Ceramic

One photo from an album belonging to JB McLean, of his voyage home from World War 1 in 1920 on the Ceramic. The photo shows a wireless station and jetty on the Suez Canal. The Ceramic departed Tillbury, UK 12th March and docked in Freemantle on 27th April 1920 and then went onto Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The Ceramic was a transport vessel built in Belfast in 1913 for the White Star Line to transport frozen produce and apples from Australia to UK. It was taken over by the Australian Government for troop transport in October 1914 and could carry over 3,000 troops. This trip in 1920 there were 1467 on board, there were women and children as well as 439 soldiers returning home, one of whom was John 'Basil' McLean. Was with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. There was a large collection of postcards so he may have been collecting them as souvenirs. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving Portsea in 1920.A collection of items from John Basil McLean is in the archive. Kept as an indication of what founding legatees experienced in World War One and what they saw on the way home.Sepia photo of a wireless station on the Suez Canal glued to black cardboard in an album of photos from 1920.Handwritten caption 'Wireless Station Suez Canal' in white ink.souvenir, world war one, jb mclean, ship, ceramic, suez

One photo from an album belonging to JB McLean, of his voyage home from World War 1 in 1920 on the Ceramic. The photo shows Egyptian traders by the side of the Suez Canal. The Ceramic departed Tillbury, UK 12th March and docked in Freemantle on 27th April 1920 and then went onto Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The Ceramic was a transport vessel built in Belfast in 1913 for the White Star Line to transport frozen produce and apples from Australia to UK. It was taken over by the Australian Government for troop transport in October 1914 and could carry over 3,000 troops. This trip in 1920 there were 1467 on board, there were women and children as well as 439 soldiers returning home, one of whom was John 'Basil' McLean. Was with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. There was a large collection of postcards so he may have been collecting them as souvenirs. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving Portsea in 1920.A collection of items from John Basil McLean is in the archive. Kept as an indication of what founding legatees experienced in World War One and what they saw on the way home.Sepia photo of the bank of the Suez Canal glued to black cardboard in an album of photos from 1920.Handwritten caption 'On Bank of Suez Canal' in white ink.souvenir, world war one, jb mclean, ship, ceramic, suez

One photo from an album belonging to JB McLean, of his voyage home from World War 1 in 1920 on the Ceramic. The photo is of the Museum in Bombay with electric trams in the foreground. The Ceramic departed Tillbury, UK 12th March and docked in Freemantle on 27th April 1920 and then went onto Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The Ceramic was a transport vessel built in Belfast in 1913 for the White Star Line to transport frozen produce and apples from Australia to UK. It was taken over by the Australian Government for troop transport in October 1914 and could carry over 3,000 troops. This trip in 1920 there were 1467 on board, there were women and children as well as 439 soldiers returning home, one of whom was John 'Basil' McLean. Was with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. There was a large collection of postcards so he may have been collecting them as souvenirs. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving Portsea in 1920.A collection of items from John Basil McLean is in the archive. Kept as an indication of what founding legatees experienced in World War One and what they saw on the way home.Sepia photo of the Museum in Bombay glued to black cardboard in an album of photos from 1920.Handwritten caption 'Museum Bombay' in white ink.souvenir, world war one, jb mclean, ship, ceramic, bombay

With an interest in 'Collective Unconscious' Nagel aims to explore the human condition, and our impact on the natural world / This figure embodies human and animal traits with semi-autobiographical references to investigate concepts relating to identity and home / Nagel focuses on the extinct, the pest, the endangered and the introduced as a way to reveal her concerns of humanity as creator and destroyer / In this sculpture a koala headed figure is in the pose of the martyr St. Sebastion / With no arms, there is an inability to protest or fight. This work is by a local contemporary artist and encompasses contemporary themes / This work was a finalist in the Nillumbik Prize 2012.Ceramic - sculpture human and animal like (koala) armless figure depicted standing in a similiar stance to that of a classical sculpture / Blue and white body with a yellow face / Made from porcelain with oxide, clear glaze and undergaze.nagel, sculpture, porcelain, animal, ceramic, classical

