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Cycles: The cycles of building and firing comprise my studio life. I create or build pieces until I feel the need to see completion in a series of work. I tend to work in series; developing ideas and then letting them flow with each new form. They then seem to take on a life of their own; that is what I strive for.
Materials: For the past 27 years I have been making my own clay body from a combination of fire clays, ball clay, feldspar, flint and grog. These are simple raw materials that with the heat of the kiln form my stoneware clay body. Using similar materials plus oxides I formulate slips and glazes used in surface decoration.
Forming: Sometimes I begin construction with a concept drawing; this is especially helpful when I start a new series. Most of my work starts with a slab of clay that is produced by a slab-rolling machine. With the slab roller I can control the thickness and get compression on both sides of the slab as it passes through the rollers.
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This photo shows the slab roller. Clay is fed into the rollers between two pieces of canvas from the left. |
I am flipping a decorated clay slab onto a plaster drying form. This is the initial stage in the formation of a wall platter. |
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| Using a pony roller tool to secure a handle addition to the back of a wall platter. |
Finishing off the foot rim of a wall platter prior to drying. |
Bisque Firing: Firing is done in a large computer-controlled kiln. After the construction phase when the pieces have dried, they are loaded into the kiln. Bisque firing takes 12-14 hours to reach a final temperature of 1832 degrees. There is another 24 hours to cool-down. Then the pieces are ready for the glazing or decoration process.
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Computerized Kiln: Checking on kiln firing progress using visual observation of the firing cones. |
Slipwork and Glazing: The techniques of resist and brush application are used before any glazing can be applied. Oxide colorants are added to a type of very fine clay base for the slips and glazes. Application is by means of careful brushwork, latex resists and spraying. I layer the glazes several times to get exciting interactions.
I like to mix my own slips and glazes. Doing this gives me better control of their properties, and my surfaces have their own unique character.
Glazing is a final dance with the piece before firing. It is spontaneous and yet requires concentration that is focused and loose at the same time. Each piece is one-of-a-kind because of all the variables involved with the process.
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I am working on a bisqued wall platter, brushing slips on the surface for decoration |
Glaze Firing: After glazing the pieces are returned to the kiln to be fired slowly to 2232 degrees. The glaze firing takes 16 hours to complete. The kiln is cool enough to unload a day later. This high temperature firing makes the clay body dense or stone-like, hence the term “stoneware”.
This final phase of the creation cycle is a time of heightened expectation. It is the culmination of weeks of work. The results of every glaze firing is a combination of many factors, planned and unplanned. My fascination is with the form, the unique surface qualities, and the unexpected.