Eliza Au and the Beauty of Order Spotlight

Cover: Eliza Au and the Beauty of Order Spotlight: The Fragility of Function Clay Culture: Revisiting Mashiko One Year Later Glaze: Atmospheric-like Effects for Electric Firing America’s Most Trusted Glazes™

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Black Brown over over HF-55 Soft Black Soft White HF-22 Coral Gloss over over Textured PC-39 White PC-25 Blue Umber Float over Textured HF-120 Turquoise Dark Blue Download pdf at arroyaglazes.info www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 1 2 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 3 monthly Editorial [email protected] telephone: (614) 794-5867 fax: (614) 891-8960 editor Sherman Hall associate editor Holly Goring associate editor Jessica Knapp editorial assistant Erin Pfeifer technical editor Dave Finkelnburg online editor Jennifer Poellot Harnetty Advertising/Classifieds [email protected] telephone: (614) 794-5834 fax: (614) 891-8960 classifi[email protected] telephone: (614) 794-5843 advertising manager Mona Thiel advertising services Jan Moloney Marketing telephone: (614) 794-5809 marketing manager Steve Hecker Subscriptions/Circulation customer service: (800) 342-3594 [email protected] Design/Production production editor Cyndy Griffith production assistant Kevin Davison design Boismier John Design Editorial and advertising offices 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210 Westerville, Ohio 43082 Publisher Charles Spahr Editorial Advisory Board Linda Arbuckle; Professor, Ceramics, Univ. of Florida Scott Bennett; Sculptor, Birmingham, Alabama Val Cushing; Studio Potter, New York Dick Lehman; Studio Potter, Indiana Meira Mathison; Director, Metchosin Art School, Canada Bernard Pucker; Director, Pucker Gallery, Boston Phil Rogers; Potter and Author, Wales Jan Schachter; Potter, California Mark Shapiro; Worthington, Massachusetts Susan York; Santa Fe, New Mexico Ceramics Monthly (ISSN 0009-0328) is published monthly, except July and August, by Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082; www.ceramics.org. Periodicals postage paid at Westerville, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent those of the editors or The American Ceramic Society. The publisher makes no claim as to the food safety of published glaze recipes. Readers should refer to MSDS (material safety data sheets) for all raw materials, and should take all appropriate recommended safety measures, according to toxicity ratings. subscription rates: One year $34.95, two years $59.95. Canada: One year $40, two years $75. International: One year $60, two years $99. back issues: When available, back issues are $7.50 each, plus $3 shipping/handling; $8 for expedited shipping (UPS 2-day air); and $9 for shipping outside North America. Allow 4–6 weeks for delivery. change of address: Please give us four weeks advance notice. Send the magazine address label as well as your new address to: Ceramics Monthly, Circulation Department, P.O. Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. contributors: Writing and photographic guidelines are available online at www.ceramicsmonthly.org. indexing: Visit the Ceramics Monthly website at www.ceramicsmonthly.org to search an index of article titles and artists’ names. Feature articles are also indexed in the Art Index, daai (design and applied arts index). copies: Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal use beyond the limits of Sections 107 or 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law is granted by The American Ceramic Society, ISSN 0009-0328, provided that the appropriate fee is paid directly to Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 01923, USA; (978) 750-8400; www.copyright.com. Prior to photocopying items for classroom use, please contact Copyright Clearance Center, Inc. This consent does not extend to copying items for general distribution, or for advertising or promotional purposes, or to republishing items in whole or in part in any work in any format. Please direct republication or special copying permission requests to the Publisher, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society, 600 Cleveland Ave., Suite 210, Westerville, Ohio 43082, USA. postmaster: Send address changes to Ceramics Monthly, P.O. Box 15699, North Hollywood, CA 91615-5699. Form 3579 requested. Copyright © 2012, The Ceramic Publications Company; a subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society. All rights reserved. www.ceramicsmonthly.org

4 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 5 contentsmarch 2012 volume 60, number 3

editorial

8 From the Editor Sherman Hall 10 letters techno file

12 Castable Refractory by John Britt Kilns can be built of many things and castable refractory is one the few materials we rarely consider. The advantages: it’s easy to mix, easy to use, and reasonably priced. So why aren’t we using more of it? tips and tools

14 Solid Arch Kiln by John Britt Building the arch in a kiln is arguably the hardest part. Try casting it! exposure 16 Images from Current and Upcoming Exhibitions reviews 48 Annabeth Rosen: Fictions of Stability A solo show at Gallery Paule Anglim in San Francisco, California, includes ﬁve of Rosen’s chaotic yet focused sculptures. Reviewed by Kathleen Whitney 50 Doug Jeck: Early Works Despite what the title might suggest, this solo exhibition of Jeck’s work at Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert in New York City includes monumental sculptures that were all created in 2011. Reviewed by Matthew Kangas 52 International Ceramics Competition mino A total of 190 works were chosen for the competition this past fall, ranging from sculpture and studio pottery to design work. Reviewed by Naomi Tsukamoto resources 77 Call for Entries Information on submitting work for exhibitions, fairs, and festivals. 78 Classifieds Looking to buy? Looking to sell? Look no further. 79 Index to Advertisers spotlight 80 Fragile Function Imagine that everything you make will be broken. Now imagine embracing that idea to the point where your work actually needs to be 17 broken in order to fulﬁll its function.

6 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org clay culture

24 mashiko Revisited by John Baymore One year after the earthquake and tsunami that devastated the east coast of Japan, we check in on the progress of recovery in the pottery village of Mashiko. While much progress has been made, mostly on rebuilding the well-known kilns, most potters are still struggling to get back to work.

28 Semper Fidelis by Tom Hubbard Sometimes, a personal journey in clay can result in the forging of new relationships, or strengthening of existing relationships. This is a story about a personal journey and a relationship that is not affected by ceramic objects, but exists entirely within them.

30 Eva Zeisel, 19062 011 by Margaret Carney Well-respected ceramic designer passes at the age of 105. Some of her designs have yet to be released in 2012, as she was actively working at 104. studio visit 32 Kenji Uranishi, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia A Japanese artists relocates to Australia. He describes his journey from one place to the other, and how he went about building a career. feature

36 Eliza Au: the Beauty of order by Amy Gogarty Working with three-dimensional modelling and CNC technology, a ceramic artist makes molds to produce complex, modular work that pushes the limits of strength and complexity. Add the fact that they are beautiful, and you get work that is engaging on many levels, for viewers and makers like. monthy methods Building in a Box Even though the process begins with high-tech methods, it all comes together in a good old wooden box. recipe Regina Stoneware Casting Slip glaze 42 Atmospheric-like Effects for Electric Firing by Steven Hill Adding to a career built on high-fire reduction stoneware pots, Steven Hill embraces cone 6 electric firing with results that are incredibly similar to his previous work. This exploration is a testament to the fact that knowledge of materials and firing can help you achieve pretty much anything. glaze spraying tips cone 6 single firing schedule recipes cone 6 matte glazes

cover: Axis, 36 in. (92 cm) in height, cone 6 slip-cast stoneware, 2011, by Eliza Au, British Columbia, Canada. Photo: David Stevenson. 52

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 7 from the editor respond to [email protected]

One thing you almost never hear potters say is that they like trimming plates. I can’t think of anyone I know whose reason for getting up and going to the studio every day is the prospect of removing half of the clay they just threw (if this is not how you trim plates, then you may actually be making shallow bowls). But I just trimmed about 20 plates, and I have to say that it became quite enjoyable by the end. My guess is that this is because I got pretty good at it about a third of the way in. (One of the reasons I made so many to begin with was to account for this, in case I could not revisit that fi rst third to tighten them up.) Another reason I really enjoyed it is that I have discovered the extra insurance of a double foot ring. I established the outer foot ring, then divided the radius in two and cut another foot ring at that smaller radius. This supports the center of the plate and prevents the fl at bottom (because a plate should have a fl at bottom—otherwise it’s a bowl) from dishing down during fi ring and sticking the glaze (and the now-bowl) to the shelf. Can you tell I learned this lesson the hard way on the last batch of plates I made? Okay, I’m not really that particular about the difference between plates and bowls, but I am still a bit chafed about that last batch of plates sagging and warping. And really, at some point, after a few decades in any given fi eld, I really like how a double foot ring helps me these kinds of little subtle- control the flatness of a form, guards against warping, and lets me throw just a little thinner ties, like defi ning the point than I would for a single foot ring. This is at which a plate becomes a particularly helpful on platters and larger items. bowl, can become the most And I guess you could even trim a double foot ring on a bowl if you wanted to. important things in one’s aesthetic—everything else having been well established long ago. But it’s nice to be making specialized clay support structures for reminded that even these building, drying, and fi ring them. Steven Hill subtleties have their roots in (page 42), after many years of success with the basic foundations of ma- high-fi red reduction ware, began pursuing terial, form, and technique. mid-range electric fi ring, and found ways to In fact, revisiting a technique achieve very similar results in an electric kiln. on a basic level, no matter how well we feel we have it mastered, And though their results are worthy of admiration, perhaps even can actually teach us something about preferences we didn’t know envy, they most certainly were not easy for either of these artists to we had, aesthetic options that we hadn’t realized were available, and achieve. So whether it’s fl at plates, defying gravity, or switching fi ring mistakes we didn’t know how to stop making. If only it were always styles, revisiting the basics is often the place to start—and maybe as simple as a double foot ring. even the place to fi nish. Many artists fi nd themselves overcoming issues far more complex than sagging plates, and the creative process that is wrapped up in material, form, and technique is at the center of this kind of problem solving. Eliza Au (page 36), for example, challenged herself to fi nd a way to construct and fi re complex sculptural forms, parts of which fl oat horizontally in space, by building them in a box and Sherman Hall

8 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org America’s Most Trusted Glazes™

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amaco.com “Ode to the Vanishing American Working Class” www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 9 letters email [email protected]

February Feel Good to back. Will I get back to my work? Maybe for being super generous with his time. Just wanted to say thanks for the lovely trib- not yet. Steven Lee, Helena, Montana ute on Malcolm Davis in the February issue Leigh Taylor Mickelson, Port Chester, New York [p.28]. Very well written, and knowing him Whose Wheel Is It, Really? well, I can say that you captured him in your Animal Feedback This is Sally. She stays close to the wheel when words. I miss him! Jessica, just a note to let you know how very I throw—tries to eat my sponge, drink the I also want to say that letter from Steve much I enjoyed your recent piece “Animal water, and take my tools. Lee to Linda Christianson [p.26] was just Magnetism” [December 2011, p.28]. I now amazing. I have to email him as well, but you have a greater sense of my own images, ani- published it, so thank you. I feel that way mals, and people. It is simply built into all about a couple of pots that are a part of my mankind. daily ritual, and it is great that Steve put his Barbara Harnack, Cerrillos, New Mexico thoughts and feelings about it on paper for us all to read. I think many will relate to his Letter Addendum connection to Linda’s mug. More of us should I noticed that, in my “Letter to Linda” last feel gratitude towards the maker of the things month, I missed a name when I was listing the in life that bring us simple joys. Right? potters that we visited after grad school, and Anyway, good job. I am only on page 28 wanted to mention that we also visited Mark As soon as I leave, she takes back her wheel. and had two very feel-good moments back Pharis. I’d hate for him not to be recognized Helen Wilson, Rogue River, Oregon

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castable refractory by John Britt Castable refractories are easy to mix, easy to use, and reasonably priced. Choosing to cast a floor or an arch, rather than cutting and mortaring brick, gives you a monolithic piece that is joint and crack free, therefore eliminating heat loss and seepage of salt, soda, and ash.

Defining the Terms Advantages Refractory—Resistant to high Castable refractory has many benefits over traditional bricks because it can be mixed on site temperatures. Chemically and physically and poured into molds of almost any shape. The forms are also relatively easy to construct. stable at high temperatures (from 1000°F–3200°F). This leaves fewer joints that can leak heat or air. And, unlike hard-brick construction, you don’t need a chisel and hammer or a wet saw to make hundreds of cuts. Soft Fire Bricks—Insulating Fire Bricks (IFB) are made from refractory clays and This material is often used by potters in kiln building to cast the kiln floor (both car and various other ceramic materials along with standard kilns). This is easy because you just make a square or rectangular form, seal it with an organic filler that is burnt out, leaving something like Vaseline, and pour in the castable, giving you a level and smooth floor for your small voids in the brick that help it to kiln. It is also commonly used to form the key block in standard sprung arch and anagama insulate. They are lightweight and absorb kilns. This eliminates the need to make complicated and precise cuts, which saves time and about half the energy of hard bricks. They come in a variety of temperature ratings, reduces mistakes. The key block is cast in place by sealing the top of the arch form and pouring from 2000–3300°F, are easy to cut with in the castable. The walls and gravity hold everything in place while it cures. Some people a hand saw, and the common ones are cast the entire kiln, including the door (made of cast brick shapes). Others only cast portions called K-23’s (for 2300°F) or K-26’s (for of the kiln—for example, building a kiln body with standard bricks and then casting just the 2600°F). High-fire potters often choose sprung arch to save the expense of buying specialized arch bricks. K-26’s for their kilns. Castable refractory is also simply mixed in a wheel barrow with a mason’s hoe. It can be Insulating Castable—Castable refractory with insulating properties similar to IFBs. bought commercially or homemade. All you have to do is add water. Getting the water ratio right is the most difficult part; too much water may cause it to shrink and crack. The Hard Fire Bricks—Refractory brick that can withstand and hold heat without manufacturer’s instructions are precise and easy to follow and have specific directions for fusion. Used in ceramics kilns, lining curing and firing. The castable must be fired very slowly so that it doesn’t blow up. furnaces, and fireboxes. They are hard High-alumina castable can be used to make the trough in the bottom of a salt kiln fire box. and durable, have good thermal shock This helps contain the salt that is poured into the kiln and preserves the floor from its destructive resistance and can withstand various firing effects. This trough can then be periodically removed and replaced to extend the kiln’s life. atmospheres. These can only be cut with a tile saw or brick saw. They absorb a lot Knowing the properties of the materials allows us to exploit their positive characteristics. of heat which adds to firing costs. The For example, hard-dense castable is strong and durable but uses a lot of BTU’s to heat up, percentage of alumina in the bricks for while ceramic fiber is very fragile but is inexpensive and is a great insulator. ceramic kiln use varies. Hard Castable (Dense Castable)— Castable refractory with similar properties Disadvantages of hard-fire bricks. The downside of using castable is making a form for everything that needs to be cast. Spalling—Cracking of castable/ brick in a Although wooden forms can be used repeatedly for multiple bricks and arch forms, you may kiln. Can be caused by rapid temperature only make one kiln. Many potters are already familiar with the mold-making and slip-casting change, a wide temperature difference process; this type of building is similar, being either enjoyable or tedious depending on how between the hot face of the castable and the exterior, or the result of improper you feel about the process. Building a kiln often requires making a form for the brick arch, heating of castable where water turns to castable forms just need to be a bit stronger and must be sealed so that they will release steam and causes the castable to peel, from the castable easily. pop out, or crack off. Castable refractory can crack or blow up if it isn’t fired properly during the first firing (after Ceramic Fiber—Fibers of molten materials that it is the same as brick, so essentially you are firing your own custom bricks). It will definitely are stretched and collected to form a crack if the mold is made incorrectly. Additionally, poured castable cannot be allowed to blanket or pressed into other products such as fiber board, fiber paper, ropes or custom freeze when casting and before it is fired, but once fired it is just like regular brick. Cast kilns shapes. Ceramic fiber comes in a variety of are not easy to disassemble and move and so require a permanent location. weights (density), temperature ratings, and Castable is only fired from the inside, so the interior may reach cone 10 but that heat thicknesses. Ceramic fiber is a dust hazard. doesn’t necessarily penetrate a 5-inch-thick wall. Thus, spalling is possible if the walls are cast Castable Refractory—A refractory mixture too thick and the kiln is fired unevenly. This is generally more of a problem with homemade with heat resistant hydraulic cement and castable as many commercial castables products are spall resistant. binders that can be cast in place. Castable Commercial castables can be stored up to twelve months in a dry place. You must wear refractory has many applications in industry as well as studio ceramics. It is often used rubber gloves and eye protection when preparing the material because it is caustic. It should in kiln construction because it is easy to use be allowed to cure for a minimum of twenty-four hours so that it can attain maximum and mix, and reasonably priced. strength before firing.

