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SEASONAL SPECIAL: Holiday Shopper’s Guide ‘Handbuilt’ Conference Raises Funds for CERF Making an Oval Tray • ‘30 x 5’ Exhibition at AKAR Gallery Striking New Variations of Cone 6 Water Blue Glaze 30 Rules You Need to Know for Pottery Studio Safety BISON TOOLS: Really Sharp, in More Ways Than One ...
15 •84 Issue 84 VolumeVolume 15 • Issue November/December 2009 2009 November/December
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November/December 2009 Volume 15 • Issue 84
On the cover: Salt and Pepper with Brick by Liz Zlot Summerfield. 2 3/4" x 2¼" x 3" (shakers); 7½" x 3¼" x 13/4" (brick). Handbuilt earthenware with terra sigillata, underglaze, and glaze, fired to cone 4.
features 23 Seasonal Special: Holiday Shopper’s Guide Looking for gifts for that special potter you know (or perhaps for your own holiday ‘wish list’)? Find what you need in a snap with the listings on page 23! Better yet, to access our online guide with direct links for instant holiday shopping, visit the Clay Times Website at www.claytimes.com.
30 Fire and Friendship Twice each year, San Juan College instructors, students, and professional potters gather to carry out the ancient tradition of wood firing, using an anagama kiln located on the Colorado and New Mexico border. The experience is a highlight for the advanced students, akin to a rite of passage from classroom to the thriving area clay community ...
34 ‘Handbuilt’ Conference
exhibition 14 ‘30 x 5’ Holiday Invitational at AKAR Gallery
Above: Faceted Bottle by Trent Burkett. Left: Altered Teapot by Peter Karner. Both works, along with that on this issue’s cover, were featured in the ‘30 x 5’ Holiday Invitational Exhibition at AKAR Gallery in Iowa City, Iowa this season. For more images and details, turn to page 14.
CLAYTIMES·COM n November/December 2009
During the first conference dedicated specifically to handbuilding, 125 participants gathered in Philadelphia to raise more than $4,000 to benefit the Craft Emergency Relief Fund.
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contents
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TIMES
Clay
November/December 2009 Volume 15 • Issue 84
Pictured below: Plate Series by Claudia Reese. Turn to the second part of Lana Wilson’s interview with Reese on page 25 to discover the step-by-step process she uses for making her plates in quanitity, as uniformly as possible.
departments 9 YOUR WORDS Readers share their comments & opinions
10 WHAT’S HOT Clay world news, events, and calls for entries
22 GREAT GLAZES Cone 6 Shino and Dry Cream Yellow (Cone 8 Reduction)
42 THE GALLERY A selection of unique works by CT readers
50 SLURRY BUCKET Tips for a new worktable & transporting greenware
53 POTTERY CLASSES Where you can learn claywork in your community
56 CLASSIFIED MARKETPLACE Goods and services offered especially for clay artists
58 ADVERTISER INDEX A quick reference to find your favorite ceramics suppliers in this issue (be sure to tell them you found them in Clay Times!) 6
columns 19 AS FAR AS I KNOW “New Variations of Cone 6 Water Blue” by Pete Pinnell
45 BOOKS & VIDEOS “Mastering Raku” review by Polly Beach
47 TOOL TIMES 25 BENEATH THE SURFACE “Claudia Reese, Part 2” by Lana Wilson
27 TEACHING TECHNIQUES “Throwing an Oval Tray” by Bill van Gilder
“Phil Poburka and Bison Tools” by Vince Pitelka
51 STUDIO HEALTH AND SAFETY “30 Rules for Pottery Safety” by Monona Rossol
57 AROUND THE FIREBOX 41 KILNS & FIRING “Candling: Can You Give It Up?” by Marc Ward
“The Crazy Catenary Arch” by Kelly Savino
Editorial & Advertising: Polly Beach claytimes@gmail.com Circulation Manager: Rachel Brownell ctcirculation@gmail.com Accounts Manager: Nanette Greene clayaccounts@gmail.com
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The following letter was recently submitted to CT columnist Pete Pinnell: Thank you so much for your very well-written article on tomato red glazes in issue 83 of Clay Times [Sept./Oct. ’09]. I read your article and was inspired to mix up a test batch of tomato red glaze. I tried the TR6 recipe and fired it with the following glaze firing schedule: Ramp 1: Ramp 2: Ramp 3: Ramp 4:
400º F per hour to 2000º F, no hold 250º F per hour to 2200º F, no hold 150º F per hour to 1900º F, no hold 50º F per hour to 1600º F, 3-hour hold
Proofreader: Jon Singer Office Assistant: Ingrid Phillips Regular Columnists: Steve Branfman, Books & Videos David Hendley, Around the Firebox Pete Pinnell, As Far as I Know Vince Pitelka, Tool Times Monona Rossol, Health & Safety Kelly Savino, Around the Firebox Bill van Gilder, Teaching Techniques Marc Ward, Kilns & Firing Lana Wilson, Beneath the Surface
M.F.A. in Ceramic Arts The M.F.A. and Graduate Certificate in Ceramic Arts provide students with skills and knowledge from which to build a strong aesthetic direction.
