Collection: Floating Blue Stoneware Collection

Floating Blue is the name of a category of pottery glazes that all have one thing in common: They sort of "float" (as the name suggest). But there are many variations of Floating Blue.

Over the past 5 years I have perfected my own combination of glaze, clay and firing. The result is a Floating Blue that I simply love and a growing collection of vases, mugs and bowls.

Floating Blue is not just a glaze that floats. It also have a huge color range. From light , almost white, to very dark, almost black. On edges, such as carved or textured areas the glaze turn very dark which emphasize the structure. I love that. On larger surfaces the floating color range help making every inch of the pots interesting to look at. 

The original Floating Blue glaze was using Red Iron Oxide why tend to give it a brownish look in thin areas. Some of the pots in this collection is with this original version. But after trying many alternatives I ended up with a version using Manganese Dioxide instead of the Red Iron Oxide. This leaves the thin areas more purple that brown and I much prefer that. 

But the glaze chemistry in itself is not the only factor that influence the final look. The clay and firing schedules also play a huge role. After much experimentation I have found 3 types of stoneware that I primarily use with the Floating Blue glaze: A very dark one, a red one and a light one. They each work really well but also have different throwing qualities. 

The dark clay can me thrown thinner, so its great for bowls, cups and smaller vases. The red and the light stoneware is stronger at works better for larger pots.