12 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Building Forms and Casting A catenary arch form is a simple arch; start by establishing two points, the form with Vaseline so that it releases from the castable refractory. 3 say 36 inches apart, and hanging a chain of a certain length from those Next attach a ⁄4-inch piece of plywood approximately six inches high to two points. The curvature of the chain translates to the arch form of the end arches, mix the refractory, and pack it into the hollow. When the kiln to be cast. Next cut two identical pieces from this form out of you reach the top, make a V-shaped groove onto the top and let it 1 ⁄2-inch plywood. Establish the length of the kiln, say 45 inches, cut 2×4 harden. This is the “key” that holds the next layer in place. Then put lumber to length and attach them to the plywood arch forms. Then plastic wrap over the top. Separating the parts with plastic creates an 1 cover the plywood with ⁄8-inch masonite and screw it to the 2×4s. Cut expansion joint and avoids cracking during firing. After it is hardened, 3 two more catenary arch forms out of ⁄4-inch plywood the thickness put another 6-inch board on and put in castable. Repeat. When you you want the kiln wall to be (e.g. 4 inches thicker on each side, so 44 complete the form, all you have to do is unscrew the forms, drop the inches instead of 36). Screw these to the ends of the first form and coat interior form, and you have a hollow catenary arch kiln.

Metal Lath Cover Coat

1-inch Fiber 5-inch Castable

1 2

Left and above: John Britt’s 1 Cast arch after wooden mold has been removed 20-Cubic-Foot Hard Castable Soda and castable has cured. 2 Diamond lath, fiber, and Kiln plan. Drawing: Martha Peiser. top coating on arch form with soft-brick door in place. Firing the Castable The first firing is a very important aspect of castable refractory situation is unique and there are not guaranteed firing cycles, nor construction. All potters are aware of the hazards of greenware blowing do they cover every type of situation. One online source lists the up in a kiln if it is fired too fast or too wet in the early stages. Now following guidelines: start by raising the temperature to 225°F (107°C) imagine that the pot is five inches thick and weighs 2 tons. If that and holding it for 24–48 hours to be sure all the water is out of the blows up, it could easily destroy your studio and cause great injury. castable, next raise it 25° per hour up to 600°F (316°C) and hold it Following the firing protocols ensures both success and safety. for 12 hours, then climb 50° per hour up to 1200°F (649°C) and hold Consult the supplier for their protocols. A typical manufacturer’s for 12 hours, and finally climb 50º per hour up to peak temperature. instructions suggest to fire approximately 100°F per hour with a This is just one potter’s sample firing for his particular castable and specific hold for every ½ inch of thickness at 250°F and 500°F and is not necessarily appropriate for all castables. In addition to causing then to finish the firing to peak temperature. The instructions include explosions, excessive steam created by heating the kiln too fast can the degree of rise per hour for each section of the firing. also damage the bonds of the castable and cause problems later like When firing homemade castable, err on the side of caution. There pop-outs, cracking, or spalling. If you have excessive steam, reduce are sample firing guidelines found online. But remember that each the temperature and hold until the steam dissipates.

Recipes (in parts)

Bartel/Petershan CastaBle ruthanne tudBall CastaBle For toP Coating For kilns Sawdust (not fine) ...... 1.50 soda kilns Sand ...... 22 Vermiculite ...... 1.00 Fire Clay ...... 4 Fire Clay ...... 3 Coarse Grog...... 2.00 Sawdust (coarse) ...... 4 Portland Cement ...... 3–6 Fire Clay ...... 2.00 Grog ...... 4 Apply diamond lath over fiber, trowel top coat- Portland Cement ...... 1.00 Alumina ...... 1 ing onto lath, let dry, and repeat twice for a Alumina ...... 0.50 Portland Cement ...... 1 smooth surface. If it never hardens and dusts Kyanite (optional) ...... 0.75 off, remove and add more cement to the mix Water ...... 1.50 standard Coating and reapply. FredriCk CastaBle Alumina ...... 50 % soFt BriCk Coating Fire clay ...... 2 EPK Kaolin ...... 25 % Sairset Mortar ...... 75 % Medium Grog ...... 2 Calcined EPK Kaolin ...... 25 % Alumina ...... 25 % Kyanite ...... 2 Coarse Sawdust (for insulating castable) 3 Apply very, very thin as needed or it flakes off. Add water to skim milk consistency. Dip soft Calcium Aluminate Cement .....1–1.25 (a.k.a. kiln wash or wadding if thick) bricks in water and quickly into coating.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 13 tips and tools

solid arch kiln by John Britt the only limit to using castable refractory is your ability to design and build a form. if you know how to make molds and cast plaster it s a short leap to using this versatile material.

I built an experimental soda kiln that is adapted from a design by David Herrold and the book Building Your Own Kiln by Itabashi Tamura Kawabuchi. My design uses a catenary arch made from 1½-inch-thick, hard castable mixed with stainless steel pins (Hank Murrow’s idea). This reinforced the strength of the hard castable, which is usually cast three inches thick or more. The cast arch was then backed with five inches of 2000°F (1093°C) fiber held down with diamond lath and coated with a top coat (See top coat recipe on page 13).

Casting an arch Determine the size of your arch and cut enough expanded polystyrene arch pieces to form the entire arch. Set it on four- inch “legs,” which can be dropped out after casting. Make the exterior wooden mold form by cutting two identical arch 3 pieces out of ⁄4-inch plywood that are longer than the foam arch by the thickness of the kiln wall. Establish the length of the kiln and cut three 2×4s to that length, attaching two to 1 2 the bottom sides of the plywood arch forms and one at the top (the top 2×4 is visible in image #1). Fill this form with the polystyrene arches. Mix the castable, paying specific attention to the manufacturer’s instructions. I used a commerical castable, Pryor-Giggey Phlocast 30 Low cement, and added Rib-Tec 400 1-inch stainless steel pins. Use approximately four pounds of steel pins per 100 pounds of castable refractory. When mixing, wear a respirator and use thick gloves—the castable is caustic and the pins are sharp. 3 Pour the castable in 4-inch-high sections made from ⁄4-inch plywood strips so they don’t bow, being sure to pack down and smooth out each section. Form a V-shaped groove at the top of each section and let it harden. Separate each section with plastic wrap before repeating—the plastic creates an expansion joint. After the castable has cured for 24 hours, take the outer plywood off and drop the legs out from underneath, allowing the interior expanded polystyrene forms to drop out. Cover the castable with five inches of ceramic fiber to 3 4 insulate it and put diamond lathing on with the cover coating to keep the fiber from becoming a dust hazard. You can add 1 Individual packing section for castable over top of expandable polystyrene form. Remove the expandable polystyrene form after the iron oxide to the final coat to make it look good if you’re not 2 castable has cured for 24 hours. 3 View of cast shell before the fiber and into battleship gray. lath coating, brick door, and flue are installed. 4 View of kiln firing.

Send your tip and tool ideas, along with plenty of images, to [email protected]. If we use your idea, you’ll receive a complimentary one-year subscription to CM!

14 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Don Reitz, We’re together now, 1988, 23” x 23” x 4”, black claybody engobes and fragments of dried engobes with incised lines fired to cone 06. Photo by Jeffrey Bruce. don reitz May 4-SepteMber 8, 2012

Belger Arts Center www.belgerartscenter.org WWW.redstarstudios.org 2100 Walnut 2011 Tracy Avenue Kansas City, MO 64108 Kansas City, MO 64108 Workshops • classes • studios • gallery www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 15 exposure for complete calendar listings see www.ceramicsmonthly.org

1 James Lawton’s Yellow Lapstrake, 40 in. (1 m) in length, ceramic, 2010. 2 Ben Ryterband’s Genome Series, varying dimensions, ceramic, neodymium magnets, 2010. “The Theater of Repetition: Slipcast Ceramics,” at The Society of Arts and Crafts (www.societyofcrafts.org) in Boston, Massachusetts, through March 31. 3 Anja Margrethe Bache’s Installed Facing Forward and to the Side, 39 in. (1 m) in length, ceramic glazed concrete, steel beams, 2011. Photo: Ole Akhøj. 4 Lene Roehrig Kjaer’s Ludobrik, 4 in. (10 cm) in height, earthenware, 2010. “Displacements: Ceramic Spaces,” at Danmarks Keramikmuseum Grimmerhus (www.grimmerhus.dk) in Middelfart, Denmark, through April 22. 5 Rachel Kneebone’s When I Doubt I Exist Again, 20¾ in. (53 cm) in height, porcelain, 2009. Collection of the artist and White Cube, London. Photo: Todd-White Art Photography, courtesy White Cube. “Rachel Kneebone: Regarding Rodin,” at the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, Brooklyn Museum (www.brooklynmuseum.org) in Brooklyn, New York, through August 12.

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1–2 Alessandro Gallo’s Metro, exhibition view and detail, 8 ft. 10 in. (2.7 m) in length, clay, acrylic, and mixed materials, 2011. “Prey/Capture,” at Foster/White Gallery (www.fosterwhite.com) in Seattle, Washington, March 1–24. 3 Jocelyn Braxton Armstrong’s Soul Sister, 27 in. (69 cm) in height, porcelain, graphite, sunflower seeds, 2010. “I AM SHE,” at Silvermine Arts Center (http://silvermineart.org) in New Canaan, Connecticut, March 11–22. 4 Jeffry Mitchell, Cappy Thompson, and Dick Weiss’ Yours, Ours, Mine #1 collaborative plate, 20 in. (51 cm) in diameter, ceramic, 2012. Photo: Spike Mafford. “Yours, Ours, Mine: Cappy Thompson, Dick Weiss, and Jeffry Mitchell,” at Traver Gallery (www.travergallery.com) in Tacoma, Washington, March 3–April 15. 5 James Tisdale’s Winter Reflection, 37 in. (94 cm) in height, white Armstone clay, stool. 6 Cynthia Consentino’s Ugh! (Girl) and Humph! (Grandma) cups, 5½ in. (14 cm) in height, porcelain, glaze, underglaze, fired to cone 6, 2011. 7–8 Arnie Zimmerman’s Head Shop, exhibition view and detail, 5 ft. 6 in. (1.7 m) in height, stoneware pipes, wood cabinet, 2007. “Figure It Out,” at Clay Art Center (www.clayartcenter.org) in Port Chester, New York, through March 31.

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1 Stacy Snyder’s Virginia, 3½ in. (9 cm) in diameter, red stoneware, decal, enamel, fired multiple times in an electric kiln. “2012 Yunomi Invitational,” at AKAR Gallery (www.akardesign.com) in Iowa City, Iowa, through April 13. 2 Vince Palacios’ Alchemy Series: The Invention of Sound, 14 in. (36 cm) in height, clay, glaze, decals, 2011. 3 Hannah Short’s Razz, 38 in. (97 cm) in height, mixed media, 2011. “Beyond the Brickyard,” at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts (www.archiebray.org) in Helena, Montana, through April 7. 4 Larry Halvorsen’s Tall Table, 35 in. (89 cm) in height, ceramic. “The Clay Edge,” at the Northwest Woodworkers’ Gallery (www.nwfinewoodworking.com) in Seattle, Washington, March 22–April 22. 5 Jenny Gawronski’s Drink and Dessert Setting for Two, 30 in. (76 cm) in length, stoneware, fired to cone 6, 2011. “The Sweet Life,” at Red Star Studios (http://redstarstudios.org) in Kansas City, Missouri, through March 24.

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1 Helen Watson’s lidded vessel, 16¾ in. (43 cm) in height, 1967. Collection of Tony and Flower Sheets. 2 Richard Petterson’s teapot, 9¼ in. (23 cm) in height, 1956. Collection of Petterson Museum of Intercultural Art at Pilgrim Place. “Common Ground: Ceramics in Southern California 1945–1975,” at American Museum of Ceramic Art (www.ceramicmuseum.org) in Pomona, California, through March 31. 3 Lotte Reimers’ vase, 8¼ in. (21 cm) in diameter, stoneware, glaze (briquette ash, limestone, eggshells, malachite), fired to 1300°C (2372°F), 1969. 4 Lotte Reimers’ vase, 8 in. (20 cm) in height, handbuilt stoneware, glaze (kaolin, grapevine ash), fired to 1270°C (2318°F), 2008. “Lotte Reimers: Zum 80 Geburtstag,” at Keramik- Museum Berlin (www.keramik-museum-berlin.de) in Berlin, Germany, 4 through May 28.

22 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org “My Brent CXC is 24 years old and still handles all the clay I can pile on and has never had to be repaired! I don’t expect to ever have to replace it.”

George McCauley

brentwheels.com

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 23 clay culture

mashiko revisited by John Baymore One year after a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, we check on the progress of recovery in a pottery town. It s slow going, but there are positive signs that things are moving in the right direction.

It has been about a year since that early March afternoon in Mashiko is hard to visually show general economic damage, nor the progress when things dramatically changed for most all who live there. Un- toward that kind of a recovery. fortunately, like the ephemeral cherry blossoms that soon followed The overall Japanese economy has taken a huge blow from the the earthquake, the sales of pottery and the busloads of tourists also triad of earthquake, tsunami, and radiation release at the Fukushima quickly disappeared. As potters contemplated the daunting task of Daiichi nuclear power plant. Japan’s economy and consumer con- rebuilding damaged kilns, workshops, and homes, their plans had to fidence were already on shaky ground before any of this happened, be tempered by the potential realities of a new marketplace. since we are at the end of what is often referred to there as the The obvious things in Mashiko as we look there from afar have “two lost decades.” The influx into Japan of inexpensive Chinese been the collapsed wood kilns, cracked building walls, blue tarps mass-produced pottery had already started to batter many of the covering broken roof tiles, and huge piles of pottery shards. The im- large-scale Mashiko producers. The physical damage from the March ages we’ve seen are dramatic and painful. This damage is significant 11th earthquake combined with the public’s perception of potential enough, but the really crucial issues that potters there face are much radiation danger were the kirioroshi (samurai’s downward killing more insidious and harder to repair. They do not photograph well. It sword-blow) to Mashiko’s economy.

The slow and steady work reclaiming bricks from the rubble of damaged kilns has been constant since the earthquake hit.

24 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org 1 The state of the kiln rebuilding work on the Daiseigama in September, 2011. Progress is certainly being made, but it is slow and expensive going. 2 Ken Matsuzaki has been able to turn disaster 180° into a positive by changing the design of his kiln to one with more space and more flexibility. He has already been exhibiting work fired in this unique new kiln.3 Many of the less famous kilns in Mashiko still look like this.

