To get a decent line for the slip, we needed a dark colored clay. I already knew that slips didn’t turn out well if you fired them to cone ten, so I bought a bag of cone 06 terracotta clay called “Ward’s Red.” I’ve never used this clay before, but I was assured that it would fire to vitrification.
When I fire at home, I like to use low fired glazes. I gave my wheel away (I didn’t have a good location to throw) and when I work at home, I concentrate on small, textural, and painterly pieces, like the tarot tiles. I figured that I’d be able to use this clay again. Now that it’s fired, I think I will avoid using low-fired clays for functional ware. It just doesn’t feel as sturdy as a cone 10 bmix.
