This copper red jug was made in my Brisbane workshop, at Tarragindi, around 1962. It was fired in my gas kiln. This jug, like most of that period had avian associations.
Mid-range firing ( about 1200 C.) with a feldspar/colemanite glaze. It is approx. 22 cms tall. The red colour is achieved by firing a glaze coloured with copper oxide. At a certain point, free carbon is released into the kiln atmosphere. (This is best explained by using the example of a kersone lantern: when the wick is turned too high this causes a smokey flame. The same can be achieved in a gas or oil-burning kiln, or in a wood kiln, by restricting the amount of oxygen going into the kiln chamber. The chemical reaction of the carbon-rich atmosphere causes the copper oxide to be returned to the base metal copper. Potters refer to this atmosphere as 'reduction.')