Glaze Finishes
Glazes are formulated in-house and fired in an electric kiln.
Plover- Matte, moderately-opaque, cool white over black stoneware. The organic movement of the glaze during application alludes to the black clay underneath, especially along rims, somewhat mimicking an atmospheric firing. The texture is less satiny that the other two finishes, more stone like.
Pipit- Warm gray, semi-translucent satin-matte. Somehow the coziest of the finishes, if there is a way that makes sense, the glaze movement and dark stoneware make an electric oxidation firing more resemble a wood or gas firing. Edges and rims can often appear flame toasted.
Ink- The most uniform of the three glazes, developed from a different base. A satin-matte finish over black stoneware with some movement, the most translucent of the three. glazes. Recently reworked for a truer black.
See below-original Ink is on left, reworked is on right. The original has some greenish undertones.
Pit Fire
Into The Actual Fire
These pit fired pieces are something quite special.
Thrown in a light porcelain stoneware mix clay and fired once in the studio, these were then tucked into individual pouches of aluminum and sprinkled with organic material from the chicken coop: pine shavings containing droppings, feathers, grain and seeds, and dried leaves and clippings from the garden. They then went into a wood fire pit and were entangled in layers of smoke, penetrating bare clay the combustibles igniting to create depth and masking to produce negative space in turn, giving impressions reminiscent of multiple exposure abstract sepia photography but using smoke instead of light.
Technical Bits
-Pit fired pottery is unglazed and not fired to full temperature so the clay is not vitrified (fully mature) and therefore the microscopic particles are more open (porous).
-I’ve not made any pit fired work that would be use for food consumption, but I have taken measure to make the pieces more water tight.
-I also wax and buffed the exteriors of the pots.