Welcome to my blog

 Welcome to my blog. 

I've never written a blog before - so this will be a new adventure - I'm not sure quite yet what I will write, but mostly about art is what I am thinking! 


So Welcome! 

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Maiolica Firing Temps vs Current Practice

 I was just about to go to bed - the doggo needed to finish dinner - so I grabbed a new book that I just got in the mail (Thank you Ebay!) and opened it to a random page.  Here's what I know:  Traditionally low-fire ceramics are fired to a higher temperature for the bisque (first) firing and then a lower temperature for the glaze (second) firing.   Bisque (First Firing)                                                  Glaze (Second Firing)       ~1915F                                                                           ~1890F or  ~1830F This is done primarily for two ...
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I'm Torn....Historical vs Different Skills

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 I'm doing some digging into Maiolica research.  I've read Piccolpasso's three treatises on Maiolica a couple of times, and I'm going to go back and dig into it again as both of the last times I've read it, I've come away with different and more information. Each time I've found things that have lead me towards different research and rabbit holes to fall into as well!  One of the things that Piccolpasso talks about in his treatise is that the ceramics were created on a potter's wheel that would have a wooden mold attached to it in order to make the plates or bowls.  This makes complete sense to me, as Piccolpasso was living in the area of the Castel Durante potteries.  These potteries were making mass quantities of pottery for different households, castles and even for the Pope. That said, the artists needed ways to cut time down on making the pieces, and using a mold in the creation of bowls and plates and other dinnerware, makes it considerably easier ...
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Some info on Lead in Glazes

Have you seen the TikTok or Reels videos that show a person going into their local thrift store and checking plates, bowls, and cups with a little marker for lead? When they mark the piece if the mark changes color it shows that there is lead in the piece and they claim that it shouldn't be sold and they offer to get rid of it for the thrift store?  Let's talk a little bit about lead in ceramics and in glass.  Historically speaking lead was added to the components of the glaze as a flux.  Adding the lead meant that the silica that was used to form the glass part of the glaze meant that the glaze could melt at a lower temperature than without it.  This was good because it meant the kiln did not have to get as hot to melt the glaze on the pieces.  In addition, if a artist was using a low-fire clay then during the glaze firing it did not have to get as hot, and potentially over-fire and melt the clay. Lead was also added to glass for the same reason that it was use...
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