Priscilla Mouritzen Sten Lykke Madsen Denmark Clay: Imagery and Emotion March 19-21
Spouting Off I Your Words
Reader Remarks
ceramic art trends, t oo l s & t e c h n i q u e s
Catherine White Plates and Platters: Feb 13-14 Aesthetics Seminar: Feb 27-May 9 Joyce Michaud Electric Kilns: Jan. 9-10 Masters Throwing: Jan. 14-17 Eastern and Western Techniques in Trimming: Jan. 23-24 Pam Theis Clay and Glaze Chemistry Theory and Practice: Jan. 30-May 1 Visit Hood’s Web site for more information. Hood College Graduate School Art Department (301) 696-3456 n Fax (301) 696-3531 www.hood.edu/ceramics Hood College subscribes to a policy of equal educational and employment opportunities.
Contributing Writers: Marta Matray Gloviczki Pamela Palmer Sandi Pierantozzi Vicky Ramakka Published by: CLAY TIMES INC. 15481 Second St. • PO Box 365 Waterford, Virginia 20197-0365 540.882.3576 • FAX 540.882.4196 Toll-free subscription line: 800.356.2529 Clay Times® (ISSN 1087-7614) is published bimonthly, six issues per year. Periodicals Postage Paid at Waterford, VA, and at additional mailing offices. Annual subscriptions are available for $33 in the U.S.; $40 in Canada; $60 elsewhere (must be payable in US$). To subscribe, call toll-free 1-800.356.2529, or visit www.claytimes.com.
POSTMASTER: Address service requested. Send address changes to: Clay Times, PO Box 365, Waterford, VA 20197-0365. Copyright © 2009 Clay Times, Inc. All rights reserved. The material contained herein is derived from various sources and does not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. All technical material is offered as general information only and should not be acted upon without expert supervision. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
Peter Olszak, via e-mail
Clay Times asked: What’s the most rewarding aspect of working with clay?
• The meditative quality of wheel throwing. I have made a practice of quelling my anger by sitting down at the wheel and throwing. Casey McInnis, Fort Worth, TX • The versatility of clay. I love working on the wheel and then altering pieces to see how far I can go with it. You can create textures, keep it very smooth, have it structured, or very loose. And then after bisque firing, you’ve got a clean canvas to begin all over again with all the things I just mentioned. Pam Huckins, Lincoln, NE [
CLAYTIMES·COM n November/December 2009
Freelance editorial and photographic submissions are welcome: Please contact Clay Times or visit our Web site for writer’s and photographer’s guidelines.
As you can see by the photo (above), it fired to a very nice tomato red with very nice iron crystal growth. I have attempted tomato red glazes before and have not achieved such successful results. Thank you again for your article, and I’ll look forward to future columns from you in Clay Times.
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Hot Stuff I News & Events
What’s Hot K ceramic art world news • events • calls for entries
Bacia Edelman 1925-2009
CLAYTIMES·COM n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
‰ Bacia Stepner Edelman, an extraordinary potter-sculptor, mother, grandmother, and loyal supporter of Clay Times since its inception, died on Sept. 19 at the Hospice Care facility in Madison, Wisconsin. She was 84.
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Bacia’s greatest joy was her claywork, lovingly displayed by Russell Fouts on the Web at http://users. skynet.be/russel.fouts/bacia.htm. Bacia frequently “played with clay” before she was in kindergarten, encouraged by her aunt Sybil Righter, who worked at the Paul Revere pottery in Boston. On Saturday nights all the single female employees (the Saturday Evening Girls) were invited to bring along their nieces and nephews. Bacia, the youngest attendee, fell in love with pottery, a passion that stayed with her until her very last days, when her dear friend Andree Valley helped her finish her final piece, a collaborative work by them both.
During her childhood, Bacia took art classes at the Boston Museum. She later studied on scholarship with Josef Albers at Black Mountain College in Asheville, North Carolina in the summer of 1946. She completed her B.F.A. at Rhode Island School of Design in 1947, attained her M.F.A. at New York State College of Ceramics, Alfred University in 1950, and studied in Vienna, Austria at the Akademie Fur Angewandte Kunst. Bacia attended and taught countless workshops and classes throughout the years, the highlight of which was the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) annual conference. Bacia’s art is world-renowned, perhaps most notably her stunning teapots and signature lichen glaze. Her work has appeared in countless juried and invitational exhibitions, and is in permanent collections in the Milwaukee Art Museum, the Everson Museum, Northern Arizona Art Museum, Charles A. Wustum Museum, and numerous corporate and private collections. In the final month of her life, Bacia was notified that one of her pieces was selected for the permanent collection of the Asheville Art Museum in North Carolina—Black Mountain College —bringing her career full circle. Bacia’s work was featured in numerous publications including Clay Times, 500 Teapots; 500 Bowls; Ceramics Monthly; and Ceramics, Art, and Perception. One of the very first subscribers to Clay Times when it debuted as a monthly newsletter in 1995, Bacia entered and won the publication’s photo contest that same year with an image of one of her works.
