Red Clay From Big Sur Being tested for Upcoming Workshop.

For my upcoming May workshop, An Immersion In Tea, at the Mendocino Art Center, I've been testing out some different clay bodies for the Raku firing we're planning to have alongside a high-fire, reduction firing.

The Chawans to the left were made out of clay from Big Sur, California, which a friend recently gave me. She indicated that with some white slip and a funny glaze called, Marshmallow, the results should resemble Hagi ware. If the results from our test firing turn out, I'm going to do my best to hunt down some more of that stuff. It really is quite wonderful to work with right out of the ground.
Along with this clay, I'm also testing a commercial earthenware body, with and without an addition of some groggy stoneware. This is my backup plan for the raku firing, just in case I can't get any more of the Big Sur stuff.

For the reduction fire, we'll have a few Shinos on hand and some other glazes that I use on a regular basis. 'With a bit of layering, a gestural wash of red iron oxide here and there, the possibilities using Shinos are unlimited!