The Process of Making Pottery Decorating, Firing, Glazing, Making, Technical There is a rhythm and flow to clay. It can’t be done all at once! Even the making process! It can take weeks to get everything done, especially if you can only work on your pottery once a week! Even though we have three hour classes, it’s often just not enough time! Here is an overview of some of the processes so you have a bit more grasp on some of the technical stuff! Step One – Design There are SO many ideas out there for making stuff in clay! From delicate porcelain jewellery, through to heavy sculptural work and everything in between. Deciding your direction is sometimes not that easy – when you first start, try everything, you will naturally gravitate to the style that you enjoy! The options and variations are endless and can get a wee bit overwhelming too! Check in with me before you start to ensure your ideas will work, what order you might do things, how you could achieve the look you are seeking and any other technical data required! Step Two – Making Clay is thixotropic. This means that as you work with it, the clay first gets sloppier and wetter, before is begins to dry in the atmosphere. For most things, you simply can’t do all parts of the project at once. An example of work order might look like: Get last weeks work out from the shelves Prepare clay for today’s work – roll your clay, prepare balls for throwing, make the first stage of a pinch pot) Clean up last week’s work and put it on the shelf for bisque firing Check that you have any glazing to do – and do enough of it that you will have time to finish your main project Do the next step of your next project – there might be a further step that can’t be complete immediately, in that case, wrap your work well and put onto the shelves. Letting your work rest for a while can really help keep your work clean and professional looking. Many things require bagging under plastic to keep it ready for work the next week – put your name on the outside of the bag so you can find your work easily. We have stickers and markers. Consider how you want to decorate your work – coloured slip can be applied at a fairly wet stage (remembering that it will make your work even wetter!). Trying to apply slip to dry clay won’t work! If you want to do sgraffito – you will need to keep the work leather hard (a state of dryness where you can still work the clay with a little effort and a little water and care). Step Three – Drying Most of the time your work can go into the rack uncovered to let it dry out for the following week. If you want to continue forming or shaping you will need to double bag your work – put your work on a suitable sized bat and put the bat in a bag so the base of the bag is under the bat, then put another bag over the top of the work and tuck the top of the bag under the bat. If you want to trim (or turn) your thrown work the following week, it should also be double bagged. If your work is large, delicate, or of uneven thicknesses, you should lightly cover your work for drying. When considering the drying process, bare in mind the weather, humidity and wind! The hotter and dryer, the faster things dry and work can dry unevenly in the shelves – this can lead to cracking – another time to lightly cover your work for drying. Step Four – Trimming and Cleaning Up Your work is dry! It is called greenware now and it is at it’s most fragile! Handle everything with two hands. I often refer to soft hands – keep everything gentle and with your fingers spread as much as possible. Try to not pick up things like plates too much, and always with both hands! Before your work can be bisque fired it should be “cleaned up”. You work won’t go into the kiln if it has sharp edges – when glazed, sharp edges turn into razor blades! Use a piece of fly wire to rub the work all over – this will scratch a little so be light handed. Use a knife or metal kidney to scrape any areas that require a bit more dynamic treatment than the fly wire offers! Finally, a very light wipe over with a slightly damp sponge can help soften and soothe all of your edges and dags! Trimming thrown work: If you are planning to trim (or turn) your thrown work (and you should be), make sure you bag it well – your work should be leather hard to almost dry for easiest trimming. Use this step to finish the work completely – use a metal kidney to polish the surface, or a slightly damp sponge to give a freshly thrown look. Wipe the sponge around the rim after trimming, and check the inside of the pot for dags! Trimming slip cast work: Usually I will trim the rims of your work on the wheel the following day to make that stage easier, however you will still need to check your work for lumps and bumps. Last but not least – check that your name is still clearly on the bottom of your work. Step Five – Bisque Firing When the work is completely dry it can go into the bisque kiln. The bisque kiln is fired to 1000°C. This process burns off the water in the clay as well as some of the chemically bound water. The structure of the clay is not altered that much at this temperature. Inside the bisque kiln, the work is stacked a little, small bowl inside a larger bowl and onto a heavy plate. Smaller items like decorations or drink coasters might get stacked several high. Consideration is paid to the weight of the stack and shape of