Wednesday, November 2, 2016

FIERY RED

I got a phone call from Bill Klock the other day which is always a welcome "interruption" to a day in the studio. He is constantly on the move, making plans and setting up travel itineraries and his calls make me want to travel to England as he talks about his last trek there with such enthusiasm. Back in the 90s Bill (and Anna) made their way to South Korea where Bill worked with several potters for nearly a year and was very influenced by both the mishima and Onggi potters which made its way in to his work when he came home. Illustrated is a richly glazed fiery red Shino jug with impressed chrysanthemum designs sprinkled about the surface, the type he saw on a myriad of mishima pots while abroad. This jug was first dipped in a thin layer of the glaze and then was dipped again at the top of the shoulder to create a nice variation on the pot surface. I will certainly not say with absolute definity but I think Bill used Shino, temmoku and ash glazes more than just about anything else and given the results, I can understand why.
"The man that can make hard things easy is the educator." Ralph Waldo Emerson