Conferences ‰ GCKW will host the Gulf Coast Clay Conference Feb. 11-13, 2010, featuring John Britt and Bill Clover, with demonstrations by Steve Dark, Jason Stokes, Patrick Bodine, and Anne Haley Webb. The main event will be held at Pensacola Junior College, Pensacola, Florida; the Saturday festival will be at the GCKW Site in Navarre, for the opening of the 32-foot anagama kiln. For complete details, visit the Website at www.gulfcoastkilnwalk.org, call 850.939.7972, or email zehrs@bellsouth.net. ‰ Paperclay Today takes place Jan. 31Feb. 4, 2010, and will feature paperclay workshops, student and artist paperclay exhibits, and an on-site studio/lab. Instuctors: Rosette Gault and Graham Hay. Contact: Linda Saville at 949.499.7446; e-mail linda@ lagunabeachceramics.com; or visit www.lagunabeachceramics.com. ‰ “NCECA 2010: Independence,” the 44th Annual Conference of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) takes place Mar. 31-Apr. 3, 2010, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event will include informative lectures and demonstrations by leading clay artists, as well as a trade show where attendees can view and purchase the industry’s latest goods and services for potters. Area schools, universities, museums, galleries, and non-profit and alternative spaces will host exhibitions of clay objects and tableware, sculpture, and more. For complete details, log onto www. nceca net.
Hot Stuff I News & Events
Calls for Entries ‰ Entries open to tiles 15 × 15 x 5 cm are being accepted through Nov. 30 for the Fourth International Ceramic Tile Triennial, to take place April 15–June 15, 2010 in Santiago, Dominican Republic. For details, call the Igneri Foundation at 809.531.0164; visit www.elit-tile.net; or e-mail thimop@elit-tile.net. ‰ Entries are being accepted through Dec. 1 for Tell-Tale Tiles & Fractured Fantasies, to explore contemporary tile making and ceramic mosaic as a story-telling medium. Co-presented by Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (PMG) and the Tile Heritage Foundation, the exhibition will be held Mar. 19Apr. 19, 2010 in conjunction with NCECA in Philadelphia. $3,000 in prizes will be awarded. Details and entry information: http:// www.tileheritage.org or http:// www.juriedartservices.com. ‰ Entries of small teapots are being accepted through Dec. 11 for Small Fish, Large Pot IV: 4th International Small Teapot Show and Competition, to take place Feb. 11–Mar. 11, 2010 at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, CA. For details, call 949.582.4401, visit http://gallery.saddleback.edu, or e-mail thuntley@saddleback.edu.
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‰ U.S. clay artists may submit entries through Jan. 18, 2010 for The Third Biennial Contemporary Clay: 2010. The exhibition will take place May 14-June 26, 2010 at the Art Center in Grand Junction, Colorado. Entry fee: 1/$15, 2/$25, 3/$30. For a prospectus, call Camille Silverman at 970-2437337 ext. 6; visit www.gjartcenter.org; e-mail csilverman@gjartcenter.org, or send SASE to The Art Center, 1803 North 7th, Grand Junction, CO. For juror insights, google “Pete Pinnell: Thoughts on Cups.”
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Hot Stuff I News & Events
‰ Applications are now being accepted through Jan. 25, 2010 for the 19th Annual All Clay Festival, a two-day outdoor event in Cambridge, Wisconsin. Juried from three slides or digital entries. Jury fee $25; booth fee $250. Log onto www.cambridgepotteryfestival.org for more information.
artist Mari Page Nov. 14-Dec. 12 at 1770 Village Pl. #36, Balboa Park, San Diego, California.
‰ The Kansas City Clay Guild is accepting entries postmarked by April 10, 2010, for its Tea Bowl National, to take place May 10-July 9, 2010. Juror: Pete Pinnell. Entry fee: $30 for three works. $1000 will be awarded in prizes. Contact: Susan Speck, 5932 Nall Ave., Mission, KS 66202 or e-mail president@ kcclayguild.org. For more information, visit: www.kcclayguild.org.
California. Following a ten-year nationwide museum tour, this exhibition represents one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Picasso ceramics to be offered by a private gallery. The collection spans over 20 years of ceramic works, from Picasso’s first platters in 1947 to his last engraved plaques in 1969.
Ceramics Exhibitions ‰ Clayfolk celebrates its 34th Annual Pottery Show and Sale at the Medford Armory in Southern Oregon November 20-22. Work by more than 60 artists includes dinnerware, jewelry, tiles, fountains, sculptures, and more; pottery-making demonstrations by Clayfolk artists. 1701 South Pacific Hwy., Medford, Oregon (right off of I-5.)
CLAYTIMES·COM n November/December 2009
‰ New Work by Harrison McIntosh takes place through Nov. 28 at the American Museum of Ceramic Art,. 340 S. Garey Ave., Pomona, California.
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‰ The 35th Annual Pottery Show & Sale Dec. 4-6 showcases contemporary pottery from 27 nationally known potters and features more than 2,000 unique and handmade pieces for sale. The Art School at Old Church, 561 Piermont Rd., Demarest, New Jersey. ‰ The San Diego Sculptors’ Guild presents the work of featured clay
‰ Picasso Ceramics (1947-1969), to offer more than 50 rare ceramic works available to collectors for the first time, takes place through Dec. 12 at the Andrew Weiss Gallery, 179 S. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills
‰ Plinth Gallery Artists 2009, to feature works by Peter Saenger, Amanda Jaffe, Suzanne Kane, Dan Anderson, Conner Burns, Russel Wrankle, and Kevin Snipes, takes place Dec. 4-28 at Plinth Gallery, 3520 Brighton Blvd., Denver, Colorado. ‰ Frogs, Friends & Fireplaces ... Through the Seasons with Earthsongs Studio takes place Nov. 16Dec. 29 at The Donald B. Palmer Museum, 66 Mountain Ave., Springfield, New Jersey. A handson workshop for children and adults is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 26 at 2 pm. ‰ Porcelain Umbrella Wall Installation, featuring works by Ann Mortimer, takes place through Dec. 31 at the Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park, Toronto, Canada. ‰ Inspiration and Ingenuity: American Stoneware takes place through Dec. 31 at Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, 325 W. Francis St., Williamsburg, Virginia. ‰ Taking Shape: Ceramics in Southeast Asia takes place through Jan.
