Celadon, Floating Glaze and Flux: My New Obsession
Right, so if you’d told me a year ago that I’d be writing a blog about layering glazes, I would have laughed. A lot. I was firmly in the “slap it on and hope for the best” camp. But here I am, genuinely excited about celadon, floating glaze and flux – so let’s talk about it!
If you’re new to layering glazes (like I was), the basic idea is that you apply multiple glazes on top of each other to create effects that a single glaze simply can’t achieve on its own. When they melt together in the kiln, the magic happens. And it genuinely is magical – when it works (and heartbreaking when it doesn’t)!
Start with your celadon as your base.
Celadon is a beautiful, subtle glaze – usually a soft blue-grey or green – and it works brilliantly as a foundation because it’s relatively stable and not too reactive. Apply it first, nice and evenly. I brush mine on, but dipping works too if your glaze is the right consistency.
Next, the floating glaze.
This is where it gets interesting! Floating glazes are designed to move during firing, creating lovely cloudy effects. Apply it over the celadon – either all over or just on the upper portion of your piece. The key thing is not to go too thick, otherwise it can run and stick to your kiln shelf (ask me how I know this…).
Finally, a touch of flux on the areas you want to really break.
Flux lowers the melting point of glazes and encourages movement and blending where the layers meet. Just a light coat – honestly, less is more here. Too much and things get a bit chaotic!
The results are genuinely stunning – blues and greens that shift and pool in ways you could never plan. Every piece comes out slightly different, which is honestly half the fun. Give it a go – you won’t regret it!
