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Special Effect glazes online course

Special Effect Glazes by Linda Bloomfield

I have a new online course out in August on Special Effect Glazes. This course builds on my How Glazes Work online course. In the new course I demonstrate how to make and adjust volcanic glazes and talk about the chemistry behind special effect glazes: crater, crackle, crawl and crystalline glazes.

Special Effect Glazes by Linda Bloomfield

What you will learn:

Demonstration

How to mix glazes, analyse fired glaze tests and adjust glaze recipes to get the results you want. The practical demonstration will focus on volcanic glazes. You will need to buy the materials soda feldspar, kaolin, strontium carbonate, titanium dioxide and fine silicon carbide and make and biscuit fire 10-20 test tiles if you want to make the glazes yourself.

Lecture

Glaze chemistry

1. The three main components of a glaze and what each material contributes to the glaze.

2. Glossy and matt glazes.

3. Glaze defects/special effects.

4. Different types of special effects; crackle, crawl, crater, crystal, oilspot and metallic glazes. Health and safety.

The course is suitable for intermediate potters and ceramicists. It helps if you have already done my previous course on How Glazes Work. The course covers a lot of material condensed into a short demonstration and lecture. I cover the same material that I teach on my two-day in-person special effect glazes course. The special effect glaze recipes will be given in the course download. Further recipes are available in my book Special Effect Glazes.

To join the course, just join my membership. My course on How Glazes Work is also included. The Special Effect Glazes online course will be launched on 12 August 2025. You can watch the videos any time during the next year.

Lava glaze test tiles
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Oeiras Ceramic Art exhibition, Lisbon, Portugal

Lichen effect vase by Linda Bloomfield
Oeiras Ceramic art exhibition, work by Philippa Mollet
Luciana Cravo, Philippa Mollet and Linda Bloomfield at Oeiras Ceramic Art, Lisbon

I had a week in Portugal in October 2023, teaching glaze workshops and visiting Oeiras Ceramic Art exhibition. I was invited to be an ambassador for the exhibition, together with other ceramic artists including Alberto Bustos and Yola Vale. We attended the opening night of the exhibition and gave a series of workshops and talks in Oeiras.

Glaze workshop at Ceramist shop atelier Oeiras
Glaze workshop at Ceramista shop atelier Oeiras

I was invited by ceramicist Luciana Cravo and business owner and exhibition organiser Catia Fernandes to teach two glaze workshops, one at Luciana’s studio and the other at Catia’s Ceramista shop and atelier. We spent the first day making glaze tests and then fired overnight and discussed the results the next day.

Lava glaze test tiles
Barium lava glaze with added cobalt, copper, chromium, iron and zirconium.

The kilns fired to a higher temperature than expected (cone 10 and above 1300C) but there were some great results with lava glazes and crawl glazes. The students also made glossy, matt, satin matt and crackle glazes. Each student made a base glaze and added various colouring oxides.

Crawl glaze tests with various colouring oxides
Zinc crawl glaze by Mariana Figueiredo with added chromium, manganese, tin, nickel and copper

Some of the students from the glaze workshops were also at Oeiras ceramic art exhibition. I met Catherine Portal, Philippa Mollet and Leonora Lockhart, who I had met previously when she attended my book launch in London.

Luciana Cravo at Oeiras Ceramic Art exhibition
Leonora Lockhart, Luciana Cravo and Catherine Portal at Oeiras Ceramic Art

Luciana Cravo makes lava-glazed sculptures inspired by weathered rocks found on the beach. She was extremely welcoming and looked after me throughout my stay in Portugal, taking me for delicious lunches of bacalhau, pasteis de nata and also showing me around the national museum of tiles (azulejos) in Lisbon. We also visited the workshop on the top floor of the museum where tile panels are restored. Thank you for inviting me Luciana and Catia!

Azulejo museum in Lisbon
Tile panel, National Azulejo museum, Lisbon
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Glaze workshop dates 2022

Glaze test colour blend

I will be teaching a number of of glaze workshops in 2022. There will be workshops on understanding colour in glazes in London, Buckinghamshire, Sussex and Devon. I am excited to be teaching a workshop on special effect glazes in Denmark at Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Centre. In the two day workshop we will spend a day making glaze tests, then the next day learning about glaze chemistry and analysing the results. Click on the links to contact the studios.

19-20 March 2022 The Clay Garden Hammersmith

29-30 April 2022 Special Effect Glazes, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Centre. Denmark

28-29 May 2022 Kigbeare Studios, Okehampton, Devon

24-25 June 2022 Forest Row School of Ceramics, East Sussex

2-3 July 2022 Where Inspiration Blooms, Buckinghamshire

20-22 July 2022 La Mine Atelier de Ceramique Paris

20-21 August 2022 London Potters, Cernamic Studios, Stoke Newington, London

17-18 September Nottingham Ceramic School

Lichen effect glazes