cuerda seca, prints on porcelain, raku...

The fact that I'm not good at keeping this blog up-to-date lately doesn't mean that I'm not doing anything about ceramics.. on the contrary, last couple of weeks I worked a lot..
I am still struggling to learn more about surface design, hoping to find a way that I will like and will be good at...
I have learnt the tecnique "cuerda seca"..
it is a technique based on applying different glazes upon oxide covered piece and quite simple.. but obviously I am not very good at it! Maybe that's why last week Evandro told me that I can do something else instead of making tiles with this technique! I started to throw again.. and I am so happy..
As you may remember that I adore porcelain.. 10 days ago I have joined "prints on porcelain" workshop of Annalisa Guerri in l'albero di terracotta.. I loved it.. she demostrated a couple of ways to print on clay and it was very interesting.. I can't wait to try them in my studio.. Annalisa works with porcelain and paper clay... I find her pieces very exquisite.. you may see them here
and finaly, last weekend we have done raku firing.. we have tried Evandro's new raku kiln and I can say that it worked perfectly!

porcelain, at last

I always wanted to work with porcelain.. but I could never dare.. because it is always said that this clay is very difficult to work with, very capricious.. especially when it comes to throwing.. but its pure colour, fine and translucent nature make this material impossible to resist. I admire porcelain pieces which look very fragile, but in fact very strong.
..and last weekend my father brought a piece of porcelain clay from his friend's workshop for me to try..
I have thrown this one ... Here is #27, my little plain porcelain bottle.
it has a buttery texture, a pleasure to touch and definitely a pleasure to throw.. has a deep, warm colour.. candy for the eye.. even only for these reasons, surely it worths to give it a try..
I still have almost 4 kilos left and can keep trying a bit more.. so happy!