the work. A bisque kiln can fire about one and a half times the amount of work that the glaze kiln can fire. The firing takes about 10 hours to complete the cycle and about two days to cool down. Once it has been emptied the work is placed in the glaze room ready for you to decorate! Step Six – Glazing Decorating your work with colour can be a lot of fun – and time consuming! There are three main options for surface treatment at this stage: Oxide Washes Underglazes Glazes Washes and underglazes do not “glaze” the work – It will still need a layer of glaze to fully seal the clay (washes don’t need glaze on surfaces not designed for food or liquid as they can gloss up a little on their own). Underglazes are stable colourants that turn out pretty much how they look in the jar. They can be mixed with each other to form other colours and can be used like water colours to paint onto your work. Mostly they should have a clear glaze on top to seal them. Oxides are a different species – the pink oxide (cobalt) wash turns out bright blue for instance. They don’t always need a glaze on top, and some glazes can change the colour of the wash! The glazes need no other “glaze” on top! Be careful of unknown glaze interactions – you can put any combination of glaze in a bowl or on a plate, but only a single glaze on the outside of any vertical surface! Glazes are a chemical reaction under heat. We don’t know the exact chemicals in the Mayco glazes we use. I can guess by the way they interact with each other, however, on the whole, you need to test every idea you have, and not run the test on a vertical surface! Simply put, glaze is a layer of glass like substance that bonds with the clay underneath. Clay is made of silica, alumina and water. Glaze is made of mostly silica. Silica has a melting point of 1700°C and we fire to 1240°C. The silica requires a “flux” to help it melt at the lower temperature. Fluxes can be all sorts of chemicals – a common one is calcium – calcium has a melting point of 2500°C, however, together they both melt at a much lower temperature! Colourants are metal oxides like cobalt (blue), chrome (green through black), copper (green, blue, even red!), manganese (black, purple and pink) iron (red brown), etc. Different chemicals in the glaze can have dramatic effects. for example, barium carbonate (which we don’t use) turns manganese bright pink! Other elements can turn manganese dioxide brown, blue, purple and reddish brown. Manganese dioxide is a flux in and of itself as well. So, glazes that get their black and purple colours, often interact with other glazes and RUN! Our mirror black is a good example – it mixes really well with many glazes because it fluxes them – causes them to melt faster. It will also bring out many beautiful colours in the glazes because it’s black colouring most definitely comes from manganese dioxide! Glaze chemistry is a whole subject on it’s own! We use commercial Mayco glazes on purpose – for their huge range of colour possibilities, stability, cool interactions, artistic freedom with the ability to easily brush the glazes on and ease of use. We currently have almost 50 glazes on hand! A major project is to test the interactions of all glazes with each other. That is 2,500 test tiles!!!! I’m going to make the wall behind the wheels the feature wall of pretty colours! Step Seven – Glaze (Gloss or sometimes called “Glost”) Firing Most of the time this is the final stage of making your creation (but not always!) The glaze kiln goes to 1240°C. This is called cone 6, or midrange. It is the low end of stoneware temperatures. Stoneware clays and glazes are typically fired at cone 8 – 10, that is 1260 – 1290°C. The energy requirement to go from 1240°C to 1280°C is almost a 30% more! Our clay is formulated to vitrify (mature, turn “glass-like”) at 1240°, as are our glazes. A glaze kiln take around 12 hours to reach temperature and two to three days to cool down. Sometimes a third firing process is required – this is for decoration that is added to work after the glaze firing. For example – adding precious metals and lustres. this firing temperature is usually around 600 – 800°C depending upon the techniques being used. There are many students interested in gold and silver trims – we will be doing this third type of firing soon! After firing your work will be in the student finished work shelves. Remember to pay for it before you head out the door! There is a small extra charge for using porcelain clay (it’s more than twice the price of regular clay), and for any third firing process! Once your work has been fired it can not turn back into clay for millennia – so don’t fire it if you don’t like it! Put it in the bucket for recycling. https://firebirdstudios.com.au/the-process-of-making-pottery/This bowl was made by renowned pottery company J & G Meakin of England. The firm was established in the mid-1800's. The bowl is an example of kitchenware used in the 19th century and still in use today.Bowl; white ceramic, round and tapering inwards towards base. Made by J and G Meakin England.On base, 'Ironstone China Reg SOL 391413' with symbolflagstaff hill, flagstaff hill maritime museum and village, warrnambool, maritime museum, maritime village, great ocean road, shipwreck coast, mixing bowl, food preparation, j & g meakin, pottery, stoke-on-trent, kitchen equipment, ceramic

