Spotlight: Nick Joerling shifts gears Techno File - Ceramic Arts Daily

Spotlight: Nick Joerling shifts gears 

Techno File: The forms and uses of iron 

Profile: Eric Knoche’s multipart constructions 

Glaze: Many ways to get bubbly lava glazes

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 1

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contents 

march 2011 volume 59, number 3 


22 

editorial 

10 From the Editor Sherman Hall 

12 letters 

techno file 

14 All About Iron by John Britt 

Iron can be many things—many of which are not brown. 

tips and tools 

16 Rolling Reclaim by Donna Jones 

Saving clay and saving space are both great ideas. 

exposure 

18 Current Exhibitions 

glaze 

50 Silicon Carbide: the Stuff of Stars by Mark Chatterley 

For those of you who don’t think bubbles and craters are glaze flaws. 

reviews 

58 Embracing Personal Expressions 

in Contemporary Japanese tea Wares 

Exhibitions at Musee Tomo in Tokyo and the Craft Gallery in the National 

Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. Reviewed by Naomi Tsukamoto 

60 A System of Generosity: John GradeÕ s Circuit 

at Davidson Galleries in Seattle, Washington, and Cynthia Reeves Gallery 

in New York City. Reviewed by Ben Waterman 

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 nick Joerling Shifts Gears 

Why would someone change what is arguably a very successful, 

established body of work in order to move in another direction?

clay culture 

26 one hundred Jars 

Daniel Johnston’s 90-cubic-foot kiln transformed 11,000 pounds of clay, 25 gallons of 

glaze and slip, 30 cords of wood, and 800 pounds of salt into 100 large glazed jars— 

for just one sale. 

28 low high-tech 

As it turns out, clay (specifically porcelain) is the perfect material for making a 

gramophone that amplifies your iPod. 

30 Pots in Action 

Making a living from your work not only takes tremendous skill but also creative 

marketing. Ayumi Horie has embraced elements of social networking to build a record 

of off-the-cuff action shots of her work. The result is both humorous and smart. 

32 the Periodic table of Videos 

Science videos featuring common elements that are also near and dear to our studios, 

which discuss their various properties as they relate to everyday life, or life in the lab. 

studio visit 

34 lorna meaden, Durango, Colorado 

How one potter scraped and planned and labored to carve out a life making pots. 

features 

38 An Unsaid Quality by Janet Koplos 

A retrospective exhibition of Toshiko Takaezu’s work prompts this discussion of the 

relationship between depth and brevity, stillness and meaning. 

44 minkyu lee: hidden Structure Revealed by David Damkoehler 

A ceramic sculptor focuses on defining the parts of his work that are not actually 

there, encouraging viewers to complete the work in their minds. 

48 mFA Factor: University of South Carolina 

A three-year program with teaching assistant opportunities as well as job placement. 

52 Eric Knoche: Points of Connection by Katey Schultz 

What might seem like separate bodies of work to the casual observer actually 

form a consistent pursuit of ideas and expression for this potter and sculptor. 

monthly methods Buried in Fire by Eric Knoche 

57 Paul Soldner, 1921Ð2 010 by Doug Casebeer 

One of the great pioneers of modern studio practice and ceramic exploration, 

and arguably one of the most well-respected and well-known ceramics teachers 

of our time, leaves a legacy of individuality, freedom of creative exploration, and 

artistic honesty. 

cover: Compound pocket vase, 12 in. (30 cm) in height, 

thrown and altered stoneware with resist glaze decoration, 

by Nick Joerling, Penland, North Carolina; page 80. 

52 


from the editor 

respond to shall@ceramicsmonthly.org 

Well, here we are, folks, at the relaunch issue 

of Ceramics Monthly. Most of you know by 

now that we have been working on this for 

quite some time, and it would be redundant 

for me to list all of the things we have tweaked 

and shuffled in order to arrive here (you can 

read my letter from last month if you want 

the list), so I suggest you dive right 

in, flip through and have a good 

look. Honestly, anything I would 

have to say about the merits of this 

issue matters very little at this point. 

All the work has been done, the tests 

have been run, everything was formed, 

dried, glazed, and fired, and here we 

are at the unloading of the kiln: fingers 

crossed, held breath, slightly increased 

heart rate, feeling the lid hoping it’s 

just cool enough to open, peeking at 

the top shelf, telling ourselves not to 

jump to any conclusions, retracing 

all of our steps in loading, trying to 

keep our unrealistic expectations in 

check while still believing that this 

will be the one. 

Of course, like anyone who really 

knows how to have a good kiln opening, 

we’ve already opened the kiln, 

put the seconds back in the studio 

for reglazing, taken a hammer to the 

duds, and gathered what we think are 

the best mix of pieces and laid them 

out for the sale. Come on, it’s not a trick, it’s 

just good marketing—best foot forward and 

all that. We do this in the honest hope that 

you find that one piece you are looking for, 

even if you don’t know what it is yet. We hope 

that a few things may pleasantly surprise you, 

and make you look twice. And we understand 

that some of our work may not quite jive with 

your expectations or preferences, but we trust 

that you will let us know and tell us why. 

I suppose the difference here (aside from 

the most obvious differences between a kiln 

and a magazine) is that you’ve signed up for 

ten firings a year—so we will continue to test 

and tweak, like any good clay geek, adjusting 

and improving in small ways as we go. Heck, 


we even take the occasional commission, so 

let us know if you are looking for something 

specific. My email is right up there at the top 

of the page, just a click away. 

And for those of you who will look 

at what we are doing with an eye toward 

submitting content, our writing and photo- 

graphic guidelines have been updated, and 

we welcome ideas and pitches for articles, 

departments, topics, tips, glazes, exhibitions, 

artists, trends, or just interesting events and 

people that affect the culture of clay. Just go 

to www.ceramicsmonthly.org and click on the 

“Submit Content” link. 

As I’ve said before, and as you may have 

noticed from the volume number on the contents 

page, this is the 59th continuous year 

Ceramics Monthly has been in publication, 

and that is a lot of history and legacy that, if 

not respected, can push against a relaunch like 

this. So part of our process was to look back 

through the archives and track our history 

to make sure that, as we move forward into 

what CM will become, we respect and value 

the reasons we are where we are. And at the 

end of the day, those reasons all come down 

to you—I mean us—I mean people working 

in clay. I was a reader of CM long before I 

ever worked here. I think I may even have 

been a reader of CM before I worked in clay, 

When redesigning the content, as well as the look and feel, for the new Ceramics Monthly, we made sure 

to keep the history and legacy of the publication in mind—all the way back to the first issue in 1953. 

Turns out, people have been smart about clay for a long time! 

thanks to my high school art teacher having 

it around the classroom. So, of course I think 

we have arrived at a wonderful combination 

of what has always been good about CM and 

what it can be moving forward, but I’ll say 

again that this will only be true if you play 

your part in this dialog. Those of us here on 

staff have begun the process—we’ve laid out 

the results from the first firing—and we now 

await our critique.


letters 

email editorial@ceramicsmonthly.org 

New Format and Changes 

I am looking forward to the new format. 

So far, you’re doing a great job with all the 

changes. I was one of those potters who used 

to just look at the pictures and did very little 

reading. Lately, I have been trying to read 

the entire magazine. Just having your picture 

on the editor’s page makes me feel like you’re 

talking directly to me, your reader. The flow 

of information from Internet to magazine has 

me feeling like I am totally connected to the 

ceramic information age. Good to have young 

people with such commitment to expanding 

our knowledge of ceramics. 

Fujie Robesky, Fresno, California 

Submerging 

I’ve been doing pottery as a hobbyist for about 

40 years. Professionally, I was an oncologist, 

and I came to pottery after treating a cancer 

patient who was a potter. I’ve always grown 

lots of potted plants and he faithfully brought 

me pots for my plants. After he was in remission, 

he said he had something for me in his 

truck. I pictured another beautiful pot, but 

what he showed me was a potter’s wheel. He 

said, “Doc, I’m tired of making pots for you; 

now you can make your own damned pots.” 

I have always enjoyed your magazine, and 

as I sat reviewing CMs from the past year, specifically 

the May issue and the Emerging Artist 

feature, I could not help but wonder how many 

“submerging” hobbyists are out there who have 

really nice work that might be presented in 

your magazine. Keep up the fine work. 

Thomas Sawyer, Orlando, Florida 

Variation, Please 

I think the Studio Visits are great. It gives the 

artist a chance to be published, but I think 

that the information should include more 

about technique and less about where they 

sell. Where they sell is always just about the 

same. There should be some interesting tips, 

like how they came to do this work, something 

that changed and called to them about 

their direction, special moments of discovery 

about technique. This should all go in the 


Mind section. I feel that the analysis should 

refer to the handmade work. It is great to see 

the work, but there should be some variation. 

Rebecca Fraser, Santa Barbara, California 

A Big Picture 

Reading January’s Comment “The Poetics of 

Analysis: Why It Is Important to Speak and 

Write About Your Work,” by Stanton Hunter, 

made me think of how tied we are to our 21st 

century culture and economy. When I was a 

student, my pottery teacher advised me to 

exaggerate some feature of my work—lid, 

knob, handle, curve—to set my work apart. 

He made it clear this was for creative effect, 

not usefulness. I consider now that his expectations 

may have been exceeded. 

We live in an era of unprecedented change, 

which we have an uncommon confidence in as 

progress. We consider ourselves better, stronger, 

more prosperous, and freer than those who 

have preceded us (and perhaps we are), but I 

am not convinced that we live better lives or 

see ourselves in the context of our surroundings 

any better than did previous generations. 

It seems our culture has forgotten that 

rules and boundaries exist, and that they exist 

outside the sphere of our interpretation, 

spin, and often our learning. Just because our 

work receives recognition or excellent reviews 

does not mean that the work itself is good or 

lasting. Perhaps it is only human nature that 

compels us to want to be thought of as rare, 

though rarely are we. 

One of the salient features of our culture is 

the ease with which we discredit and abandon 

tradition. But we Americans don’t have much 

of a tradition in clay to abandon. Our folk 

pottery tradition was relatively short lived 

compared to the Asian traditions cultivated 

over centuries. What we have abandoned are 

any traditions, Asian or Western. Old pots 

and old ways of working with clay stand 

against our conventional wisdom because 

they are impracticable. And so they are. 

The problem is that the great pots and 

great works in clay exist outside the bounds 

of our culture, its priorities, and our ways of 

working and living. They may come from 

cultures alien to ours, but the hard fact is they 

exist and endure not because of their antique 

value but because of their power to move and 

shape us. They continue to have a power to 

change our lives, and it is that kind of power 

I don’t see in much of the work produced 

by our high-speed petro culture. If what I 

am saying is true, then the question we have 

failed to ask ourselves is what constitutes this 

enduring power, where does it come from, 

and how do we acquire it? 

There are two things of which I am dead 

certain: that most of what is produced by potters 

and artists today is an accurate reflection 

of current culture and economy; and that, 

were the economy to change, our culture 

would change and our work would reflect that 

change. Consider that we are free, fed, and 

mobile in ways that no other generation could 

have imagined, and those external forces have 

shaped us and our work. Attendant with this 

wealth and leisure is the ability to make, own, 

use, and appreciate work that is significantly 

removed from our predecessors’ understanding 

of beauty or functionality. It is important 

to remember that this too shall pass, and that 

we and our work will soon enough be artifacts 

and antiques. That does not mean that what 

we do is unimportant, but an accurate sense 

of proportion tends to curb an exaggerated 

sense of self worth. 

If I am advocating for anything it is simply 

rest, a bit of peaceful introspection, and 

perhaps restraint. If I am advocating against 

anything it is the rigid lock step of a culture 

that may well be running out of gas. 

Ron Newsome, Wadley, Alabama 

Corrections 

On page 55 of the December issue, we listed 

Jill Rowan’s Resist, Exist, Force as 9 inches in 

height, when it is actually 9 feet in height. 

On page 59 of the January issue, we 

published an incorrect website for Andrew 

Martin. The correct web address is 

www.martinporcelain.com. 

Sincere apologies for the mistakes.—Eds.


techno fIle 

all about iron by John Britt 

Iron is everywhere in many different forms, but that doesnÕ t mean it has to be boringÑ or even brown. 

Defining the Terms 

Iron—The fourth most common element in the earth’s crust and the 

most common element (in terms of mass) on the planet, comprising 

35% of the earth’s core. 

Melting Point: 2795°F (1535°C ) 

Toxicity: Non-toxic 

Forms of Iron 

Iron oxide is the most common colorant in ceramics. It is so ubiquitous 

that it is very difficult to find a material without some iron—it’s found 

in almost everything from feldspars to kaolin to ball clays, earthenware 

clays, and many colorants. In fact, many materials require expensive 

processing to reduce the amount of iron to acceptable levels. 

Iron is a very active metal that combines easily with oxygen. That 

means it is very sensitive to oxidation and reduction atmospheres, 

producing a wide range of glaze colors and effects from off white, 

light blue, blue, blue-green, green, olive, amber, yellow, brown, 

russet, tea-dust, black, iron saturate, iron spangles, iron crystalline 

(goldstone/tiger’s eye), oil spot, hare’s fur, kaki (orange), leopard 

spotted kaki, tan, black seto, pigskin tenmoku, shino, gray (Hidashi), 

iridescent, silver, gold, etc. Iron also plays a major role in clay bodies, 

slips, terra sigillata, and flashing slips. 

There are three major forms of iron used in ceramics: red iron oxide 

(Fe203), black iron oxide (FeO or Fe3O4), and yellow iron oxide (FeO 

(OH)). There are different mesh sizes and grades, and each contains 

varying degrees of impurities that can make a significant difference 

in the results you get. 

