BASKING

Illustrated is a large porcelain covered jar by NC potter, Tom Turner. The pot has a tremendous volume and has all of the trademark attributes he is known for including the double dipped ash glaze pattern. The pot sits on a shelf about two feet off the ground and when the sun is actually shining in our neck of the woods, it takes full advantage of the addition of nature, basking in the sunlight. The way the light works in the room and on the shelves creates an infinite variety of ways to see the pot and the interplay of sunlight and shadow add both animation and emotion to the piece. It is a great pot and given the environment, it always has something different to say.

"Nothing's beautiful from every point of view."   Quintus Horatius Flaccus (65 - 27 BC)

A QUICK FIX

Over the years I have used various copper or Oribe glazes over porcelain and in many cases, it is immediately apparent that alterations are in order. Using the glazes over the pure white surface with little or no iron in the body can lead to a rather bland or washed out surface and being somewhat disappointing. In using porcelain and Oribe together, I have just made slight alteration to the glazes to get a rich and pleasing surface, its not rocket science, but it works none the less and is a quick fix. Without some slight glaze tweaking, I have had a number of pots not come out as I would hope and now I find it best to take the extra effort and make the glaze match the clay or porcelain as it were.

 Illustrated is a small bottle vase with wide flared mouth. The pot was both incised and carved to give the piece some additional sense of dimension in a pattern I call a flame blossom. In between each blossom is a recessed panel that had the surface ticked away to create depth and texture. Out of the bisque, the bottle was glazed in an Oribe and then I brushed an additional layer of glaze over select areas of the pot including around the inside of the mouth to create two distinct visual textures. A momentary addition to the glaze assures the surface I intended as it comes out of the kiln.

"Disappointment is the nurse of wisdom."  Boyle Rouche (1736-1807)