A Dream. And Help.

Last night I dreamed I was firing Janet Mansfield's big woodfired salt kiln.  All my pots came out of it and they were great.  I had made everything from porcelain and they all had drawings on them, and saltglazed!  It was wonderful!  I think I'm having a bit of salt glazer relapse.  Which is cool, it may lead some where.

Earlier today I was looking at Priscilla Mouritzen's blog, Pinchpots, and I saw there, Hans and Birgitte Borjeson.  I remembered their pots from Janet Mansfield's book, Salt-glaze Ceramics.  (Yes, Janet again!)  As I looked through the Borjeson's website I recognized some of their patterned saltglazed pots but then, bam, there were a couple of pots with drawings on them.

I couldn't figure out how to capture the images from the Flash player so I photographed the screen.



You can see these images better if you go to their website.  Anyhow I am wondering about this technique.  I know there is some sgraffito going on.  And the blue is some sort of cobalt wash/stain.  My question is how are the figures/trees etc resisted yet still they have sgraffito and inlaided stain within them?  See what I mean?  I have one theory that involves wax but it seems too complicated.  Help? Anyone have ideas on this?  I may be overlooking the obvious.

Here's another photo I found on the web of Hans and Birgitte with one of their large bowls that has the same technique.


My studio is totally overflowing with pots at the moment.  I have to get into deco. mode tomorrow so I can get some things into the kiln and bisque fired.




Okay, that's all for now.  Thanks for checking in and leave me a comment if you know how anything about the salt glaze deco that happening up there.  Thanks!