The most interesting thing about iron is that it can act both as a 

refractory and a flux. As red iron oxide, Fe2O3, it is an amphoteric 

(refractory/stabilizer) similar in structure to alumina (Al2O3). But if it is 

reduced to black iron oxide (FeO) it acts as a flux similar in structure 

to calcium oxide (CaO). What this means is that a tenmoku glaze 

with 10% red iron oxide will be a stiff black glaze if fired in oxidation 

because the iron oxide acts as a refractory. But, if the same glaze is 

fired in reduction that 10% Fe2O3 will be reduced to FeO, changing it 

to a flux, which will make it a glossy brown/black glaze that may run. 

Another interesting property of iron oxide is that if it is fired in 

oxidation it will remain Fe2O3 until it reaches approximately 2250°F 

(approximately cone 8) where it will then reduce thermally to Fe3O4 

on its way to becoming FeO. The complex iron oxide molecule simply 

cannot maintain its state at those temperatures. This results in the 

release of an oxygen atom that will bubble to the surface of the hot 

glaze and pull a bit of iron with it. When it reaches the surface the 

oxygen releases the iron as it leaves the glaze, creating spots with 

greater concentrations of iron oxide. This is what creates an oil spot 

glaze. This reaction can easily be seen through the spy hole of a kiln 

or with draw tiles. There is an obvious and unmistakable bubbling. 

If heated further, these spots begin to melt and run down the pot, 

creating a distinctive “hare’s fur” effect. 

Have a technical topic you want explored further in Techno File? 

Send us your ideas at editorial@ceramicsmonthly.org. 


Iron Glazes 

It would be impossible to show all iron glazes in this article but 

highlighting a few will give you a glimpse of the wide variety. 

ron roy BlaCk 

Cone 6 

Talc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3% 

Whiting ....................... 6 

Ferro Frit 3134 ..................26 

F-4 Feldspar ....................21 

EPK Kaolin .....................17 

Silica .........................27 

100 % 

Add: Cobalt Carbonate ............ 1% 

Red Iron Oxide ............... 9% 

Fake ash 

Cone 6 reduction 

Bone Ash .................... 5.0% 

Dolomite .................... 24.5 

Gerstley Borate ............... 10.0 

Lithium Carbonate ............. 2.0 

Strontium Carbonate ........... 9.5 

Ball Clay ..................... 21.0 

Cedar Heights Red Art .......... 28.0 

100.0 % 

Chinese CraCkle (kuan) 

Cone 10 reduction 

Custer Feldspar ..................83% 

Whiting ....................... 9 

Silica ......................... 8 

100 % 

Add: Zircopax (optional) ........... 10% 

Adding small amounts of red iron oxide to 

this feldspathic base and firing in reduction 

will result in the following: 

Blue Celadon: 0.5%–1.0% 

Blue–Green: 1–2% 

Olive to Amber: 3–4% 

Tenmoku: 5–9% 

Iron Saturate: 10–20% 

ketChup red (Jayne shatz) 

Cone 6 oxidation 

Gerstly Borate ...................31% 

Talc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 

Custer Feldspar ..................20 

EPK Kaolin ..................... 5 

Silica .........................30 

100 % 

Add: Spanish Red Iron Oxide. . . . . . . . 15% 

Works best on dark colored stoneware. If used 

on a buff clay body, the red is less intense.

Sources of Iron 

Form Chemical 

name 

red iron oxide Fe2O3 

ferric iron, 

Hematite 

Black iron oxide FeO 

ferrous 

oxide, 

wustite 

Yellow Iron Oxide FeO (OH) 

ferric oxide 

hydrate, 

Geothite 

umber, Burnt 

umber 

sienna, Burnt 

sienna 

*Synthetic and Spanish Varieties 

Synthetic Red Iron is produced by calcining black iron oxide particles in an 

oxidation atmosphere. They are then jet milled, which produces “micronized” 

red iron oxide particles that are approximately 325 mesh. This type of red 

iron is very heat stable (up to 1832°F (1000°C). This differs from black iron 

oxide, which changes color at 365°F (180°C) from black to brown to red as it 

oxidizes. The color of red iron oxide changes from light pinkish to red to dark 

purplish red as the particle size increases. 

Characteristics Most Common use 

Most common form of iron and is a finely ground material 

that disperses well in glaze slurries, contains 69.9% Fe in 

the chemical formula, sold as: 

• Natural Red Iron Oxide or Brown 521 (85% purity) 

• Spanish Red Iron Oxide* (83–88% purity ) 

• Synthetic Red Iron Oxide* (High Purity Red Iron or Red 

4284) (96–99% purity). Very fine 325 mesh. Sometimes 

sold as the brand name Crocus Martis or Iron Precipitate. 

Strongest form of iron, containing 72.3% Fe in the 

chemical FeO, sold as: 

• Natural Black Iron Oxide (85–95% purity) 100 mesh; is 

black in color and has a larger particle size. In glazes it’s 

prone to speckling but is easily eliminated by ball milling. 

• Synthetic Black Iron Oxide* (99% purity) 325 mesh 

Weakest form of iron, containing 62.9% Fe in the chemical 

formula, has a high LOI of 12%, sold as: 

• Synthetic Iron Oxide* (96% purity) 325 mesh 

• Yellow Ochre or Natural Yellow Iron Oxide (35% purity) 

contains impurities of calcium carbonate, silica, and 

sometimes manganese dioxide 

Calcined Umber which is a high-iron ochre material 

containing manganese 

Calcined Sienna, which is a high-iron ochre material with 

less manganese than umber 

iron Chromate Cr2FeO4 Contains chrome and iron oxide (ferric chromate); toxic— 

absorption, inhalation, and ingestion 

Ferric Chloride/ 

iron Chloride 

iron sulfate 

(Copperas) 

FeCl3 Water soluble metal salt; toxic—corrosive/caustic, affects 

liver, inhalation and ingestion 

FeSO4 Water soluble metal salt, soluble form of iron, (aka 

Crocus Martis) 

Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, terra sigillatas, 

and clay bodies, used to make celadons, tenmoku, 

kaki, iron saturates, etc. (more listed in the text on 

page 14) 

Normally used from 1–30% in glazes. 

Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, and terra 

sigillatas; used to make celadons, tenmoku, kaki, iron 

saturates, etc. 

Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, terra sigillatas, 

and clay bodies; used to make celadons, temmoku, 

kaki, iron saturates, etc.; sometimes yellow ochre is 

added to porcelain to make “dirty” porcelain (5–9%) 

Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, terra sigillatas 

or claybodies to make a range of reddish-brown 

colors; darker than sienna and ochre (yellow iron) 

Used to make browns in glazes, washes, slips, 

engobes, terra sigillatas or clay bodies 

Used to make dark colors in glazes, slips, engobes or 

clay bodies; can give gray, brown, and black; can give 

pink halos over tin white glazes 

Used in low-fire techniques, like pit firing, aluminum 

foil saggars, horse hair and raku techniques; also 

used in water coloring on porcelain techniques 

Salt used in water coloring on porcelain, raku, and 

low-fire soda 

iron phosphate FePO4 Rarely used but can be used to develop iron red 

colors; sometimes used instead of bone ash as a 

source of phosphate without the calcium in synthetic 

bone ash (TCP or tri-calcium phosphate) 

rutile (light, dark, 

and granular) 

illmenite (powdered 

and granular) 

TiO2 Most common natural ore of titanium, containing various 

impurities including iron ( up to 15%) 

FeTiO3 Naturally occurring ore containing iron and titanium, higher 

in iron than rutile (when 25% or more iron is present) 

iron Clays e.g., Redart, Albany slip, Alberta Slip, Barnard Slip (aka 

Blackbird Slip), Michigan slip, Lizella, laterite, and other 

assorted earthenware clays 

Magnetic iron 

oxide 

Fe3O4 

Magnetite 

Iron scale or iron spangles—coarse, hard particles that 

resist melting and chemical breakdown 

Used in glazes, washes, slips, engobes, and terra 

sigillatas to give yellows, tans, greens, blues, and 

milky, streaky, mottled textures; also used to produce 

crystalline glaze effects 

Commonly used to produce speckles in glazes or 

clay bodies 

Used in glazes, slip glazes, slips, engobes, terra 

sigillatas, and claybodies to make a range of reddishbrown 

colors 

Gives speckles in clay bodies and glazes 

Spanish red iron oxide is bacterially ingested iron oxide that is micronized. 

The Tierga mines in Spain found that their iron sulfide was inadequate for 

steel making (which accounts for 95% of the iron market). After some time 

a worker noticed that the iron in a pool of rain water turned a brighter shade 

of red after it was heated. This turned out to be caused by a bacterium, that 

uses iron sulfide as an energy source. The bacterium changes the state of the 

iron, which is then put into evaporative ponds where it forms green crystals. 

These are then roasted to produce Spanish red iron oxide. 


tIps and tools 

rolling reclaim by 

space is a valuable resource to most ceramic artists and that includes potters with a tiny space tucked in 

the basement, students with a single table and chair in a classroom, and community art centers like the 

one shown here. Reclaiming clay can take over these small spacesÑ but this can help. 

Utilize the space underneath your tables with a rolling 

reclaim table. The top surface of the table is made of a 

fiber cement backerboard typically used for tile installations, 

which is available at home stores. We use this for all our 

tables because it absorbs water, doesn’t warp, and can be 

scraped clean over and over with no damage to the surface. 

Make a simple frame with a few braces in between to 

support the weight of the heavy backerboard and clay, top 

with plywood then the cement board. When measuring for 

the frame, remember that it needs to fit easily between the 

legs of the table above plus allow some extra room for the 

casters to roll it into place. Use large casters as the table 

with wet clay will be quite heavy. Put sturdy drawer pull 

handles on the front to make it easy to pull the table out 

and push it back into place. The rolling table also doubles 

as a great work surface. 

Send your tip and tool ideas, along with plenty of images, to 

editorial@ceramicsmonthly.org. If we use your idea, you’ll 

receive a complimentary one-year subscription to CM! 


Donna Jones

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exposure 

for complete calendar listings 

see www.ceramicsmonthly.org 

1 Persian Jar, 14 in. (36 cm) in height, salt 

glazed, 2002. 2 Flattened bottle, 6 in. (15 cm) 

in height, reduction fired, 1977. 3 Two round 

cups, seedpod motif and fish motif, each 

4 in. (10 cm) in height, 1992. All works by 

Michael Simon. “Michael Simon” at Northern 

Clay Center (www.northernclaycenter.org), in 

Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 12–May 1. 


1 

3 

2

1 

4 

1 Wayne Branum’s covered jar, 

9 in. (23 cm) in height, cone 1 red 

clay, white slip with Newman red terra 

sigillata, electric fired, 2010. 2 Mark 

Pharis’ stacked plates, earthenware, 

2010. 3 Sandy Simon’s cream and 

sugar, each 3½ in. (9 cm) in diameter, 

nichrome wire, clear glaze, porcelain, 

reed, “lucky” seed from the Amazon, 

2010. 4 Randy Johnston’s tray, 17½ in. 

(44.5 cm) in length, stoneware, black 

and white slip trailing, wood fired, 

2010. “Classmates” at Northern Clay 

Center (www.northernclaycenter.org), in 

Minneapolis, Minnesota, March 12–May 1. 

www.ceramicsmonthly.org march 2011 19 

2 

3

exposure 

Left: Steven Godfrey’s Talking 

Cardinal Urn, 9 in. (23 cm) in 

height, porcelain, glaze, 2010. 

Right: Andy Shaw’s place 

setting, largest plate is 12 

in. (30 cm) in diameter, 

porcelain, glaze, 2010. 

“Steven Godfrey and Andy 

Shaw,” at Santa Fe Clay 

(www.santafeclay.com), in 

Santa Fe, New Mexico, 

March 4–April 9. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

1 Valerie Zimany’s Mori Mori 

Tenko Mori (detail), 5 ft. 

(1.5 m) in length installed, 

wheel-thrown and slip-cast 

porcelain, glazes, 2009. 2 

Peter Morgan’s Voracious 

Wombat, 8 ft. (2.4 m) in 

length installed, ceramic 

and mixed media, 2009. 3 

Blake Williams’ Four Hundred 

Square Inches of Orange, 

15 ft. 1 in. (4.6 m) in length 

installed, porcelain slip-cast 

doe skulls, reflective tape, 

reflective tacks, 2008. 4 Haejung 

Lee’s Hope, 9 ft. (2.7 

m) in height, cast porcelain 

and mixed media, 2009. 

5 Daniel Bare’s Re/Claim; 

Cascade, 18 in. (46 cm) in 

height, post-consumer found 

objects, porcelain, glaze, 

2010. “Method: Multiple” 

at C. Emerson Fine Arts 

(www.c-emersonfinearts.com), 

in St. Petersburg, Florida, 

March 29–April 2.


exposure 

1 Ayano Ohmi’s Gate II, side view 52½ in. (1.3 m), earthenware, iron oxide, 

2010. “Ayano Ohmi Sculpture” at Ceres Gallery (www.ceresgallery.org) in 

New York, New York, March 1–March 26. 2 Derek Weisberg’s Ghosts Waltz 

Behind Our Backs, 26 in. (66 cm) in height, ceramic, 2010. Photo: Ira Schrank. 

“Auroral Dreaming” at Anno Domini Gallery (www.galleryad.com), in San Jose, 

California, through March 19. 3 H.P. Bloomer’s bowl, 10 in. (25 cm) in length, 

porcelain, soda-fired, 2010. 4 Chandra DeBuse’s Berry Bowl with Golden 

Spoon, 8 in. (20 cm) in length, porcelaneous stoneware, luster, 2010. 5 

Ross Hilgers’ Iron Basin, 22 in. (56 cm) in height, clay, 2010. “Beyond the 

Brickyard Exhibition” at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts 

(www.archiebray.org) in Helena, Montana through April 2. 


1 

2 

4 

3 

5


exposure 

1 Tyler Lotz’s A Cold Ideal, 3 ft. 9 in. (1 m) in length installed, ceramic, acrylic, 

foam, steel, hardware, and epoxy, 2010. “Future Vestiges” at Elmhurst Art 

Museum (www.elmhurstartmuseum.org), in Elmhurst, Illinois through March 20. 

