functional: high-fire useful things
(for every day...)
porcelain in process
There are few things more inviting, more comforting, than a hand-made pot that quietly demands to be held, to be used. From tea bowls to cereal bowls, from teapots to plates, my purpose is to make things with purpose. Continuing to work with a high-fire English porcelain clay body (Tuckers Pottery Supply, Richmond Hill, ON), recent work continues on development of style, using clean lines and classic glazes in an ode to the English studio pottery movement.
At the same time, I seem to have found my inner Jackson Pollock (American painter) with my schizzare (Italian for "splatter") series, using a Mason black stain to colour the slip with which the pieces are splattered, finished with a clear glaze. Every piece is different, with variations that give each piece a unique disposition - a controlled chaos, if you will.
Similarly, working with metallic salts continues to intrigue me, especially as an otherwise non-painterly person. Oddly, they are not really “salt” but rather sulphate compositions of cobalt, chrome, iron, and nickel. Porcelain is the best clay for this technique, providing the smoothest surface and most neutral background to off-set the colours of the salts. After the pots are biscuit fired, glaze is applied to the inside and rim, then the colours are applied (always only to the exterior), followed by an application of an acid to “move” the colour, leaving the finished piece in hues that resemble the effect of water colours.
All of the work is biscuit (bisque)-fired to 980*C and glaze-fired in oxidation to 1260*C; glazes are lead and barium-free, and fired to their maturing temperature for food safety.
So much of what I do is owed to Roger Kerslake, a lifelong potter, artist, teacher who led the ceramics program for many years at Georgian College in Barrie, ON, while maintaining his own studio practice. For this potter, he wholly represents the ethos of what it is to be potter as he continues to operate his studio in nearby Jarratt, ON, and remains an inspiration.
Equally I am grateful for having been able to attend workshops at La Meridiana International School of Ceramics in Italy (http://lameridiana.fi.it) with Luca Tripaldi and Pietro Maddellana (the School's Founder and Direct0r). From my initial visit in 2010, I have been enthralled and inspired by the art, culture, history, and people. Lastly, a self-directed residency there in 2014 to develop work with metallic salts was possible in part thanks to funding support from the Ontario Arts Council (http://www.arts.on.ca), an agency of the Government of Ontario, which is gratefully acknowledged.
At the same time, I seem to have found my inner Jackson Pollock (American painter) with my schizzare (Italian for "splatter") series, using a Mason black stain to colour the slip with which the pieces are splattered, finished with a clear glaze. Every piece is different, with variations that give each piece a unique disposition - a controlled chaos, if you will.
Similarly, working with metallic salts continues to intrigue me, especially as an otherwise non-painterly person. Oddly, they are not really “salt” but rather sulphate compositions of cobalt, chrome, iron, and nickel. Porcelain is the best clay for this technique, providing the smoothest surface and most neutral background to off-set the colours of the salts. After the pots are biscuit fired, glaze is applied to the inside and rim, then the colours are applied (always only to the exterior), followed by an application of an acid to “move” the colour, leaving the finished piece in hues that resemble the effect of water colours.
All of the work is biscuit (bisque)-fired to 980*C and glaze-fired in oxidation to 1260*C; glazes are lead and barium-free, and fired to their maturing temperature for food safety.
So much of what I do is owed to Roger Kerslake, a lifelong potter, artist, teacher who led the ceramics program for many years at Georgian College in Barrie, ON, while maintaining his own studio practice. For this potter, he wholly represents the ethos of what it is to be potter as he continues to operate his studio in nearby Jarratt, ON, and remains an inspiration.
Equally I am grateful for having been able to attend workshops at La Meridiana International School of Ceramics in Italy (http://lameridiana.fi.it) with Luca Tripaldi and Pietro Maddellana (the School's Founder and Direct0r). From my initial visit in 2010, I have been enthralled and inspired by the art, culture, history, and people. Lastly, a self-directed residency there in 2014 to develop work with metallic salts was possible in part thanks to funding support from the Ontario Arts Council (http://www.arts.on.ca), an agency of the Government of Ontario, which is gratefully acknowledged.
porcelain plate: black stain slip, clear glaze, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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porcelain plates: black stain slip, clear glaze, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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porcelain plate: black stain slip, clear glaze, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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porcelain teapot & mugs: iron & chrome salts, clear & Copper Green glazes, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
porcelain vessels: cobalt & nickel salts, clear glaze, oxidation-fired to 1260C
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porcelain tumblers: celadon & seacrest purple glazes, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
porcelain vessels: clear glaze, cobalt & chrome salts, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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porcelain teapot: Red Tenmoku & clear glazes, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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porcelain teapot: black stain slip, clear glaze, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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porcelain cup & bowl: cobalt & chrome salts, clear glaze, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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porcelain teapots: cobalt, chrome, iron & nickel salts, clear glaze, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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porcelain plate & tumbler: black stain slip, clear glaze, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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porcelain plate & bowl: black stain slip, clear glaze, oxidation-fired to 1260*C
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Funding support of the Ontario Arts Council
in 2014 and 2017 is gratefully acknowledged.
in 2014 and 2017 is gratefully acknowledged.
