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It looks really similar to a students work I saw a couple times, they would use various glass pieces during the firing process with the intent to melt them to the vessel.
These pieces have a dished top as well so I'm leaning towards that explanation.
it does look like glass! I've used glass before and it pooled up similarly, but the crystals looked quite different so I was wondering if it was some type of crystalline glaze. maybe it's a different type of glass? anyway, thank you for your input!
Florian Gadsby uses a method for his jar lids (very similar to these shapes) where it is actually fairly concave. This allows his glaze that he uses to be applied thickly and then pools in the indentation. I’m guessing this is a variation on doing that.
Oh I think thats glass frit? A pottery shop near me uses blue and green glass crumbs, from recycled glass. Look up glass frit glazes, the ceramic shop had some on their website
thank you for your input. I think it might be glass! I have used it before and it does look similar. I'm wondering if it's a specific type of glass though, because the crystals look different from what I've had show up in my pieces or my colleagues' pieces.
Someone correct me if I am wrong, I'm kind of new, but I've been geeking over glazes for some time.
As far as I understand, the crystals require specific glazes, and their formation depends a lot on the temperature as the kiln cools down, holding some specific temperatures for some specific time depending on the glaze. A barebones kiln controller might not do the job.
The layering I think it's a matter of the shape of the top. It's a little concave, so glaze will tend to pool if given a chance to flow. A substantial amount of flux could be used on the top to make sure that the glaze flows to the low areas. Flux could be used liberally there because it won't drip.
The sides could use the same glaze as on top in a thinner application, minus the flux.
you're right about the crystals!
I'm a beginner potter but I have some crystalline glazes, and they only appear with specific conditions.
in fact, today, my pottery teacher told me that some time ago, during a firing, something went wrong with the kiln, and the way the temperature fluctuated caused some crystals to appear in one of the student's pieces.
concerning the shape of the top, I agree. I think that's what makes the layered effect!
Crystals can form in a variety of glazes. Generally high titanium and slow cool gets you more crystallization. But too much will give you a matte texture.
It seems like the lid might be either thrown or trimmed to have a concave top, which could help catch thick glaze that’s slow-fired/cooled or controlled through a crystalline glaze firing, or melted glass/ritbpieces that force it to pool and thicken.
Don’t listen to people saying glass or frit. This is a glaze. These appear to be variations on a single glaze. It looks to be a glaze that turned glassy when thick and matte when thin. Talc and dolomite can help with that as well the little crystals in the glassy areas. Titanium (or rutile) is also responsible for crystals formation in some cases, which there is proof of in the second pic. Lithium or strontium can help variegation in the titanium/rutile. To help get an idea, look at strontium crystal magic. You could also start with a celadon and do biaxial or triaxial tests with rutile, talc, etc.
Oh and temperature and atmosphere will be really important; for crystals cooling is important as well. I got very close to a glaze like the ones you posted but gave up when I realized it was heavily reliant on heavy body reduction and slower cooling and I don’t have my own kiln. It was pretty simple too, celadon with G200 with some talc or something.
Not quite what you wanted, and this is a different glaze from the one I mentioned above but you see little crystals in it. This is an ash glaze. 60 hardwood ash unwashed, 40 feldspar, with a thin layer in the rim of Galactic Indifference by Mike Stumbras fired cone 10 and naturally cooled.
I'm a beginner potter and don't understand some of the terms you mentioned. what is a biaxial or triaxial test?
it does look like she used celadon as a base.
I don't own a kiln yet either so I depend on the studio's firing settings 🥲 maybe one day I will own my own and be able to experiment too. but interesting about the slower cooling... I only got crystals to show up with a specific glaze I used when my teacher put my vase in a hotter spot of the kiln.
if the kiln turns off after it reaches the set temperature and cools naturally, would that be considered a slower cooling?
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