2 Pete Pinnell’s teapot, 8 in. (20 cm) in length, wheel-thrown and altered sodafired 

porcelain, brass handle. “Ceramics Visiting Artist Exhibition: Pete Pinnell” 

at Workhouse Arts Center (www.workhousearts.org), in Lorton, Virginia through 

March 27. 3 Suzuki Goro’s Patchwork Teabowl with Gold Inlay, 5½ in. (14 cm) 

in length, stoneware, 2010. 4 Shiro Tsujimura’s Kuro Hikidashi Chawan, 4½ 

in. (11 cm) in length, stoneware, 2010. 5 Koichiro Isezaki’s Green Chawan, 

5½ in. (14 cm) in length, stoneware with black slip, hikidashi (removed from 

kiln at peak temperature of 2282°F (1250°C)), 2010. “The Elusive Teabowl” 

at Lacoste Gallery (www.lacostegallery.com) in Concord, Massachusetts 

March 12–April 3. 6 Johannes Nagel’s Archetypes, 6 in. (15 cm) in length, cast 

and assembled porcelain, cobalt, gold, fired to 2282°F (1250°C) in oxidation 

2010. “Improvisorium” at Kunstforum Solothurn, (www.kunstforum.cc) in 

Solothurn, Switzerland through March 27. 


1 

6 

2 

3 

4 

5


clay culture 

one hundred jars 

In the November 2009 issue of CM, as well as on the cover, we 

included the work of Daniel Johnston. At the time, he was mid-way 

through a very ambitious project to make 100 large jars in his woodburning 

kiln in Seagrove, North Carolina. In October of 2010, the 

project came to fruition after five firings in his 90-cubic-foot kiln 

transformed 11,000 pounds of local clay, 25 gallons of glaze and 

slip, 30 cords of scrap wood, and 800 pounds of salt into 100 large 

glazed jars. The pots were numbered in the order of production from 

001 through 100. This numbering system allowed a clear tracking of 

the artistic evolution, demonstrating an exploration of form through 

extended production. 

This project, like many of its kind, percolated for a long time 

before it actually became reality, and was an amalgamation of ideas 

that sprouted from a wide sampling of Johnston’s artistic experiences. 

It was largely derived from Johnston’s experience living in Northeast 


All 100 jars sold in 17 minutes, and 

Johnston took orders for an additional 70. 

1 The line of jars stretched down the road to 

the pottery, and each customer was allowed 

in, one at at ime, to select the jar they wanted. 

2 This is the last kiln load of the five firings it 

took to make all 100 jars. 3 All 100 jars were 

set out in the yard prior to being moved to the 

road for their “lineup.”

1 

3 

Thailand in the village of Phon Bok, where he worked with Thai 

potters producing big jars on a large scale, but as we all know, making 

is one thing and selling is another. The jar project was intended 

to show how large pots can be produced in North Carolina using 

the South East Asian model. In this way, Johnston created a bit 

of a social experiment as well as an artistic and physical challenge. 

Would the pottery-buying public, even in a place with as rich a 

ceramic history as North Carolina, support pots that spring from 

a function that is rooted in a different culture (the water jars of 

Thailand)? The short answer: Yes. At 11am on October 22, 2010, 

all 100 jars sold in 17 minutes, and Johnston took orders for an 

additional 70 large jars. Here’s to more of the same, Daniel! 

To see more images of the project from start to finish, and to learn 

more about Daniel Johnston, go to www.danieljohnstonpottery.com. 


2

clay culture 

low high-tech by 


Peter Wray 

Ceramic Tech Today (www.ceramics.org/ceramictechtoday) brings us this intersection of art, sound, and science. 

I sense a trend emerging. Lately we’ve seen a growing number of ceramic speakers that 

evoke the Nipper side of the old RCA logo. Now its a pleasure to present a speaker 

that represents the other half. 

Science + Son (www.scienceandsons.com) has developed three generations 

of the Phonophone passive amplification speakers. Their 

website states that, “Through passive amplification alone, these 

unique pieces instantly transform any personal music player 

and earbuds into a sculptural audio console. 

“Without the use of external power or batteries, the 

Phonofone inventively exploits the virtues of horn 

acoustics to boost the audio output of standard 

earphones to up to 55 decibels (or roughly the 

maximum volume of laptop speakers). 

“Upon connecting active earphones to the 

Phonofone their trebly buzzing is instantly 

and profoundly transformed into a warm, 

rich, and resonant sound. 

“The Phonofone is constructed entirely 

from ceramic. Not only environmentally 

low impact, ceramics are inherently rigid 

and resonant, lending themselves well to 

this application.” 

The Phononphone II will 

work with just about any 

MP3 player. It stands 

20 in. (51 cm) in height, 

and sells for $600. The 

diagram to the right 

shows a little more 

about what’s going 

on acoustically.

The Florida Holocaust Museum Welcomes 

While attending the conference please visit 

Peace/War, Survival/Extinction: 

An Artist’s Plea for Sanity 

On view March 11, 2011 – May 30, 2011 

Artwork by ceramic sculptor Richard Notkin including 

finely-crafted teapots, a tile-mural, an installation and 

other objects. 

Symbol-rich sculptures provide a social commentary 

on the human condition, war, and man’s inhumanity to 

man while embracing a strong visual aesthetic. 

Open Daily - 10 am to 5 pm 

September 1st through May 31st - Thursday evenings until 8 pm 

Last admission is an hour and a half before closing 

55 Fifth Street South | St. Petersburg, Florida 33701 | 727.820.0100 

www.flholocaustmuseum.org 

Richard Notkin; “Heart Teapot: Hostage/Metamorphosis IV” 

Yixing Series (alternate view) 2006Stoneware, luster, 7” x 12 1/4” x 6” 

Media Sponsor: 

Proud Partner: 

Work by: 

Brendan Tang 

Ceramic Residencies and Workshops 

in CANADA’s newest studios. 

Application Deadline: April 15, 2011 

medalta.org/miair 


clay culture 

pots in action 

Making a living from your work not only takes tremendous skill but these days it demands some fairly 

creative marketing as well. ayumi Horie has done just that by bridging the typical website pot shot with 

the casual, off-the-cuff action shot seen on blogs or social networking sites. the result is both humorous 

and smart, not to mention a tour around globe looking at great pots. 

“Pots in Action began five years ago as a crowd-sourcing 

project designed to document where my handmade pots 

went after the studio and how people really use them,” 

says Horie. “I was tired of seeing pottery on neutral 

graded backgrounds; I wanted to see them sloppy with 

sauce or balanced on a car dashboard or in a dirty sink. 

The earliest pictures were strictly candid, but over time 

they shifted to more creative and orchestrated scenes 

where some people even took pots with them on vacations 

abroad. With the invention of Google maps, it got 

even better. I could plot pictures and users could then 

zoom in and out of cities, states, and countries, pinpointing 

geographically where a photographic moment in time 

occurred. The interactivity of Google Maps made the 

outreach of handmade pots feel even broader, because 

suddenly we could all identify the regional flavor of each 

image, on top of all its idiosyncrasies. Last summer, an 

online photo contest garnered more images for the community 

project and helped underscore how relevant and 

important handmade pots are to many people around 

the world.” 

Top: Interactive Google Map from Ayumi Horie’s Pots In 

Action series. To see all the images and to explore the map, 

go to www.ayumihorie.com. 

1 Christina Smeltz, Florida. 2 Collin Moses, Indiana. 

3 Jill Ward, British Columbia. 4 Steve Sharafian, California. 

5 Yulia Nikitina, Moscow. 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5

coda ad12111_Layout 1 1/31/11 10:25 PM Page 1 

CRAFT ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION PRESENTS 

2011 CODA LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE 

June 8-11, 2011 • Portland, Maine 

Connecting the Dots 

COLLABORATING...FUNDRAISING...TELLING YOUR STORY... 

Learn and network 

Hear from nationally recognized speakers, learn best 

practices, improve your organization's story and network 

with colleagues. Don't miss this opportunity for 

professional development and Maine lobster dinners! 

870.746.5159 • www.codacraft.org 

Hosted by The Maine Crafts Association 

Sponsors: Maine Arts Commission; Maine Dept. of Economic and Community 

Development ; Maine Office of Tourism; Maine Community Development Association; 

Handmade ® at the New York International Gift Fair ®; Saint Joseph's University; 

American Craft Council; The Crafts Report 


clay culture 

periodic table of videos 

The Periodoc Table of Videos is a project 

developed by the University of Nottingham 

in England. Several chemists host the videos, 

which look at each element on the periodic 

table, and discuss their various properties as 

they relate to everyday life, or life in the lab. 

Of particular interest to a ceramics audience 

are the videos featuring common elements 

that are also near and dear to our studios. 

From shells to stalactites to the White 

Cliffs of Dover, the video on calcium (Ca), 

one of the most common non-gaseous elements 

on earth, shows various examples of 

calcium carbonate (whiting). Professor Martyn Poliakoff, research 

professor of chemistry (that’s him at the top of the page), explains 

that calcium compounds are white because they have no free electrons 

to move between different energy levels, which is what produces 

the colors we see. Tiny crystals in the compounds scatter the 

light, making them appear white. When burned, however, calcium 

compounds produces a red flame. 

Magnesium (Mg) is the lightest, most easily used alkaline earth 

metal. We use magnesium carbonate as a flux in high-temperature 

glazes, and as a refractory or opacifier in low-temperature glazes. 

The fact that it is one of the lightest elements on the periodic table 

explains why it is so light and fluffy, and why a 50-pound bag of the 

stuff is so much larger than a 50-pound bag of other materials. When 

heated by Dr. Pete Licence, who does most of the more explosive 

demonstrations in the videos, it combusts and gives off a brilliant 

white light as it burns. This property made it useful as a component 

in some of the early flash bulbs for film cameras. 

Silicon (Si) which we use in the form of silica (silicon dioxide or 

SiO2) is most commonly found on earth as sand or in quartz. Prof. 

Poliakoff shows off a silicon wafer of single crystal silicon 20 cm in 

diameter with computer microchips built up or “grown” on top by 


layering different materials. Silicon is used because it 

is a semiconductor. After the chips are created, they’re 

cut from the wafer, and then tested before being used. 

Boron (B) is a metalloid, and has some properties of 

metal, and some properties of a non-metal. It’s commonly 

used in households. That box of 20 Mule Team Borax 

or Persil Laundry Detergent booster is a compound of 

perborate and silicate that when placed in 60°C water, 

forms hydrogen peroxide, which bleaches clothes. The 

experiment done by Dr. Debbie Kays shows that there’s 

an organic boron compound that, when burned, gives 

off a similar (though smaller) green flame to pentaborane, 

nicknamed the the green dragon, which was investigated 

in the ’50s as a rocket fuel. 

Zinc (Zn) is an abundant 

soft metal. We use 

it in oxide form as an 

auxiliary flux, but zinc is 

also found in high quality 

roofing material because 

it is slow to oxidize. Zinc 

is also essential to life in 

many ways. In fact, if you 

don’t have enough zinc in 

your body, you can’t smell 

things. Oh, and the chemists 

can’t help but show us 

that when it’s combined with certain other elements and set alight, 

it makes a fantastic show of popping, arcing sparks. 

Iron (Fe)—some of us in the ceramics world love it, some of 

us not so much, at least when it comes to having iron oxide in our 

otherwise perfectly white clay body. 

The chemists do an experiment involving iron to show what is 

called a thermite reaction (an oxidation/reduction reaction between 

a metallic oxide and a pure metal that produces an extreme amount 

of heat). They’re conducting the experiment outside, usually a clue 

that they anticipate a big bang or fire. Using iron oxide powder as the 

oxidizer, aluminum powder as the reducing agent, and a flowerpot 

on a stand as the crucible, Dr. Licence lights the heat source—a 

sparkler—and sets off the reaction shown in the image above. The 

result is the violent reduction of the iron oxide, with the aluminum 

metal stealing the oxygen to form aluminum oxide. The reaction is 

so hot that the side of the pot explodes off, and the iron melts into 

a molten mass of pure metal. 

To see the strength and power of a thermite reaction as elements 

fight for oxygen, or the sparks, fires, and mini explosions created during 

many experiments demonstrated, visit www.periodicvideos.com 

and click on each element’s symbol on the chart to watch the videos.


studio visit 

Lorna Meaden 

durango, Colorado 

Just the Facts 

Clay 

porcelain 

Primary forming method 

throwing on the wheel 

Primary firing temperature 

cone 10 reduction soda 

Favorite surface treatment 

slip inlay 

Favorite tools 

my newly built soda kiln 


Studio 

I have a new (finished just a year ago) studio that is 650 square feet, located on the property 

where I live. No matter how big it seemed when it was first built, it always seems like it 

could be bigger. 

After finishing graduate school in June of 2005, I spent three years doing residencies and 

teaching short-term adjunct positions. While back in Durango for a visit, unsure whether 

I would stay or not, an opportunity to buy a piece of property from a friend fell in my lap. 

While initially intimidated by what seemed apparently impossible, over several months and 

many long conversations with friends and family, I came up with a plan to “make it work,” 

and dove in. 

The property, where I have now lived for two and a half years, is three in-town lots with 

two small houses that were in need of a lot of work. With the help of my family, I got the 

larger of the two houses in rental condition, and the smaller house converted into a temporary 

combination of studio and living space. Over the following year, my brother and his 

friend built my new studio building that my father designed. After living and working in a 

450-square-foot space for a year and a half, I happily moved my workspace out of my house 

and into the 650-square-foot studio. It’s a two-story, barn-shaped building, and I love the 

rounded ceiling and the great view from the upstairs window.

I throw, assemble, and decorate in 

the upstairs space, and slip cast and glaze 

downstairs. One of the best things about 

my property is that I have room to grow. 

Years from now, I hope to build a house 

that I live in, and then make my little 

house where I currently live available for 

an apprentice. 