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‰ Out of the Fire: Clay & Glass from ACGA takes place through Jan. 2, 2010 at the Falkirk Cultural Center, 1408 Mission Ave., San Rafael, California. ‰ The Perfect Fit: Shoes Tell Stories is on exhibit through Jan. 3, 2010 at the Fuller Craft Museum, 455 Oak St., Brockton, Massachusetts. ‰ Gifts from the Earth takes place Nov. 30, 2009-Jan. 3, 2010 at Scope Gallery, The Torpedo Factory, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria, Virginia. ‰ The Renwick Craft Invitational 2009 takes place through Jan. 3, 2010 at the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, Pennsylvania Ave. at 17th St., NW, Washington, DC. ‰ Masters of Mid-Century California Modernism, including ceramic works by Evelyn and Jerome Ackerman, is on exhibit through Jan. 10, 2010 at the Mingei International Museum, Balboa Park, 1439 El Prado, San Diego, California. ‰ Bigger, Better, More: The Art of Viola Frey takes place through Jan. 10, 2010 at the Gardiner Museum, 111 Queen’s Park, Toronto, Canada.
‰ New and Novel 2009: Recent Gifts to RAM’s Collection is on exhibit through Jan. 17, 2010 at Racine Art Museum, 441 Main St., Racine, Wisconsin. ‰ Bright Abyss, featuring works by Robert Sperry, takes place through
‰ Forty-Five: New Work by Terri Kern takes place Nov. 27-Mar. 7, 2010 at Canton Museum of Art, 1001 Market Ave N., Canton, Ohio. ‰ Tangible History: Stoneware from the Holcombe Family Collection, will be on display through June 30, 2011 at the South Carolina State Museum, 301 Gervais Street, Columbia, SC. This exhibit features some of the best pieces of South Carolina stoneware, most of which have never been on public display before, from the extensive collection of the Holcombe family of Clinton, SC. It includes some classic pieces by Dave (a wellknown slave potter), plus examples from Thomas Owenby and other important 19th-Century potters. Also on view are pieces from the State Museum collection and a potter’s wheel that contemporary potters will use to demonstrate their craft on selected weekends. [
To list your clay conferences, calls for entries, exhibitions, and ceramic news items in Clay Times, please e-mail the complete details to: claytimes@gmail.com, with “What’s Hot” in the subject line, or visit www.clay times.com and click on the “What’s Hot” link to fill out an online submission form.
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‰ Collection Focus, featuring works by Michael Lucero, takes place through Jan. 17, 2010 at the Racine Art Museum, 441 Main St., Racine, Wisconsin.
Jan. 31, 2010 at Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE, Bellevue, Washington.
4:27 PM
Hot Stuff I News & Events
1, 2010 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, 1050 Independence Ave. SW, Washington, DC.
9/24/09
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CLAYTIMES·COM n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
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Untitled vase by Brenda Lichman. 8" x 8" x 11". Cone 10 flashing slip, soda-fired.
‘30 x 5’ Holiday Show at AKAR Gallery “We are looking for new talent all the time via magazines, show invitations, show cards, and studio open houses.” — Sanjay Jani, Gallery Owner
A Hair’s Breadth teabowl by Lauren Gallaspy. 5½" x 5" x 3¼". Cone 6 porcelain with underglaze.
AKAR, a downtown Iowa City, Iowa art and design gallery with a national reputation for
its ceramics shows, is presenting 30 “brand new” artists for their annual holiday invitational, to take place Nov. 13-Dec. 4. None of the artists, who give the show its name by sending five works apiece, have been specially featured before in the gallery, although many have been around clay and pottery for years. “We are looking for new talent all the time via magazines, show invitations, show cards, and studio open houses,” said Sanjay Jani, who owns and runs AKAR with his wife, Jigna. “The
best thing that has happened to us is that our reputation has grown over the years, and artists have learned our passions and interests.” The couple’s passions and interests cover a lot of territory. A love for ceramic work from potters near and far began a tradition of monthly shows in 1999. AKAR continues to order select international design products into its downtown gallery from around the world. The Janis also recently renovated a building in a new location in Iowa City to house their
CLAYTIMES·COM n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
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wall-mounted porcelain face, a tumbler with an owl wearing an etched crown, a tiny vase featuring a nude female figure with long, tangled tresses of hair, and a totem-like candlestick holder in the shape of a ceramic goat—the most diverse show of pottery forms that AKAR Gallery exhibits each year is even more varied and interesting for the 2009 holiday season.
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‘Each quarter for more than two years, Mark Knott has e-mailed AKAR with pictures of his recent work. An invitation to the holiday show has now rewarded his consistency.’
residential architecture and design firm. Pottery shows in the past have focused on forms and shapes influenced by buildings and construction. “I find that we are always bias for forms exploring the vessel,” Sanjay said. “A successful pot unites form, function, mass, space, decoration, firing, and craftsmanship as a singular experience.”
