I spent the better part of today, and several days last week, working on various glaze tests. I have been trying to get a specific surface for some time and in the testing phase, I can get it to work on pods, rings and small test cups. As soon as I graduate to teabowls or bigger, everything just goes south. From this testing I have managed to develop a very nice matt glaze, as well as a very nice water blue Persian at high temp. Not sure what I will do with them yet, but the testing continues. I am also working with a very refractory red iron glaze and I am using it on a variety of base glazes to see what results may come. I should have studied chemistry instead of history/art history.
All this testing reminds me of one of my favorite bowls. It is a “simple” lobed teabowl with a Seto ash style glaze over stoneware by Bill Klock. Most likely this glaze originated at the Leach pottery, but the simple nature of the bowl in terms of throwing, form and glaze has always resonated with me. As a modern potter, I am constantly looking for surfaces that “speak” while remaining mostly quiet and true to the form. This great Klock chawan does that and is a constant reminder of what I am looking for as potter and collector alike as its ripples influence my work and our environment every day.
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