I’m a ‘functional potter’—one who makes things that have a purpose in daily life. My pieces begin as cylinders or bowls. I want my work to be unique and artistic and challenge myself to turn ‘ordinary’ shapes into altered shapes that are still functional.
I enjoy working with metallic glazes, particularly a copper-colored glaze that blends beautifully with blues and greens and some red tones. These glazes are food and microwave safe and only look like metal.
Many glazes or glaze combinations like to run or drip. They can ruin a kiln or work to a potter’s advantage by creating beautiful effects. I like to use these types of glazes to create flow and water-like effects in my work.
Besides the copper-colored glaze I favor I’ve discovered a silver glaze and a few gold and bronze tones that blend nicely with the other glazes I like. They create shiny jewel tones and often look like glass.
Texture creates surfaces for glazes to ‘break’ over and pool creating stunning color effects.
I use rollers, stamps and cookie molds to add texture to hand-built ceramics made from slabs of clay or to elements added to wheel-thrown pieces.
Crystalline glazes include small bits of glass that melt during firing and blend with the glaze, creating awesome color effects.
Many clay bodies in themselves are beautiful to look at and feel. Leaving part of a piece unglazed creates an earthy contrast to the glazed part and adds to its appeal.
I seldom work with solid, one even color, glazes. While these are available, my preference is for glazes that fire to an abundance of tones. Here are samples of the tones I often create. Others are possible, at clients’ request.
I’ll do anything you ask me to … well almost. ;)
I work to customer specs and in your choice of glaze or clay color.
I’ve made sets of dinnerware, bowls, pitchers, mugs, steins, French butter dishes, orchid planters, soap dishes, spoon rests, garlic graters, tea sets and bird baths.
If it doesn’t take a degree in rocket science, it’s likely I can. Here are samples of the vessels, forms and shapes I can build, either wheel-thrown or hand-built. The ‘photos’ section on my Facebook page is an archive of all of my ceramics.