Along with generally tightening wallets, radiation fears have played an important role in the decrease in Mashiko’s tourism and sales. Rightly or wrongly, many people from the Tokyo metropolitan area, Mashiko’s main market, are fearful of traveling closer to the Fu- kushima nuclear power plant. Even though radiation levels appear at a level that is not hazardous for short- term visits, the mere word “radiation” is a powerful 1 deterrent to northerly travel. After repeated mistakes in handling the situation, many Japanese people do not trust their government’s safety assessments. This perception is a difficult one to overcome, and will simply take time for the impact to lessen. Mashiko is a town built upon pottery. If you are not a potter, you are someone whose life depends on things like selling materials to potters, running an inn or restaurant that caters to buyers of pottery, or are the mechanic for a potter’s car. Mashiko’s economy is almost totally tied to the sale of pottery. When sales suffer, the entire town is severely impacted. In many ways, this is similar to the situation in Detroit here in the United States. When the manufacturing and sales of cars drop off, the city of Detroit seriously falters. In May, my wife and I stayed in Mashiko at a small Japanese–style bed and breakfast. I had stayed there a few times before, and it was not only very nice, it was quite busy. Still just as wonderful to experience, this time the inn was deserted. This past September, I brought students and faculty from the New Hamp- 2 shire Institute of Art to visit Mashiko. Many students commented on the eerie “ghost town” feel they experienced; it did not feel like the Mashiko of legend. Frequently, we were the only people in a gallery or shop. The streets and sidewalks were empty. When we met last May, the Chief Director of the rebuilding efforts, Usuba-san, stressed to me that he wants the people who have been so incredibly generous in their relief-fund-raising efforts to understand that the funds they have received will be utilized not only to rebuild the physical damage, but also to help rebuild the tourism industry and to outreach the brand of Mashiko-yaki to Japan and elsewhere. To me, it seems this effort is likely more important than the buying of bricks for kilns. The well-known potters in Mashiko have mostly been able to recover from a huge portion of the physical damages by now, at least for crucial items like kilns. Their success gave them financial strength and 3

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 25 clay culture

By late May, Tomoo Hamada’s salt kiln, located at his and his father Shinsaku’s workshop, was almost completely rebuilt. By the end of summer it was fired. Many less well-known ceramists are still working on rebuilding their kilns.

During the rebuilding process, Tomoo Hamada redesigned his salt kiln to incorporate some earthquake protection modifications such as altering the shape of the arch curve and using steel reinforcements securely anchored into the stone kiln foundation (shown below).

networking connections to solve difficult issues like sourcing repair ceramics greatly, and brought a new focus to the types of wares and materials and finding skilled labor to assist. For example, Tomoo the audiences for them. Mashiko’s other famous “Shoji,” Shoji Ka- Hamada had his salt kiln mostly rebuilt with some earthquake- moda, took the idea of ceramics as a vehicle for self-expression and proofing design changes when I visited at the end of May, and it moved much of Mashiko’s work in yet another new direction. The was successfully fired before fall. His large noborigama was not far younger ceramists working there today and the new young President behind. Ken Matsuzaki also has taken a major disaster and turned of the Mashiko Kyohan Center will have the heady task of helping it into an opportunity to completely redesign his kiln as larger and Mashiko to re-invent itself yet again. I have complete confidence more flexible than his old one. that they will succeed. The younger and less established potters have been struggling On the physical level, comparing my visits in May and Septem- quite a bit more. Japan may be the “land of pottery,” but it is also a ber, it is clear that much recovery has been accomplished. Even the highly competitive pottery market with an aesthetically well educated number of tourists was up a small bit. But there is still far to go, public. Mashiko’s high concentration of hundreds of potters in one particularly on restoring the economy. You can continue to help all place is both an asset and a liability. It is a pretty tough place to be of the people of Mashiko recover their livelihood and preserve the a developing potter. The less established are clearly competing for vitality of this important location in ceramic history in a number of the shrinking pool of sales, and it can be very difficult. ways. One is to purchase the works of the Mashiko artists when you Tomoo Hamada explained to me that one current problem in can. Many are reaching out to other parts of the world to exhibit, as Mashiko, which mirrors shortages after Hurricane Katrina here well as selling online. Another is to plan a learning excursion to Ma- in the United States, is that the supply of both clay roof tiles and shiko itself and, as a by-product of that experience, contribute to the skilled roof tile installers are in short supply. Ken Matsuzaki tells general tourism economy there. Lastly, you can help by making a tax me that there are also few professional kiln builders available any deductible contribution to the Potters Council Pottery Relief Fund more, and with the freezing weather of winter well entrenched, found at http://bit.ly/PCMashiko, or at http://potters.blogspot.com/ many people’s kilns will not be able to be finished until spring. The historic Shoji Hamada kilns and the stone buildings at the Mashiko Sankokan (Hamada Reference Collection Museum) have hardly the author John Baymore is a studio potter, adjunct professor of ceram- been touched, since efforts have been more importantly directed ics at the New Hampshire Institute of Art, and President of the Potters elsewhere up until now. Council of the American Ceramics Society. His work is in numerous The town of Mashiko has gone through hard times before. When public and private collections in Japan, he has built two large wood Shoji Hamada first settled there, changes in Japanese day-to-day kilns in Japan, and has been an artist-in-residence there on numerous life had made many traditional wares produced in Mashiko less occasions. In 1996 he won the Judges Special Prize in the Mashiko desirable. Hamada’s influence changed the direction of Mashiko’s Ceramics Competition.

26 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 27 clay culture

semper fidelis by Tom Hubbard Sometimes, a personal journey in clay can result in the forging of new relationships, or strengthening of existing relationships. this is a story about a personal journey and a relationship that is not affected by ceramic objects, but exists entirely within them.

September 21, 1966—USMC—Republic of Vietnam—KIA. Until places my father served including the village of Kim Lien where he recently, this is how I knew my father. A few scattered facts, flowers and three other marines were killed. on his headstone at the cemetery, and stories told by my mother that This installation is not a political statement about the war in I couldn’t or wouldn’t hear. In 1996, my father’s body was disinterred Vietnam. It is a statement of personal loss and how the effects of in Indianapolis and he was given a full military funeral at Arlington war resonate through not just one but several generations. The war National Cemetery. This event marked an end and a beginning. For has been looked at from many perspectives, including veterans, my mother and the rest of my family it was closure; for me it was protesters, parents, and politicians. Only recently has it been viewed the beginning of a quest to come to know my father. from the perspective and experiences of the children who lost their The person I am today is due in large part to the loss of my father fathers to the war. This is my story, the son of a marine who served in Vietnam. Only after becoming a father myself did I realize the in Vietnam and the father of two young sons, and how these events significance of his sacrifice and the importance of coming to know affected my life and shaped who I am as a person, a husband, a him for myself and my family. I have done extensive research on father, and an artist. This body of work does not merely represent the war in Vietnam from both the US and Vietnamese perspectives my relationship with my father—it is my relationship with him. and made contact with my father’s childhood friends and veterans he served with. Using USMC field reports as a guide, I was able to “Semper Fidelis: How I Met My Father,” will be on view at the Kent reconstruct my father’s tour of duty and, over a five-week period in State University Downtown Gallery (http://galleries.kent.edu) in Kent, the summer of 2000, I visited the battlefields, the DMZ, and the Ohio, from March 28 through May 12.

Detail of seventeen handbuilt ceramic vessels, to 28 in. (71 cm) in height, raku and electric fired, by Tom Hubbard (www.tomhub.com), Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

28 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 29 clay culture

eva Zeisel, 1906 2011 by Margaret Carney

Eva Zeisel was born in Budapest, Hungary, on November 13, forms, which she shared with everyone when manufactured on a 1906 and died on December 30, 2011 in New York City. You tell large scale. On May 28, 1936, in Moscow, where Eva was working yourself not to mourn the loss of a person who has lived a full life as the artistic director of the Soviet Union’s china and glass industry, at 105 years. And if the person being discussed was noted designer she was arrested, falsely accused of plotting to assassinate Stalin. She Eva Zeisel, it might seem even more inappropriate, knowing that was held, largely in solitary confinement, until 1937 when she was she was still actively unexpectedly released. She emigrated to the United States in 1938, designing in 2010, after leaving Vienna just ahead of the Nazi advance. when she was 104 She began teaching ceramic industrial design at Pratt in 1939. years old, with some She created and designed for literally nine decades. Many books and of her new designs articles have been published elaborating on Eva’s life and designs. still to be released in Rather than describing Eva Zeisel’s designs and philosophy, it is more 2012. With Eva, it appropriate to just say what she said and show what she made. To is more appropriate look at her dinnerware designs for Castleton China created in the to celebrate her long 1940s or her two popular lines of Hallcraft dinnerware she designed productive life and for Hall China in the 1950s, is to hear her speak. To use and enjoy beautiful creations. her dishes every day is to understand her. Her life and her de- In 1995, when Eva was a mere 89 years old, she wrote a brilliant signs will continue article in the September issue of Metropolis, “Beauty is Kitsch, Art to serve as an inspira- is Shit: Where Do We Go From Here?” She wrote, “Designers are tion for generations the authors of our physical culture, of the useful and useless things of makers. that surround us, the man-made objects we use and look at, the 1 She began study- things that make our lives pleasurable, comfortable, and elegant.” ing painting at the She worried about preparing young designers for the 21st century. Royal Academy of She believed that in schools, beauty was rarely taught, and the word Fine Arts in Budapest in 1923. However, it was pottery that captured was avoided. She also wrote that, “while design is widespread, it has her attention and she apprenticed to Jakob Karapancsik, a member never been popular: it speaks only to the elite. . . . Beauty is not an of the guild of chimney sweepers, oven makers, roof tilers, well elitist’s enjoyment. The sunset’s colors are for all to enjoy.” diggers, and potters. The rest is history (or her story). She received As one remembers Eva Zeisel, read her story, study her forms, commissions, worked for ceramics manufacturers in Hungary, Ger- admire her designs, gain inspiration from what she herself described as many, and the USSR, transforming ceramic design in the 1920s and her playful search for beauty. Perhaps the greatest tribute to Eva Zeisel 1930s from what she called “too cold” into her own beautiful, lyrical would simply be to enjoy using her dishes. Every day. Every meal.

1 Eva Zeisel. Courtesy of Brigitte Lacombe. 2 Coffee pot, creamer, and ewer, designed by Eva Zeisel for Castleton China in the 1940s. Image courtesy Brent C. Brolin. 3 Hallcraft Tomorrow’s Classic teapot, sugar, creamer, and cup and saucer, designed by Eva Zeisel for Hall China in the 1950s. Image courtesy Brent C. Brolin.

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30 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 31 studio visit Kenji uranishi Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Studio For a number of years I worked from my home studio in the countryside of Nara, Japan. It Just the Facts was a small rented house and the landlords were a lovely old couple who were supportive of me Clay and became my friends. I had a decent sized room that was my studio and built a kiln room porcelain adjacent to the studio that housed a reasonably large kiln. I made work for competitions and Primary forming method exhibitions and taught ceramics classes there every weekend. There was a huge cherry blossom slab building tree at the edge of the property that flowered every spring and the studio lay in the afternoon Primary firing temperature shadows of the mountains. It was a beautiful area, and I have such fond memories of that time. 2336 F (1280 C) In October 2004, I moved to Brisbane, Australia, to join my Aussie girlfriend (now my Favorite surface treatment wife) who I had met in Nara. We lived in an inner city suburb so my first couple of years in fine line inlay Australia were spent mainly working as an artist-in-residence at a range of colleges, a university, Favorite tools and at ceramic and sculpture association spaces. I met some fantastic people—practitioners pallet knife, sponge, slab roller, and and educators—and it was a great introduction to my ceramic life in Australia. rolling pin In 2006 we bought our first house and I set up a home studio, where I currently work. My studio is quite tiny; it’s the size of a small bedroom into which I have built shelving and drawers along one side for storage. It has floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors at one end that provide great light, although sometimes I need to work with the external shutter down to keep the heat and wind out, which makes it a very comfortable environment in which to work with porcelain. It’s a functional space, but it is small and seems to get smaller and smaller the more work I have in progress. I also have a small kiln room that I built onto the back patio of our house. The

32 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org internal measurement of my kiln is about 18 inches (45 cm) square, means that we have work in progress all throughout the downstairs area which means my work has to fit that measurement as well. of our house, whether it’s in the studio, drying on shelves, waiting to I make functional pieces for retail sale, public art work, which be glazed or fired, or waiting to be shipped off for sale or an exhibition. is usually on a larger scale, and sculptural work that I sell through The other challenge is having delicate work all over the house, and exhibitions and an art dealer. two little boys (ages three-and-a-half and one-and-a-half years old) who While the scale of this work is all very different, my installation also seem to be all over the house! Surprisingly, there haven’t been any work is often comprised of larger collections of small pieces. I like major disasters so far, but perhaps there is something to be said for creating impact through patterns and using a collection of the same familiarizing kids with the making process, and the concept of cause- small objects. There is something oddly comforting about creating and-effect, from an early age. (I may eat my words down the track!) the same piece over and over again. I like the interactive nature of installations and that they can be interpreted so many different ways Paying Dues (and Bills) depending on who the viewer is and from which angle or perspective I studied ceramics for four years at the Nara College of Fine Arts (Ja- they are viewing the work. pan), graduating in 1996. I worked a number of jobs after graduating, Because I use collections of small objects to create my larger-scale including digging on an archaeological site in Nara to save enough work, I’m able to produce this work out of my home studio and can fire money to buy a kiln. Once I set up my home studio, I funded my art pieces in my kiln over multiple firing sessions. Storage space becomes practice by teaching at home and once a week at a studio in Osaka. the biggest challenge. When I am working on a large project that can I loved running these classes as it was really social and fun and it was require hundreds of pieces, I assemble special storage shelves to house great to see my students develop their abilities and techniques and the work as I move it through the various phases until completion. This have a great time together.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 33 Since moving to Australia I have chosen not to teach classes, of Modern Art, which has some amazing shows. I also have some despite there being interest in me doing so. Teaching from home favorite art, design, and architecture blogs that I look at every day is a big commitment, and for now, I’m keen to focus on my own (e.g. www.dezeen.com), which are really inspiring. practice as much as I can and to share my knowledge and boost my As far as books are concerned, I love reading Japanese historical income through occasional workshops. I also work on other artistic novels and I love knowing about what happened in history when I projects, mainly helping my brother-in-law, Dan Brock, who is a travel through Japan. I also read English novels every now and again. painter, with large-scale outdoor murals (www.danielbrock.com.au). I usually choose books that I hear about on The Book Show on ABC Because we have two young children, I am now not able to dedi- Radio National, which is a constant in the background as I work. cate a full-time week to my ceramic practice as I share the care of the This kind of work is such a solitary activity, but I never feel lonely kids with my wife. At the moment I average around a 20–30 hour with Radio National on and I’m constantly learning so much and working week, but it’s slowly increasing as the kids are growing up. feel in touch with the world because of it. Body Marketing I have a weak lower back and have to be very careful that I brace I am really interested in architecture, and interestingly, architects tend properly when lifting and working, particularly when packing and to like my work. I think the architectural aesthetic of my sculptural unpacking the kiln. I do a special stretch every day and try to go swim- work appeals to them. ming and bike riding when I can. I used to go hiking a lot in Japan as It has been interesting for me coming to Australia and having to the mountains were literally on my doorstep. I miss the mountains, develop a market for my work here from scratch. The very first week but we try to go on rainforest walks when we can. I arrived in Australia I was very lucky to have an exhibition with Sometimes I feel like so much of our money is chewed up by Sydney–based ceramic artist Mitsuo Shoji (www.mitsuoshoji.com) insurance. My wife has recently left a permanent job to be a freelance arranged through Fusions (The Australian Network of Clay and Glass copywriter so we now both work from home and have to cover our Artists). It was a great start and allowed me to meet so many people. own insurance expenses. However, we are lucky that Australia has a My first artist residency was at Fusions and was where I met very good health system by international standards. probably the most important person in my Australian ceramics life and someone who would become my co-collaborator, Mind ongoing studio buddy, and very close friend, Mel Robson I recharge creatively by getting outside and away from my studio. I (http://feffakookan.blogspot.com). I credit Mel with introducing love going to friends’ exhibition openings or to Brisbane’s Gallery me to many amazing ceramics friends and opening my eyes to so

