Alright, so I wanted to share something I tried recently. Heard about this ‘Nicole Osborne’ way of doing things, specifically with pottery glazing. Sounded kinda different, you know? Not the usual stuff.
I’d been feeling a bit stuck, creatively speaking. Needed to get my hands dirty, literally. So, I thought, why not give this Nicole Osborne technique a go? Didn’t know much about her, just saw some pictures of the finished look and thought it was neat.
Getting Started
First step, I had to dig out my old pottery tools. Found some basic stoneware clay I had lying around. The main thing was figuring out her glazing approach. It seemed to involve layering things in a way I hadn’t done before. Less precise, more… organic?
So, I shaped a few simple bowls. Nothing fancy. Just wanted a canvas for the glaze. Let them dry, fired them once – the usual bisque firing.
The Glazing Part (The Nicole Osborne Bit)
This is where I tried to follow what I understood of her style. Instead of careful dipping or brushing, it felt more like splashing and letting things drip. I grabbed a few glazes I liked:
- A deep blue
- A kind of speckled white
- A rusty orange
Then I just… went for it. Poured some blue, tilted the bowl. Added some white on top, let it run. A dash of orange here and there. It felt messy. Like, really uncontrolled. Part of me was thinking, “This is gonna look like garbage.”
There was definitely a moment where I almost wiped it all off and started again with my normal, careful method. But I told myself, no, stick with it. See what happens. That was the whole point of trying this Nicole Osborne thing, right? To break out of the usual.
The Results and Thoughts
After the final firing, I opened the kiln. And honestly? It wasn’t perfect. Not like those polished photos I saw. Some bits were thicker than others, the colours ran together in ways I didn’t fully expect.
But you know what? I kinda liked them. They had character. They felt unique, not mass-produced. Each bowl told a little story of that messy, experimental glazing session. It wasn’t about achieving her exact look, but about the process of letting go a bit.
It reminded me that sometimes, trying something new, even if it feels awkward or you don’t nail it, is worth doing. Shakes things up. Gets you out of a rut. That whole experiment, messing around with glazes like Nicole Osborne supposedly does, it actually helped. Felt good to just make something without worrying too much about the perfect outcome. Just enjoyed the making.