CLAYTIMES·COM n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
The 30 x 5 Holiday Invitational first appeared in December 2003, with the simple concept of providing variety in form (including some sculptural works), function, and price to buyers during the gift season. The show has remained true to that spirit since, with an increasing focus on newer artists. According to Sanjay and Jigna, the format allows the gallery “to experiment, creating an opportunity to touch and feel new work in person.” A successful showing at 30 x 5 or AKAR’s 200-person March invitational of only Yunomi tea bowls can earn a larger spot in a monthly show—an opportunity to connect with
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potters and collectors who monitor the gallery’s Website, akardesign.com. Mark Knott, one of 2009’s 30 x 5 artists, is a potter from Suwanee, Georgia who left the ceramics world for a period of time to work in mixed media. Later he returned to studio work to focus on evolving his artistic style and personal growth. Each quarter for more than two years, he has e-mailed AKAR with pictures of his recent work. An invitation to the holiday show has now rewarded his consistency. Though his work is in several galleries throughout the country, this is an important showcase. “AKAR sets the standard for how people view work online,” Knott said. “They get such a quality group of artists each year, for someone in my stage to to be included in a show like this is a huge honor.” [
Untitled mask by Greg Jahn & Nancy Halter. 7½" x 7" x 4¼". Handbuilt white stoneware with underglaze and glazes, fired to cone 10 in reduction.
Bowl by Barry Rhodes. 7½" x 7" x 4¼". Cone 6 oxidation with underglaze pencils, engobes, glaze, sgraffito.
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Olympic commercial electric and gas kilns are heavily insulated (6” of insulation and air space) for energy efficiency and built to last with heavy angle iron frames, stainless steel skins. The electric kilns have options for electronic controller, 480 volts, 3-phase, and 3-zone control. Olympic DownDrafts are designed to fire on propane or natural gas. Stainless steel or galvanized vent hoods can be added as an option in addition to pyrometer and blower burners. Olympic commercial electric kilns range in sizes from 5.5-53 cubic feet and the gas kilns range from 9-40 (useable space) cubic feet.
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Some Surprising Variations of “Water Blue” Formula by PETE PINNELL
A A
B B
Chrome Oxide 2%
C C
Red Iron Oxide 8%
D D
Copper Carbonate 6%
E E
Cobalt Carbonate 1%
Perspectives I As Far As I Know
A New (Old) Cone 6 Glaze
Manganese Dioxide 6%
These fired tiles are about 1¼" wide, so the size of each glaze surface pictured measures about 1¼" wide by 2½" high. Each tile was extruded with a die that leaves a fine, vertical texture so that we can see how opaque the glaze is, or how much it breaks or pools.
O
glaze. There are many different versions of this glaze floating around, but all use essentially the same ingredients: a highsodium frit (Ferro 3110), some Gerstley borate, a little kaolin and some silica (a.k.a. flint or quartz) along with a little copper to give it the blue/green hue.
The recipe was for a glaze that many of us know as “Water Blue” (or sometimes “Egyptian Blue”), a highly alkaline low-fire
The reason I was surprised by the recipe is that this glaze is generally known as a cone 06 glaze—not cone 6—and
Here’s the version that Josh used:
Josh’s Water Blue Variation Gerstley Borate 6.0% EPK 7.0 Frit 3110 77.0 Silica 10.0 TOTAL 100.0% add Bentonite
3.0%
overfiring a glaze by twelve cones will usually produce some pretty disastrous results. In this case, the results were far from disastrous, and the running that did occur was both controllable and attractive. Most of the time the glaze gathered into a soft roll at the bottom edge, rather than running off the tile. What about the flaws? After all, highly alkaline glazes like this are rather soft and would most likely leach their coloring oxides into the food or drink. The crazing would tend to leak and stain, and the glaze could sometimes run off the foot of a pot and ruin an expensive kiln shelf. Well, picky, picky, picky. How many of you are perfect, eh? Actually, I’m kidding—these are issues that we need to deal with if we want to use a glaze like this. The first question I always get with a glaze like this is, “How do I fix it?” Well, this glaze is so alkaline that we’d have to
make substantial changes to domesticate it. After all those changes, it wouldn’t look at all the same. In fact, it would look fairly ordinary, like the colored glazes you see on ceramic lamps in a department store—the kind where you say “Oh, it’s blue,” as opposed to “OH! It’s BLUE!” This glaze is of the “OH!” variety, not the “oh” variety, and I think it’s best to keep it that way. So, if we can’t change the glaze, then the obvious answer is to carefully choose the objects we use it on. To put this into perspective, think about how we treat our most functional pots. We stack them haphazardly in cabinets, grab them unceremoniously, pour boiling liquids into them, toss them in the microwave, throw them into hot ovens, pile them on the counter, leave coffee in them, let food dry on them, and then subject them to repeated trips through a dishwasher. This glaze would NOT stand up to that kind of treatment.
CLAYTIMES·COM n November/December 2009
ne of the best things about teaching is that I’m constantly learning new things from my students. In this case, my student Josh Shomate decided to do some color variations on different cone 6 oxidation recipes that he found on the Web. He chose three different recipes and then mixed 26 tests of each, with a variety of oxides (and combinations) for each base. Josh did a great job of choosing bases to test: each of the three glazes had a distinctly different chemistry, so the colors and surfaces were quite varied as well. One of the bases produced a bright, shiny, deeply pooled glaze with a beautiful set of color variations. The glaze was also heavily crazed and it did run (though not a ridiculous amount). I asked for the recipe and was quite surprised when I saw it.
