Knowing
ceramic glazes is just like knowing people. I guess that you have a friend, a
boyfriend, a girlfriend, a wife or a husband or somebody else in your life that
you think you know really well. You may live with this person for twenty years
and you may be acquainted with all his or her habits, affections, moods and dreams.
And then one day, out of nowhere, the person you know so well does something
you didn’t expect. When this happens, you might be nicely surprised or you may
lose the grounding, you might even be disappointed or frustrated.
That is
exactly what happened to me a few weeks ago. I made a lot of pots with
anthracite clay body which I use regularly. I like to glaze these pots with a
green glaze because the combination is just great. Also, this glaze needs some
darker underground to come to its full beauty. As you might know, the background
plays a significant role for the final look of the glaze. You can achieve
different results if you use the same glaze on different clay bodies. This particular
green glaze looks too undefined and too swampy if it is glazed on white clay or
porcelain. This is the reason I use it only for the red and anthracite clay.
The
combination of a grey clay and a green glaze worked great for a decade. And
then one day, out of a clear sky (and few weeks before my exhibition!) I was
shocked to get this:
I still cannot
explain what happened. I applied the glaze as thick as always. I fired the kiln
at the same temperature as always. I was speechless: this is the glaze I
thought to know so well. This is the glaze that never had let me down. So all I
can say is that I will never again take my glazes for granted. I guess I should
do the same with people around me….
