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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · 10h

This mug was thrown thick at the base to practice trimming a tall foot. I have seen exaggerated feet like this and wanted to emulate that design element. I will make the foot wider in future work for a more stable design.

b mix with grog, fern mist outside, and clear glaze inside

Green mug sitting on wood grain surface. Handle points to the left. The mug has an exaggerated unglazed foot that lifts the form off the table. The mossy green body of the mug bellies out towards the bottom, becoming skinny near the middle, and then opening up near the top. At the rim the color changes from green to white where the clear glaze meets the green. The handles swoops out from the side of the mug a half inch from the top, curling back to attach at the widest point near the base.

Laguna b mix with grog, Laguna fern mist - ms38 outside the mug, and clear glaze inside.

Face on shot of a green mug sitting on wood grain surface. Handle points to the right. The mug has an exaggerated unglazed foot that lifts the form off the table. The mossy green body of the mug bellies out towards the bottom, becoming skinny near the middle, and then opening up near the top. At the rim the color changes from green to white where the clear glaze meets the green. The handles swoops out from the side of the mug a half inch from the top, curling back to attach at the widest point near the base.

Laguna b mix with grog, Laguna fern mist - ms38 outside the mug, and clear glaze inside.

Three quarters view from the top of a green mug sitting on wood grain surface. Handle points to the right. The mug has an exaggerated unglazed foot that lifts the form off the table. The mossy green body of the mug bellies out towards the bottom, becoming skinny near the middle, and then opening up near the top. At the rim the color changes from green to white where the clear glaze meets the green. The handles swoops out from the side of the mug a half inch from the top, curling back to attach at the widest point near the base.

Laguna b mix with grog, Laguna fern mist - ms38 outside the mug, and clear glaze inside.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · 1d

Tony Hansen has an article about reduction speckling. Near the end he talks about adding granular manganese to the clay body for a cone 6 speckle effect in oxidation.

digitalfire.com/glossary/red...

He also has a profile here on bsky. You might be able to ask him directly

bsky.app/profile/tony...

bsky.app

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · 5d

Four small green tea cups I have made. These were thrown thick and then trimmed. This was an exercise in trimming interesting shapes. I am open to constructive critique.

Four green cups. Clear liner glaze. Cone 6 b mix with grog and fern mist from Laguna.

The foot hides a conical decoration under this cup.

Clear liner glaze. Cone 6 b mix with grog and fern mist from Laguna.

The exterior glaze mixed with the liner glaze to create a beautiful pattern inside.

Clear liner glaze. Cone 6 b mix with grog and fern mist from Laguna.

The small cylindrical body is lifted by a tall foot. The front of the cup is uniform, but this side reveals a beautiful drip than ran down the side.

Clear liner glaze. Cone 6 b mix with grog and fern mist from Laguna.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · 6d

This is the first of a series to come from my last ceramic firing. This form shows the improvements I have been working towards. I am better at pulling handles and trimming, my forms are becoming more intentional, and excess weight in the body has been cut. I am open to constructive critique.

Slightly bellied hand made mug with handle to the left. Cut foot visually lifts the form. Blue liner glaze covers the top 1” of the form exterior.
Mug, Laguna Castile blue liner and fern mist exterior, b mix w/grog Laguna.

Thrown mug form with handle to the right. Cut foot visually lifts the form. Blue liner glaze covers the top 1” of the form exterior.
Mug, Laguna Castile blue liner and fern mist exterior, b mix w/grog Laguna.

Interior of mug, blue liner glaze shown. Exterior of mug is green. Handmade, thrown mug.
Mug, Laguna Castile blue liner and fern mist exterior, b mix w/grog Laguna.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · 8d

I was browsing a ceramic feed and saw your work. I’m loving the texture these vessels! The glazes you have chosen compliment them perfectly and really bring out the patterns. It’s cool to see the side by side of the white and brown clay in this one, too!

Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · 11d

I’m in the US.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · 11d

Thank you!

Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · 11d

What an efficient way to cut a foot quickly. Thank you for sharing your trimming technique!

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Aug 29

That’s a lot of clay! Impressive work. Is this a show piece or commission?