19
Perspectives I As Far As I Know
New Glaze Variations (from page 19)
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The obvious answer is to use it only on sculpture, and that is why this kind of glaze is often referred to as a “sculpture glaze.” However, I strongly disagree with those who say that this kind of glaze should never be put on pots. Despite its flaws, it’s still much more durable than wood, paint, or varnish, for instance. Yet, I tend to think of my dining room chairs as functional, despite the obvious fragility of wood and varnish. My secret is that I never put my chairs in the dishwasher, and by following this one simple rule I’ve found that I can make them last a long time. I also can’t remember the last time I put a vase in the dishwasher, by the way, and why would I want to anyway? So, the answer is to use this glaze on the right kinds of pots, and to think carefully about how (and where) I place the glaze on those pots. As I mentioned above, a vase would offer an ideal place for this glaze: the crazed surface wouldn’t cause any problems on the outside of a vase, and since a vase practically demands a broader, tip-proof foot, it also offers a perfect form for a glaze that might sometimes move a bit. The inside of the vase (which is less visible) could ideally be glazed with something practical, durable, and leak-proof, so we wouldn’t ruin any antique tabletops (there’s that “wood issue” again). What else? I could see this glaze on the outside of a ewer or teapot, since these objects tend to be more formal and are less apt to find their way into a dishwasher. As an artist, you should certainly know that you can communicate with your customers (the future owners of your pots) in a more sophisticated ways than to write “Don’t place this in the dishwasher” on the bottom. For instance, don’t use this glaze on a comfortable, informal teapot that seems to say “use everyday,” and reserve it for the outside of a more formal teapot that says “I’m the good one—keep me for company and holidays.” Size, shape, detailing, and price can all play a part in communicating these things, along with the practical reality that some shapes simply don’t fit into a dishwasher (my chairs, for instance). The key is to be thoughtful, and for heaven’s sake don’t ever use this glaze on the inside of a cup, bowl or plate, even if you intend it for decorative use only. Potters should always assume that if an object can be used for food, it will be.
G G
Light Rutile* 8%
Chrome Oxide Light Rutile
H H
2% 8%
Iron Oxide Light Rutile
I I
8% 8%
JJ
Copper Carbonate 6% Manganese Dioxide Light Rutile 8% Light Rutile
6% 8%
* Light rutile was used for the tests. Dark rutile or titanium dioxide would probably also work, though these would yield slightly different colors.
K
Chrome Oxide Copper Carbonate
L
2% 6%
M
Red Iron Oxide 8% Manganese Dioxide 6%
The tiles pictured in this column were fired using a cycle similar to the one that I used for the tomato red glazes featured in the previous CT issue. It uses four ramps:
Copper Oxide Cobalt Carbonate
N
6% 1%
Even if you fire with a kiln controller, always place some cones into every firing.
This base glaze is mature at cone 06, which means it has the advantage of a very wide firing range. On the other hand,
Ramp 1 — 250° F per hour to 2000° F. No hold. Ramp 2 — 100° F per hour to 2170° F (cone 6 on my kiln; feel free to adjust this temperature to match your pyrometer). No hold.
Ramps down:
Red Iron Oxide 8% Copper Carbonate 6%
it also has the disadvantage: because this glaze melts so early in the firing, it will tend to trap gasses that are ejected (late in the firing) by some clay bodies. In the few tests we’ve done, the glaze looks terrific on porcelain, but dreadful on stoneware, blistering badly. As with any new glaze, please don’t apply it to a full kiln-load of pots before you have thoroughly tested it through several firings. There are so many variables in ceramics, there is no way to guarantee results. Also, if you decide to change your firing cycle to bring out the best in a particular glaze, you should first test the effects of this cycle on your other glazes. If you do try this glaze, please let me know what you discover. And finally, thanks to Josh for his glaze explorations and his willingness to share. [ Peter Pinnell is Hixson-Lied Professor of Art at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. You can reach him at ppinnell1@unl.edu or through his Facebook page at www.facebook.com.
CLAYTIMES·COM n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Ramp 3 — 150°F per hour to 1900° F. No hold. Ramp 4 — 50°F per hour to 1650º F. Hold for one hour. Switch off.
The glazes that contain rutile (an impure form of titanium dioxide) formed beautiful crystals (evidently from the slow cooling and long soak), and the ones with copper (especially “I” and “O”) have a slight oilslick iridescence that’s quite pretty. In Josh’s original tests, one of the glazes (“K”, the one colored with Chrome Oxide and Copper Carbonate) developed a beautiful Aventurine texture (a shimmery quality with tiny crystals), while my test tile didn’t do that. The only difference appears to be that I soaked my tiles at 1700º F, while Josh soaked his at 1650º F. A second firing by Josh with a 1650º F soak also produced more crystallizing, so I’m inclined to say this temperature would be best. We plan to do more testing and I’ll publish anything interesting that we find in a future issue.
Ramps up:
O
Copper Oxide 6% Manganese Dioxide 6%
These will tell you what temperature the kiln actually reached, rather than what the computer predicted.
