Finish the Job

Sometimes its best to complete a project and move on. I've had these bisqued pots on my shelf for some time. For a long time I was determined to develop glazes that are right for these pots. But in many ways they occupied valuable shelf space in my shop that needed to be cleared in order to make way for the next round. I finished this and others with a combination of ash, terra sig, some iron saturates, chrome-tin, and strontium saturate glazes designed for cone 6. This vase (23" X 15")  along with a few others will feed ideas for future work. and having cleared out my pile of bisque, I'm ready to start on the next batch.

Gettin back to it.

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Most of my work has been an exploration of vessels; teapots, carafes,
pitchers and vases. The combination of utility with a visually stimulating form and surface challenges me more than other forms of artistic expression where function is detached from beauty. With these vessels I have tried to create a tension between the components of form;
foot, body, lip, handle and spout. In any given pot I look for a dynamic balance between these components that is comfortably tied together by the surface treatment of glaze and design. I work in series and find that the most successful pieces are often not those invested with the
most attention and aspirations. Rather they are often a surprising elevation of a modest piece by the final treatment of glaze and fire.

In the shop............ These pots are waiting for glaze. So little time, so many pots.........

Clays vary for various reasons.

Clays vary for various reasons.

Clay what is it good for????

So what makes one clay different from another. Here is a visual survey of some of my pokings and prodings. Some can take more pushing, some resist.....some keep the shape you push them into, others slump under their own weight....some crack under pressure, while others move and flex....why? How do you explain it? How do you judge good, better, best......?

Plastic? or Not?

What makes a clay plastic? I throw that question out to all you who care and have an opinion. I've been working all sorts of clays lately. Poking, prodding, scratching, sniffing, touching, tasting and handling; trying to determine what makes one really sing and another fall flat (quite literally). So......what say you? How do you characterize clay? How do you measure plasticity? What is the acid test?