White ceramic jug and bowl. Ewer and bowl are a matching pair, trimmed with a red-brown rings and bands. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, ceramic jug and bowl, ewer, ewer set, jug, ceramic, earthenware

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, J. & G. Meakin were important, large-scale producers of good quality, ironstone tableware (‘White Granite’ ware) that met a ready market in the United States, South America, Australia, and other traditional British markets. By the 1890s the company was one of the world’s largest earthenware manufacturers. Although export teaware and tableware was the factory’s staple commodity, Meakin also manufactured toilet ware, kitchenware and a wide range of fancy earthenware. The company was amongst the first British pottery firms to experiment with modernist designs associated with the art deco period. The Moderne' range was introduced in 1929 consisting of an angular shape decorated design with geometric patterns and often highlighted with silver or gold. This range remained in production through the 1930s. Post 1945 the company introduced the streamlined Studio shape (1953) and Horizon shape (1955) both heavily influenced by the Russell Wright ‘American Modern’ tableware. In 1964 a new Studio shape was released with tall streamlined coffee pots used as the background for many contemporary patterns now associated with the 1950s and 1960s. Designs by Jessie Tate and Eve Midwinter, some originally found on Midwinter shapes, also appear on 1970s Studio ware. The Studio range was one of Meakin’s most successful and continued in production until the late-1970s. The enormous range of floral, geometric, and abstract designs make Studio Ware collectible in its own right. In the 1970s and 1980s as part of the Wedgwood Group Meakin produced contemporary products under the 'Bull in a China Shop' and 'Creative Tableware' names. 'Sol' (c.1912-1963), 'Studio' (1953 on) and 'Royal Staffordshire' (post-1968) were important J. & G. Meakin Ltd trade names. Meakin marks are numerous, but all include the J. & G. Meakin name. The significance of this item and pottery generally is that often earthenware is portrayed as being a landmark in the evolution of humanity. This is because these items are the few things from the past that have survived in a tangible form. Pottery is an important functional part of society and it has a critical role to play as it helps archaeologists to date other artefacts of the same time period. Also, the decorations on pottery have told much about the beliefs, lifestyles and lives of the people who bought them and used them. In other words it gives us today a snapshot of society from the past and how people used these items in their daily lives, their likes as well as societal and design trends. Chamber pot ceramic white with handle at side and decoration around top. Unclearwarrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, champer pot, personal hygiene, personal item, ceramic pot, domestic object

Plain ceramic tile used for brown coloured glazes numbered 6,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18(Handwritten on back) 25 Blytheceramics, earthenware

Ewan MacDONALD Studied Ceramics at the University of Ballarat (later Federation University) This item is part of the Federation University Art Collection. The Art Collection features over 2000 works and was listed as a 'Ballarat Treasure' in 2007.Ceramic jug featuring the face of former Australian Treasurer Peter Costelloart, artwork, ewan macdonald, peter costello, ceramics, available, alumni

Teapot belonging to a set produced for use at the Moorabbin Arts Centre (now Kingston Arts).White ceramic teapot with lid and Moorabbin Arts Centre logo on front.Marked on base: Royal Porcelain / Kingdom of Thailand / Oven to Table / Dishwasher - safe / Microwave - safeephemera, crockery, tableware, moorabbin arts centre

Butter ramekin belonging to a set produced for use at the Moorabbin Arts Centre (now Kingston Arts).White ceramic butter ramekin and Moorabbin Arts Centre logo on front.Marked on base: Royal Porcelain / Kingdom of Thailand / Oven to Table / Dishwasher - safe / Microwave - safeephemera, crockery, tableware, moorabbin arts centre

Broadhurst China was established in 1862 the firm was based at the Crown Pottery, Longton, Staffordshire until 1870 where James Broadhurst made a range of gold and silver lusterwares. In 1870 the firm moved to the Portland Pottery at Fenton, Staffordshire and continued to produce good quality earthenware. In 1897 "& Sons" was added to the company name and "Ltd" from C.1922. The full name, James Broadhurst & Sons Ltd. appears from 1957. In 1984 James Broadhurst & Sons Ltd became Churchill Tableware Ltd.Items made around 1950s or slightly later that are now collectors items made by one of the founders of ironstone pottery in England.Small ironstone willow pattern bowlThe back is stamped "WILLOW BROADHURST STAFFORDSHIRE IRONSTONE Made in England Detergent and Dishwasher Proof" Mass produce, Ceramic, Potteryironstone pottery, staffordshire pottery, flagstaff hill museum, crockery, dinner set, willow pattern

