelf into the kiln rather than handling the piece itself. Much easier!

Glazed stoneware floral piece with aqua-blue glass highlights

There are being fired to:

1. Up to 600ºc at 150ºc per hour
2. 600ºc to 1260ºc at full ramp
3. No soak
4. Cool down

The kiln is cooling down right now but they will be out in the morning! Watch this space.