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The Altai blue clay that comes out of the kiln pink
It comes from the Altai. It is blue and, after firing, turns pink. It is hardly used for tableware; it is used mostly in cosmetics.
In the Altai, in southern Siberia, there is a clay that feels otherworldly in the hand: raw, it is a greyish blue, soft and fine. Nothing in it announces the colour it will have later.
When it goes into the kiln, the colour changes with the fire and the piece comes out pink, sometimes with a pale peach tone. It is one of those cases where the colour of the raw clay says nothing about the colour of the finished piece.
It is hardly used for tableware: its place is mostly in cosmetics. Even so, in the workshop it is a clay that is known and admired for that change of colour.
That is why those of us who work with clay love opening the kiln so much: the firing always holds a surprise. Every clay has its own character, and getting to know them takes years.
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