34 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org roehn age only): Florian g Photo credit (this P

many opportunities, as well as keeping me happy and sane in the won another project with them the same year. Unfortunately, there early days as a newcomer to Australia. are not a lot of local public art projects around at the moment, no As time went by, I started supplying work to retail outlets at the doubt the product of a tough economy. Queensland Art Gallery and Artisan. I had a couple of solo shows As far as online marketing goes, I don’t sell online but I write a in Brisbane and regional parts of Queensland, and later in Sydney. blog—not as regularly as I should, but it builds towards getting my As my profile started to grow, and with Mel’s introduction, I un- profile out. After the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in dertook a residency at the Australian National University and was Japan, my wife and I coordinated an online auction called “i heART also a guest demonstrator at the National Ceramics Conference in japan,” with the support of a number of artist friends to raise money. Brisbane. Around this time my work was also acquired as part of While it was still relatively small scale, it was amazing the reach that it the Gold Coast International Ceramics Competition. Submitting had in the blogging community and resulted in people from all over work to international competitions is a good discipline and has the the world “liking” our Facebook page. potential to boost artists’ profiles internationally, and was something So really, I have been very lucky to have been surrounded by good, I was committed to doing in Japan. I think it also pushes me to talented, connected people who have been very generous with their make new and interesting work. time for me and have opened doors that I wouldn’t have been able Like many other artists, the marketing side of the business does to open on my own. Of course, all along the way my wife Sonia has not come naturally to me, and is particularly difficult as English isn’t been the greatest supporter, promoter, and helper in my ceramics life, my native language. But little by little, I have expanded my retail for which I am so grateful. presence around the country to eight main stores and am represented in Brisbane by an art dealer, Andrew Baker, where I also show my Most Valuable Lesson sculptural work periodically. The most important lesson I’ve learned as a working artist is not to The retail market is tough as it’s mostly consignment-based and get upset when I open the kiln and am faced with a disaster. In this it can be slow to come to fruition. I am keen to spend more time line of work, it is inevitable, particularly when you are exploring new in the coming year producing sculptural work, which I really enjoy techniques and pushing yourself into difficult new territory. While it making, and working with Andrew Baker to find a market. can be disappointing, I try to find the positive in what’s happened, Public art was something I really wanted to become involved with learn something from it, and move on. and I was lucky to be successful in securing the first project I applied for. I worked with Cox Rayner architects (www.coxarchitecture.com.au) www.kamenendo.blogspot.com on the Ipswich Courthouse redevelopment project and subsequently Andrew Baker: www.andrew-baker.com

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 35 TheEliza Beauty Au: of Order by AMy GOGARty

36 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org The Beauty of Order by AMy GOGARty

Opposite and above: Axis, 36 in. (92 cm) in height, cone 6 slip-cast stoneware, 2011. Photos: David Stevenson.

Eliza Au loves pattern, symmetry, and order, fi nding metaphors While in graduate school, she worked with wax, paper, metal, for inner peace and spiritual healing in organized, repeating forms. and glass in addition to clay. Recently, glass has become a far more In her work, she arranges linear ornaments around a central axis, signifi cant material for her, and she has honed her skills with this a motif she identifi es in spiritual artifacts from both the East and demanding medium through artist residencies at the Studio at West including mandalas, rose windows, and prayer carpets. She the Corning Museum of Glass in New York and at the Pilchuck points to attributes of symmetry and repetition in the cycle of life, Glass School in Washington state. In 2011, she was featured as DNA patterns, and the cosmos, with “its mathematical complexity, an emerging artist at the National Council on Education for the infi nite repetitions, and compositions.” Ceramic Arts conference, and was one of fi ve nominees for the Au was born in British Columbia, Canada, where she currently Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Emerging Artist People’s Choice resides. She studied at Emily Carr University of Art and Design Award in Canada. For the award exhibition, held at the Gardiner in Vancouver, British Columbia; Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto, she created Axis, a work that (RISD) in Providence, Rhode Island; Nova Scotia College of Art refl ects her interest in complexity, symmetry, beauty, and order. and Design (NSCAD) in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and the University Au works extensively with molds to produce the large num- of Regina in Regina, Saskatchewan; prior to attending the New bers of identical units required for her installations. Introduced York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in Alfred, New to mold-making and casting processes when she took a class with York, where she obtained her MFA degree in 2009. Frank Bosco at RISD, she was drawn to a technique that allowed

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 37 Brocade, 9 ft. 1 in. (2.8 m) in length, cone 6 slip-cast porcelain, 2011.

for perfect repetition, and she felt she had found her direction in quickly and with greater assurance. Rhino allows her to design ceramics. Unlike many who cast from nature or found objects, a form, examine it from any direction, and evaluate different Au was never interested in replicating the everyday. Instead, aspects of her model efficiently. She has used CNC technology to she preferred to make conceptual statements based on complex produce prototypes for glass projects, but she often prefers to make interlocking structures, which required extensive planning and her original from Victory Brown microcrystalline wax using her preliminary models. Rhino drawing as a guide. For slip-casting clay, she begins with Molds enable her to work across media. She is sensitive to the soft plaster, which she carves into a model and later casts to make intrinsic qualities of her materials and allows them to influence each a mold. In addition to plaster, she has worked with silicone and other through what she calls “cross-pollination.” Often, economic other materials depending on the requirements for the particular factors govern her choice of material. For example, a work that material she is casting. would take a long time to make in metal or ceramics can be made Au’s interest in spiritual and personal exploration is independent quickly from paper, something she discovered early on when using of any specific religious or philosophical system. Her use of orna- paper to mock-up an idea. She came to see the soft drape of the ments and patterns from a variety of contexts reflects her placement paper as something positive to be exploited rather than overlooked, in a multicultural society. The use of pattern and ornament to and she brings a similar openness to the use of digital technology. express the sacred has deep roots in many cultures. In Ornament: A With the advent of CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) Modern Perspective, art historian James Trilling writes that displays milling and the Rhinoceros™ (Rhino) 3-D modelling program, of luxury constitute an “almost universally understood metaphor Au is able to bring a project from concept to completion more for the sacred veneration made visible and tangible an offering up

38 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org of that which is most demanding of effort, skill, and expense.”1 Although Au’s sculptures and installations do not make specific religious claims, they focus effort and skill toward suggestions of the sacred. Axis consists of 27 modules arranged in a cube with nine columns, each stacked three modules high. Each module consists of twelve slip-cast stoneware components measuring six inches square when cast and slightly less when fired. The modules are assembled in layers inside a wooden box prior to bisquing (see Building in a Box on page 40). The whole is spray-glazed a deep blue-green that breaks to yellow-green and bright blue at the edges. Tips to the curling forms are glazed yellow, making the overall construction rich and variegated. The cubic arrangement resembles a dense thicket or a cage constructed from Gothic tracery. The title was arrived at only after the work was completed and refers to the three axes (X, Y, and Z), that constitute the mathematical definition of three-dimensional space. From certain angles, the form is clear and easily read, while from others, the eye becomes lost in teasing out and following the complex, curving forms. While Axis is strongly three dimensional, Au also produces floor- and wall-based works that recall carpets or textiles from the Middle East and Asia. The use of the prayer-carpet format suggests prayer and meditation, the creation of a sacred space. Au points to the combination of mathematical relationships, abstract vegetal forms, and potentially limitless repetition that were thought to represent the divine through replicating the underlying patterns of nature. She responds to the color, texture, and softness of carpets, and plays with dualities of hard/soft, rigid/flexible, and durable/ The Fragility of Belief, 4 ft. 6 in. (1.37 m) in length, cast glass, 2010. Photos: fragile that emerge through contrasting ceramics, glass, and textile. Ann Cady.

Dual, 6 ft. 8 in. (2 m) in height, cone 6 slip-cast porcelain, 2011. Photo: Claire Ryan.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 39 Building in a Box by Eliza Au

In making Axis, I was faced with the problem of constructing at 90° to each other. For the second layer, four more pieces and firing a complex form. After two failed attempts to are joined at right angles to the first layer (figure 4). The make a casting mold of the entire piece, I discovered corners of these pieces are supported by the rectangular using a wooden box as a form when assembling the parts posts. The last layer is joined vertically to the second layer. worked well as it allowed me to touch the piece as little The piece is left to dry slowly in the box to make sure as possible and to remove the form later without hitting the joints will hold. Two sides of the box are unscrewed or jarring the piece. (figure 5), and, after the piece is hard enough to pick up, To create Axis, I used three book molds, each of which the joints are smoothed and patched with clay. I dry the produces four components. In a book mold, both sides of a piece with plastic over it for at least one day and then Monthly Method mold section are used to create two different pieces. When covered with fabric overnight prior to putting it in the kiln. sandwiched together with two end cap sections, each mold is Green underglaze is applied where the piece will touch completed. A stoneware casting slip is poured into the book the rectangular posts and the kiln shelf. molds and allowed to set for seven to ten minutes (figure 1). The pieces are bisqued with the rectangular supports. Four molds for rectangular posts that will be used as firing After the bisque, the corners and points are taped to resist supports are also poured at this stage. These supports are made the glaze (figure 6). The piece is put on a banding wheel from the same clay and will shrink at the same rate as the and sprayed with glaze. Places where the underglaze was piece. After the molds are turned over and drained, they are applied are sponged to remove glaze. After this, the glazed left for 15–20 minutes for the clay to stiffen and release from pieces are put into the kiln with the rectangular supports the mold (figure 2). The individual pieces are then removed and fired to cone 6 (figure 7). from the mold and placed on a sheet of foam to prevent To transport my work to the Gardiner Museum, I deforming. They are allowed to dry another 15–20 minutes. hired a shipping company to pack my work. They used To start building the piece, the wooden box is placed rectangular foam with a cross groove cut into it to hold over a Rhino drawing of the cross-section of the piece, and each piece in place in a cardboard box (figure 8). Axis was the rectangular posts are placed in the corners of the box packed in three layers of nine boxes in a large wheeled (figure 3). For the first layer, four pieces are joined vertically crate for shipping.

1 2 3 4 Stoneware casting slip is Once the molds are drained and the Four pieces are placed in a wooden box Next, four more pieces are joined poured into the secured clay is dry enough to release from and joined together vertically at 90° to at right angles to the first layer. The book molds. the plaster, the mold is opened. create the first layer. corners are supported by clay posts.

5 6 7 8 After another vertical layer is added After the bisque firing (which includes Glazed pieces are put To pack the work, rectangular foam and the piece dries, two sides of the the supports), the corners of the in the kiln on the bisque that has a cross groove cut into it is box are unscrewed. pieces are taped off to resist glaze. fired supports and fired used to hold each piece in place in a to cone 6. cardboard box.

40 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org recipe REGINA STONEWARE CASTING SLIP Cone 6 Kona F4 (Minspar 200) feldspar . . 33.03 % Tile 6 ...... 18.11 EPK Kaolin ...... 18.11 Lincoln Fire Clay ...... 9.06 OM4 Ball clay ...... 3.58 Silica ...... 18.11 100.00 % Add: Darvan 7 ...... 1.00 % Water ...... 35–40.00 %

The Fragility of Belief (2010), a cast-glass work completed at the the grid with its potential for limitless repetitions of identical Studio at the Corning Museum of Glass, centers around “the idea units, while others produced works that appeared to consist of of fragility as a metaphor for doubt.” Au believes that we decorate little more than stacked boxes or fi rebricks, minimizing the pres- and give meaning to our beliefs out of a desire to create certainty ence of the artist’s hand. Eliza Au’s works make an interesting in an unpredictable world, yet the very nature of glass indicates contrast to these conceptual pieces in that they similarly exhibit how fragile she considers those efforts to be. In this work, a fi eld mathematical clarity, repetition, and even industrial processes, of 20 frosted-glass palmette motifs overlap and penetrate a series yet they aspire to express spirituality, which she feels underlies of interlinked blue medallions. The work suggests a wrought iron our everyday experience of reality. gate or stone tracery that serves as both an entryway and a barrier to For Au, discerning the pattern underlying a complicated form the viewer, who is suspended between doubt and belief. Like Axis, generates the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from understand- Dual is assembled from slip-cast and glazed ceramic components, ing how something works. It also constitutes a sort of “spiritual in this case, porcelain. It consists of two side-by-side carpet pieces searching” that accompanies the expenditure of effort and time constructed in two layers. In one, six-pointed star forms are glazed a in the production of a beautiful object. A medieval Jewish saying straw yellow, with overlying pointed ovals glazed gray-black. In the that originated in Iraq, where stucco ornaments were common, other, the glazing is reversed, possibly symbolizing two individuals or reads “A mind settled on an intelligent thought is like the stucco two sides to the same person. A third carpet piece, Brocade, consists decoration on the wall of a colonnade.”2 Intelligent contemplation of a similar structure, but it is in the form of a long rectangle, which is likened to that which makes the wall beautiful and complete. can be understood as marking a direction, a hallway, an entrance Au is attracted to the idea of order “because it is more straight- way or a particularly signifi cant spot. In all of these, Au engages in forward.” Life might be messy and chaotic, but art brings clarity a process of analysis, meditation, and self-discovery that comes with and control, a source of power over chaos. Order and clarity do making something beautiful and diffi cult; the artwork is a fortuitous, not necessarily imply perfection. If anything, Au now values the if not specifi cally intentional, result. slight slumping, warping or other “imperfections” that necessarily The incorporation of geometric forms has a long history in develop over the course of casting, assembling, and fi ring a work, the fi ne arts, and an even longer one in the applied arts, where as they introduce a sense of the human touch. She can generate symmetry, repetition, and order are the basis for decorative pat- perfection from a machine, but that lacks humanity. Her intricate tern. In the 20th century, the Russian artist Kasimir Malevich constructions refl ect craft traditions, offering serenity and a very painted a black square on a white ground, initiating an art based human vision of beauty. on rationalism and mathematics. The Constructivists applied Notes this approach to sculpture, embracing new technologies to create 1. James Trilling, Ornament: A Modern Perspective (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2003), 81. works with the clarity of mathematical models. Later, Minimal- 2. Oleg Grabar, The Mediation of Ornament (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992), 25. ism generated works that avoided metaphorical associations while seeking to embody clarity, conceptual rigour, literalness, the author Amy Gogarty is an artist, educator, curator, and writer and simplicity. Sol LeWitt embraced industrial materials and living in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 41 At Atmospheric- Atmospheric-like like Effects for ELECTREﬀ ects for IC

ELECTRICby Steven Hill FIRINGFIRING Wood, oil, gas, or electricity—the fuels used for fi ring have often process that leads to a relationship with the fl ame, and potters are inspired potters, but seldom do they determine the success of also drawn to surfaces that show the “mark of the fi re.” It happens our fi nished work. All fuels are capable of producing results that naturally in salt, soda, and wood fi ring, but this kind of surface range from mediocre to magnifi cent. In spite of this, electric kilns, has never been associated with the predictability of electric fi ring. especially when fi red to mid-range temperatures, have traditionally Aspiring studio potters looking for visual interaction between been viewed as a less desirable alternative to the fuel-burning kilns the fi ring process and their work often fi re at ceramic centers or of serious potters. community colleges in order to gain access to reduction and/or Understandably, many ceramic artists feel a kinship with the atmospheric fi rings. fi re. There is an undeniable mystique in fi ring with wood, oil, and It can be a daunting experience for the novice to build and fi re gas. Firing with these fuels requires an understanding of the fi ring a fuel-burning kiln. Compared to their “fi re-breathing brethren,”

Pair of yunomis, to 4 in. (10 cm) in height, thrown and altered porcelain, applied slip design (either ribbed or slip trailing), multiple sprayed glazes, single-fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln, 2011.