Adjacent to the studio building is a 

90-square-foot shed for tools, glaze chemicals, 

and my electric kiln. In between the two buildings is my new 

soda kiln that was built (with the help of generous friends) this past 

fall. The design of the kiln is based on the “little vic” kiln at Anderson 

Ranch Arts Center. It is a small boury-box style cross-draft kiln that 

can be fired with wood, natural gas, or oil. The kiln building project 

was funded through selling pots, and the small retirement fund I saved 

up and cashed in from teaching adjunct for three years. 

“The fact that I’m willing 

to live in such a small space 

helps. After all, doesn’t 

everyone dream of a studio 

bigger than their house?” 

When I finished graduate school 

almost six years ago, I never imagined 

I would be able to afford, maintain, or 

manifest a home and studio of my own, 

although that has always been my intention. 

Currently, my rental house helps 

financially sustain the property. The fact 

that I’m willing to live in such a small 

space helps. After all, doesn’t everyone 

dream of a studio bigger than their house? 

People often ask me, “Can you believe it? You are living the dream!” 

I do think I am very fortunate. This home and studio have already 

brought me so much happiness and stability, and I can only believe 

it because I had to work harder than I ever imagined I could in 

order to begin to see it materialize. I’ve always liked the saying, “the 

harder you work, the luckier you are,” and I have found that to be 

true in most things. 


Striped flask, tea set, and muffin 

pan, all thrown and altered 

porcelain, with inlaid slip, then 

glazed and fired to cone 10 in 

reduction with soda, by Lorna 

Meaden, Durango, Colorado. 

Paying Dues (and Bills) 

I learned to throw in high school, and went to get a bachelor of arts 

degree in art from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and 

then a master of fine arts degree in ceramics from Ohio University 

in Athens, Ohio. 

Though it varies widely, I spend about 40 hours per week in the 

studio. I teach one ceramics class, adjunct, at Fort Lewis College, 

and I travel to teach quite a few workshops a year. 

Mind 

The older I get, the more I feel like I need a balance in my life to 

be able to be creative. In other words, I am more productive in my 

studio if I am also getting enough sunshine, laughing hard with my 

friends, traveling outside the small town where I live, and exposing 

myself to places and things I’ve never seen before. 


Body 

I work out anywhere from three to five days a week. Exercise seems 

to be the only thing that wards off the pain of years of repetitive 

movement. I currently have no health insurance, but my goal is to 

get it within the next year. 

Marketing 

Currently, all of my work is sold through galleries. My goal is to sell 

half of my work through my studio and on my website. The advantages 

to gallery sales are the broader market they reach and the sales 

knowledge and experience of gallery owners. The disadvantages are 

packing and shipping the work and giving up a percentage of sales. 

I feel that all the traveling I do to teach workshops has been a 

great way to expand the market for my work. In the past, entering 

juried shows was a way that new galleries would see my work.

Above: There is nothing, of 

course, like building a kiln you 

have waited years to build. 

Meaden’s friends pitch in to 

help with the hard work. 

Right: detail of a cocktail 

pitcher (likely put into use 

directly after the kiln building). 

Below: Watering cans in 

progress on the second floor of 

the studio, where forming and 

some decorating take place. 

I know that the Internet is a valuable and powerful tool, but I 

don’t really like computers, and I especially don’t like spending my 

time sitting in front of, or staring at, one. I definitely participate in 

online sales, emailing, networking, etc.; however, my philosophy 

is that if making good work and keeping it interesting is my first 

priority, everything else will follow. 

Most Valuable Lesson 

Be resourceful and stay out of debt. Also, find a way to have enough 

concentrated work time without spending too much time alone. 

www.lornameaden.com www.redlodgeclaycenter.com 

www.archiebray.org/catalog www.ferringallery.com 

www.harveymeadows.com www.theclaystudio.org 


Above: Toshiko Takaezu surrounded by Moon Balls, 1979. Photographer unknown, Toshiko Takaezu 

Archives. Opposite: Three Tamarind Forms, to 35 in. (89 cm) in height, glazed stoneware. 


AN UNSAID 

QUAlIty 

BY Janet Koplos 

Janet Koplos 

Toshiko Takaezu is seen as a rather private person, 1 and she is known for workshops that 

rely on demonstration more than talk. She is reluctant to analyze her work, and she tends to 

speak in bursts of short sentences, as if the words had to pass some filter to be free. She was 

delighted when a young viewer said that her work spoke in the language of silence. 2 It may be 

that she has inherited the Japanese notion that brevity makes a thing or event more precious, 

for it seems that her hard-won words open doors to thinking both about her abstract ceramic 

sculptures and life in general. Consequently, “some see her as a kind of priestess of clay, a nun 

of earth and fire, a female monk,” the critic John Perreault has observed. 3 

Her work and career can be characterized by a number of contrasts or even paradoxes. 

A modest example: she is famous for her ceramic work but has remained interested in 

weaving and painting as well—mediums that are radically different in dimension and in 

process. More significant: her work is recognized for both subtlety and vividness in color 

and for both monumentality and intimacy in size. As she has become more reserved in 

person, she has made sound a part of many of her works, including bronze bells and closed 

ceramic forms that contain a wad of clay that clatters as they are moved. All these oppositions 

expand the impact of her work. 

Less happy, for the scholar and biographer at least, is the fact that although many qualities 

of her work are distinctive and it is immediately recognizable as hers, she has never dated 

or conscientiously documented her creations. Thus her works are more easily experienced 

individually than studied as a whole. 

That may be just fine with 

her, but her ceramic oeuvre is 

agonizingly amorphous for the 

curator or critic who wishes to 

track it. 

She made modest functional 

vessels first, moved 

into multi-spouted forms in 

the early 1950s, had closed 

some forms except for an air 

hole by the start of the 1960s, 

and then developed Moon pots 

(large spheres) as well as Forests 

(groups of cylindrical towers), 

and increasingly larger closed 

forms, some as much as 6 feet 

tall. The surprise is how varied 

they are despite the signature 


features by which we think we know her work: multiple necks, 

diminutive nipples, globe forms, upright monoliths, and above all, 

painterliness in the poured and brushed glazes. 

It is widely presumed that Takaezu’s work is influenced by 

Japanese art. Yet although she was born to Japanese immigrants 

and spoke only that language until she started school, her development 

as a young artist was all within the American culture of 

Hawai‘i, and she visited Japan for the first time only after she had 

left her home state and completed graduate school at the Cranbrook 

Academy of Art in Michigan. She said that any influence 

came from the culture in general, not specifically from Japanese 

ceramics. Still, seeing the importance of clay in Japan had to have 

reinforced her inclinations. And one can’t help but associate her 

laconic discussion of her work with the Japanese belief that the 

most profound things cannot be spoken. But it’s important not 

to exoticize her work. She should be recognized as an individual 

and original creator, the product of varied influences and her own 

distinctive ideas. 

Mentors 

Takaezu’s earliest work, like that of many students, shows similarities 

to the products of the teachers she admired and responded to. Her 

first significant teacher in ceramics was Claude Horan at the University 

of Hawai‘i at Manoa. His stoneware pots of the late 1940s, 

when Takaezu studied with him, are squat, robust, and stable. His 

Copper red closed form, 

7 in. (18 cm) in height, glazed 

porcelain, early 1990s. 


wide-ranging oeuvre included, interestingly, both closed forms 

and multi-spouted forms. 

As she grew serious about ceramics and decided that she needed 

to leave the islands to further her skills and knowledge, Takaezu 

came across images in a magazine of the work of Maija Grotell, 

the Finnish immigrant who had been teaching at the Cranbrook 

Academy of Art in Michigan since 1938. Grotell was esteemed for 

her mastery of wheel throwing, having arrived in the US at a time 

when the skill was uncommon among studio potters. Her forms, 

like Horan’s, were in the sturdy-and-resolute camp of the time 

(rather than, say, crusty or delicate). 

Takaezu’s work in graduate school and immediately thereafter 

certainly has similarities to Grotell’s. The fact that Takaezu responded 

to an image of Grotell’s work in the first place suggests 

that those forms inherently spoke to her, or for her, so that the 

similarities should not be ascribed simply to student copying, 

which Grotell forbade. 4 It’s likely that the two women simply spoke 

in the same formal language, despite their vastly different points of 

origin. (Curiously, Grotell may have influenced her in another way: 

Takaezu remembers her teacher’s resistance to idle talk and that she 

offered criticism only when asked. She says, “Maija didn’t say very 

much and what she didn’t say was as important as what she did say, 

once you realized that she was thoroughly aware of everything you 

did. The realization and acceptance of the rare wordless words in 

Maija’s teaching and being had a strong impact . . . .” 5 ) 

Early Career 

Multi-spouted vessels brought Takaezu early awards and attention. 

She was making them by 1953. In January 1955, when her work 

was first noted in the two-year-old Ceramics Monthly magazine, 

what was illustrated was a two-necked free-form bottle. It was 

part of a group of works that took the top award in an exhibition 

of Wisconsin “designer-craftsmen” (as ceramic artists were called 

in those days) at the Milwaukee Art Institute during her one-year 

teaching job as a sabbatical replacement at the University of 

Wisconsin, Madison. 

Multiplicity seems to have been an important part of her 

aesthetic then, perhaps not surprising for a middle child in a 

family of eleven children—she must have always had others 

around her. Moreover, as the progeny of a farming family, she 

would have been accustomed to harvests, to masses of things. 

And one might also speculate that great numbers would seem 

appropriate to a person from a tropical locale like Hawaii, 

where vegetation grows lushly, even overwhelmingly. While 

the nature of pottery itself leads to multiples, would she have 

worked so much with twinning, suggestions of cell division, 

or clusters of mouths had she come from a desert region or the 

vast open plains of the Midwest? 

Another series from this early period, called Tamarind, consists 

of three stacked and joined bulbous forms that echo in vastly 

greater scale the three-seed pods of the tropical tamarind tree. 

The base vessel tends to be slightly larger than those above it, and 

the top pot terminates in the small protrusion she calls a nipple,

which became a standard feature in later works. The Tamarind 

forms served as complex grounds for painting, featuring both 

undulating vertical lines that emphasize the overall elongation 

and patches of dark brushwork that emphasize the segmentation. 

The colors remain earthy. 

Teapot Variations 

One backstory of the multi-spouted vessels is that they evolved 

from her teapots. 6 She may not have been the first to develop 

spouts like this, but the idea took off and became a familiar form 

in the 1950s. Another influence on this innovation may have 

been the work of Leza McVey, who Takaezu would have known 

at Cranbrook and later in Cleveland (at Cranbrook, she studied 

sculpture with William McVey, Leza’s husband, and he was teaching 

in Cleveland by the time she moved there). Leza McVey was 

an early developer of the asymmetric pot. While her vessels have 

only single necks, they are distinctive extensions with personality, 

capped with eccentric stoppers. This work, widely admired in her 

Midwest context but little remembered today, could have planted 

the seed of the organic, almost creaturely character of some of 

Takaezu’s spouts. 

Color and Sound 

Takaezu’s major formal development of the late 1950s was the 

closing of forms, giving her an almost uninterrupted surface on 

which she increasingly developed painterly glaze effects with 

an adventurous use of color. The change was gradual, and the 

introduction of color came with glazes for the porcelain she used 

mostly for smaller pots. She seems to have become more interested 

in brushwork per se. Through the 1960s Takaezu added colors to 

her repertoire: yellow, pink, orange, green, pale blue. They appeared 

not as single solid colors but as atmospheres occasionally 

suggestive of landscape and unquestionably evocative of space. 

She used both layering and dispersal of misty color to create illusory 

dimension. 

In the 1960s she also began inserting into the closed forms a 

paper-wrapped wad of clay that after firing would make a subtle 

noise when the pot was moved. Lee Nordness wrote of the “quiet 

drama” of her pots and said that this experimental gesture was a 

“private affair.” 7 That very nice term suggests the modesty of the 

sound and the intimacy of the exchange between the pot and the 

individual who is not just looking at the vessel but handling it. Yet 

the first sound piece, Takaezu told a writer, was a mistake: she was 

trimming the top of a pot and a piece fell in. 14 She is also said to 

have written poems on the inside of some works, but only breakage 

would reveal them to the world. 

An extraordinary electric blue that is now associated with 

Takaezu’s work became prominent at the beginning of the 1970s, 

when she poured dazzling caps on closed forms. But the cobalt 

hue had attracted attention as early as 1959. As she adopted more 

vivid colors, an intense pink appeared as well. They seem quite 

surprising after the muted palette of her earlier work. Yet she 

returned regularly to Hawai‘i, where such colors would seem less 

extraordinary—occurring as they do in the 

ocean, the tropical fish, shells, and flowers 

on the island as well as in human 

artifacts depicting those, such 

as apparel. Takaezu has been 

widely quoted as saying 

that working with clay is 

like a dance. She sometimes 

demonstrated 

that in workshops. 

Here’s one account: 

“‘Usually, with 

glazing, I like to 

be alone. Glazing 

is a personal 

thing.’ . . . Lifting 

the bowl in both 

hands, she made a 

quick, lumpy movement 

. . . a bend of her 

knees, a lift from her 

feet. It was important, this 

small chug . . . two lines of 

glaze ran down the center 

of the bowl, directed not 

by the potter’s hands, but by 

her gravely dancing feet. The 

workshop members, mostly 

professional potters, recognized 

terrific technique, and 

murmured and turned to one 

another like gratified sports fans. 

Takaezu felt such pleasure that 

she abandoned us; for an instant 

she examined the glaze lines as 

intently as if she were alone. She 

was right, it’s a personal thing. 

Smiling, she held the bowl up to 

our admiration.” 8 

A writer observing her in the 

studio said, “If there is accident, it is 

controlled, for she works as directly as 

a painter does. She scatters her pigment 

on a convenient tabletop as if on a palette 

and then, with varying amounts of water, 

mixes it and applies it with a brush to the 

vessel. She also dips and pours glazes in 

a more traditional manner, but always 

Form, 34 in. (86 cm) 

in height, glazed 

stoneware, 1970. 

with an image in mind, a calculation of what might happen. If 

there is chance, it is the inspired chance that one must prepare 

for.” 9 Her stance and gesture and the colors themselves are endlessly 

fascinating because her approach to the glazing process is so 

full-body physical. 