Painted ceramic mug. On base is painted 'Australian Open 2007' Materials: Ceramictennis

Gladys REYNELL (04/091881 - 16/11/1956) Born Glenelg, South Australia Gladys Reynell was South Australia's first studio potter and the first Australian artist to apply modernist principles to the crafts. For four years she worked from Ballarat. Osrey Pottery Ballarat operated between 1922 and 1926 by Gladys Reynell and George Osborne. The name of the pottery was an acronym formed from their surnames. Gladys Reynell, her sister Emily and brothers Rupert and Carew supported the war effort during World War One. Rupert Reynell was a neurologist who valued handicrafts in the rehabilitation of shell-shocked soldiers. He influenced Gladys and Margaret Rose (Rose) McPherson (later known as Margaret Preston) to learn pottery at the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, London, in 1916. Next year a friend sent Gladys some Kangaroo Island clay which excited her: 'I thought then that it could be the most delightful thing on earth to make pots in Australia from virgin clay'. In 1918 Gladys and Rose began teaching pottery to soldiers at Seale Hayne Neurological Hospital, Devon. In September 1919 Gladys Reynell came home in September due to her father's illness. She established the Reynella Pottery and became responsible for all stages of pottery production. Using a seasoned dump of buff-coloured clay from a well at nearby McLaren Vale Gladys Reynell built and fired her own kiln; threw simple, robust forms based on early European folk pottery; and decorated them with designs inspired by both Aboriginal art—one of the earliest to use this as a source. Gladys Reynell decorated her earthenware pottery with the characteristic rich 'Reynella blue' slip. On 14 August 1922 at St Mary's Church, Edwardstown, Gladys married George Samuel Osborne, an ex-serviceman and gardener at Reynella; they had no children. Between 1922 and 1926 they set up Osrey Pottery In Ballarat. Gladys produced pottery for sale at fairs with George as her assistant. She would throw her pots in the street, causing a sensation. In 1926 George contracted lead poisoning from lead in the glazes. They moved to rural Curdievale where Gladys resumed painting and making woodcuts. From 1939 Gladys and George lived in Melbourne. In World War II she worked in the army pay corps, in the Taxation Office, and as a translator of French. Gladys died of cancer on 16 November 1956; her husband scattered her ashes at Reynella. Her ceramics, the work of one of Australia's earliest studio potters, have been avidly collected since the late 1960s and are in most major art galleries. Small blue glazed ceramic bowl incised around the top with a decorative frieze. Incised on the base "(Dam Clay) Ballarat 1923, Osrey"gladys reynell, osrey pottery, blue bowl, incised bowl, australian studio pottery, ceramics, native clay

Milk jug belonging to a set produced for use at the Moorabbin Arts Centre (now Kingston Arts).White ceramic milk jug with lid and Moorabbin Arts Centre logo on front.Marked on base: Royal Porcelain / Kingdom of Thailand / Oven to Table / Dishwasher - safe / Microwave - safeephemera, crockery, tableware, moorabbin arts centre

Sugar bowl belonging to a set produced for use at the Moorabbin Arts Centre (now Kingston Arts).White ceramic sugar bowl with lid and Moorabbin Arts Centre logo on front.Marked on base: Royal Porcelain / Kingdom of Thailand / Oven to Table / Dishwasher - safe / Microwave - safeephemera, crockery, tableware, moorabbin arts centre

Ceramic bottles have been made in a variety of shapes and sizes and can reflect the contemporary society. They also are part of the history of bottle manufacturing.253.1 A dark brown ceramic bottle with pouring lip. 253.2 A cream ceramic bottle without lip. 253,3 A cream ceramic bottle with pouring lip.253.1 Doulton Lambeth 253.2 ? Smith & Co London 253.3 Bourne Denbybottle ceramic stoneware