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Aug 23

This is slick as hell! The notched foot matches the form so well. That glaze is dynamic and highlights each feature perfectly. Love it!

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Apr 27

This was very informative! Thank you

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Apr 12

I love this! Great way to display all those styles!

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Mar 6

Thank you!

Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Feb 12

This is amazing! I had to show my wife. We are loving the finished piece!

Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Jan 26

I have procrastinated sharing more of my work. This is a mug form I cast, the same as my last post. Castile Blue over Fern Mist applied to a cone six slip cast body.
I am open to critique or comments if you have any suggestions on the form or glaze. Thanks!

Cylindrical mug form with squared handle to the right. Green glaze on the lower2/3, blue glaze on the top 1/3. The blue runs into the green glaze.

Back side of cylindrical mug with handle to the left side. Blue glaze on top rim, body is green. A drop of blue glaze caused a small section of the green glaze to run revealing the white color of the clay body beneath.

Front of cylindrical mug illustrating the interaction of the green and blue glazes. Handle is hidden at the rear. I hope to replicate this interaction/combination in the future. The glaze did run off the mug some and I will need to regulate my glaze layering, application thickness and unglazed area near the base for future projects.

The inside blue color of a cylindrical mug, handle pointing to the right.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Jan 7

My recommendation is to use Murphy oil soap on the 3d print as a mold release. I 3d print my forms and then make a plaster mold from them. I use No.1 potters plaster, it sets up quickly and is made specifically for slip casting. If you want recommendations on resources I found helpful, let me know!

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Jan 7

#mugshotmonday A mug from my last firing. This is my first finished piece made using slip casting. Slip cast mug, 10 oz, cone 6, Castille Blue outside, clear inside. Critique on the form, handle, and finish are welcome.

Glazed blue ceramic mug. The surface is mottled and transitions to white at the top.

Side view of a blue ceramic mug. The square shaped handle to the right. The mottled blue transitions to white at the top.

Top view of a ceramic mug, white inside with a blue handle pointing to the right.

The base of a ceramic mug in the foreground of the image is blue with an unglazed ring forming the foot. An identical blue mug in the background, out of focus, has its handle pointing to the left.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Jan 5

A rice bowl I threw using Laguna’s b-mix with grog. Cone 5/6 clay body. The bowl features blue stripes on the exterior. The inside near the bottom has three blue spots. These are my first attempts at under-glazing using stroke and coat from Mayco.

Hand thrown rice bowl form. Blue horizontal stripes adorn the side of the bowl. The shape is lifted by a small foot at the base.

Small hand thrown rice bowl shown directly from the front. Blue horizontal stripes adorn the surface. The shape is lifted by a small foot at the base.

Small hand thrown rice bowl shown from the top. A clear glaze covers the surface. Three blue spots decorate the smooth surface, just off center, in the bottom of the bowl.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Jan 5

I did not know that adding silicates to a pot while throwing was possible. This added a lot of depth! I think the simple form allows the stretched texture to be the focus of the viewer.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Jan 4

Dang... That's rough.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Dec 28

Fired the kiln yesterday! I will be inviting friends to help me embellish some of the forms with underglaze and brush-able glazes. Others will be dipped. I am hoping to show off some color soon!

Bisque ware freshly unloaded, sitting in front of an electric kiln. Fired to cone 08.

Hand thrown and slip cast bisque ware on a shelf. Fired to cone 08.

Mugs, cups, and a bowl in front of an electric kiln. All slip cast. Bisque fired to cone 08.

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Dec 23

That little frog is cute as heck!

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Dec 19

This is an excellent tea bowl, I love that the motif is just on one side. A video was great way to share this piece, I found myself scrubbing through the frames to get a good look at the undercut on the foot. Very clean design, I like it!

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Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Dec 18

Sorry to see the pieces failed, but I appreciate the article that came from this setback! I have seen glazes crackle, but this failure mode is new to me.

Benjamin Shewan @bigblackbearben.bsky.social · Dec 17

This is a wonderful piece! The rounded shape is lifted so gently by the foot. The bird and cattail add exactly the right amount of interest without taking attention from the form itself.

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