Moons and Forests 

In the late 1960s Takaezu added moons to her repertoire. These 

are constructed pieces, made of joined hemispheres, the seams of 

which sometimes show clearly and sometimes are either smoothed 

away or obscured by the vast range of surface treatments she elects. 

They are never so perfect as to look mechanical and may range 

from 20 to almost 30 inches in diameter. 

These works are sometimes shown in groups (continuing her interest 

in quantities of things) on a bed of gravel, or each suspended 

in its own knotted hammock. In both cases they are understood 

as objects, not as images or illusions. In neither setting is a group 

of orbs naturalistic, although the gravel itself may evoke a lunar 

landscape or a lava bed in Hawai‘i. 

Another important series is smaller in number of works but 

they are memorable for their size. Takaezu joined ceramic cylinders 

into objects as tall as 8 feet, set as many as ten of them into gravel 

or sand grounds, and called them Tree Forms. The inspiration for 

some of these installations, such as Lava Forest (1975) was Hawaiian 

forests burned out by volcanic eruptions and lava flows. 

Others have the brooding solemnity of old-growth woods, such as 

Tree-Man Forest (1982/87). The cylinders may evoke gargantuan 

bamboo because of their segmentation, but more generally speak 

of lifeless tree trunks. While her color range is subdued—generally 

a variety of earth colors and black—her 

painterly splotches and drips suggest 

wounds, both the slow damage 

Closed forms, 

glazed porcelain. 


of time and the quick destruction of natural catastrophe. The 

solemnity of these elements makes them less fragments of living 

nature than memorials to its loss. These, too, make an implicit 

environmental statement by overwhelming the viewer with the 

presence of these relics. 

Extremes of Scale 

Takaezu’s retirement from teaching in 1992 was followed by a burst 

of productivity. She was offered the use of a car kiln at Skidmore 

College in upstate New York, where she could fire very large pots, 

and so her tall closed forms grew, ranging up to 5½ feet in height, 

and up to 2 feet in diameter. These massive forms, although 

sometimes taller than she is and broader than any person would 

be (especially the ones that swell as they rise), nevertheless speak of 

human stance. One looks for explanations for this conviction: they 

are the size that a person could hide in, or they might represent a 

person swaddled, caped, or cocooned. Probably the feeling arises 

merely from their vertical orientation and the proportions of height 

to width of base. Or maybe it’s just one of the instances of human 

beings looking for themselves in anything with even the slightest 

and most partial resemblance. 

In any case, these objects allude to living forms, rather than the 

dead ones of the Tree Forms, and thus have vitality even when the 

colors are subtle or dark. These large closed forms have become 

Takaezu’s most reverently appreciated works. Among the many 

magnificent painting/sculptures of this type the Star Series, 

which has been maintained as a group and is now in the 

collection of the Racine Art Museum, is the masterwork. 

It consists of fourteen closed forms, most over 5 feet

tall, each handbuilt of clay 

coils between 1999 and 2000. 

The individual works have the 

same impressive presence as the 

Tree Forms but were made to 

be walked among, rather than 

around, which intensifies the 

kinesthetic experience. 

Each has been given the 

name of a star from mythology, 

the stories of which add to the 

primeval and mystical weight 

that matches the gravity of the 

works’ dimensions. At the same 

time, each is an enormous spacebending 

canvas for her painterly 

compositions with glaze. 

Her Own Path 

Takaezu once noted, with some 

humor, that her work involves 

vision, touch, and sound but “I 

haven’t gotten to smell . . . .” 10 In all seriousness, this comment hints 

at the wholeness of her activity. One sense in which this is true is the 

fact that even more than with most craftspeople, critics are unable 

to separate her life and her art. Maybe that’s exactly what she offers 

to the contemporary world. 

Another sense in which the work addresses wholeness is its combination 

of male and female. As the historian Garth Clark noted, 

“If read in terms of volume (enclosed space), Takaezu’s pottery is 

the female archetype—enclosing, womblike, protective forms. If 

read in terms of mass (displaced space), however, the pots take on 

a different quality— masculine, even phallic, in character.” 11 This 

blending of male and female character gives the work a universal 

feeling, which is not undercut by any kind of explicit narrative. 

Narrative art attracts critics who want to talk about sociopolitical 

matters in specific terms, but Takaezu’s works elicit poetic and emotional 

responses because of their openness and refusal to commit 

declarative statements. The consequence is that the work is sometimes 

described as spiritual. Her family was Buddhist and she studied Zen 

during her sojourn in Japan, and yet the spiritual is an undercurrent, 

not a theme. She herself said, “. . . . everything I make, you don’t know 

why or how I make it or what it represents, because I really don’t know. 

That’s all I can say. What I don’t know is what pushes me to work. It’s 

intangible. Something that I didn’t know came through this pot. It’s 

not my power that made me do this. The power is somewhere else. 

So now I can say without boasting, ‘My pot is beautiful,’ because I 

am not responsible.” 12 mystery, an unsaid quality; it is alive. There’s also a nebulous feeling 

in the piece that cannot be pinpointed in words. That to me is good 

work!” 

In this she differs sharply from the autobiographical 

character of abstract expressionist painting that dominated 

the years of her youth, the politically oriented content and identity 

politics that held sway toward the end of the twentieth century, and 

today’s assumption that anything can be squeezed into a sound bite. 

She said, “. . . when an artist produces a good piece, that work has 

13 Grouping of older works from the 1950s, including, at left, three joined pots titled Family. 

Takaezu followed her own path. 

Text excerpted from The Art of Toshiko Takaezu: In the Language 

of Silence edited by Peter Held. Copyright © 2010 The Toshiko 

Takaezu Book Foundation, New York. Distributed by the University 

of North Carolina Press, www.uncpress.unc.edu. 

the author Janet Koplos is a writer and a contributing editor to Art 

in America magazine. She lives in New York City. 

Notes 

1. For example, Vanessa Lynn wrote that Takaezu “has consistently chosen to avoid the limelight. 

For most of her career she has eschewed the gallery network. Both publicly and privately she is guarded 

about giving too much at any one time or any one place.” Lynn, “Rounder Than Round: The Closed 

Forms of Toshiko Takaezu,” American Ceramics, Vol. 8, No. 4, 1990, p. 20. 2. The artist’s commentary 

in “’Toshiko Takaezu: At Home,’ an Exhibition of the Work of Toshiko Takaezu held at the Hunterdon 

Museum of Art, Clinton, NJ, August 2-October 11, 1998,” Studio Potter, Vol. 27 No. 2, June 1999, 

p. 52. 3. John Perreault, “Toshiko Takaezu: Truth in Clay,” in Toshiko Takaezu: Heaven and Earth, 

Racine, WI: Racine Art Museum, 2005, p. 6. 4. Maija Grotell, pp. 25, 27; Jeff Schlanger and Toshiko 

Takaezu, Maija Grotell: Works Which Grow From Belief, Goffstown, NH: Studio Potter Books, 1996, p. 

37. 5. Toshiko Takaezu in “Comments,” Maija Grotell, p. 87; this is a restatement of her words 40 years 

earlier in Conrad Brown, “Toshiko Takaezu,” Craft Horizons 19, March-April 1959, p. 23. 6. Once she 

recounted, “About 1957 I started to make a teapot, but I turned it around and put a tail on it and made 

something like a wine bottle, yet it was almost like a bird form. Then gradually it became an abstract two 

spouted bottle” [Joseph Hurley, “Toshiko Takaezu: Ceramics of Serenity,” American Craft 39, October/ 

November 1979, pp 4–5]. Yet the earliest multi-spouted vases date from before that and don’t resemble 

a teapot, wine bottle, or bird form. 7. Lee Nordness, Objects: USA. New York: The Viking Press, 1970, 

p. 81. 8. Ina Russell, “Toshiko Takaezu” in Craft Range Vol. 12 no. 1, January-February 1981, p. 10. 

9. Barry Targan, “Toshiko Takaezu: Outer Quiet, Inner Force,” American Craft, February/March 1991, 

p. 32. 10. Althea Meade-Hajduk, “A Talk with Toshiko Takaezu,” American Craft 65, February/March 

2005, p. 50. 11. Clark, p. 51. 12. Meade-Hajduk, p. 52. 13. “Thrown Form” by Toshiko Takaezu in 

John Coyne, ed., The Penland School of Crafts Book of Pottery, New York: Bobbs-Merrill, 1975, p. 141. 


Minkyu Lee 

Hidden Structure 

revealed by David Damkoehler 

Minkyu Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, in 1976. He completed 

rigorous undergraduate and graduate study at Seoul National 

University. Within the context of 5000 years of Korean ceramic 

history, his early body of work was, in many ways, a continuation 

of Josun Dynasty porcelain ware, its forms and glazes. While Lee 

respects the tradition, he introduces to that tradition new, original 

ideas and forms. 

His early cast work is a series of vessel forms that appear to be 

perfectly assembled from hundreds of small white-glazed cubes. The 

first explanation that comes to mind is that they have been painstakingly 

assembled because they cannot be cast in one piece. Lee 

explains that this is the start of an idea that continues in his current 

work where he represents a hidden structure, a dialog between the 

inside and outside of the vessel, a world made of hidden cubes. The 

Great Wall of China, the Egyptian Pyramids, and fractal geometry 

inspired the selection of the cube as an essential structural element. 

The forms are achieved by assembling slip-cast segments with 

great precision. The last piece he created in South Korea in 2006, 

Hidden Structure Revealed #11 (page 46), is a cylinder made of cast 

Right: Crescent #6, 3 ft. 5½ in. 

(1.05 m) in length, stoneware, glazed 

and fired to cone 3. 

Opposite: Meteorite, 18 in. (46 cm) in 

diameter, stoneware, fired to cone 3. 


horizontal slices or sections that are joined together when leather 

hard and fired to cone 8. This is a highly difficult operation as the 

percentage of moisture in each section must be similar in order 

to maintain perfect symmetry when it is stacked. The results are 

spectacular, with the perfect cubes arranged in a positive and negative 

checkerboard with very deep relief. The exterior is a precise 

cylinder with each layer showing through a white glaze as a row 

of paper-thin lines. The delicate, translucent exterior terminates 

in a wide solid ring, which frames the interior of stacked cubes. 

The effect is mesmerizing and magical. 

These hidden structures recall a poem by Lao-tse’s, quoted in 

Johannes Itten’s Design and Form: The Basic Course at the Bauhaus, 

(Wiley, 1975): 

“Thirty spokes meet at the hub, 

But the void within them creates the essence of the wheel. 

Clay forms pots, 

But the void within creates the essence of the pot. 

Walls with windows and doors make the house, 

But the void within them creates the essence of the house. 

Fundamentally: 

The material contains utility, 

The immaterial contains essence.”

If the void within is the essence of the pot, it helps explains the 

striking interior space of Lee’s vessels. 

When he enrolled in the graduate program at the School for 

American Crafts at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) 

to study with Rick Hirsch in 2006, he wanted to explore new 

concepts and use a wide range of techniques, a direction 

broader in scope than the more specific study and technique 

that encompassed his graduate experience in Korea. Lee 

used an expanded color palette and combined handbuilding, 

wheel throwing, carving, and slip casting to produce 

asymmetrical vessel forms and stacked cube interior spaces. 

The cubes were assembled by hand, rather than slip casting. 

This led to a series of explorations using an expanded range 

of metaphors, like landscapes, meteorites, and the crescent 

moon. The exteriors of these vessels ranged from highly finished 

surfaces with metallic glazes to very rough meteorite-like 

surfaces. Usually these forms show great contrast between the 

exterior and the interior of a piece. 

While he was an artist-in-residence at the Archie Bray Foundation 

for the Ceramic Arts in 2007, he was profoundly affected by 

the mountainous landscape of Montana, especially the volcanic 

environment of Yellowstone Park. The hot springs and craters 

revealing the interior of the earth inspired and reinforced Lee’s 

aesthetic path of contrasts of light and dark spaces, rough and 

smooth textures, corroded surfaces and crystalline serrated shapes. 

Lee’s 2007 piece Meteorite is a spheroid shape with a red-orange 


Above: Hidden Structure Revealed #11, 

22 in. (56 cm) in height, slip-cast 

porcelain with clear glaze, fired to 

cone 8. 

Right: Molds were made of wall sections 

for pieces in the “Hidden Structure” 

series. When assembled, the grid lines 

conceal the seams and the impression 

is of one monolithic cast. 


surface with carved wedges of varying scale and depth. The interiors 

of the wedges have a glossy finish on immaculately carved serrated 

forms. Another example of this work, from 2008, Crescent #2-1, 

slip cast in stoneware, has an exterior that is approximately round 

with large serrations surrounding the outside edge. A complex 

system of elongated triangles join large outside facets with an 

inner saw-toothed edge resulting in an ovoid negative space with 

the points of the crescent withholding as much as they reveal. It 

exploits the thin slice of the waxing and waning moon, where we 

only see the lighted edge that means the rest of the moon is also 

present in darkness and silence. 

The edge and the border between the outside and the inside 

are important to Lee. This is where the structure is revealed. The 

effect is reinforced by the two pointed ends of the crescent, leading 

our eye up and around, completing its shape in our mind. The 

surfaces are suggestive of minerals and geodes, but are not found in 

nature. They resist explanation and didactic meaning, but they have 

a quality of the hyper-real, a concept defined by Jean Baudrillard 

as, “the simulation of something which never really existed.” Lee’s 

work questions our relationship to this metaphoric edge, where we 

peek in and glimpse the uncanny and unknowable. 

Lee’s work is fastidiously and laboriously crafted. He makes 

about one piece a month, ten or fifteen pieces a year, each one 

requiring its own set of up to 100 different test tiles in order to 

find the two “right” glazes. 