Perspectives I As Far As I Know
F F
21
Readers Share I Glaze Recipes
Great Glazes courtesy Bill van Gilder
Cone 6 Shino Cone 6 Oxidation Alberta Slip Clay 56.0% Gerstley Borate 18.7 Soda Feldspar (NC-4) 9.4 Silica (325 mesh) 678-336-7090 9.4 Lithium Carbonate 6.5 TOTAL 100.0% add Zircopax and Tin Oxide
9.4% 4.7%
‘Dry CY’ (Cream Yellow) Cone 8-10 Reduction
CLAYTIMES·COM n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Potash Feldspar (Custer) Kaolin (EPK) Whiting
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20.0 % 40.0 40.0 100.0%
A very dry, cream-to-yellow glaze. Great for handbuilt and textured surfaces. Best when sprayed unevenly—thick to thin. Good base recipe for adding coloring oxides or stains. Best when used over iron-bearing clays. Each formula is provided in percentage (by weight). Results vary with clay bodies and firing conditions; always test first to be sure you’re happy with the results. To mix a glaze batch to store in a 5-gallon bucket, multiply each percentage ingredient by 50 grams (for a half-bucket with room for dipping) or 100 grams (for a very full bucket). It is the responsibility of the user to have glazes tested for stability. [
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SchoolArts magazine inspires…
Community
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How will SchoolArts inspire you? A collaborative mural inspired Eleanor Roosevelt. Created by third grade students. Article in the October 2007 issue, Magnificent Clay Murals.
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3:51:54 PM
by LANA Wilson
There are two ways to read this second part of the two columns on Claudia Reese’s work: You could pay attention to every step and try it; or you might get the idea, get inspired, and make up your own version. Her demonstration inspired me to do new work. I fire to a different cone level, use my own colored slips and slightly different processes, with some of my own ideas thrown in. Reese got me started. Isn’t that how our field works? Lana Wilson: Let’s go through two of your numerous decorating processes. The first technique is called Mosaic. Claudia Reese: First I use my hydraulic press, called a Kula press, and make my small slabs for the plates and open bowls. I use the press because it makes the work so strong. My hydraulic press uses 60,000 pounds of pressure; it is my 30-ton press. Thus the pieces are incredibly dense and unusually strong for earthenware. You can, of course, just roll the clay out. I roll out slabs for the larger pressmolded and wheel-thrown pieces. I use an Armadillo Clay called Longhorn White, a hightalc body. In the first image pictured here, I painted black slip all over the slab, let it dry, then used a big Japanese or Chinese brush to paint terracotta in irregular circles (see Fig. 1). Since drying time is necessary between all the steps on this pattern (and most of the other patterns), we always do at least four at a time of each style and work on other pieces while the colored slip dries. Wilson: This next step surprised me! You sponge beige slip over the whole plate, but let some of the underpainting of black and beige show through. (See Fig. 2.) Reese: Yes—and if you look at the image closely, you can see how it is purposely applied unevenly to give visual texture.
Wilson: This next step looks fun. Reese: Yep. On top of the black and with the stencil blocking areas out, we start painting with a brush in each hand, swishing with both
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brushes. We use six colored slips for all this painting. In Fig. 4 you can see how it turns out when we take off the stencil: little squares with a variety of colors show up, because everything that is not a multi-colored square was masked off by the stencil. The masked areas received no color from any of our two-fisted painting with the six colors of slip. In Fig. 5, you can see how we form the plate by draping it into the mold. This plate is on the female mold that has the foot in it. The male mold will press down and form the top of the plate. The molds are made of Ceramical®, a Gypsum product of very strong plaster. In Fig. 6 on page 26, you can see the plate after the male mold has been pressed down to form the top of the plate. The finished, fired plate is shown in Fig. 7. Wilson: You have made all the molds yourself. It is so technically complicated—so tell us the highlights instead of all 25 steps. Reese: In the mid ’80s, I was throwing all the plates. Leon Kula talked to me in Baltimore and said throwing them was too slow, and I should switch to molds. I wasn’t convinced. He told me to send a soft, unfired decorated slab to him in Florida. He made a mold and then using the decorated slabs I had sent him, made the plates and sent me back perfect plates. I was convinced. He made a hydraulic press for me and came out to my studio. He stayed four days and we made eight molds. I saw that making a mold in a die ring for a hydraulic press is complicated. Each mold has about 25 steps and has two parts: a female and a male part. You start with a metal die ring in two parts. Several steps later you have the cotton ducting in place and you continue until you reach the step where you have to keep track of the rise of the temperature in the plaster. When it rises 23 degrees, you turn on and proceed to raise the air pressure in the mold.
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CLAYTIMES·COM n November/December 2009
Next, we put the plastic stencil on top of the beige and roll it down to attach it. Then we paint black on top of the stencil (see Fig. 3). We have to wait a long time to get it to dry to a ‘tacky’ state instead of ‘shiny,’ which is still too wet for the next application of colored slip.
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Perspectives I Beneath the Surface
Claudia Reese
PART TWO
25
Perspectives I Beneath the Surface
Claudia Reese, part 2 (from page 25)
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When you have finished making the mold, there is a big advantage. You can reuse the mold over and over the same day, because it releases right away. Its cotton batting and the capillary action of the air compressor makes this possible. You can simply clean any bits of color left and then use the mold again immediately. In 1987, this mold making equipment, including 5-hp air compressor, cost $13,000.
you wouldn’t quite expect. It took a bit of experimenting to figure out my colors. I first did it by sight. If it looked intense enough in the blender, I’d make a test tile of it and fire it to see the color. But with repeated batches, I wanted some consistency, so I came up with some very simple recipes. To one gallon of slip, I add the following Mason® stains in the dry powdered form for my colors that I fire to cone 04:
Wilson: So, for heavy production work when you were selling in 200 galleries, this was an ideal system. What is the first step in making the pattern Ragged Stripe (Terra)? (See Reese’s Website at www.cera-mix.com for many more patterns.)
