Wednesday, October 5, 2011

IN PROCESS

I have just finished firing my third kiln load of terra cotta, with quite a number to go. So far, the loss rate and seconds have been minimal, which is always a relief. I fired off a number of medium sized plates (16 to 17 inches), oval bakers, covered serving bowls and misc in several different styles including; IT’s STILL LIFE, ABSTRAKT RESIST, TEBORI and Black & White slip trailed pieces. Making the transition from the high fire stuff to the low fire is a challenge and almost always starts with my making a series of molded tray forms. This is the bridge that gets my mind back to the terra cotta and the challenges it poses in terms of throwing and decorating. It is an entirely different mind set working with color and low fire technology than it is working with stoneware, ash glazes and more earthy surfaces. Now that all the pots are made, decorated, bisque and glazed, all that remains is firing them all.

Illustrated is a small group of my Abstrakt Resist work. The plate is about 17” in diameter and the two oval bakers are about 17” long each. All three are in a “spirali e tagli” design.