My Blog

Newest Work

Tue, 21 Jul 2009 14:27:49 -0500

I am finally updating the gallery with a few new works. Updated are the colors and slight adjustments to the form. This last batch of work comprises 2 weeks in the studio this summer. Busy with my move and the undertaking of a new teaching job in Topeka, I have had little time to work on ceramics. I look to put together more work for a show in the spring. AS of now, I am still putting focus on preparing for the upcoming school year.
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Colorware Test Results

Sun, 3 May 2009 10:38:45 -0500

It was about a month ago when I did my last glaze test to see if I could eliminate crazing while keeping the beautiful color results that my base glaze and mason stains were providing. After a brief discussion with Bob Donaghy from Aardvark Clay and Supplies in Las Vegas, I have quickly and easily solved the crazing problem. I tested the clear and celadon mixtures, which were crazing heavily, with added amounts of silica to the base glaze formula at 10, 20 and 30 percent. The results were a success. All three tested negative for crazing ;). I witnessed the same success in the celadon tests too. Lucky for me, my crazing problem was easy to fix. According to an article by that was given to me by Mr. Donaghy, the further apart the crazing marks are, the easier it is to rectify the glaze fit with the clay body. Two solutions were given that would help eliminate the problem. The first, as mentioned above, was to increase the amount of silica in the glaze. The second was to hold the kiln at a maturing temperature longer. I can now move forward testing various combinations of mason stains to provide subtle nuances to meet my glaze color needs The above picture shows my latest test with a few new Mason Stains. I am really excited about the Turquoise Blue (middle), Mason Stain # 6364 and the Orange, Mason Stain # 6024. Both offer a beautiful color, fit and feel.

Pricing Information

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:01:22 -0500

I began this body of work about three months ago. Therefore, each piece represents a study of form and color and are not complete in execution. The process of creating each form involved the following; forming the desired shape on the pottery wheel, trimming the foot of the form, making and adding handles, spouts, lids and/or hand-carving the lip to reflect a desired shape, bisque firing (firing the clay to cone 04 - 1972 º F), cleaning and preparing each piece for glazing, mixing the desired color, applying the desired color using a spray application and firing the piece again at cone 6 - 2264 º F
If you are interested in purchasing a specific form or group of forms, contact me to discuss color options and pricing. Pricing will reflect the fact that each piece ordered will be hand-made and constructed with custom options. This will provide a piece that is unique and insure that each work is constructed and ready for use. Each purchase will come with a signed letter of authenticity. Below is a basic estimate of prices. Thank you for visiting to this website and I hope that you enjoy the enjoyed the work.

Colorware Show

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 09:09:27 -0500

I had a great time at the opening. My caterer did an excellent job. The food was delicious. It was nice to see the head of the mine take time to visit the opening. I am always happy with the support this community provides to its persons. I will be posting more pictures and further reactions of the show later. I am going to steal a famous quote from Disney stating, ‘We don’t make movies to make money. We make money to make more movies’. I have applied this ideology to the making of my own work. I do sell my work and make money from the proceeds. This funds my desire to research further the making of ceramics and promotes the development of ideas new and old.

New Glazes

Fri, 6 Mar 2009 09:06:41 -0600

This image displays a ceramic surface using ‘Shell Pink, 6000 ’ Mason Stain added as a colorant to the base glaze. This glaze exhibits a soft and smooth surface with with a subtle opacity breaking nicely on all edges when applied medium or thick. If applied to thin, color begins to dissipate. The contrast of the ‘Shell Pink’ colored ware, when combined with the bright chartreuse colored ware is spectacular. Note to self: This ‘Shell Pink, 6000’ glaze would look really good on a flamingo, which I am not even going to attempt. I also made another interesting discovery using the ‘Tangerine, 6027’ Mason Stain with the accidental addition of ‘Delphinium, 6308’ Mason Stain. The color, a Calamata olive, when applied too thick, does begin to pinhole and lose its translucency. This can be seen on the large lidded bowl w/ green stand in the gallery. I believe reducing the amount of ‘Tangerine, 6027’ and ‘Delphinium’ by half would alleviate the pinholes and translucency problem. The ‘Lobster, 6026’ Encapsulated Mason Stain that I am testing should be applied thin to medium for best results, Like the Tangerine/Delphinium glaze, it too can pinhole and lose translucency in high concentrations of the Mason Stain. Reducing the percentage of ‘Lobster, 6206’ Mason Stain in the glaze may rectify this problem. Results are posted in the gallery.

Glaze Fit 2

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 08:49:25 -0600

The results of my test are as follows; I added 18 percent Gerstley Borate to the base, reducing the 58 percent NC-4 to 40 percent. The result was a green celadon as seen in the image above. The crazing problem from the base mixture was eliminated. I believe both the color and the elimination of crazing are a result of the boric oxide in Gerstley Borate. This Boric Oxide aids in lowering the rate at which a glaze expands during firing. The downside, is it functions as a flux. I would like to keep the glaze off my shelves. Since Boric oxide intensifies the effect of coloring, this may be forcing the Copper Carbonate to trend towards green and less towards blue.

I will test the Gerstley Borate solution further using lower percentages in my next firing to see if I can bring back the blue celadon color while reducing the crazing that was occurring in the base model. I may also test various frits, Pemco 54 and Ferro 3134 which also act as a vehicle for Boric oxide. One more solution would be adding a Zirconium opacifier. since it has a low rate of thermal expansion. Since my base is transparent, I would need to keep it under 5 percent to minimize opacity. A lot of experiments will be approached in the coming weeks.

Glaze Fit

Mon, 2 Mar 2009 08:30:55 -0600

I am now experimenting with various amounts of Gerstley Borate in place of NC-4 to reduce the crazing that has been effecting the white and celadon color glaze fit. I have found that when using 5+ percent Mason stains, there is not a problem with glaze fit. I am using a Cone 6 Nara porcelain from Aardvark clay out of California. I love the body and it produces beautiful results. I will not try to adjust or change my clay body at this time. I will list my glaze tests and results on the next entry. The image above, we can see heavy crazing and a turquoise color with a blue tint.