During a studio visit in March 2010, Lee was carving the surface 

of 200–300 pounds of leather hard clay balanced on an electric 

wheel. He explains that he is physically reversing his enigmatic 

crescent forms by making the negative space be positive. He calls 

it a pre-crescent, giving a poetic context to the formulation of his 

crescent-based artwork. The new pre-crescent form will still have

his signature geometric crystalline edge, but 

it is now inverted. He further explained that 

in continuing his experience with massive 

installations, his new work would have a 

visual context between the pieces and the 

space around the pieces. 

Lee’s continues to apply his background 

in meticulous technique and 

Korean ceramic tradition to new insights 

and new ceramic perspectives 

in America. His inspiration from the 

American landscape and his rigorous 

technical innovation have resulted in 

singular works that combine elements 

of his native and adopted cultures. 

Sometimes they seem like opposites, 

and sometimes they are two parts of 

one whole, like the interior and exterior 

of his work—where the structure 

is revealed. 

Minkyu Lee is an Assistant Professor of 

Art at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. 

www.minkyulee.com. 

the author David Damkoehler is professor emeritus 

of Arts and Visual Design at the University of 

Wisconsin-Green Bay. He works primarily with stainless 

steel in jewelry, flatware, and ornaments. 

Left: Crescent #2-1, 18½ in. (47 cm) in 

diameter, slip-cast stoneware with glaze, 

fired to cone 6. 

Below: Crescent #7, 44 in. (1.1 m) in 

height, stoneware with glaze, fired to 

cone 3, with acrylic paint. 


mfa factor 

University of South Carolina 

Program Details 

• Years to complete/graduation requirements: 

3 year program 

• Applicants/year: 10–15 

• Positions available/year: 2–3 

• Teaching assistantships and/or fellowships 

are available. 

• Career planning and job-placement-assistance programs 

are also available. 

• Cost (tuition and fees): $10,490 (resident); $22,550 

(non-resident) 

Jon McMillan, Adjunct Professor/ Studio Technician, Postponed, 27 in. 

(69 cm) in height, wheel-thrown and handbuilt terra cotta, underglaze, 

glaze, multiple firings to cone 04 and 06, steel and resin, 2010. 


Virginia Scotchie, Associate Professor, Indigo Bowl, 22 in. (56 cm) in length, coiled 

and pinched stoneware, glaze, oxides, multiple-fired to cone 6 in oxidation, 2010. 

Facilities Highlights 

• 11 electric kilns 

• 2 electric test kilns 

• 4 gas kilns: 1 down draft, 1 sprung arch, 1 car, 1 soda 

• anagama wood kiln (under construction) 

• raku kiln 

• 19 electric wheels 

• slab roller 

• portable sand blaster 

• pneumatic extruder 

• sand blaster booth 

• 2 extruders 

• ball mill 

• 2 clay mixers 

• pugmill 

• spray booth 

• fully stocked clay and glaze lab 

• outdoor kiln yard 

• clay mixing room 

• dry materials storage room 

• glaze mixing room 

• slide viewing room

1 Dana Childs’ Tu Arms, 36 in. (91 cm) in height, 

found fire brick, underglaze, glaze, fired to cone 10 

with soda, multiple low-temperature firings, 2009. 

2 Frieda Dean’s Relationship Three, 24 in. (61 

cm) in height, handbuilt stoneware, flashing slips, 

fired in reduction to cone 10 with soda, 2010. 

1 

2 

3 Hayley Douglas’ Nucleus, 14½ in. (37 cm) in 

diameter, handbuilt stoneware, glaze, raku fired to 

cone 04, 2009. 

4 Katherine Radomsky’s Tall Cracked Jar, 9¾ in. 

(25 cm) in height, thrown and altered porcelain, 

slip inlay and glaze, fired to cone 6 electric, 2009. 

3 

4 

5 Danny Crocco’s teapot, 7 in. (18 cm) in height, 

pinched stoneware, natural ash, fired to cone 11 in 

an anagama, 2011. 

6 Laura VanCamp’s Maiden of the Sea Foam, 

33 in. (84 cm) in height, coil-built porcelaneous 

stoneware, glaze, reduction fired cone 10, 2009. 


5 

6


Silicon Carbide 

The STUff of 

StarS 

by Mark Chatterley 

If 20–30% silicon carbide is added to any shiny glaze at any 

temperature, the result will be a bubble reaction. You don’t have 

to read any further—that is all you need to know to get started. 

I have been working with silicon carbide for about 30 years 

and I still get excited to open up the kiln because the result 

changes each time I fire. 

In my work, I didn’t want to use the traditional surface— 

shiny or matte. I was interested in the effect that I got from 

under-fired raku glazes (rough and pitted), but the process left 

the work too fragile. I also like the gnarly surface that results 

from some wood-fired work but wanted a firing process that was 

not so labor intensive. I discovered Gertrude and Otto Natzler’s 

work of the ’50s. They were doing some amazing surfaces on 

their pots. This husband-wife team were self-taught clay artists. 

Gertude made the pots and Otto glazed them. They could 

control the drips to exciting results and they had glazes that were 

pitted and cratered. I suspected that they used silicon carbide 

to get the surface so I raided the lithography lab and obtained 

silicon carbide that is used as an abrasive for grinding stones. 

Silicon carbide, or carborundum, is an interesting material. 

It was first discovered in 1893 in an attempt to make 

artificial diamonds. It is found naturally in a rare material 

called moissanite that comes from meteors (astronomers and 

astrophysicists speculate that carbon stars have silicon carbide 

dust floating around them). However, the silicon carbide we 

use is man made. This chemical has a wide range of uses, from 

grinding wheels and bulletproof vests to electronic circuits and 

kiln shelves. I find it interesting that a material that has such 

a high temperature range for a kiln shelf will react in a glaze. 

Some potters have used small amounts (0.5%, 500 mesh) in 

copper red glazes to enhance reduction. This happens because 

when the SiC bond is broken, the carbon molecule wants to 

stabilize by using an oxygen molecule from the copper oxide.

Control 

(no additions) 

20% 

Silicon Carbide 

1.5% 

Cobalt Oxide 

20% Silicon Carbide 

1.5% Cobalt Oxide 

10.5% 

Copper Oxide 

M & M Altered 

10.5% Copper Oxide 

20% Silicon Carbide 

BoB’s Altered 

As you can see, there are two different results. The M & M glaze created bumps, while Bob’s made small holes. Both have potential for a working glaze. 

It just takes time to experiment on actual work. 

recipes 

Chatterley Glaze 

cone 6 

Gillespie Borate ............... 50.0% 

Kaolin ...................... 17.5 

Silica ....................... 32.5 

100.0 % 

Add: Silicon Carbide ............ 20.0% 

Sand ................... 12.0% 

The image on the facing page shows a detail of 

the surface on one of Mark Chatterley’s sculptures. 

The surface varies in color from green 

to purples and browns, while the texture also 

varies from low- to high-relief craters. 

But in larger amounts, it creates bubbles in the form of carbon 

gas coming through the glaze. The larger the grit size, the bigger 

the craters will be. Conversely, the smaller the grit or mesh size, 

the finer the patterns of bubbles. I use 180 grit in my glaze. What 

happens when it is fired is that carbon gas is released (looking 

for oxygen to bond with), leaving the silica behind. This is why 

I suggest starting with a shiny glaze when experimenting. If used 

in large amounts, silicon carbide cause the glaze to spit onto kiln 

shelves and the walls of the kiln. I found that placing a layer of 

sand down makes it easy to clean the shelves. If you fire an electric 

kiln, you will need to put slicon carbide glazed work in an unsealed 

saggar to protect the elements (and other work, for that matter) 

To prove my beginning statement that silicon carbide works with any glaze, I took two recipes 

not originally intended to be used with silicon carbide, made some minor changes, and ran some 

tests with silicon carbide and colorants added: 

M & M altered 

cone 5–6 

Gerstley Borate (sub Gillespie Borate) 18.0% 

Whiting ..................... 16.0 

Custer Feldspar ............... 40.0 

EPK Kaolin ................... 10.0 

Silica ....................... 16.0 

100.0 % 

BoB’s altered 

cone 6 

Bone Ash ................... 9.09% 

Dolomite ................... 9.09 

Gerstley Borate (sub Gillespie Borate) . 9.09 

Talc ....................... 9.09 

Nepheline Syenite ............ 18.18 

EPK Kaolin ................. 18,18 

Silica ...................... 27.28 

100.00 % 

It only takes one coat of cream consistency glaze covering the 

work to get a bubbly, crusty surface. If you apply more than one 

coat, larger reactions happen. The cooling of the kiln will affect 

how your glaze looks as well. I cool mine down for three days before 

I open it. The faster you cool the glaze the more you “freeze” the 

bubble effect. Long cooling allows for more gas to dissipate, but a 

long cooling is also hard on the kiln and kiln furniture. 

These glazes are not food safe. They can also have sharp edges 

on the ends of the craters so caution should be used when handling 

the work. Also, the glaze is not food safe. 

the author Mark Chatterley lives and works in Williamston, Michigan. 


Eric Knoche 

Points of 

ConneCtion by Katey Schultz 


Left: vessel, 15 in. (38 cm) in 

height, stoneware with slips, 

wood fired, 2009. 

Right and below: Ribcage 

(assembled and disassembled), 

17 in. (43 cm) in width, stoneware 

with slips, wood fired, 2009. 

Photos: Tim Barnwell. 

My conversations with Eric Knoche began with a fairly straightforward 

intention: I wanted to understand how his multiple bodies of 

work informed and enhanced each other. I had a hunch that each 

was as a distinct study of formal concepts, and that when viewed 

as a whole, these bodies of work would reveal Knoche’s style. To a 

certain extent, that seemed true enough, but perhaps more important 

was the discovery that the bodies of work act as stepping stones for 

both the his creative process and the viewer’s unique experience. 

With hints of influence from the Japanese Bizen tradition, 

Scandinavian design, and adobe architecture, Knoche currently 

uses sparse but natural ash glazes across gritty, natural 

surfaces to make work ranging in scale from hand-held 

to human-sized. The forms are loosely geometric and are 

often exhibited in multiples, inviting the viewer to touch, 

arrange, or play with the pieces. Since he makes vessels, 

platters, sculptures, large works and installations, I asked 

him if it was accurate to say he produces five bodies of 

work. “It would be more accurate to generate a mind map 

with thicker or thinner lines showing the connections 

between various series,” Knoche said. “To me, it is really 

one body of work.” 

Interestingly enough, it was this connection that mattered 

more than distinguishing the work into separate bodies. 

From the outset, Knoche has been a process-oriented 

artist. In 2004 and 2005, he apprenticed with New York ceramicist 

Jeff Shapiro. In 2008, he spent half a year in Japan through the 

Asian Cultural Council apprenticing with Isezaki Jun, a Living 

National Treasure. “Initially, I was hesitant to subordinate my 

own creative drives to someone else,” said Knoche. “But I took 

stock . . . and I realized that it would be really helpful to see how 

everything relates. I wanted to learn how the business side and 

the artistic side interact, how studio life and home life connect, 

how a professional artist spends their day, minute to minute.” For 

Knoche, apprenticing was more about how to live like an artist, 



Right: Aurora, 6 ft. (1.8 m) in height, 

stoneware with slips, wood fired, 2009. 

Photo: Larry Ferguson, at Anderson 

O’Brien Fine Art. 

Below: Two vessels, to 22 in. (56 cm) in 

height, native stoneware with slips, wood 

fired, 2009. Photo: Tim Barnwell 

not how to technically construct something artistic. 

He came away from both experiences with role 

models for life. “I was really taken by how involved 

[Shapiro’s] whole family was. His wife, for example, 

doesn’t really make pots, but is a master at firing the 

wood kiln and an expert chef. I learned a lot from 

her too.” Likewise, in Japan, Knoche was interested 

in Isezaki’s process before the actual making. 

Knoche’s vessels and platters serve as the first 

point of connection in his creative process. “I 

use them to explore special relationships between 

curves, planes, and angles. They are very grounding 

for me,” he said. Although made singularly, he 

almost always displays the pieces in concert with 

one another, waiting until after a firing to see which 

forms sit well together depending on surface design 

and shape. Most vessels stand between 8 and 16 

inches high and 4 to 10 inches across, with platters 

ranging between 20 to 30 inches across. When 

venturing toward a new form entirely, Knoche likes 

“starting from the place of certainty” that this work 

affords because of its functionality—the vessels 

stand upright with an opening to suggest a vase or 

container and the platters meet the basic criteria. 

Viewers, likewise, can find an immediate point of 

connection through this functionality even though

Buried in Fire 

by Eric Knoche 

One style of wood firing I currently use is a derivation of a 

charcoal shoveling technique often used in Bizen, Japan, 

though I was first introduced to the practice of applying 

charcoal to wares during a firing by my teacher, Jeff Shapiro. 

The basic technique as I use it consists of loading each level 

of the chamber kiln (I use the technique in both a fast-fire 

style kiln and the back chamber of a noborigama) with about 

4 to 6 inches of clearance between the top of the wares and 

the bottom of the next shelf. This void on each level runs the 

width of the chamber and corresponds to a shoveling port 

which I leave in the door as I brick it up. At various points in 

the firing I cover the work on each level with charcoal using 

a long stainless steel chute. 

The most important and exciting variable for me is the 

loading. The way the pieces are stacked in the kiln has a 

tremendous effect on the patterns present on the finished 

piece. I also use a lot of different materials in the loadings 

such as shells, grain husks, straw, various kinds of wadding, 

fireclay discs, and rocks. Some of these materials, such as 

shells, leave their own marks while others, like the fireclay 

discs, create patterns by blocking portions of the work from 

contact with the charcoal. I think of loading more as a creative 

act than a technical one, perhaps akin how a majolica artist 

uses brushwork. 

