I bought a few new containers of Amaco Potters Choice glazes, and decided I’d like to try and combine the glazes to see what happens when they’re layered. Ceramists often experiment with these “glaze tests.” The plate is one I made from a rolled-out slab of clay. After the bisque firing, I layered 6 glazes, painting two coats of each glaze in vertical rows. Then, using the same order of glazes, I painted two coats of glaze in horizontal rows.
The glazes you see here are, in order, Indigo Float, Arctic Blue, Blue Rutile, Temmoku, Blue Midnight, and Matte White. All are Amaco glazes EXCEPT Matte White, which is a studio glaze provided by Midwest Clay Project, the studio where I often work.
Here’s a little cheat sheet I wrote up. In each square, the first coat is on the bottom and second coat is on the top. For example, in the top row at the far right, it’s Indigo Float (IF) layered on TOP of Matte White (MW).
Here’s the plate after firing. My favorites are the Matte White and Blue Rutile combos, along with the Temmoku/Arctic Blue and Blue Midnight/Arctic Blue. Of course I have to remember, when I use this as a reference, that this piece was fired as a plate, so all the glazes laid nicely on top of each other. I usually glaze pieces like vases or mugs, where layered glazes have more of an opportunity to run down the side together, and they’ll probably look a little different.
A few of my Instagram followers suggested I make a set of plates with this layered checkerboard pattern. I’ll keep that in mind!
Rachel Imsland, Artist 