The Process of Making Pottery Decorating, Firing, Glazing, Making, Technical There is a rhythm and flow to clay. It can’t be done all at once! Even the making process! It can take weeks to get everything done, especially if you can only work on your pottery once a week! Even though we have three hour classes, it’s often just not enough time! Here is an overview of some of the processes so you have a bit more grasp on some of the technical stuff! Step One – Design There are SO many ideas out there for making stuff in clay! From delicate porcelain jewellery, through to heavy sculptural work and everything in between. Deciding your direction is sometimes not that easy – when you first start, try everything, you will naturally gravitate to the style that you enjoy! The options and variations are endless and can get a wee bit overwhelming too! Check in with me before you start to ensure your ideas will work, what order you might do things, how you could achieve the look you are seeking and any other technical data required! Step Two – Making Clay is thixotropic. This means that as you work with it, the clay first gets sloppier and wetter, before is begins to dry in the atmosphere. For most things, you simply can’t do all parts of the project at once. An example of work order might look like: Get last weeks work out from the shelves Prepare clay for today’s work – roll your clay, prepare balls for throwing, make the first stage of a pinch pot) Clean up last week’s work and put it on the shelf for bisque firing Check that you have any glazing to do – and do enough of it that you will have time to finish your main project Do the next step of your next project – there might be a further step that can’t be complete immediately, in that case, wrap your work well and put onto the shelves. Letting your work rest for a while can really help keep your work clean and professional looking. Many things require bagging under plastic to keep it ready for work the next week – put your name on the outside of the bag so you can find your work easily. We have stickers and markers. Consider how you want to decorate your work – coloured slip can be applied at a fairly wet stage (remembering that it will make your work even wetter!). Trying to apply slip to dry clay won’t work! If you want to do sgraffito – you will need to keep the work leather hard (a state of dryness where you can still work the clay with a little effort and a little water and care). Step Three – Drying Most of the time your work can go into the rack uncovered to let it dry out for the following week. If you want to continue forming or shaping you will need to double bag your work – put your work on a suitable sized bat and put the bat in a bag so the base of the bag is under the bat, then put another bag over the top of the work and tuck the top of the bag under the bat. If you want to trim (or turn) your thrown work the following week, it should also be double bagged. If your work is large, delicate, or of uneven thicknesses, you should lightly cover your work for drying. When considering the drying process, bare in mind the weather, humidity and wind! The hotter and dryer, the faster things dry and work can dry unevenly in the shelves – this can lead to cracking – another time to lightly cover your work for drying. Step Four – Trimming and Cleaning Up Your work is dry! It is called greenware now and it is at it’s most fragile! Handle everything with two hands. I often refer to soft hands – keep everything gentle and with your fingers spread as much as possible. Try to not pick up things like plates too much, and always with both hands! Before your work can be bisque fired it should be “cleaned up”. You work won’t go into the kiln if it has sharp edges – when glazed, sharp edges turn into razor blades! Use a piece of fly wire to rub the work all over – this will scratch a little so be light handed. Use a knife or metal kidney to scrape any areas that require a bit more dynamic treatment than the fly wire offers! Finally, a very light wipe over with a slightly damp sponge can help soften and soothe all of your edges and dags! Trimming thrown work: If you are planning to trim (or turn) your thrown work (and you should be), make sure you bag it well – your work should be leather hard to almost dry for easiest trimming. Use this step to finish the work completely – use a metal kidney to polish the surface, or a slightly damp sponge to give a freshly thrown look. Wipe the sponge around the rim after trimming, and check the inside of the pot for dags! Trimming slip cast work: Usually I will trim the rims of your work on the wheel the following day to make that stage easier, however you will still need to check your work for lumps and bumps. Last but not least – check that your name is still clearly on the bottom of your work. Step Five – Bisque Firing When the work is completely dry it can go into the bisque kiln. The bisque kiln is fired to 1000°C. This process burns off the water in the clay as well as some of the chemically bound water. The structure of the clay is not altered that much at this temperature. Inside the bisque kiln, the work is stacked a little, small bowl inside a larger bowl and onto a heavy