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These pieces, by Pablo Picasso, are on display in the art gallery on our cruise ship. He used an underglaze decoration with a transparent over-glaze. While others notice the designs, I notice that transparent glaze: It is absolutely crystal clear. Not a single bubble! How did he do that? The best information I can find is that Picasso’s transparent glazes, at the Madoura studio, were low-fire, likely fired around 900-1050°C (consistent with the lead-silicate earthenware clears of the time). These are another reminder of what a great transparent glaze one can make using leaded frits. Potters using borosilicate glazes can be very hard pressed to equal them. Often, keeping temperatures at or below cone 06 along with thin glaze application, are the key to even approaching the quality of a leaded glaze.
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Come 6 stoneware is super for most pieces. But there is some things you just cannot do. For example, you can decorate the underside! The one on the right is the back side of the plate. This is Plainsman Snow clay, it has 25% absorption at cone 06-04, this level of porosity is so high that the body can actually absorb the molten glaze if it is melt-fluid enough. However, when fired at cone 06 the body does not absorb any of the glaze. And the plates stay flat when fired on stilts. These are done by the team of Micah & Jeremiah Wassink of Creston, BC (at Pridham Studio). They make matching mugs, but fire those at cone 6 using underglaze decoration with a clear overglaze. But these plates are decorated using a combination of heavily pigmented viscous-melt low-fire glazes and a black underglaze and then finished with a thin layer of transparent glaze. Since the glaze is not crazed, water is not able to penetrate into the body. And the layer of clear glaze isolates the heavily pigmented colors from food. Even though they are low fire, these pieces are functional and food safe.
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