Sept 21,
2015
It takes imagination, talent and skill to make a good piece. It
takes more imagination and skill to glaze it well.
As I have mentioned, I have been away from clay for a long time.
My kiln shed is still filled with wheel thrown functional ware that I
abandoned, unglazed, over 4 years ago.
When I started back, I
decided to 'just' make anything I wanted. The making was wonderful! I made a
few pieces a year, they took weeks and months to build. Then I would set them
aside. There was no way I was going to waste all that work on a lousy glazing
job. I kept on making, and setting aside. John Sorensen asked me into "Before the Rush" last year, and I
had to decline. I had no vision of my beautiful new work beyond WHITE!
bud form bisque fired only
photo by Bill Millward
I made the commitment to myself, and John, that I would be ready
in 2015.
My process as it unfolded...
Enter Tom Weagant.
He brought his organized brain to my maelstrom.
We focused on Terra Sigillata, which is a burnished clay
surface. It is coloured by natural clays, and oxides. He transformed a 'pinch'
of this, and a 'titch' of that into formulas that I can pass on. He focused on
retrieving information from my brain, and making it communicable. We began to
smoke fire our terra sig creations.
At the same time, he built me a wonderful armature that would
enable me to make tall, fragile, forms.
That certainly fired me off on another making spree.
Enter Krista Cameron.
She has been encouraging
me for years, trying to 'kick start' me by making test cylinders, mixing up
glazes. and generally pep talking!
I begin making more, less
involved, hand building objects, so that I could fill the kiln, and start glaze
testing.
Enter Victoria Jenkins.
Our friendship as potters
goes back over 30 years, but we were reconnected by our mutual love of ballroom
dancing.
Victoria has prodigious knowledge of glaze chemistry, and is an
encyclopedia of techniques. She is generous, patient, and a born teacher.
Summer of 2014, she came and stayed with me for a few days and
we played in my studio. Victor made himself scarce.
She invited me up to stay over at her house for days at a time
to play in her studio. Alex made himself scarce.
We are both cooks:
... so we ate, breathed, talked, and slept clay, nonstop.
I have longed to explore the essence of water. By means of a
slip decorating technique, I worked with the flow, and feel of water.
Once back in my own studio, I was totally absorbed in that
flowing and feeling. I made platter after platter.
Still no glazes!!!!!!
With Victoria's expertise in glaze chemistry, and unconditional
encouragement, I began. Books, articles, internet clay publications, friend's
clay recipes all fluxed through my brain.
(I did have my self- imposed deadline to participate in "Before the
Rush" in 2015.)
Every time I mixed up a new glaze, I needed to fill the kiln, in
order to test fire. There was no way I was going to 'gamble' with my good
stuff.
So, I used bits and pieces of my student's work, threw together
textured, rough forms, and got creative with space.
This took months...............................................
As I came up with some possible glazes, I would combine them
over and under each other, two or more layers at a time. I have gone back to
spraying these glazes. Some glazes would run off a piece if it were a vertical
surface. Some glazes with terrific visual appeal are so crazed (crackled), that
they can only be used on a flat non- functional surface. It has been very
complicated.
I pick up a combination of test tiles, and try to imagine them
combined.
I glaze the way I cook.... a taste of this, a titch of that,
lots of guessing about the combined flavours, all in my imagination.
One difference. I do not combine Wine and Clay! (from bitter
experience!!)
At this point, a month before the show, I am very excited about Water.
Bud Form 2 is finished, with four
different layers of glazes, very organic. My terra sig pieces are lovely.
(Tom's help with that made me very confident.) My earthy leaves have pleasantly
surprised me.
Yesterday, Victor and I opened another firing. There were some
major pieces in it, and more tests. Two of the major pieces have me dancing,
and the tests are really speaking to me! Success is palpable!
I was so excited yesterday, that I hijacked my neighbours, Brent
and Sonya Argue, and their 3 children as they drove down the road, to come and
see!
There will be 3 themes.
Earth...Air...Water. The Argues loved guessing. Tyler would exclaim:
"This is water!"
Ella interrupted:
"What is this?"
Brent questioned:
"I don't think this is water, I think it should be
earth?"
Bryden agreed!
Then we had a general discussion of what my unfinished pieces would be. Sonya was full of suggestions...then they whisked away home to bed!
This morning I woke up with decisions made!
Bud Form 1 decided
Water Fall is decided.
Two angels are decided.
My ball room dancers still hang in the balance. not sure about
them. Tests were not good enough. I want to make more dancers, but won't, until
I know I can finish them in stunning fashion!
Pretty wordy today!
There are even more images flashing in my brain.
Now my fingers need to go to work again.
Think I'll eat my oatmeal first.