42 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org

by Steven Hill

Platter, 16 in. (41 cm) in diameter, thrown and altered porcelain, with ribbed and trailed slip, multiple sprayed glazes, single-fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln, 2011.

electric kilns are safe, affordable, and predictable. Installing and the top temperature, and slower cooling cycles. If you want similar firing an electric kiln is not much more complicated than an electric results from an electric kiln, especially when firing to cone 6, one clothes drier. Because of this, many feel like they make the choice of the most important things you can do is emulate the heating out of necessity, but the typical cone 6 electric-fired pot, with its and the cooling cycles of larger kilns. This means slowing the shiny and rather flat glazes, leaves many potters wanting more. temperature gain to about 100°F (38°F) an hour during the last Firing to cone 10 opens up some possibilities, but many electrics several hours of the firing, soaking the kiln at the top temperature, are limited to cone 6. and then down-firing to slow the cooling cycle. Electric kilns are My goal is to dispel the myth that electric firing has to involve built with thinner insulation and legs (to allow for air circulation), compromise. I would also like to encourage potters to take ad- and they cool very quickly, especially at higher temperatures. If ditional responsibility for their surfaces rather than blaming or you are seeking buttery, matte surfaces but have trouble achieving crediting the kiln gods. Gradually, over the course of my career, I them in the electric kiln, it is most likely due to fast cooling. Matte have learned that kiln atmosphere has less impact on the surface of surfaces are usually caused by microcrystal growth during cooling, my pottery than I once thought. This is based on my techniques and, if the cooling cycle is too steep, there isn’t enough time for of layering multiple glazes. I want to help potters who are seeking crystals to develop. In extreme cases, I’ve even seen matte glazes the soft, textured, and varied surfaces traditionally associated with go glossy and transparent. reduction and atmospheric firings to achieve those surfaces regard- I came to electric firing with a basic understanding of the sig- less of the firing process. After a little rethinking and adjusting of nificance of the cooling cycle but had my eyes further opened after firing cycles and glazing techniques, you just might be able to free reading The Many Faces of Iron by Dr. Carol Marians in Glazes yourself of the alleged limitations of electric firing. and Glazing: Finishing Techniques. Originally published in the June 2007 issue of CM, the article describes a controlled experiment in Firing which one application method, one clay body, one forming process, Fuel-burning kilns tend to be much larger than electric kilns. one firing cycle, and seven different cooling cycles were applied to Because of their size, they usually have a slower heat rise, a soak at one cone 6 iron saturate glaze. Amazingly, the results looked like

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 43 seven different glazes. This started me on what will likely become a Glazing lifelong experiment with cooling cycles. Currently I am cooling the In electric firing—and especially at cone 6— it is natural to achieve kiln naturally from the top temperature down to 1700°F (927°C), flat, solid colors that look more paint-like than glazes in reduction down-firing for five hours between 1700° and 1500°(816°C), and firing. If you are seeking a softer effect with more variation and then cooling naturally. With this cycle, I am achieving some of the atmospheric qualities, it is up to you to achieve it through glaze best microcrystalline formations I have ever had! application. Remember, the atmosphere is static in an electric kiln, I fired cone 10 gas reduction for 38 years, but, when I began and it’s not going to happen naturally! electric firing, I knew it was time to drop my firing temperature in Throughout my career, there have been occasional “Ah-ha!” order to preserve elements and electricity. My first experiments were moments, backed up with lots of hard work. The latest revelation at cone 8, but, to make the final transition to cone 6, I needed to came through a conversation with Pete Pinnell, in which he helped reformulate glazes. With the help of my science/art-major assistant, me understand how I made the transition from gas reduction to Mike Stumbras, and Digitalfire’s glaze calculation program Insight, electric oxidation as easily as I did. According to Pete, “In reduction I was able to make the transition rather smoothly. It’s beyond the firing, glazes can stratify into layers during the course of the firing. scope of this article, but I have found the journey from cone 10 to Longer firings and slower cooling cycles, along with the effects of cone 6 inspiring, and it has revitalized my sense of experimentation. reduction, can result in the creation of complex structures that can result in a variety of beautiful visual effects. Even seemingly opaque glazes can have enough translucency for one layer to subtly affect the next, creating variation and softness in surface color. In oxidation, shorter firing cycles, faster cooling, and an oxidizing atmosphere can result in less layering, simpler structures and less interesting visual qualities.” It just so happens I have been spraying multiple, undulating layers of contrasting glaze on my pieces for most of my career in an effort to achieve a more atmospheric look. In effect, my sprayed layers are accomplishing what happens naturally in reduction firing, and these layers give my surfaces the softness and variation commonly associated with reduction firing. If you apply thin coats of two or more contrasting glazes, they will intermingle as they melt, but the layers never mix thoroughly. The result shows up as soft and subtle surface variation. You can apply multiple layers by any number of methods—dipping, pouring, brushing, splatter- ing, sponging, etc.—but spraying gives you the opportunity to subtly modulate the thickness of each layer, varying glaze surface and color in a way that has the potential to look natural and organic. A totally separate issue in the oxidation vs. reduction debate is color development. Some coloring oxides change color when fired in reduction. The most dramatic of these is copper, which changes from green to red. So, I’m not trying to say that my oxidation-fired pots look just like they would in reduction, but rather that they have all of the subtleness and variation that they once had when fired in reduction and that many of them show no appreciable difference. Certainly, not all glazes will create inspired surfaces when layered. In my never-ending quest Melon Pitcher, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, thrown and altered porcelain, to find new and magical combinations, there applied slip design (either ribbed or slip trailing), multiple sprayed glazes, single-fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln, 2011. are enormous benefits from experimenting with

44 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org Plate, 11 in. (28 cm) in diameter, thrown and altered porcelain, ribbed slip design, multiple sprayed glazes, single- fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln, 2011.

Glaze Spraying Tips

• I work with the same general glaze con- adjusted and not clogged. Then I spray up or down the side. This works well for sistency for spraying as I do for dipping. towards the area on the pot I want to evenly applying one glaze or blending glaze. Experienced sprayers often want horizontal bands of color. • Any glaze is suitable for spraying as to start spraying off the piece and move long as you use an appropriate spray • One of the challenges of spraying is to across it, this is fine as long as you are go- gun. If the glaze is particularly coarse, know when enough glaze has been ap- ing for general coverage, but it doesn’t such as a chunky ash glaze, you can use a plied. Watch for the sprayed glaze turning give you enough control to highlight gun made for spraying textured ceilings. to liquid on the surface and you will be specific details. • I use guns with an air adjustment, but no close. There is no substitute for the intu- • The most important spraying tech- gauge, and set the line pressure for 50 or ition gained through repeated practice. nique to know is feathering. This can be 60 lbs. While spraying, I adjust each gun generally defined as applying the glaze • I always use an underlying base glaze down while watching the spray pattern. sensitively and it can be accomplished and think of glazes layered over it as mod- – If you have too little air pressure the with three different methods: ifiers. The base establishes the general glaze will splatter. character and also helps insure that the 1. Spray short, overlapping, wispy final result is more cohesive. The modi- – If it atomizes well, but is not too strokes either back and forth or up and fiers are used to enliven the surface and forceful of a spray, your gun is ad- down. Use this technique to highlight introduce color and/or texture change. justed properly. details and on smaller pieces. • Keep in mind that you don’t want the • Gravity HVLP (high volume, low pres- 2. Hold the trigger down, keep the total glaze thickness to be much thicker sure) guns with stainless steel inner parts gun moving in a circular motion, and than when dipping or pouring. You might work well with glazes. They are available apply overlapping strokes, while slowly want to layer 4 glazes, but you should in both full size and detail guns. If I am rotating the piece on a banding wheel. never apply 4 full layers of glaze. One of aiming for broad coverage, I use a full size This gives you faster coverage, but less the advantages of spraying is that you gun, but if I am highlighting small areas control over details. have the ability to apply anything from a I use a detail gun. 3. For even application on symmetrical dusting to a full coat. If I am layering, I just • I always test the gun by spraying into pots with no appendages, hold the trigger spray less of each glaze. The only way to the side of the booth before I spray down as you spin the pot on a banding make effective decisions about blending the pot. This is to make sure the gun is wheel, slowly making your way either and thickness is through experimentation.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 45 CONE 6 SINGLE FIRING SCHEDULE This fi ring schedule is based on computerized electric kilns. Remember, temperatures are controlled by thermocouples, which are not very accurate devices. Your kiln could be calibrated differently than mine, so you should always use guide cones.

Segment Ramp End Point Hold

1 200°F / hour 220°F 1–3 hours, depending on the wetness and/or thickness of the work. 2 100°F/ hour 500°F 0 3 400-500°F / hour 2100°F 0 4 100°F/ hour 2160–2190°F 60 Minutes—this temperature is about cone 5, with an hour soak cone 6 should fall. Not all kilns are calibrated the same, some adjustment may be necessary. 5 9999°F/ hour 1700°F 0 On L&L Kilns you should program it for 4000/ hour. 6 50°F/ hour 1600°F 45–60 Minutes 7 50°F/ hour 1500°F No hold, Kiln OFF!

Nothing is static with my fi ring schedules, however, so it will most likely change in the future. One thing is certain: there is no sense in extending the fi ring beyond what is necessary for desired results, as this is wasteful of electricity.

many different types of glazes. Layering similar glazes will create Most of my pots have four to eight glazes applied in overlap- subtle variations, while using highly contrasting glazes can lead to ping layers, and my biggest challenge is making everything look more drama. If you alternate matte and glossy glazes in layers, it cohesive. Some glazes are sprayed with techniques that isolate one will encourage surfaces to break. If you layer light and dark colors, from the other others, like the black or white glazes I apply on the you will get variation in both color and value. rim of a bowl or the rim, handle, and foot of a pitcher, but most are layered and blended. My intention is for the whole pot to look as if “My goal is to dispel the myth that electric it is one rich and varied surface, much like agate, marble, or layers of metamorphic rock. I want my glazes to ebb and fl ow (but not fi ring has to involve compromise. I would also run too much!) with color and surface texture gently emphasizing like to encourage potters to take additional changes in the form. I work with microcrystalline glazes, which can responsibility for their surfaces rather than resemble a snowstorm or falling leaves, and use ash-like glazes to encourage streaking, leaving vivid traces of interaction as they melt. blaming or crediting the kiln gods.” Most of my glaze combinations are rather unstable to work with, but, at their best, they have an amazing ability to allure and captivate. Geoffrey Wheeler uses stains to color his glazes, and he will One thing is certain: They are never boringly predictable—just as often color both matte and transparent glazes similarly. When unstable people are often more captivating, enticing, and provocative spraying these two glazes, he blends the matte glaze gradually than those we regard as “pillars of the community.” into the transparent glaze, creating a surface that, while uniform If you think about the fl ame, ash, salt, or soda responsible for in color, gradually breaks from matte to glossy. the soft surface variations we characterize as “atmospheric effects,”

46 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org the common denominator is that they travel through the kiln via the kiln’s draft. When you spray glazes, the spray has the potential recipes to wrap around the piece and move past it in much the same way as the draft moves past I am constantly searching for new glazes STRONTIUM CRYSTAL MAGIC—WARM a pot in a fuel-burning kiln. Spraying layers that will stir my soul and inspire previ- Cone 6 of overlapping glazes gives you the ability to ously inaccessible colors or textures. I both Lithium Carbonate ...... 4.5 % create surfaces that naturally fl ow across a formulate and collect glazes from other Strontium Carbonate ...... 12.6 Whiting ...... 17.3 piece, softly highlighting its form. As sublime sources, but I am constantly experiment- Ferro Frit 3124 ...... 4.5 ing with new combinations. The base as this can be at its best, insensitive use of a Custer Feldspar ...... 45.9 glaze that underlies many of the surfaces spray gun can lead to surfaces characterized by EPK Kaolin ...... 15.2 obvious spray patterns and blotchy color. With and encourages crystal formation on my 100.0 % experience, however, spraying glazes has the pots is Strontium Crystal Magic, which Add: Titanium Dioxide ...... 13.8 % potential to integrate seamlessly with the form. began as a Tom Coleman glaze, Yellow Yellow Iron Oxide ...... 2.8 % Think about how clumsy and uncoor- Crystal Matte. Through an extended Bentonite ...... 2.3 % dinated your hands felt when you fi rst at- series of experiments and the shift from Combine with iron-saturated glazes for rich tempted to throw on the potters’ wheel, and barium to strontium, it ended up far earth tones. compare your experience to how naturally enough afi eld to warrant renaming. It is STRONTIUM CRYSTAL MAGIC—COOL and intuitively a seasoned potter’s hands move rather dull by itself, but it brings glazes Cone 6 across the form, applying pressure just where layered over it to life. SCM—Warm loves iron-saturated Lithium Carbonate ...... 5.7 % it is needed. The results achieved as a begin- Strontium Carbonate ...... 12.4 glazes sprayed over it for rich earth tones. ning sprayer are not too dissimilar, but, for- Whiting ...... 16.8 SCM-Cool can develop icy colors with co- tunately, the learning curve is much quicker Ferro Frit 3124 ...... 5.7 balt or copper glazes sprayed over it. Shiny when learning to spray than it is for throwing! Custer Feldspar ...... 22.5 transparent glazes can break from matt to Spraying has the potential to be every bit Nepheline Syenite ...... 22.5 glossy depending on the thickness used. EPK Kaolin ...... 14.4 as painterly as decorating with brush in hand. I have never sprayed a workable cone 6 100.0 % As with any painting, you will benefi t from glaze over SCM that didn’t show some Add: Titanium Dioxide ...... 13.5 % both a clear vision of what you are trying to potential. If you have any interesting cone Bentonite ...... 2.0 % create and the fl exibility to let the process lead 6 glazes, I would love to add them to my Combine with glazes containing either copper you in directions you never imagined. ongoing glaze experiment. or cobalt to develop icy colors. The journey into spraying as my main method of glazing began more than 35 years ago. For most of that time, my goal was simply to create atmospheric surfaces on pottery fi red in a gas reduction kiln. When I made the transition to electric fi ring in December 2008, I was lucky—I had already laid the groundwork for success, or, as Pinnell says, “Luck favors the prepared mind.” the author Steven Hill has been a studio potter for 40 years. He is a member of 323 Clay in Independence, Missouri, where he makes pots and teaches. On March 27, Hill will present a pre– NCECA conference workshop at the historic Moore Theater, one block from the Seattle convention center. For more information, see www.stevenhillpottery.com. To sign up, go to www.clayartcenter.net and click on “Steven Hill Workshop.”

