Benjamin Shewan

Slightly bellied hand made mug with handle to the left. Cut foot visually lifts the form. Blue liner glaze covers the top 1” of the form exterior. Mug, Laguna Castile blue liner and fern mist exterior, b mix w/grog Laguna.

Thrown mug form with handle to the right. Cut foot visually lifts the form. Blue liner glaze covers the top 1” of the form exterior. Mug, Laguna Castile blue liner and fern mist exterior, b mix w/grog Laguna.

Interior of mug, blue liner glaze shown. Exterior of mug is green. Handmade, thrown mug. Mug, Laguna Castile blue liner and fern mist exterior, b mix w/grog Laguna.

This is the first of a series to come from my last ceramic firing. This form shows the improvements I have been working towards. I am better at pulling handles and trimming, my forms are becoming more intentional, and excess weight in the body has been cut. I am open to constructive critique.

I was browsing a ceramic feed and saw your work. I’m loving the texture these vessels! The glazes you have chosen compliment them perfectly and really bring out the patterns. It’s cool to see the side by side of the white and brown clay in this one, too!

I’m in the US.

Thank you!

What an efficient way to cut a foot quickly. Thank you for sharing your trimming technique!

That’s a lot of clay! Impressive work. Is this a show piece or commission?

This is slick as hell! The notched foot matches the form so well. That glaze is dynamic and highlights each feature perfectly. Love it!

This was very informative! Thank you

I love this! Great way to display all those styles!

Thank you!

This is amazing! I had to show my wife. We are loving the finished piece!

Cylindrical mug form with squared handle to the right. Green glaze on the lower2/3, blue glaze on the top 1/3. The blue runs into the green glaze.

Back side of cylindrical mug with handle to the left side. Blue glaze on top rim, body is green. A drop of blue glaze caused a small section of the green glaze to run revealing the white color of the clay body beneath.

Front of cylindrical mug illustrating the interaction of the green and blue glazes. Handle is hidden at the rear. I hope to replicate this interaction/combination in the future. The glaze did run off the mug some and I will need to regulate my glaze layering, application thickness and unglazed area near the base for future projects.

The inside blue color of a cylindrical mug, handle pointing to the right.

I have procrastinated sharing more of my work. This is a mug form I cast, the same as my last post. Castile Blue over Fern Mist applied to a cone six slip cast body.
I am open to critique or comments if you have any suggestions on the form or glaze. Thanks!

My recommendation is to use Murphy oil soap on the 3d print as a mold release. I 3d print my forms and then make a plaster mold from them. I use No.1 potters plaster, it sets up quickly and is made specifically for slip casting. If you want recommendations on resources I found helpful, let me know!

Glazed blue ceramic mug. The surface is mottled and transitions to white at the top.

Side view of a blue ceramic mug. The square shaped handle to the right. The mottled blue transitions to white at the top.

Top view of a ceramic mug, white inside with a blue handle pointing to the right.

The base of a ceramic mug in the foreground of the image is blue with an unglazed ring forming the foot. An identical blue mug in the background, out of focus, has its handle pointing to the left.

#mugshotmonday A mug from my last firing. This is my first finished piece made using slip casting. Slip cast mug, 10 oz, cone 6, Castille Blue outside, clear inside. Critique on the form, handle, and finish are welcome.

Hand thrown rice bowl form. Blue horizontal stripes adorn the side of the bowl. The shape is lifted by a small foot at the base.

Small hand thrown rice bowl shown directly from the front. Blue horizontal stripes adorn the surface. The shape is lifted by a small foot at the base.

Small hand thrown rice bowl shown from the top. A clear glaze covers the surface. Three blue spots decorate the smooth surface, just off center, in the bottom of the bowl.

A rice bowl I threw using Laguna’s b-mix with grog. Cone 5/6 clay body. The bowl features blue stripes on the exterior. The inside near the bottom has three blue spots. These are my first attempts at under-glazing using stroke and coat from Mayco.

I did not know that adding silicates to a pot while throwing was possible. This added a lot of depth! I think the simple form allows the stretched texture to be the focus of the viewer.

Dang... That's rough.

Bisque ware freshly unloaded, sitting in front of an electric kiln. Fired to cone 08.

Hand thrown and slip cast bisque ware on a shelf. Fired to cone 08.

Mugs, cups, and a bowl in front of an electric kiln. All slip cast. Bisque fired to cone 08.

Fired the kiln yesterday! I will be inviting friends to help me embellish some of the forms with underglaze and brush-able glazes. Others will be dipped. I am hoping to show off some color soon!

That little frog is cute as heck!

This is an excellent tea bowl, I love that the motif is just on one side. A video was great way to share this piece, I found myself scrubbing through the frames to get a good look at the undercut on the foot. Very clean design, I like it!

Sorry to see the pieces failed, but I appreciate the article that came from this setback! I have seen glazes crackle, but this failure mode is new to me.

This is a wonderful piece! The rounded shape is lifted so gently by the foot. The bird and cattail add exactly the right amount of interest without taking attention from the form itself.

Ramen bowls, one dry, one fresh from the mold. Cone 6 Laguna slip

Ramen bowl in mold, trimmed, and waiting to be pulled. Cone 6 Laguna slip

Picture focuses on the foot of a drying ramen bowl. Dry clay mugs are in the background. Cone 6 Laguna casting slip.

It was a good weekend. My ramen bowl mold is working nicely and I installed an outlet.

12oz tapered mug with angled handle, leather hard. Laguna clay slip, cone 6.

Top view of a 12oz tapered mug with angled handle, leather hard. Laguna clay slip, cone 6.

Two standing desks side by side in an unfinished basement. Two bags adorn the end of each desk to serve as trash receptacles.

Just a small update. I have successfully cast a solid handle for my cups! I also moved two standing desks into the basement so I can work at any height. A work light for each will be necessary, just not enough light for me. I will have to add an outlet to the wall tomorrow and I’ll be all set.

I like the form with this glaze combo! The red glaze flows so nicely.

I would ask @ceramicmaterials.bsky.social . Rose and Matt Katz are experts on glaze chemistry. I don’t know if they have time, but I bet they would know the answer.

Also, check out Donte of Earth Nation. He shared a pink glaze called “Majin Buu”. May be a place to start?

glazy.org/recipes/111904

This is great work! The forms are beautiful!

I am so pumped for you! Watching you make your dreams a reality has been a blast to watch. I cannot wait to see what you do with the new studio!

Name it James!

I started making pottery using a kick wheel and a second hand kiln in my pole barn. It’s too cold in the winter to throw out there, so I decided to pivot to slip casting. This is my first successful mold. Materials: Laguna cone 6 slip, 3d printed master molds, UHG no.1 potters plaster.