A wide range of effects is possible, depending on the variables 

of the firing, which include the materials and forms, the kind 

of charcoal, when it’s applied, and the time, temperature, 

and rate of the firing. When and how often the charcoal is 

applied also has a dramatic effect on the finished work. In 

my experience, there are two distinct directions to go with 

this technique. One is to fire for melted ash and the other is 

to fire for clay color. When firing for melted ash, I cover the 

work in charcoal starting at cone 8 and continue to do so every 

few hours to peak temperature of about cone 13. With this 

technique, I am firing long enough and hot enough to break 

the charcoal down into ash and then melt the ash. However, 

recently I have been more excited about firing for clay color. I 

have had the best results with this technique by firing to cone 

11, then applying the charcoal only once just before sealing 

the kiln. This doesn’t give the kiln enough time to melt the 

charcoal ash, but it can create a variety of dramatic surfaces. 

Upward facing horizontal surfaces and vertical surfaces that 

get completely buried in coals tend to have the darkest, most 

subtle colors and the roughest texture. Vertical surfaces near 

other objects (pots, posts, fireclay discs, etc.) with only small 

spaces between usually display considerably more variation and 

patination, often producing brighter colors of reds, yellows, 

and purples. The downward faces, where the charcoal doesn’t 

touch the work but affects the local atmosphere, often have 

striated patterns of clearly separated bands of color. 

Top: In the rear chamber of Knoche’s noborigama, the space 

between the top of the work and the shelf above allows for the 

charcoal chute to be inserted during firing. 

Above: A hole left unbricked in the door of the rear chamber is 

aligned with the shelf stack so that charcoal can be introduced 

using a steel chute. Photo: Josh Copus. 

Charcoal shoveling, as I use it, works well in short wood firings, 

because the effects come almost entirely from the charcoal and 

the kiln atmosphere rather than from the accumulation of fly 

ash. Although I originally thought of this technique as sort of a 

substitute for having an anagama (and some of the effects may 

resemble anagama work to a certain degree), I think it is limiting 

and inaccurate to think of it as a way to get long-firing effects 

from a short firing. Instead, I think of it as a fascinating technique 

with its own merits and begging for its own investigations. 

MOnTHLY MeTHOdS 


Platter, 28 in. (71 cm) in width, stoneware with slip, wood fired, 2010. Photo: Tim Barnwell. 

the works’ predominate feature is the sculptural shapes rather than 

the potential physical “use.” 

Knoche’s second way of engaging his creative process happens 

as he constructs what he calls sculptures and larger works. These 

expand on formal concepts evident in the vessels and platters, but 

traditional functionality is a distant echo. The sculptures are stackable, 

puzzle-pieced hollow forms clearly made by the same hand, 

begging the viewer to step a little further from the comfort zone 

and into the realm of physical interaction. Works such as Ribcage 

and other “puzzle” works can be aligned to form what looks like 

one solid form out of three, four, five, or even more separate pieces. 

Equally as interactive, Knoche’s larger work is too cumbersome 

to pick up and move, but still manages to push the viewer out of 

his or her comfort zone using the temptation of interaction. “There 

is something special that happens when forms approach human 

size. I’m curious about this and…the larger works are a way for 

me to explore the way my work affects the space around it,” says 

Knoche. Indeed, what’s affected isn’t just the external space, because 

the human-sized forms in dance-like postures provide an internal 

conceptual experience for viewers as well. 

Employing all of his explorations—from the vessels and platters, 

through the sculptures and larger works—Knoche’s affinity 

for process comes to fruition in the final point of connection to 

his creative process: installations. Work such as Aurora or are less 


about form or size and more about surface and arrangement. “With 

these, I am exploring how the different surface effects combine in 

sequences to create something entirely other,” says Knoche. “My 

hope is that the whole, including the white space, transcends the 

individual blocks on the wall.” 

Like many artists who have apprenticed, Knoche’s early experiences 

served as a sort of warm-up drill to transition from 

functioning in basic survival mode as an artist into full-time, wellrounded 

studio life that’s ripe with opportunity. What’s interesting, 

of course, is that the touchstones in Knoche’s creative process 

build on each other in a similar way—the vessels and platters 

are functional, the sculptures and larger works push further into 

unfamiliar territory, and finally the installations are perpetually in 

flux, always waiting to be arranged and rearranged in an endless 

run of discoveries. 

Eric Knoche lives in Asheville, North Carolina. Look for his solo show 

of new work this May at Crimson Laurel Gallery in Bakersville, North 

Carolina, and another solo show in October at Anderson O’Brien Fine 

Art Center in Omaha, Nebraska. Learn more at www.ericknoche.com. 

the author Katey Schultz is associate editor of TRA- 

CHODON magazine. Follow her travels across the country at 

www.thewritinglife2.blogspot.com.

Paul Soldner, 1921–2011 

by Doug Casebeer 

How do I begin to put into words a man’s life, when his legacy 

was living. Paul lived and believed in the naked truth. In thought 

and character, Paul was predictably unique. I learned early in our 

friendship that he had little patience for the theoretical. Whether it 

was through architecture, machines, tools, wine, or art, Paul made 

real his dreams and ideas. Paul gave us permission to be ourselves. 

One of Paul’s favorite words was serendipity. He believed that 

chance favored the prepared mind. Paul’s life reinforced these values 

of artistic discovery. He never stopped searching. 

Paul was a tenacious builder and inventor. The Soldner potter’s 

wheels and clay mixers were constantly being perfected. He prided 

himself on building equipment from off-the-shelf parts at the local 

hardware store. Paul’s favorite glaze making tool was a paper 

bag. He would put in some clay and a flux, shake it up and call it 

a glaze. In the early ’60s, the Soldner Aspen compound embraced 

solar heating long before it was an energy alternative. The Soldner 

home was always open to the traveling artist and inquisitive 

student. Paul embraced life. 

Around Colorado, Paul is known as the Godfather of the 

Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Paul picked the very spot, where 

every year hundreds of artists in all genres come to work and 

grow their creative spirit. Paul taught and led by example. He was 

never judgmental; when students would ask him what he thought 

of their art, he would say, “Do you like it?” I will remember Paul 

for his silent slide shows with only the sound of a clicking Kodak 

projector and an occasional streaker. 

Paul was always there for me. Whether it was a stubborn kiln in 

the middle of the night or a quirky foot pedal on one his wheels, 

Paul was there to guide me. From raku demonstrations in a red 

thong bikini in Santiago, Chile, to regular summer gatherings 

for Ranch students at the Aspen compound, Paul showed great 

enthusiasm for the creativity community we call clay. 

This past January the world lost an inspirational artist, the 

ceramics field lost an innovator, and I lost a friend. I am thankful 

and grateful that Paul was a part of my life. 

Soldner is survived by his daughter, Stephanie Soldner Sullivan of 

Denver and Aspen, Colorado, by his sister, Louise Farling of Bluffton, 

Ohio, and two grandchildren. 

the author Doug Casebeer is the artistic director for ceramics and 

sculpture, as well as chair of the artist-in-residence program at the 

Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, Colorado. 


EviEWs 

1 Atsushi Takagaki’s Ryo, 13 in. (33 cm) in height, celadon-glazed vase with Madder Red pigment, 2010. 2 Shoko Koike’s water form, 13½ in. (34 cm) in length, 

2010. 3 Takahiro Kato’s shino tea bowl, 5 in. (12 cm) in diameter, clay, red iron stain, white shino glaze, 2010. 4 Osamu Suzuki’s shino tea bowl, 5½ in. (14 cm) 

in diameter, clay, red iron stain, white shino glaze, 2010. 5 Sueharu Fukami’s Far Beyond II, 37 in. (94 cm) in length, porcelain, blue celadon glaze, 2010. Photos: 

Shigeharu Omi. All images copyright and courtesy of Musee Tomo. 

Embracing Personal Expressions in Contemporary Japanese Tea Wares by Naomi Tsukamoto 

When looking at Japanese pottery, one must realize the artists’ consistent 

commitment to both materials and classic formal beauty. Building 

on their preceding examples and respecting the traditional techniques 

and material restrictions that regional formalisms impose, the contemporary 

artists struggle to find their own forms and voices. That said, 

there seems to be a renewed and more flexible understanding toward the 

Way of Tea, especially among younger Japanese ceramic artists today. 

Japanese potters are creating their own tea utensils, showing originality 

in forms and designs, and pursuing their own self-expression. 

This past fall was filled with exhibitions on tea wares in Tokyo. 

Among them were the “The Musee Tomo Prize, Contemporary 

Ceramics for the Tea Ceremony: Free Creativity and Atypical Usage” 

at Musee Tomo (www.musee-tomo.or.jp) in Tokyo and “About 

the Tea Ceremony—A Viewpoint on Contemporary Kogei (Studio 

Crafts)” at the Craft Gallery in the National Museum of Modern Art, 

Tokyo (MOMAT) (www.momat.go.jp). The exhibition at Musee 

Tomo, which is a biennial established in 2006, included works by 

29 artists. The MOMAT exhibition included 26 artists and ranged 

across five separate rooms. 

In the Momoyama era, Sen No Rikyu taught the aesthetic of wabi 

sabi, making the practice of tea simple and transient. Instead of using 

expensive tea wares, he encouraged choosing pottery that mirrored 

the times. The recent exhibitions at both museums explored the same 

question: What would be today’s tea ceremony vessels? Masahiro Karasawa, 

the curator of the MOMAT exhibition explains, “What was once 

outsider and atypical in the Momoyama era is now traditional. Can 

we create a new tradition embracing today’s individualism?” Showing 

how traditions are made, both exhibitions displayed the artworks 

of younger artists next to the living established masters who have 

perfected and have been recognized for their unusual and bold styles. 

At both exhibitions, the curators valued the presence of a work of art 

over functionality, trusting the creativity that happens in the tea rooms to 

transform the pieces for use in the ceremony. There are, after all, two sides 


1 

2 3 

4 5 

to this art form of tea practice: the maker and the user whose function is 

to mitate, to polish their sensibility, to name the functions of the objects 

and to choose the right combination of tea utensils such as chawan (tea 

bowl), kekkai (a separator to mark the sacred area), flower vase, tea kettle, 

water jar, tea caddy, and mukouzuke (dishes) for each occasion. 

At the Musee Tomo, the tea bowls were directly placed on spiralshaped 

pedestals, which enable the viewer to understand the warmth 

of each chawan. After all, they should be experienced through all five 

senses, and it was nice to see them displayed outside of glass cases. 

When you first came down the spiral staircase leading to the cavelike 

display area, you saw two dramatic works, both of which received the 

Merit Prize in the show. One is by Osamu Suzuki a National Treasure, 

honored for his shino works like the tea bowl on display. He is one of 

the first to fire shino glaze in a gas kiln, and what could be imperfection, 

glaze bubbles and pin holes on the surface, asymmetry and distortion 

of the body, and the uneven lip, are all intentional, adding softness and 

simplicity to his tea bowls. His signature red burnt shino is achieved by 

the combination of white shino glaze and the red iron stain underneath. 

Depending on the amount of the metals present in the glaze and in the 

stain, one color, red or white, comes out stronger than the other, creating 

an impressive keshiki (scenery). The second piece was a kekkai, a beaming 

blue celadon sculptural piece with a form reaching far beyond, by 

Sueharu Fukami. Celadon glaze could be understood as comprised of 

a flock of air bubbles, thus the glaze is applied thick. Depending on the 

thickness of the glaze and the lighting, the color changes from white to 

milky greenish light blue. With such strong presence, one must wonder 

how this could be used as a separator in a tea room. 

A flower vase by Atsushi Takagaki also proves the Japanese potter’s 

relentless challenging spirit toward material perfection. Even kannyu 

(crackling) is controlled by the thickness of what he calls the madder 

celadon glaze, which has edges and cracks that have a red hue. 

A sculptural, but yet highly functional piece is the water jar by Shoko 

Koike, a piece whose dynamic form is influenced by the artist’s mother

who is a fashion designer. Her sea form like flower or vase is met by another 

smaller sculptural lid, which surprisingly fits one’s hand perfectly. 

Lastly from Musee Tomo, representing the younger generation is 

Takahiro Kato (b. 1972). The grandson of a controversial potter, Tokuro 

Kato, the artist says, “The essence of tea bowls resides in contradictions. 

The practice of tea has a depth to explain one’s way of life.” With 

thoughts like this common among makers (and users) of tea ceremony 

wares, the artists must think beyond the functionality of the tea bowl. 

However, the artist must weigh the balance between the personal goal 

and the intended use. The mogusa clay often used for Shino ware is 

rough and difficult to handle if left unglazed. Therefore, the original 

Shino tea bowls restricted the unglazed surface to the foot, just like 

Suzuki’s. Kato glazes the body only partially, using the glaze more as 

painted design rather than as functional glaze. 

At MOMAT, the first room showed the old masters from the Momoyama 

and Edo periods, setting a tone for the exhibition’s exploration 

of contemporary tea wares through the 400 year history of the Way of 

Tea. The most noteworthy in the exhibition were the combinations of 

tea utensils and temporary tea rooms that were staged in the second and 

the fifth rooms. Through them, the viewer could imagine these contemporary 

pieces put into practical use. In order to create harmony overall, 

strong and bold pieces were often combined with quiet or serene pieces. 

In the first room, facing the old masters, the works of another 

established leader, Kichizaemon Raku were displayed. He is the 15th 

generation of the family of tea bowl makers, whose story began in 1580s 

when Sen No Rikyu commissioned the family. Kichizaemon Raku, 

who studied fine arts, continues to inspire creative voices; his work 

shows the artistic process of making and changing traditions. Through 

stoic form and restrained yet modern colors, he wishes to express the 

negativity that exists in today’s society, challenging the user to confront 

it with a strong will. 

Many contemporary tea ware makers settle in the long-lived pottery 

production centers, beguiled by the materials special to each region. 