1 Mug and saucer, 4 /2 in. (12 cm) in height, thrown and altered porcelain, applied slip, sprayed glazes, single-ﬁ red to cone 6 in an electric kiln, 2011.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 47 ANNABETH ROSEN: Fictions of

STABILITYby Kathleen Whitney

There is something in the very density of Anna- ies. Each piece is intuitively engineered to stay beth Rosen’s work, fi ve pieces of which were in balance; each is a mass of weights and recently shown at Gallery Paule Anglim counterweights—to take away a single (www.gallerypauleanglim.com) in San section is to court total collapse. The Francisco, California, that seems to details create a constant visual fl ux and crowd out description. The work is an uneasy, fi ctional stability. complex, multifaceted, and extraordi- The pieces can be viewed in two dif- narily imaginative. It’s not easy to describe ferent ways—one in which everything is the accumulating, meandering, accretive, seen as a wild mesh of detail, another in which dream-like experience of walking around the details collapse into a single physical en- one of Rosen’s sculptures—complex matrices tity in space, highly coherent and fi gurative. of chaos and utter focus. The work is totally The viewer has the option to see one projection visceral in its impact, violent even , but or the other; the detail or the whole. Both also sensual and evocative. It is both aspects are available via a slight shift of playful and deadly serious; a car- focus, a reconnoitering blink of an eye. toon dystopia in black, white, The primary impression of the work and limited color. is one of a compressed movement that These big assemblages give includes how the eye moves around the the impression of spontaneity details and how the viewer moves around yet are highly organized, tightly the work. All of the pieces are constructed packed, and specifi cally arranged. within a rectangular black steel framework There is no preplanning in her footed by four black rubber wheels. The process, but her basic method, wheels imply a clanking, dragging, awkward characteristic of all her work, mobility; it’s possible to visualize all these involves dense stacking and pack- forms on the move, struggling forward with ing. The sculptures give the an amoeboid, mindless intent. When seen impression of excess but they as a group, the sculptures are comical, ag- are actually the consequence of gressive, and slightly ominous; they seem a stringent economy, a careful poised for action, giving the impression calibration that insures coher- of a restless internal pulse. ency and anchors her work The work contains a wide range of within distinct boundar- references that are humanoid, aquatic,

48 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org another net bag packed with curly extruded shapes that resemble links of a chain. Bale is crowned by a three- lobed form that resembles a puffy three-leafed clover; its botanical reference is emphasized by its mossy green color.

PHOTOS: WILFRED J. JONES In many ways, Rosen is a traditional object maker; her work occupies space with all the formal considerations of sculpture. She treats sculpture as an opportunity for exploring ideas and creates an open system that’s perpetually expanding. In this way, she is able to ask questions about meaning and content: her work not only provides an experience of art, it also questions the nature of that experience. Her work is oddly sexy, invoking the presence of a body without ever showing one. Her imagery is ultimately a prop, a pretext for dreaming and free- association. The nature of her seduction is indirect, achieved through story telling, invocation, and transfer- Opposite: Bale, 4 ft. (1.2 m) in height, fired and glazed ceramic, steel stands on 2-inch ence. Rosen’s work responds to the viewer, gives up in- casters, steel baling wire, and chicken wire mesh, 2011. Above: Exhibition view. All images courtesy of the artist and Gallery Paule Anglim. formation, memory impressions, and a baroque beauty. or botanical and also include science fi ction monsters and transformer toys. the author Kathleen Whitney, is a sculptor residing in Los The hundreds of pieces that comprise each sculpture resemble a skeleton or the Angeles. She is also the author of numerous catalogs and has carapace of some aquatic creature like a crab or lobster; carapace or skeleton, written extensively about ceramic sculpture for a number of either arrangement supplies the architecture of these fi gurative masses. Rosen’s publications including Sculpture Magazine, Ceramics: Art imagery can also be profoundly unsettling; these aggregates could be seen as and Perception, and CM. In 2000, she moderated a panel an ossuary or disfi gured body. Her sense of humor and her restrained, selective on “The Body in Ceramic Sculpture” at the National Council use of color allows the impression of these pieces to fl oat between the poles of on Education for the Ceramic Arts conference in Denver. the comic and the mordant, fl ip sides of the same coin. The pieces that constitute each object are either totally matte or somewhat glossy, made from glazed red clay fi red to cone 04, then soaked in water, covered in white slip and fi red again, this time to cone 06. Each piece is one-of-a- kind, none are cast. This kind of compulsive labor is a Rosen trademark—all her work is centered on the hand-fabrication of hundreds of pieces. Rosen packs the pieces into the stands with some forethought as to size and fi t and general objective. They are packed solid, built from the bottom up with barely any space between each piece. The pieces are held to the stands and each other with wire. The wire is sometimes used in a net-like fashion, enclosing many pieces, and sometimes used like a simple looped strap. Each of these sculptures can be disassembled and reassembled. The evocative nature of this body of work, its atmosphere of the fantastic and multitude of references, exists because Rosen fabricates the objects with a sense of building “a kind of story without a narrative.” Titles add to this fragile story and are important to Rosen. They rely on the sound of the word or the image the word strikes; a neat, tightly compacted work that’s trim and a bit funny is called Pim. A piece that has many big, round, bulging forms spilling out and barely contained is entitled Bollo. The sculptures use the entire arsenal of handbuilding techniques; pinch, slab, coil, and extrusion. A piece such as Bale is a compendium of ceramic techniques and references. Starting at the fl oor, Bale is fl anked on two sides by a pair of long mesh sacks fi lled with paisley-like slab shapes. Just above these, and suspended from the frame of the cart, are a number of strange barbell-like forms. On top of them, piled horizontally into the rectangular space formed by four steel posts, are a number of varied elements; knobby rolled forms, amphorae, and pipe shapes. Some of these are striped with thick, black, horizontal lines and glazed with transparent bands of green and yellow. The elements are jammed so closely Bollo, 3 ft. 9 in. (1.1 m) in height, fired and glazed ceramic, together it’s impossible to see between them. Just underneath the top shelf is steel stands on 2-inch casters, and steel baling wire, 2011.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 49 1 2 DOUG JECK Early Works BY MATTHEW KANGAS

3 4

50 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org The title of Doug Jeck’s second solo show in New York City at Klemens eludes precise analysis. This is what makes Jeck’s art great: people Gasser & Tanja Grunert (http://gassergrunert.net), “Early Works” is seem to want to keep looking at and talking about it for a long time. a bit of a misnomer. The exhibition is not of his early works, but in If only there had been more work over the past decade and a half fact, four completely new works completed in 2011. The title may for viewers to see and discuss. allude to a faux-ancient or “early” feeling all the works have. Better late than never, Jeck’s comeback still holds substantial The 48-year-old University of Washington professor of art riches. Import presented the bizarre spectacle of a horse on a roll- made a huge splash in Seattle in 1995 at Traver Gallery with frag- ing platform with a six-foot “totem” towering upon its back in mented male figures. That was followed by a San Francisco debut lieu of a saddle. More a metaphor about the burdens of history at Dorothy Weiss in 1997 and a New York debut at Garth Clark. (or traditions of sculpture), Import seems to compensate for Jeck’s Since then, what with heavy teaching loads and a variety of puzzling silence by stacking tons of possible symbols. The result is personal problems, Jeck essentially dropped out of the art world. a fragile-appearing monument that may allude as well to the long In the summer of 2010, a former UW grad student of his, Tim history of triumphalist equestrian sculpture. Roda, invited Jeck to participate in a group show at Gasser & Jeck’s sphinx, Cleopatra, is another strange hybrid, with a head Grunert, “Games of Antiquity,” which Janet Koplos, among oth- more like an ape’s than a woman’s. Tipsy atop a long thin sheet of ers, favorably reviewed. After the group show, Jeck was offered the wood above a single post, Cleopatra’s terra-cotta color reminds us recent show. Admirers of the Florida-born artist’s “early work” can be heartened and gratified by his comeback. Whereas Jeck’s earlier work (1994–1997) dealt with twin issues of Classical Greek or Roman statuary and its interface with mascu- line/feminine gender identity, the new works in New York were less sexualized. That is, instead of homing in on male genitalia or raising questions of how the ancient world comes to us through fragments and shriveled anatomy, Jeck expanded on his explorations of the entire history of sculpture right up to the support and plinth. All his work, in this way, is a critique of the history of sculpture. Clay is combined with plastic, hair, paint, porcelain, Fiberglas, and wood in four sculptures that employ a sphinx, a madonna in a boat, a horse, and a giant. Each sculpture’s support is different, reminding us how presentation of fine art has often been contin- gent upon conventions of display in order to claim higher aesthetic status in the art world. Goliath is a huge (9½-foot tall) hairy monster set atop two graduated wooden white plinths. Part man, part animal, Goliath confronts and intimidates the viewer, but his arms reach out as if in vulnerable supplication. The skull, which bears the mark of David’s slingshot wound, could be a gorilla’s face, but such sim- ian analogies are undercut by hairy cloven hooves below. Rather than alive, Goliath, like all Jeck’s work, is a determinedly ravaged object struggling to appear lifelike. Amusingly, genitalia are now replaced by a suspended rope phallus between two legs. The effect 5 is strangely terrifying yet absurd at the same time. Export is an elaborate metaphor of time travel: the Virgin Mary is in the front of a boat that is covered with ornate gold-painted orna- of its origin in earthenware. With an impassive facial expression ments on its exterior. What’s more, the glittering “time machine” and closed eyes, the half-human, half-animal figure (likeGoliath ) has four stubby feet, like a claw-footed Victorian bathtub. With its is trapped in an unstable dream of the past. rectangular wooden sculpture stand, any movement, let alone time As visitors to the Chelsea gallery discovered, this artist actually travel, is temporarily frozen. Are we witnessing the journey of the brought something to New York they may not have seen before. Madonna from pagan earth mother to elevated Christian Baroque To long-time followers of Jeck’s art, the exhibition was a mixture icon? Jeck has piled on the imagery for our possible interpretation of another myth—Rip Van Winkle—turned into a substantial (and enjoyment). Remaining mysterious and ambiguous, Export Manhattan return full of renewed promise.

1–2 Cleopatra, 5 ft. 81/2 in. (1.7 m) in length, polystyrene, clay, hair, paint, wood, 2011. 3–4 Import, 9 ft. 11 in. (3 m) in height, wood, polystyrene, paint, the author Matthew Kangas, frequent contributor, included Doug horse hair, Styrofoam, calk, nails, 2011. 4 (in background) Goliath, 8 ft. 8 in. Jeck in “North American Ceramic Sculpture Now,” the invitational (2.6 m) in height, wood, horse hair, nails, polystyrene, 2011. 5 Export, 5 ft. 7 in. (1.7 m) in length, concrete, clay, porcelain, wood, fiberglass, paint, 2011. exhibition he curated for the 2003 Korea World Ceramics Biennale All photos courtesy of the artist/ Klemens Gasser & Tanja Grunert, Inc. in Icheon, South Korea. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 51 international CeramiCs Competition

minoby Naomi Tsukamoto The “International Ceramics Festival ’11 Mino, Japan,” (www.icfmino.com/english/top.html), which includes an international ceramics competition among many other events, opened in the Tono region this past September. Tono, in Gifu prefecture, has been a renowned ceramics production center in Japan since the 7th century and produced major collections of Kiseto, Shino, and Oribe tea vessels in the late 16th century during the Azuchi- Momoyama Era. Mino ware still represents a large share of the Japanese ceramics industry today. As several leading national ceramic competitions have been discontinued due to Japan’s harsh economic situations during the last few years, the triennial “International Ceramics Competition Mino,” which is part of the larger festival, suffered a cancella- tion crisis although this has passed as it has become a means of community revitalization for the whole town. After 25 years of achievement, the competition received 2777 entries from 57 countries and regions worldwide. The festival was held for two months, this time with various regional events, introducing Mino ware and its proud traditions to the world, benchmarking the Japanese ceramic industry for the future. A total of 190 works (25 awards and 165 honorable mentions) in two categories, ceramic arts and ceramic design (which had two subcategories, studio and factory), were chosen by a panel of leading experts, ceramists, curators, and designers from around the world and were presented in the exhibition at the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu in Tajimi city. The 190 pieces were displayed all together in a large exhibition hall arranged randomly, without separating the two categories or the winning works. The Mino festival executive committee’s lead art director,

Tomoko Konno’s creature [core], Toshinori Kamiya, explains that he put more weight on the 26 in. (66 cm) in height, (Japan). entertaining aspect of the works as a whole by arranging them

52 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org randomly, rather than placing them in the evaluation order. The chair- person of the judges’ panel, Osamu Suzuki, who is also a leading potter of Shino tea bowls in Japan, comments from observing the exhibition that with today’s globalization, the cultural significance in works have become diminished. However, looking over the vast randomness with no intentional groupings, the ethnic sensibility of individual works is one of the factors that was readily recognizable.

Award-winning Works Yuichi Yanai’s Crater Dish (page 55) received the Gold Award in the Ceramic Design (Studio) category. One of the judges, Kristina Riska (a Finnish ceramics designer) describes the piece as a clean and peaceful landscape with a realization of a clear thought. It is a beautiful object that is also highly functional. It seems that a simple porcelain form like this could easily appear mechanical, but the dialog of the light and the shadow that the crater-like parts achieve seems to bring out warmth and is fitting to Japanese cuisines that are often composed of many small dishes. The object itself, unassuming and thorough, with an emphasis on negative spaces, suggests Japanese aesthetics. Takashi Nakamura’s small, black, lidded forms (page 56) received the Silver Award in the Ceramic Design (Studio) category. The artist burnishes each piece to enhance the luster of the oxidized black clay. Riska comments that this is a piece to be experienced through all five Above: Masashi Miyajima’s ryusaisenjyoumon no utsuwa (vessel senses, and the repetitive forms are musical and poetic. with dotted color line patterns), 20 in. (51 cm) in height, (Japan). Below: Lea Georg’s Vessel Object 1 (6 pieces), 25 in. (65 cm) Boram Choi’s five nestled large blue bowls (page 55) challenge the in length, (Switzerland). All images courtesy of the International spatial illusion that happens through nesting forms together and received Ceramics Competition, Mino.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 53 the Silver Award in the Ceramic Arts category. Perspectives shift when viewing this piece, and the form seems to expand to include the spaces between the nesting bowls. At first glance this piece looks almost fabric- like, but the piece is titled Record. If you look closely, you will notice that all the patterns are painted on one stroke at a time. The judge, Toru Enomoto (Director of Museum of Modern Ceramic Art, Gifu) explains that the artist handbuilds the large bowls in small-coiled segments, adding the colored strokes to each segment as she works rather than decorating the whole surface after completing the form. Adding both parts and patterns unit by unit created a unified whole.

Trends Aside from the cultural significance, there was a notable trend in techniques and material use in this competition. Colored clay techniques (in Japan, they are often called nerikomi, neriage, and zogan) appeared often and were applied in broader contexts. Lut Laleman’s Beans (page 56) are built by alternatively adding thin black and white porcelain coils in a disciplined manner. The artist aims to display the relationship between the transparency of the porcelain and the consistent and regular interruption of the transparency by the dotted 1 coils. The work received the Special Judge’s Award, selected by Riska for its slow, intense handwork as the impressions created quietly linger. Perhaps it is the use of the unglazed soft colors or the type of the repetitive forms applied, but both Laleman’s work and Lea Georg’s interlocking colored clay vessels (page 53) seem to represent European sensibilities. Georg explores the interplay of color, rhythm, and shape in duplicated cast forms. More traditional use of colored clay is the neriage (a technique where few different colored clay are thrown on the wheel together to create marble) piece

1 Hidehito Ito’s rensaiotsubo (marbled color large vase), 18 in. (45 cm) in height, (Japan).

2 Ann Van Hoey’s ETIRE, 3 ft. 7 in. (1.1 m) in length installed, (Belgium). 2

54 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org 3 4

by Hidehito Ito. The work also received the Special Judge’s Award, 3 Yuichi Yanai’s Crater Dish, 17 in. (43 cm) in selected by Suzuki for the artist’s authentic stance toward clay as a length, (Japan). 4 Zung-Lung Tsai’s Temperature of Tranquility 1003, 21 in. (53 cm) in length, material. In humbled simplicity, the form is well thought out, created (Taiwan). 5 Chitose Ando’s Kotori Kisekirei in two parts for strength, and formally emphasizes the different stages (Small Birds), 33 in. (85 cm) in length, (Japan). of life flowers go through, and their changing appearance at each stage. 6 Boram Choi’s Kiroku (Record), 30 in. (75 cm) in diameter, (Korea). This is achieved by the visual lightness of the vase form, with its small base and the fuller body, which lifts the focal point upward, along with gentle color that wraps and quietly stages the life of each single flower. Another neriage work is Chitose Ando’s Kotori (small birds). The artist takes the color of kisekirei, a common yellow bird found in many towns, and throws this colored clay into multiple small tea containers. Whimsical, feminine, multiple forms suggest sweet small birds and it received the Special Judge’s Award by Fumi Kimura (a producer of comprehensive food and tableware environments), with a hope for a new wave to the traditional way of the tea ceremony. An unusual use of colored clay was a challenge taken on by Tomoko Konno’s creature [core] (page 52). The millefiori-like use of many colors is rarely found in such organic, representational sculpture. The work received the Bronze Award in the Ceramic Art category. The judge, Woo Kwanho (a Korean ceramist) evaluates the distinctiveness of this piece for its use of the nerikomi technique as a method for expression rather than simply decoration. Some works rely heavily on clay as a material to draw viewers in. Masashi Miyajima’s vase with incised red lines 6

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 55 (page 53) and Zung-Lung Tsai’s large, wood-fired form (page 55) both invite the viewers to the clay surface, engaging them with very different emotions. Miyajima’s precise lines and tight form add tension and concentration, whereas Tsai’s surface, which is the act of the natural ash and fire, feels vast and expanding. Both pieces embrace the viewers with quiet tranquility. Other works blurred the lines between materials. Ann Van Hoey’s pieces (page 54) transforms a simple, hemispheric shape by adding three incisions, which added rhythm and movement to the pieces. At first glance, with such thin walls, and non-clay colors, they look like folded paper constructions. It is a nice surprise looking at the forms closely, to discover that they are bowls; traditional ceramic functional forms made in an unexpected way. Overall, with such rich content, each piece would have been easier to view if they had been exhibited in several separate rooms or grouped thematically. It was too much miscel- laneous information to be able to assess the effectiveness of the random arrangement that the lead art director aimed to achieve. However, it seemed effective that the organizer added various related regional events this time as the exhibit appealed to a diverse group of general visitors.