plate. Smaller items like decorations or drink coasters might get stacked several high. Consideration is paid to the weight of the stack and shape of the work. A bisque kiln can fire about one and a half times the amount of work that the glaze kiln can fire. The firing takes about 10 hours to complete the cycle and about two days to cool down. Once it has been emptied the work is placed in the glaze room ready for you to decorate! Step Six – Glazing Decorating your work with colour can be a lot of fun – and time consuming! There are three main options for surface treatment at this stage: Oxide Washes Underglazes Glazes Washes and underglazes do not “glaze” the work – It will still need a layer of glaze to fully seal the clay (washes don’t need glaze on surfaces not designed for food or liquid as they can gloss up a little on their own). Underglazes are stable colourants that turn out pretty much how they look in the jar. They can be mixed with each other to form other colours and can be used like water colours to paint onto your work. Mostly they should have a clear glaze on top to seal them. Oxides are a different species – the pink oxide (cobalt) wash turns out bright blue for instance. They don’t always need a glaze on top, and some glazes can change the colour of the wash! The glazes need no other “glaze” on top! Be careful of unknown glaze interactions – you can put any combination of glaze in a bowl or on a plate, but only a single glaze on the outside of any vertical surface! Glazes are a chemical reaction under heat. We don’t know the exact chemicals in the Mayco glazes we use. I can guess by the way they interact with each other, however, on the whole, you need to test every idea you have, and not run the test on a vertical surface! Simply put, glaze is a layer of glass like substance that bonds with the clay underneath. Clay is made of silica, alumina and water. Glaze is made of mostly silica. Silica has a melting point of 1700°C and we fire to 1240°C. The silica requires a “flux” to help it melt at the lower temperature. Fluxes can be all sorts of chemicals – a common one is calcium – calcium has a melting point of 2500°C, however, together they both melt at a much lower temperature! Colourants are metal oxides like cobalt (blue), chrome (green through black), copper (green, blue, even red!), manganese (black, purple and pink) iron (red brown), etc. Different chemicals in the glaze can have dramatic effects. for example, barium carbonate (which we don’t use) turns manganese bright pink! Other elements can turn manganese dioxide brown, blue, purple and reddish brown. Manganese dioxide is a flux in and of itself as well. So, glazes that get their black and purple colours, often interact with other glazes and RUN! Our mirror black is a good example – it mixes really well with many glazes because it fluxes them – causes them to melt faster. It will also bring out many beautiful colours in the glazes because it’s black colouring most definitely comes from manganese dioxide! Glaze chemistry is a whole subject on it’s own! We use commercial Mayco glazes on purpose – for their huge range of colour possibilities, stability, cool interactions, artistic freedom with the ability to easily brush the glazes on and ease of use. We currently have almost 50 glazes on hand! A major project is to test the interactions of all glazes with each other. That is 2,500 test tiles!!!! I’m going to make the wall behind the wheels the feature wall of pretty colours! Step Seven – Glaze (Gloss or sometimes called “Glost”) Firing Most of the time this is the final stage of making your creation (but not always!) The glaze kiln goes to 1240°C. This is called cone 6, or midrange. It is the low end of stoneware temperatures. Stoneware clays and glazes are typically fired at cone 8 – 10, that is 1260 – 1290°C. The energy requirement to go from 1240°C to 1280°C is almost a 30% more! Our clay is formulated to vitrify (mature, turn “glass-like”) at 1240°, as are our glazes. A glaze kiln take around 12 hours to reach temperature and two to three days to cool down. Sometimes a third firing process is required – this is for decoration that is added to work after the glaze firing. For example – adding precious metals and lustres. this firing temperature is usually around 600 – 800°C depending upon the techniques being used. There are many students interested in gold and silver trims – we will be doing this third type of firing soon! After firing your work will be in the student finished work shelves. Remember to pay for it before you head out the door! There is a small extra charge for using porcelain clay (it’s more than twice the price of regular clay), and for any third firing process! Once your work has been fired it can not turn back into clay for millennia – so don’t fire it if you don’t like it! Put it in the bucket for recycling. https://firebirdstudios.com.au/the-process-of-making-pottery/ This bowl is an example of kitchenware used in the 19th century and still in use today.Bowl white ceramic plain that has two sets of edging around lip. Inside bowl has plaster designed to look like cooking mixture.flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, kitchen equipment, ceramic

