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Kiln load of Bisqued pots
Pots about to be glaze fired |
The pottery making processAll
of my stoneware & porcelain pottery is hand made. The work is
either thrown on a potters wheel or slab constructed or a
combination of the two. Once the piece has dried and been
bisque fired (fired to roughly 1750 degrees Fahrenheit), I
apply glazes by either pouring, dipping, spraying or a
combination. I mix all of my own glazes and am constantly
exploring new glazes. I try and include new glaze tests in
every firing.
I fire the pottery to cone 10 (2320 degrees Fahrenheit) in a
reduction atmosphere. My kiln is custom designed and built by
myself. It is a relatively small car kiln. Working with a
small kiln allows the evolutionary process to proceed at a
faster pace than a large kiln would allow.
Though all aspects of the pottery making process are critical,
the firing is especially significant as the firing determines
the final surface on the piece and can make or break any
piece. This is especially true of the carbon trap shino’s,
which are especially sensitive to the amount and timing of
reduction in the firing process. During the reducing period
(if timed right) carbon develops on the surface of the pot and
then gets trapped under the glaze as the glaze matures.
The opening of the glaze firing is always an exciting time, as
there are always surprises. Most of the time the surprises are
positive and foster new ideas and provide motivation to get to
work on new pots.
For more information on the process and for information about
what is currently happening at my studio go to my studio web
site.
Click here
for the site.
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