contemporary pottery, ancient techniques
The Work
Creating the elegant, primitive pots that you see in the gallery is a labour of love, and patience that may transcend sanity at times. But it is the patient type of work that consumes you, and hours fly by while you are lost in the precision. If only one thing separates hand-formed, classic pots, precision would be the correct definition.
You can see photos and explanations of the methods used to create the pots in the techniques section. Each pot is formed by hand, starting with a small form, and growing as coils are added and smoothed. The pot is then scraped to thin and smooth, sanded, burnished to provide the shine, and only then carved or painted. All pots are fired in a bonfire.
No
two pots can be the same - it is statistically impossible. I've tried
to closely duplicate a shape I liked very well, and the clay teaches me
a lesson every time. I can choose the size (sometimes), and perhaps the
shape of the shoulder, the size of the opening. But when I really want
to enjoy my time with the clay, I check my great thinking power at the
studio door, and let my hands and the clay take the lead.
Through the building, and finishing, your hands have memorized every curve of a pot. By the time it is ready for painting or carving the designs present themselves nearly automatically.
Painting is done with specially collected oxide-based paints that will resist the smoke more than the surrounding pots, and provide a duller black to contrast with the shiny surface. A specially made brush, shown below, created with fine human hair, creates the ultra-fine lines of the patterns.
Carving is done with a pointed stick, scraffigo tool, and occasionally, a pendant drill (similar to a Dremel tool, often used in jewelry making). As the carving is completed when the pot is green, or unfired, caution is always required to prevent bursting through the wall of the pot.
In
fact, there are several places in the process to lose a pot. You can scrape
through the side, sand through the side, collapse a wall when burnishing,
or poke through with a carving tool. And that's all before you put an
extremely delicate form into a bonfire. Yes, you can lose them there,
too. Blowing out the bottom of a pot is a favourite trick of mine. I add
extra clay at the bottom of a pot to help make the narrow bottoms more
stable, and that can add stress in the fire.
Care of pots
Once they are fired, black-fired pots are much stronger, but they are still delicate. The clay does not become vitrified in the bonfire, which means it is not as strong as dinnerware, for example. It is also not water tight. Water will not harm the pot, but it will run through the sides. If you wish to use a black-fire pot as a vase, you must place a watertight vessel inside.
Pit-fired, or the coloured pots are much stronger. Because they are exposed directly to the fire, they are usually fired to a low-fire point in a kiln. This helps to make them better able to withstand bumps and bangs than a black-fire pot, but they are not expected to hold water either.
Cleaning
Black pots can be kept at peak beauty with a simple dusting, or washing with a gentle detergent and warm water. Buff with a soft cloth to restore the shine Black pots with carved designs may also have a thin layer of a beeswax based cream applied before buffing. DO NOT use any polishing agent on a painted black pot. The design depends fully on the contrast between the matte paint and shiny surface. Applying polish will shine the matte area and reduce the contrast.
Pit fired pots can be cleaned in the same way, applying a beeswax based polish or cream and buffing with a soft cloth.