Two photos from an album belonging to JB McLean, of his voyage home from World War 1 in 1920 on the Ceramic. The photos shows an Egyptian boat called a felucca on the Suez Canal at Kantara. The Ceramic departed Tillbury, UK 12th March and docked in Freemantle on 27th April 1920 and then went onto Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The Ceramic was a transport vessel built in Belfast in 1913 for the White Star Line to transport frozen produce and apples from Australia to UK. It was taken over by the Australian Government for troop transport in October 1914 and could carry over 3,000 troops. This trip in 1920 there were 1467 on board, there were women and children as well as 439 soldiers returning home, one of whom was John 'Basil' McLean. Was with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. There was a large collection of postcards so he may have been collecting them as souvenirs. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving Portsea in 1920.A collection of items from John Basil McLean is in the archive. Kept as an indication of what founding legatees experienced in World War One and what they saw on the way home.Sepia photo x 2 of an Egyptian boat on the Suez glued to black cardboard in an album of photos from 1920.Handwritten caption 'Native Boat Kantara' in white ink. Handwritten caption 'Native Boat Suez' in white ink.souvenir, world war one, jb mclean, ship, ceramic, suez, kantara

One photo from an album belonging to JB McLean, of his voyage home from World War 1 in 1920 on the Ceramic. The photo shows a canal of freshwater next to the Suez Canal at Kantara. The Ceramic departed Tillbury, UK 12th March and docked in Freemantle on 27th April 1920 and then went onto Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. The Ceramic was a transport vessel built in Belfast in 1913 for the White Star Line to transport frozen produce and apples from Australia to UK. It was taken over by the Australian Government for troop transport in October 1914 and could carry over 3,000 troops. This trip in 1920 there were 1467 on board, there were women and children as well as 439 soldiers returning home, one of whom was John 'Basil' McLean. Was with other World War 1 memorabilia that has come from Private John Basil McLean, 2nd Reinforcements, 37th Battalion, A.I.F. There was a large collection of postcards so he may have been collecting them as souvenirs. J.B. McLean (Service No. 13824) was from near Maffra, Victoria and enlisted on 22 January 1916. He embarked on 16 December 1916 for Europe. His full war record is available from AWM. He spent time with the Australian Field Artillery (Pack Section). At the end of the war he worked for a year at the A.I.F. Headquarters in London before returning to Australia on the 'Ceramic', arriving Portsea in 1920.A collection of items from John Basil McLean is in the archive. Kept as an indication of what founding legatees experienced in World War One and what they saw on the way home.Sepia photo of a canal next to the Suez Canal glued to black cardboard in an album of photos from 1920.Handwritten caption 'Kantara Sweet Water Canal' in white ink.souvenir, world war one, jb mclean, ship, ceramic, suez, kantara

Improved InhalerCeramic JugMade in Englandimproved, inhaler, ballarat

Local artist. Displayed at Rainbow Workshop exhibitionceramic sculptureSignature and date on the side of the base

Local Tutor in ceramicsGlazed Ceramic

Ceramic Pot

Ceramic sculptureInscribed in base

Ceramic SculptureInscribed in base

Framed ceramicottoman

Viola Annie McVicars (1911–1990) was born in Korumburra on 29 April 1911. At the age of 21, she married William John Ayling (1909–1995). After their marriage in 1932, they moved to Kew, initially to 81 Tennyson Street, and later to 180 Pakington Street. A professional tailoress, Viola Ayling was also a talented amateur potter, creating her ceramics at her home in Pakington Street, where she had an internal studio and a handmade, wood-fired brick kiln in her backyard. Following her death in 1990, her studio pottery passed to her daughter, and following the daughter’s death, to her granddaughter. This piece of glazed earthenware is part of a collection of 15 functional and decorative ceramic items donated by Viola’s granddaughter to the collection in 2024.A handmade, abstract figurative sculpture, expertly potted and glazed. The style is representative of Australian ceramic design of the period, particularly that employed by Klytie Pate.Hand modelled ceramic sculpture of a Madonna and Child figural group. The abstract figures are fully covered in an olive green overglaze, apart from the base which is overglazed in cream. The base has an incised spiral beneath the glaze, which was used to decorate the hidden surfaces of a number of pieces, The base is signed with the artist's name around the edge.Signature to base: "V. Ayling"ceramics, pakington street -- kew (vic.), sculptures, abstract art, madonnas and child, viola annie mcvicars, viola annie ayling