In April of 2023, I decided to create a floral installation for my own yard with some old leftover colored porcelain.
I wanted to work quickly so chose to add a slurry of flax and clean office paper to both the white and colored porcelain. This particular porcelain is very finicky but a paper inclusion totally tames it into a very friendly clay.
Since I was working with paper porcelain I was able to dry the flowers overnight without any special care.
They were durable so I did not lose a single flower during the process.
The first firing was in oxidation to Cone 04
They are ready for glazing. I tinted the glaze so that I could easily see where it was.
Here they are glazed and being loaded to be fired to Cone 6 Ox.
Kiln cooled and open on a very successful firing.
The next step involves gluing the leaves to the flowers. After the glue was dry and set, I installed them around my yard.
HERE ARE THE RESULTS OF PROJECT
I glued nails to the base of these single blooms so I could push them into the soil.
A blossom near an 'Italian Villa' luminary I made many years ago … this is one the the ‘seconds’ I did not sell.
A Tower from the Italian Villa series. The aged white crackle is a lichen glaze by Lana Wilson. The chimney vents the heat from a candle placed inside.
These ‘gardenias' catch the dappled sunlight
Real daisies showcasing my orange blossoms
This series was a great success. The project was completed very quickly due to the inclusion of fibers in the clay. The firings went smoothly and the glazes took well.