1 the author Naomi Tsukamoto, a frequent contributor 1 Lut Laleman’s Beans, 12 in. (31 cm) in length, (Belgium). to CM, is an artist and instructor at Takara Clay Studio 2 Takashi Nakamura’s kokutoukumigousu, (small black clay lidded forms) 16 in. (40 cm) in length, (Japan). (www.takaranokama.com). She lives in Fujisawa, Japan.

56 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org  ceramic arts 

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Join us for the Women Working with Clay Symposium at Hollins University, June 11-14. Observe the presentation of various working methods in pottery, art vessels, and sculpture and participate in discussions that examine and explore the connections of the history of women in cultures all over the world as vessel makers, artists and artisans. Surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, you’ll find inspiration as you explore the creative process from every level. Led by remarkable ceramic artists, you will gain valuable insight from demonstrations, lectures, and panel discussions. Space is limited, so visit www.hollins.edu/tmva or call (540) 362-6229 to register today.

Hollins University | P.O. Box 9552 | Roanoke, VA 24020-1552 | [email protected] June 11-14, 2012

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Olympic gives you high end equipment at affordable costs. For individuals attending the 2012 NCECA exhibit in Seattle, Olympic brings the equipment to you freight free! Just another way of adding value to your investment. Building the Finest Kilns for Your Creative Spirit! Choose your Olympic kiln of choice prior to NCECA & Olympic will display it at the exhibit and pay the freight costs to the show. For more details, call Olympic at 800.241.4400 or email – [email protected]. Orders must be received prior to March 6th. www. greatkilns.com • NCECA Booth #232 • 800.241.4400

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74 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org METCHOSIN INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL june 2012 OF THE ARTS Ceramic Form Les Manning Glaze – Crystalline Gordon Hutchens Kiln Maintenance/Firing Alan Burgess july 2012 Throwing Rob Froese Segment Moulds Carol Gouthro Glaze Chic Lotz Handbuilding Vincent Massey Print on Clay Laura McKibbon Throwing/Handbuilding Julia Galloway Handbuilding/Surface Diana Fayt Sculpture Billy Ray Mangham Raku/Alternative Firing Don Ellis 250-391-2420 missa.ca Victoria, BC,Canada

TRURO CENTER FOR THE ARTS Castle Hill Summer & Fall Clay 2012 Faculty Include:

Wally Assleberghs Hayne Bayless James Brunell Linda Christianson Forrest Lesch-Middleton Hannah Niswonger Jeff Shapiro Mark Shapiro Linda Christianson Kala Stein Brian Taylor Sam Taylor Paul Wisotzky Joe Woodford

Mikhail Zakin Mark Shapiro

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NEW MEMBER BENEFIT: 2012 Potters Council Online Student Juried Exhibition “New Ground”

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/potters-council-members/2012-potters- council-online-student-juried-exhibition/

Call For Entry ends April 24, 2012 Exhibition Dates: August 1–September 30, 2012

As a student, you’re exploring your opportunities, pushing the limits of your capabilities, and expanding the techniques you’re learning. “New Ground” should be about something that is personal to each applicant, whether it is subject matter, technical, firing, forming or a surface approach.

76 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org call for entries deadlines for exhibitions, fairs, and festivals

international exhibitions March 30 entry deadline May 1 entry deadline sociation, 2587 Kingstown Rd., Kingston, RI Indiana, Evansville “Clay EVV” Kentucky, Louisville “Kentucky Bour- 02881; 401-783-2195; [email protected]; March 30 entry deadline (June 8–July 9) open to small sculptural bon: By the Bottle, By the Ounce” (Novem- www.southcountyart.org. New Mexico, Silver City “Juried Art work. Juried from digital. Fee: $30 for ber 2–January 5, 2013) open to bottles and April 21 entry deadline Tile Show” (August 3–September 3) open up to three entries. Jurors: Christyl cups. Juried from digital. Fee: $30 for up Washington, Seattle “Art in the Colum- to decorative tile from Canadian, Mexi- Boger and Joseph Smith. Contact Alisa to 3 bottle entries; $30 for up to 3 shot barium” (May 4–December 31) open to 2D can, and US artists. Juried from digital. Holen or Libby Goedde, SCULPT EVV, glass entries; $45 to enter both. Juror: Matt and 3D media including drawing, installa- Fee: $30 for three entries; $25 for two Arts Council of Southwest Indiana, Uni- Long. Contact Dolita Dohrman, Louisville tion, painting, photography, and sculpture entries; $20 for one entry. Juror: Alfredo versity of Southern Indiana, 318 Main Clay, 1811 Edenside Ave., Louisville, KY work by WA artists. Juried from digital. No Ratinoff. Contact Lee Gruber, Silver City Street, Ste. 101, Evansville, IN 47708; 40204; [email protected]; 502- fee. Contact Allison Brundage, Evergreen Clay Festival, 201 North Hudson St., Silver [email protected]; www.sculptevv.org; 593-0905; www.louisvilleclay.org. Washelli, 11220 Aurora Ave. N, Seattle, City, NM 88061; [email protected]; 319-621-6894 or 812-422-2111. May 2 entry deadline WA 98133; [email protected]; www.clayfestival.com; 575-538-5560. March 31 entry deadline Virginia, Lorton “Workhous Clay www.washelli.com; 206-362-5200. March 31 entry deadline Florida, St. Petersburg “Garden National 2012” (July 25–August 26) New York, Hudson “Direct Art Vol- Party” (May 1–31). Juried from digital. open to functional or sculptural ceramic fairs and festivals ume 19” (October 15–December 31) open Fee: $25 for three entries. Contact Matt work. Juried from digital. Fee: $30 for March 1 entry deadline to all media. Juried from digital. Fee: $35 Schiemann, St. Petersburg Clay Company three entries. Juror: Peter Held. Contact Maryland, Gaithersburg “Sugarloaf for four entries. Contact Tim Slowinski, Inc., 420 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg, Dale Marhanka, Workhouse Arts Center, Crafts Festival in Gaithersburg” (April SlowArt Productions, 123 Warren St., FL 33712; [email protected]; 9601 Ox Rd., Lorton, VA 22079; 703- 13–15) open to fine craft media. Juried Hudson, NY 12464; [email protected]; www.stpeteclay.com; 727-896-2529. 584-2982; [email protected]; from digital or slides. Fee: $20. Contact www.slowart.com/prospectus/spring. April 2 entry deadline www.workhousearts.org. Lorrie Staley, Sugarloaf Mountain Works, htm; 518-828-2343. Connecticut, Guilford “Going to the Dogs June 1 entry deadline 19807 Executive Park Cir., Germantown, March 31 entry deadline (and Cats and Birds...)” (May 4–June 24) open Missouri, Kansas City “KC Clay Guild MD 20874; [email protected]; Croatia, Varaždin “The IV Interna- to all media. Juried from digital. Fee: $20 for Teabowl National 2012” (August 17– www.sugarloafcrafts.com/becomeex. tional Festival of Postmodern Ceramics: unlimited entries. Contact Maureen Belden, September 28) open to teabowls primarily html; 800-210-9900. Ceramica Multiplex 2012” (August Guilford Art Center, PO Box 589, Guilford, made of clay. Juried from digital. Fee: March 1 entry deadline 24–October 31) open to functional, CT 06437; [email protected]; $30 for three entries. Juror: Bede Clark. Maryland, Timonium “Sugarloaf installation, and sculptural ceramic www.guilfordartcenter.org; 203-453-5947. Contact Susan Speck, KC Clay Guild, 200 Crafts Festival in Timonium” (April work. Juried from digital. No fee for April 12 entry deadline W. 74th St., Kansas City, MO 64114; 27–29) open to fine craft media. Juried two entries. Contact Blazenka Soic Pennsylvania, Philadelphia “36th 913-384-1718; [email protected]; from digital or slides. Fee: $20. Contact Stebih, KERAMEIKON, Croatian Ceramic Annual Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft www.kcclayguild.org. Lorrie Staley, Sugarloaf Mountain Works, Association, Križaniceva 13, Varaždin, Show” (November 8–11) open to craft me- June 25 entry deadline 19807 Executive Park Cir., Germantown, 42000 Croatia; [email protected]; dia. Juried from digital or slides. Fee: $75 Ohio, Nelsonville “Starbrick Clay Na- MD 20874; [email protected]; www.kerameikon.com; 385 42 211 227. for five entries. Jurors: Lewis Knauss, Mar- tional Salt & Pepper Shaker Show” (July www.sugarloafcrafts.com/becomeex. April 6 entry deadline the Le Van, David McFadden, Alleghany 27–August 28) open to ceramic salt and html; 800-210-9900. Arizona, Flagstaff “Across the Divide” Meadows, and Ruth Snyderman. Contact pepper shakers. Juried from digital. Fee: March 1 entry deadline (June 2–July 28) open to ceramic sculpture Audrey Julienne, PMA Craft Show, PO Box $10 per entry. Contact Ann Judy, Starbrick New Jersey, Somerset “Sugarloaf and installation work. Juried from digital. 7646, Philadelphia, PA 19101-7646; 215- Gallery, 21 W. Columbus St., Nelsonville, Crafts Festival in Somerset” (March Fee: $35 for three entries. Juror: Steven 684-7930; [email protected]; OH 45764; [email protected]; 740-753- 9–11) open to fine craft media. Juried Schaeffer. Contact Robin Cadigan, Flagstaff www.philamuseum.org. 1011; www.starbrick.com. from digital or slides. Fee: $20. Contact Cultural Partners, PO Box 296, Flagstaff, April 15 entry deadline August 1 entry deadline Lorrie Staley, Sugarloaf Mountain Works, AZ 86002; [email protected]; New York, Rochester “College Clay Florida, St. Petersburg “Last Call” 19807 Executive Park Cir., Germantown, www.culturalpartners.org; 928-779-2300. Collective” (June 8–July 21) open to func- (October 1–31) open to function and MD 20874; [email protected]; tional and sculptural work by graduate sculptural ceramic work. Juried from digi- www.sugarloafcrafts.com/becomeex. united states exhibitions students, undergraduate students, and tal. Fee: $25 for three entries. Juror: Mack- html; 800-210-9900. March 1 entry deadline alumni within a year of graduation. Juried enzie Smith. Contact Matt Schiemann, March 1 entry deadline Nebraska, Lincoln “MUG Shots: from digital. Fee: $25 for three entries. St. Petersburg Clay Company Inc., 420 Pennsylvania, Oaks “Sugarloaf Crafts National Juried Cup Exhibition” (April Juror: Matt Metz. Contact Kate Whorton, 22nd St. S., St. Petersburg, FL 33712; 727- Festival in Oaks” (March 16–18) open to 6–May 26) open to ceramic cups. Jur- Genesee Pottery, 713 Monroe Ave., Roch- 896-2529; [email protected]; fine craft media. Juried from digital or slides. ied from actual work. Fee: $20 for up ester, NY 14607; [email protected]; www.stpeteclay.com. Fee: $20. Contact Lorrie Staley, Sugarloaf to three entries. Juror: Gail Kendall. www.geneseearts.org; 585-271-5183. regional exhibitions Mountain Works, 19807 Executive Park Contact Carlos Guerrero, LUX Center April 17 entry deadline Cir., Germantown, MD 20874; 800-210- for the Arts, 2601 N. 48th St., Lin- Virginia, Alexandria “Tea: Ceramics Ex- March 15 entry deadline 9900; [email protected]; www. coln, NE 68504; [email protected]; hibit” (May 2–June 2) open to ceramic work. Texas, Houston “CraftTexas 2012” sugarloafcrafts.com/becomeex.html. www.luxcenter.org; 402-466-3786. Juried from digital. Fee: $25 for three entries. (September 29–December 30) open to March 16 entry deadline March 2 entry deadline Juror: John Neely. Contact Blair Meerfeld, Texas artists working in clay, fiber, glass, New York, Syracuse “AmeriCu Syra- Virginia, Lorton “Creature Com- The Art League, 105 N. Union St., Alexan- metal, wood, or found materials. Juried from cuse Arts & Crafts Festival” (July 27–29). forts” (May 4–27) open to sculp- dria, VA 22314; [email protected]; digital. Fee: $35. Jurors: Jean W. McLaughlin, Juried from digital. Fee: $25. Contact Alex- tural and installation work. Juried 703-683-1780; www.theartleague.org. Rachelle Thiewes, and Jade Walker. Contact andra Pivovarova, Downtown Committee from digital. Fee: $25 for three entries. April 27 entry deadline Mary Headrick, Communications Director, of Syracuse, 470 S Salina St., Syracuse, NY Contact Amy Lust, Workhouse Arts Colorado, Carbondale “’Sculptural Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, 13202; [email protected]; Center, 9601 Ox Rd., Lorton, VA 22079; Ceramics’ Clay National VIII 2012” 4848 Main St., Houston, TX 77002; 713- www.downtownsyracuse.com; 315- [email protected]; 703-584-2900; (June 1–July 2) open to ceramic and 529-4848; [email protected]; 470-1962. www.workhousearts.org. mixed-media sculpture with clay as the www.crafthouston.org. April 15 entry deadline March 6 entry deadline primary medium. Juried from digital. Fee: April 13 entry deadline Colorado, Evergreen “Evergreen Fine Virginia, Norfolk “Works on PAPER and $25 for up to three entries; $20 for one Rhode Island, Kingston “39th Annual Arts Festival” (August 25–26) open to fine art of CLAY” (April 27–June 29). Juried from dig- entry. Jurors: Erin Furimsky and Tyler Lotz. Earthworks Exhibit” (April 19–May 12) open and craft media. Juried from digital. Fee: $30 ital. Fee: $30 for five entries. Contact Susan Contact K Rhynus Cesark, Carbondale to New England and Mid-Atlantic artists. for three images. Contact Beth Erlund, Ever- Bernard, d’ART Center, 208 E. Main St., Nor- Clay Center, 135 Main St., Carbon- Juried from actual work. Fee: $17 per entry, green Artists Association, 22528 Blue Jay Rd., folk, VA 23510; [email protected]; dale, CO 81623; [email protected]; up to five. Juror: Monica Ripley. Contact Morrison, CO 80465; [email protected]; www.d-artcenter.org; 757-625-4211. www.carbondaleclay.org; 970-963-2529. Rhonda Shumaker, South County Art As- www.evergreenartists.org; 303-618-9834.