Color
One gallon of slip plus:
Black: Blue: Yellow: Olive: Lavender:
1 cup of Black 6600 ¼ cup Mazerine Blue 6300 and 1/3 cup Medium Blue 6313 ¾ cup Praseodymium Yellow 6433 and ¼ cup Titanium Yellow 6485 ¾ cup Ivy Green 6223 1¼ cup Lavender 6319
Terracotta:
Take terra cotta with no sand or grog, add water, and soak overnight; then mix to make the terracotta-colored slip.
Reese: In Fig. 7 at the top of the image, you can see the lower part of two plates that have black slip covering the round slab. The next step, not shown, is to paint terracotta to cover the whole black plate. The plate, with the two layers of slip is then combed over with a tile setting comb that has squares cut into it. The bottom left of Fig. 7 shows the plate after the comb has been used on it. The next step is to put the plate on the hydraulic press, and the press flattens out the slab so the bas-relief from the serrated edge becomes smooth and is more functional for a plate. The finished plate appears in Fig. 8.
CLAYTIMES·COM n NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
Wilson: For your stencils, you use a somewhat thick plastic that looks very durable. What is the plastic and how did you cut it?
26
Reese: A bit of trial and error led me to try Lexan, .010 thickness (10 mil). It can be cut with an X-Acto® knife or with a hot point stencil cutter that I get from P.J. Tetreault’s Stencils (pjstencil.com). I lay the stencil down and paint in the negative areas, just like you would use any stencil. I make lots of stencils for overpainting pattern on pattern. The stencils were paper at first, but they were only good for one use, so that is why I settled on the Lexan plastic. Wilson: It looks as if you mix up a gallon of colored slip at a time. What is your formula for those slip colors? Reese: I mix water with bone-dry scraps of the same white clay body I use to make my work. After the clay has soaked in the water overnight, I mix it well to a cream consistency. I add Mason stains to water in a blender, then add it to the plain, creamy slip. I often mix together blues and greens; I do get colors
Wilson: Why did you choose low-fire cone 04 as opposed to cone 6 or 10? Reese: I chose low-fire for the color possibilities and electric firing for dependability. Colors at cone 04 seem softer even if they are saturated hues. Wilson: How do you glaze the back? Reese: I glaze the backs of all the dinnerware and platters with a black glaze that I mix by blending 1 cup of powdered Mason 6600 into 1 gallon clear commercial glaze. It is opaque, semi-gloss. Wilson: What is your glaze formula? Reese: You are going to laugh at me. I did use Duncan Diamond Clear. But now it is no longer available. I’m waiting to see what the replacement will be and at the same time experimenting with all kinds of clears, both prepared commercial and non-commercial recipes. If anyone has a perfect 04 clear glaze, I would love to know about it. [ See Claudia Reese’s Website at www.cera-mix. com. E-mail her from her Website if you have a perfect cone 04 clear. To view Lana Wilson's her new work and workshop schedule, visit her Web page at: www.lanawilson. com.
In Form I Teaching Techniques
Stretching Your Skills
Throwing an Oval Tray TEXT & PHOTOS by BILL van GILDER
Necessary Supplies Fig. 1 • (1) 4- or 5-lb. piece of throwing clay • (1) 12" bat • (1) 2' x 3' ware board • water and a small sponge • a straight-edged rib tool • an undercut tool • a cut-off wire
appealing work that tends to be easy on the eyes. To a potter such as myself, initially attracted to clay because of the immediacy of making an object and the soft nature of the material, this style of pot has a lot of personal appeal. So, while emphasizing this soft quality of clay—a quality that will carry through to the finished piece—show your students this stretched-out tray project (Fig. 1). It’s a project that’s thrown on the wheel, then thrown again, shaped, and completed in about 15 minutes. No trimming is necessary, although adding handles is a creative option.
Along the way, students will gain one more making skill: ‘throwing out’ a slab. That’s always a good thing, as well as a great project for beginning throwers. They can complete this largescale project during one class period if they know the centering basics.
The First ‘Throw’ Set up your wheel with the hand tools and clay listed in the ‘Necessary Supplies’ list at the beginning of this column. Gather your class and, although you’ll be using a 4-lb. or 5-lb. piece of clay for your demo, recommend to students
CLAYTIMES·COM n November/December 2009
• a fettling knife
I
’m wondering if you’ve noticed the same thing I have: In the current world of wheel-thrown, American clay, there’s a distinctive ‘lean’ toward using the soft, plastic nature of clay as a major design element in much of the finished work being made. See the previous Clay Times cover photo: a beautifully proportioned and ‘softly’ thrown bowl by John K. Oles. Or note the current work of Tara Wilson, Tom Coleman, Blair Meerfeld, or Josh DeWeese. Their mantra could easily be, “Let the clay … be clay.” The soft, pliable nature of the material is obvious in their finished work—
27