A dark glazed bowl, just waiting for colour. Holding the bowl in one hand, I tip it at a slight angle, hold my breath, and sweep the inner curved surface with a squirt of iron red. I wait, don’t move, then again squirt, using a wider nib, and a contrasting white glaze. Then comes the firing to cone 6, in an electric kiln. How much will the lines run, how mottled will be the effect of the white breaking over the dark underlying glaze? And, always, the big question: how red a red will the kiln be kind enough to give me this time?