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 77 classified advertising Ceramics Monthly welcomes classifieds in the following categories: Buy/Sell, Employment, Events, Opportunities, Personals, Products, Publications/Videos, Real Estate, Rentals, Services, Travel. Accepted advertisements will be inserted into the first available print issue, and posted on our website for 30 days at no additional charge! See www.ceramicsmonthly.org for details.

buy/sell “Smoke, Fire and Fumes” April Richard Notkin Moldmaking Insti- CALL to CLAY ARTISTS. The d’ART 28–29, 2012. Hands-on workshop tute - Summer Workshops, Helena, Center, Visual Art Center in Norfolk, VA, CUSTOM ENGRAVED STAMPS for with Linda and Charlie Riggs focusing Montana. Learn in a master’s studio: is holding the 22nd Annual Mid-Atlantic clay, PMC, and tile. Your signature, on fuming, naked raku and horsehair prototype design, plaster moldmaking, Art Exhibition: Works on PAPER and mark, logo, or text. Great prices, excel- firings. Emphasis on pots polished press- and slipcasting, slip defloccula- of CLAY. This national art exhibition lent quality. Fully customized, from $29. with terra sigillata. More information at tion, relief tile design/production, and awards $3,200 in prizes! The juried www.jetstamps.com. www.whiteoakartworks.com. more. Limited participants for maximum exhibition is held in the d’ART Center’s interaction. “Relief Tiles”, maximum en- 5 sky-lit galleries from April 27–June 29, Laguna LE201 Raku kiln w/shelves, Asian Style Wheel-throwing Work- rollment 12, tuition/materials $525; May 2012. Entry Deadline: March 6, 2012. pyrometer and extra fiber blanket, shop, with ceramic artist Po-Wen 28-June 1. “Moldmaking”, maximum Entry Fee: $30 for 5 Entries. Call (757) $700.00. Bluebird 440 pugmill w/roll- Liu, at Catawba Valley Community enrollment 9, tuition/materials $975; 625-4211 or visit www.d-artcenter.org ing metal cart $1,450.00. Call Karen College Potters’ Workshop, Saturday Session #1- June 18–29; Session #2- for a prospectus. vanPrice, (928) 443-9723 or email April 14, 10:00am–4:30 pm. Throw, July 30–August 10. Contact: notkin@ [email protected]. alter and decorate wheel thrown dishmail.net. One year Post-Bac Special Student pieces. Registration information: Program at Northern Arizona Univer- employment www.cvcc.edu/PottersWorkshop; WOOD FIRE WORKSHOP, May sity in Flagstaff, AZ. Access to faculty, Fire kilns, studio and materials. Application (704) 462-0077. 19–24, 2012 with Dale Huffman. Resident Potter: Full time, salary, Anagama, wood fire salt and wood Deadline: April 1, 2012. Contact Jason furnished apartment. Established gal- Pottery West Workshops 2012 in Las fire soda. Enrollment limited to allow Hess at [email protected] for lery and studio, gas, salt, raku kilns, Vegas, NV. Amy Kline Hands-on Carv- a fair involvement in each kiln. Camp- more information. wheel and slab, use of all facilities. ing, February 11–12th. Kristen Kieffer ing available and meals are included. North Georgia Mountains, close to Demonstration Workshop Altered and Information at www.cubcreek.org or CALL to CLAY ARTISTS: Totems,

NC, GA pottery centers. Apply at Ornamented, April 7–8th. Randy Brod- [email protected]. Plates & Teapots: Competition. Juror: Christy Johnson, AMOCA. hickoryflatpottery.com. nax and Don Ellis Hands-on Alternative Awards: 1st–full page ad in Low-Fire Techniques, May 6–10th. Michael Kline and Ron Philbeck March 17th and Ceramics Monthly, 2nd–$300, 3rd– Immediate Position for Experienced Tom Coleman Hands-on Shinos, June Weekend Workshop; 18th. Barnstable High School, Barnsta- $200. Deadline. March 24, 2012. Production Potters and Mold 4–10th. Tom Coleman Hands-on Strictly ble (Cape Cod), MA. Information and www.rosevillearts.org/clay. Well established salt-glazed Functional, August 1–5th. Amy Kline Makers. applications www.capecodpotters.org. stoneware pottery, our 26th year in Altering, Carving Porcelain and Cela- Members $75 one day, $145 two days; products business. Located in Dover, NH. Near dons Workshop at San Juan College non-members $90/$165. Seacoast, Boston, and White Mountains. in April (dates TBA). Amy Kline Alter- GREAT NEW HANDBUILDING TEM- Developed by Sandi Pier- Production Hours 7am–3:30pm, M–F. ing, Carving Porcelain and Celadons Exciting PLATES! POTTERY ON THE HILL! antozzi. A set of 24 durable, flexible, Potters must come in to throw for Workshop at Sierra Nevada College, new event coming to Washington, laminated templates to create Circular interview. Email [email protected] June 18–22nd. For more information DC (our nation’s capital) this autumn. & Conical Forms. Perfect for Potters or or call owner Andy Cochran at (603) visit potterywest.com. Call (702) 685- Sixteen of America’s finest functional Teachers! www.CircleMatic.com. 312-3808. 7573; Email [email protected]. potters. October 26-28, 2012. Check out www.potteryonthehilldc.com for FLOWER FROGS (pin-type flower IT’S TUSCANY! Naked Raku and Fer- more details...and stay tuned! Assistants wanted for an adult holders originally made by Bonnie Mfg.) ric Chloride with Wally Asselberghs; ceramic program in rural Catskill made in the USA. Superior quality; Responsibilities include April 28–May 4, 2012. Majolica with opportunities Mountains. many sizes (¾” to 5½”). Pin cups also glaze making, kiln stacking, shelf clean- Italian Master Saura Vignoli; May 5–12, Space is available. Call (570) 226-3239 or visit ing, remaking clay, cleaning studio 2012. www.lameridiana.fi.it. La Meridi- RESIDENT OPENINGS — available in June and September. Infor- www.dorothybiddle.com. and assisting in workshops in return ana International School of Ceramics mation available at www.cubcreek.org in Tuscany – for 31 years. for housing and a stipend. Must have or [email protected]. Since 1985, well-established, hand- car and cell phone. Mid June through made Art Tile Factory on the beauti- Aug. Send letter of intent, resume, Curtis Benzle —“Porcelain: Color Craftsman House Gallery, Café & ful Central Coast of California. Sale in Tuscany, Italy, April five shots of ceramic work to Susan and Light” Studio, St. Petersburg, Florida is includes 40 ton hydrolic press, all dies, Beecher: [email protected]. 22–29, 2012. Explore translucency and seeking artist-in-residence. Benefits all related equipment, copyrighted colored clay techniques with a master; include 24-hour studio space, use designs, glaze recipes and national events create sculpture, lighting or jewelry; of electric & gas kilns, studio equip- customer contact list. Email ellietile@ experience the beauty of Tuscany, Italy. ment, and gallery representation in gmail.com for more information. Greece, Thessaloniki , Summer Class Information: [email protected]. a vibrant arts community. Responsi- 2012. Ten day, all inclusive, infi.it. Questions: curtisbenzle@gmail. bilities include working in the gallery, CHECK IT OUT! Visit tensive throwing workshops with com. Benzleporcelain.com. studio & café. Opportunity for paid www.vangilderpottery.com. Clay Tools, an introduction to raku, pit firing employment for hours exceeding Brushes, DVD’s, Glazes, Technique and paper kiln. Details: +30 (2310) Tom Turner’s Pottery School. For de- trade agreement. For information Workshops, Kiln Plans, Recipes…and 450451; [email protected]; tails, see www.tomturnerporcelain.com; contact Jeff at (727) 323-2787 or more! NEW! Online Gallery Store. See www.hectormavridis.com. or call (828) 689-9430. [email protected]. us on Facebook and YouTube.

78 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org GLAZECAL. Performs 16,000 glaze kitchen. Rent: $250/month. Midwest Master Kiln Builders. 26+ years groups using local interpreters and calculations in just seconds! A conver- Clay Guild, Evanston, IL. Email experience designing and building experts. Denys James, Canada. (250) sion chart to calculate glaze recipe per- [email protected] or call beautiful, safe, custom kilns for uni- 537-4906. www.denysjames.com; centages into the correct gram weight. (847) 475-9697. versities, colleges, high schools, art [email protected]. Portable. FOR ALL SKILL LEVELS. centers and private clients. Soda/salt MSRP $37.99. Visit www.GlazeCal.com. Vacation in Southwest Florida with kilns, wood kilns, raku kilns, stoneware CRETE, GREECE 2012 Ceramics Distributors Wanted. a ceramics studio at your door- kilns, sculpture burnout kilns, car kilns Excursion, October 8–23. Explore step. Two bedroom, one bathroom and specialty electric kilns. Competi- Minoan sites and museum collections, pubs/videos canal front villa in Bonita Springs, tive prices. Donovan. Phone/fax (612) hands-on in ancient pottery village FL. Rents weekly or monthly. Get 250-6208. with Giorgos Dalamvelas and Denys PotteryVideos.com–DVD’s with warm, relax, and make some awesome James. History, architecture, stunning Robin Hopper, Gordon Hutch- art. Studio includes two wheels and a Custom Ceramic Molds – For nearly nature, and splendid cuisine. Register ens and Graham Sheehan. Vid- kiln. www.ThisSideRetreat.com. 20 years, Petro Mold Company has by April 1 and save $100. Discovery eo Workshops for Potters at all been designing molds for some of the Art Travel; www.denysjames.com; levels of experience. 21 titles; (800) services world’s most renowned ceramic artists (250) 537-4906. 668-8040; www.potteryvideos.com; and potters. Our innovative molds will offers [email protected] Ceramics Consulting Services help you improve productivity with MOROCCO 2012 Ceramics Excur- technical information and practical your popular designs. We set the sion, November 5–26. Studio visits, 4-disc advice on clay/glaze/kiln faults and cor- Tom Turner’s 2-day workshop, highest American quality standards adobe architecture, tile art, Roman DVD set. To order, see www.tomturner- rections, slip casting, clay body/glaze with our sculpting, mold manufactur- mosaics, traditional and contemporary porcelain.com; or call (828) 689-9430. formulas, salt glazing, product design. ing and design services. Visit us today ceramics, fabrics, a camel ride in Call or write for details. Jeff Zamek, 6 at www.custommolds.net or (800) the desert, and much more. Includ- real estate Glendale Woods Dr., Southampton, MA 404-5521. ing Fez, Chefchaouen, Essaouira, 01073; (413) 527-7337; e-mail fixpots@ 430+ sq.ft, Skutt Volubilis, Marrakech, Zagora, Meknes, Ceramics Studio, aol.com; or www.jeffzamek.com. Production Kiln 1227PK, Envirovent 2, Model, mold, and dies for ce- Rabat, Casablanca. Register by April Brent Wheel, other studio equipment Over 35 years industri- 1 and save $100. Denys James; Kansas City’s ramics. and supplies, and Home, 2 BR, 2 BA, CRANE YARD CLAY, al experience. Small production www.discoveryarttravel.com; (250) newest wholesale/retail ceramics 1500 sq. ft. contemporary ranch on runs available. Free estimates at 537-4906. and pottery supply business. Call 1.84 acres in hardwood forest, wood [email protected]; (717) (855) 4-KC-Clay or e-mail us at floors and Lucid Lighting fixtures 677-6882. Charlie Galusha, 749 Mount MYANMAR (BURMA) 2013 Ceramics [email protected] to place your order. Go back throughout. Located in Chapel Hill, Tabor Rd., Gardners, PA. Excursion, January 14–30. More information at www.KCClay.com. in time…experience ancient pottery NC. $260,000. [email protected] or making and firing in traditional villages. (919) 259-5662. travel MOLDS, Boston Area. We make slip Slow boat trip down the Ayeyarwady rentals casting, as well as Ram press dies. We OVERSEAS CERAMIC WORK- River from Mandalay to ancient can help turn your line into a profitable SHOPS & TOURS WITH DISCOV- Bagan; Golden Shwedagon temple Studio Space for Rent. Facilities product. Any size project is welcome. ERY ART TRAVEL—MYANMAR in Yangon; optional beach holiday. include: Bailey gas kiln, electric kilns, Call (508) 255-7031 or email honey- (BURMA), CRETE/GREECE, MO- Denys James, Discovery Art Travel. slab roller, extruder, glazes, glaze [email protected]. ROCCO. Small, culturally sensitive www.denysjames.com. index to advertisers

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www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2012 79 SPOTlighT fragile function Most of us cringe at the thought of breaking a ceramic piece, but Boaz and Mey Kahn the collaborating couple of StudioKahn, do it on purpose—and their customers think it’s genius.

Ceramics Monthly: StudioKahn: How did you arrive We met in at the concept of the industrial intentionally break- design depart- ing objects to make ment at Bezalel them functional? Academy of Art Jerusalem, in Israel. The Fragile collection, which we started when we were in the third year, was the first project we worked on together. Our inspiration for this project 2 comes from different cultures where there is a mix of destruction and joy. 1 Fragile Salt and Pepper Set; The idea for the object that has to be pepper shaker just after being broken in order to be used was born broken apart from salt shaker, with from thinking about the following unbroken sets in the background. questions: What is true hospitality? 2 Instructional diagram for the salt What is a real gift? Can my guest and pepper shakers. 3 Fragile feel more at home if I let him break Link Necklace; made as one something, and then does it become piece, then broken into links and his? The idea evolved into works that worn on a gold chain. 4 Fragile Heart Pendant; once broken, encompass both destruction and const- a gold chain is exposed, then ruction, the broken that is also whole. 1 the two halves connect with a The project began right after our magnetic clasp forming a heart. wedding when Boaz broke the wine glass (a tradition in Jewish wedding CM: What special SK: Each product begins For the salt and pepper shakers, we mold each ceremonies). Because we live together, we also considerations are as an idea in our minds, shaker from a plaster form, smooth it after it think together, so it’s easy for us to agree and involved in your then turns into sketches dries, then fire it to 1000°C (1832°F). After the to follow each other’s thoughts. It is difficult making process? in our notebook. For the first firing, we dip each piece in glaze then fire to recall how our works were created—who next step, we plan the it to 1050°C (1922°F). The last step is to put our thought about what and who led where. Our model using 3D computer software. Then we little golden logo decal on each shaker’s bottom work is done in a very emotional, shared, and “print out” this model in a 3D rapid prototyping and fire it one last time to 800°C (1472°F). passionate way. printer and prepare many plaster forms from it. CM: How do custom- SK: People who ers respond to the come across our Fragile collection? products always react emotionally and surprised. We often get comments like, “It’s genius!” People who break the objects often say they have experienced an outburst of laughter or release as they broke it. Most people feel that the product is very suitable as a gift and they immediately find someone to purchase it for. To learn more, visit www.studiokahn.com.

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80 march 2012 www.ceramicsmonthly.org See you at NCECA March 28th-30th in Seattle See Tom and the new kiln at the Skutt Booth at NCECA Front Loader

Get a peek at Tom’s new glazes and see what he has to say about Skutt’s New Frontloading Kiln at skutt.com

Artist: Tom Turner Photos: Gary Rawlins

For more information on Skutt Kilns or to find a distributor, visit us at www.skutt.com or call us directly at 503.774.6000

tom Turner Rough Draft4.indd 1 1/27/12 1:45:24 PM