6 7 8 

9 10 11 

6 Fuku Fukumoto’s Moonlight, 11 in. (28 cm) in length, porcelain, 2009. 7 Koichiro Isezaki’s black water container, 8 in. (20 cm) in length, stoneware, 2010. 8 Akira 

Wada’s dai/board, 7½ in. (19 cm) in length, porcelain, 2008. 9 Machiko Ogawa’s black incense case, 3 in. (8 cm) in length, stoneware, 2010. 10 Shinobu Kawase’s 

Hopes of Fairy, incense burner, 13 in. (33 cm) in length, porcelain, celadon glaze, 2008. 11 Kichizaemon Raku’s tea bowl, 6 in. (15 cm) in length, black Raku 

yakinuki stoneware, 2004. Courtesy of the Raku Museum. All images copyright and courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, unless otherwise noted. 

Bizen is one such area, with highly plastic clay that, when wood fired, 

achieves rich red and deep blue hues. Koichiro Isezaki (b. 1974) achieves 

a harmonious whole with his utmost care to the form and with his hikidashi-guro 

technique, in which he pulls out his black slipped wares from 

the still firing anagama kiln to achieve translucent black modulations. 

Another artist with strong engagement in the material is Machiko 

Ogawa. Freeing herself from the traditional restrictions, she established 

her forming method through her experience of living in West Africa. 

The form for the black incense case is found through the process of 

making the pounded and split sun-dried lump of clay. 

Some younger artists place stronger emphasis on their imagery and 

concepts in pursuit of self discovery. Fuku Fukumoto (b. 1973) and Akira 

Wada (b. 1978) are such examples. The inspirations and themes are given 

priority through the titles of the works. Fukumoto’s work emanates indeterminate 

rhythm and subtle swaying dissolving into ethereal space as if 

reflecting upon today’s technology-filled society. Moonlight deliberately 

uses yuchaku, which is the adhesion of two pieces of pottery by the melting 

of the glaze in firing, which adds fluidity and an unsettling feeling. 

Wada fixes the theme and the functionality upon making, separating 

the glazed functional wares and the unglazed sculpture. He starts with 

throwing the form on the wheel thickly, drying slowly, and carving to 

shape. His forming method illuminates the quality of porcelain; its light, 

shadow, and hardness. Although Wada’s dai is unglazed and intended to 

be non-functional, the person who purchased the piece, in the practice 

of mitate, selected it to use as a water container, adding a lid to it. 

At both museums, the curators described the exhibitions as experimental. 

Today, young potters are holding their own tea ceremonies 

outside the confines of the traditional tea world. Perhaps exhibitions 

like these can open a dialog between the maker and the user, bringing 

the one-step-removed practice of tea closer to daily life. 

the author Naomi Tsukamoto is a studio artist and educator living in 

Tokyo, Japan. 


EviEWs 

1 Circuit, installation view at Cynthia Reeves Gallery, New York, New York, 9 ft. 3 in. (2.8 m) in height, paper clay, charcoal crawl glaze, gypsum polymer 

laminated to corn based resin and marine netting, 2010. 2 Circuit, installation view at Davidson Gallery, Seattle, Washington, 2010. 3 Detail of surface texture. 

A system of Generosity: John GradeÕ s Circuit by Ben Waterman 

We are left to wonder about what will occur; what will happen when 

the 400 fragments of Circuit are hefted up a mountain in the Central 

Cascades and arranged to weather for the next year, then brought back 

to be reassembled and experienced. Will they be sunk into the sea 1000 

feet below the surface? Unlike most sculpture of our time, the solidity 

of John Grade’s new work Circuit is in its evolution, in expectation, the 

possible, and the what if. It is without true place. In this way, form is 

translated into an invitation of becoming, to a journey that is open, a 

shared, never ending and generous experience. 

Circuit, composed of five tons of paper clay, requiring more than 300 

hours of firing time, and the help of 30 volunteers to complete, was created 

at Pottery Northwest (www.potterynorthwest.org/Bridge-Grade.htm) 

in Seattle, Washington, and was recently exhibited at Davidson Galleries 

(www.davidsongalleries.com), also in Seattle, and Cynthia Reeves Gallery 

(www.cynthia-reeves.com) in New York City. Grade was a visiting 

artist at Pottery Northwest as part of the ongoing project, “Crossing 

Over The Bridge,” which Director Wally Bivens describes as, “a situation 

that introduces artists who don’t normally work with clay to [its] 

potential, and introduces our studio to the way in which those artists 

thought about their work in a larger context.” The guts of Grade’s 

work and Bivens’ project is a resolve based on vulnerability; a trust that 

through exposure to the unknown, an unknown richness will result. 

Many of the practical decisions made in the creation of Circuit 

reflect this open attitude toward potential. Grade first created drawings 

of the work, but after experiencing the way clay warped as it dried and 

handled while wet, the drawings were taken over by engagement and 

the piece was altered. “What we ended up making has a greater degree 

of irregularity than in the original concept,” he explains. “The originals 

looked more like what I imagine the existent forms will look like after 

they have changed in the alpine environment.” 

Grade chose a basalt-black glaze, not only for its color but also because 

it crawls heavily. The deep surface fissures allow the environment 

to engage the sculpture and become, in turn, a participant, so that when 

exhibited again, its journey will be apparent by design. The work will 

continue to be open, part of the moment, constantly willing to reveal 

where it has been, is now, and will go. 

Circuit fits into an established but ever evolving system. Grade’s 

previous works use displacement, duration, exposure, and extremes, as 


1 

well as various environments, to provide unique patinas to the sculpture. 

When considering the works closely, it’s evident that surface is not simply 

a finish, but rather, exposed integration, telling the very blunt story that 

to become part of something, you must let go of something. The works 

show us that exchange is not easily attained and has a price, especially 

when it is an authentic offering versus an expressive device. What we do 

uniquely gain from Circuit is in large part due to the material framework. 

It’s the possibility of experiencing a more geologic sense of time, tied to 

the conceptual and physical journey directed by Grade. Although the 

gypsum polymer, laminated to corn-based resin and marine netting, that 

backs the tiles will show the more immediate effects of time, the clay 

and glaze will be altered in a much different way. The cadence of those 

changes will be slower and the sense of possibility related to engagement 

extended beyond perhaps even the lifetimes of several generations to 

come. The strength of this gesture is in the extended interaction it affords. 

The work becomes potentially monumental not because of scale 

alone but because of the communicative gesture central to the medium. 

The language of time, indispensable to Grade, finds another pitch in 

this sculpture, and adds to the larger chorus that he has already gathered. 

The story related to Circuit, and how it unfolds in the next few years 

has been already established (with perhaps the most dramatic changes 

yet to be seen). How it unfolds in the next several hundred years is yet 

to be conceived, and that how is a powerful step, existing as a type of 

potential expression that is yet to be fully explored. 

The writer Harry Crews said: “The little that I have learned about 

the world, and, more important, that I have learned about myself, has 

been absurdly expensive. . . . The miracle of the world, the miracle 

of a rebirth of the senses, the miracle of an accepting heart can only 

be paid for with blood and bone. No other currency has ever been 

acceptable.” Grade’s work seems to confirm this set of relationships. 

There is simply no other way to accomplish the feeling that one gets 

from it. When considering Circuit as an expression beyond its parts, we 

see that it simply has to go through these endless becomings to create 

an enlivening of the senses and to manifest as the type of provocation 

that we all deeply crave. 

the author Ben Waterman lives and works in Seattle,Washington. To 

learn more about his work and writing, visit www.benwaterman.com. 

2 

3

After 45 years of gas reduction firing, 

Tom Turner has gone electric with his electrogama. 

“ L&L built me a beautiful kiln 

that fires flawlessly time after 

time and it is perfect for my 

exploration of Oilspot glazes. 

I highly recommend L&L 

kilns to everyone.” 

Tom Turner 

www.tomturnerporcelain.com 

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Randy Brodnax Flashing & Fuming 7/21 - 26 

Lisa Naples Conjuring the 3 Graces 7/29 - 8/2 

Mark Shapiro Pouring & Drinking Pots: A Tour 8/4 - 8 

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Potters Council 

Celebrating 10 Years 

{Est.2001} 

NOW is the time to join an organization that works for you. Our 

member benefits touch every aspect of your life — from money saving 

discounts, and eligibility for group health insurance, to learning 

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• International Potters Council Conference

call for entries 

deadlines for exhibitions, fairs, and festivals 

international 

exhibitions 

March 1, 2011 entry deadline 

Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh “Humor 

in Craft” open to all media. Juried 

from digital. Contact Crafthaus, 461 

Cochran Rd. #103, Pittsburgh, PA 

15228; humorincraft@yahoo.com; 

http://crafthaus.ning.com. 


Spain, Toledo “5th International Biennial 

of Ceramics: Ciudad de Talavera” 

(April 5–25) open to ceramic work. 

Juried from digital or slides. Contact 

Organismo Autónomo Local de Cultura 

de Talavera, Plaza del Pan nº 5, 45600 

Talavera de la Reina, Toledo, Spain; 

cultura@aytotalaveradelareina.es; 

http://cultura.talavera.org. 


Spain, L’Alcora “31st Concurs 

Internacional de Ceràmica l’Alcora 

2011” (June 24–September 11) open 

to ceramic work. Juried from digital. 

Contact Museu de Ceràmica de L’Alcora, 

Teixidors, 5, L’Alcora, E-12110 Spain; 

museu@alcora.org; www.lalcora.es; 34 

964 362 368. 


Hungary, Kecskemét “3rd International 

Triennial of Silicate Arts” (August 

2011) open to work no larger than 50 

kilograms in weight or 1 meter in any 

direction. Juried from digital. Fee: $55.73 

for one entry. Contact International 

Triennial of Silicate Arts, International 

Ceramics Studio, Kapolna u.11, Kecskemét, 

Bacs-Kiskun H-6000 Hungary; 

info@kitsa.org; www.kitsa.org. 

April 15, 2011 entry deadline 

Taiwan, Yingge “The 2012 Taiwan 

Ceramics Biennale” (July–November 

2012) open to ceramic work no larger 

than 150 cm. Juried from digital or 

slides. No fee. Contact Ms. Chiu, Taipei 

County Yingge Ceramics Museum, 200 

Wunhua Rd., Yingge, Taipei 23942 Taiwan, 

PR China; tpc60502@tpc.gov.tw; 

www.ceramics.tpc.gov.tw; 886 2 8677 

2727 4104. 


Wales, Aberystwyth “Potsclays 

Emerging Makers ICF Award 2011” 

(July 1–3) open to clay artists who have 

graduated from college in the past five 

years. Juried from digital. Contact Sophie 

Bennett, Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Aberystwyth 

University, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion 

SY23 3DE Wales; jyr@aber.ac.uk; 

www.aber.ac.uk/artscentre. 

May 31, 2011 entry deadline 

Republic of Korea, Icheon-si “GICBiennale 

2011: International Competition” 

(September 24–November 22) open 

to ceramic artists. Juried from digital. 

Contact The Korea Ceramic Foundation 

(KOCEF), 406 Gwango-dong, Icheon-si, 

Gyeonggi-do 467-020 Republic of Korea; 

gicb2011@gmail.com; www.kocef.org. 

June 1, 2011 entry deadline 

Turkey, Eskisehir “2nd International 

Symposium of Overglaze-Underglaze 

Paintings 2011” (June 20–July 1). 

Juried from digital. No fee for up to 

three entries. Contact S. Sibel Sevim, 

Anadolu University, Ceramics Department, 

26470 Tepebasi, Eskisehir, 

26470 Turkey; overglaze2011@ 

gmail.com; seramik@anadolu.edu.tr; 

http://seramik.anadolu.edu.tr; 90 222 

335 1290. 


Austria, Kapfenberg “7th International 

Kapfenberg Biannual of Ceramics” 

(September 30–November 6). 

Juried from digital. No fee for three 

entries. Contact KulturZentrum Kapfenberg, 

Mürzgasse 3, Kapfenberg, 

A – 8605 Austria; kuz@kapfenberg.at; 

www.keramik-biennale-kapfenberg.at; 

43 0 3862 22501 ext. 1241. 

July 8, 2011 entry deadline 

Spain, El Vendrell “VI Biennial de 

Ceramica El Vendrell” (October 13–16) 

open to ceramic artists. Juried from digital. 

Contact Patronat Municipal de Serveis 

Culturals, La Rambla, 24, El Vendrell, 

43700 Spain; ceramica@elvendrell.net; 

www.elvendrell.net/default2.aspx; 0034 

977 66 56 84. 

united states 

exhibitions 


Virginia, Norfolk “Works on Paper 

and Clay: 21st Annual Mid-Atlantic Art 

Exhibition” (April 22–June 27) open 

to 2-D work no larger than 50 in. and 

sculptural work no larger than 72 in. 

in any dimension. Juried from digital. 

Fee: $30 for five entries. Juror: Andrew 

Wodzianski. Contact Susan Bernard, 

d’ART Center, 208 E. Main St., Norfolk, 

VA 23510; connect@d-artcenter.org; 

www.d-artcenter.org; 757-625-4211. 


California, Roseville “Totems and 

Plates: Ceramics Invitational and 

Competition” (April 7–14) open to 

original ceramic work no larger than 

24 in. in diameter. Juried from digital. 

Fee: $35 for three entries, $5 for each 

additional entry. Juror: Tony Natsoulas. 

Contact Beth Rohlfes, Blue Line 

Gallery, 405 Vernon St., Roseville, CA 

95678; brohlfes@rosevillearts.org; 

www.rosevillearts.org; 916-783-4117. 


Missouri, Kansas City “KC Clay 

Guild Teabowl National 2011” (June 

6–25) open to teabowls. Juried from 

digital. Fee: $30 for three entries. Juror: 

Steven Hill. Contact Susan Speck, KC 

Clay Guild, 200 W. 74th St., Kansas 

City, MO 64114; llywhite54@yahoo.com; 

www.kcclayguild.org; 816-363-1373. 


Missouri, St. Louis “Identify Yourself: 

National Juried and Invitational 

Exhibition” (May 20–July 3) open 

to work in all media portraying an 

aspect of the artist’s identity. Juried 

from digital. Fee: $35 for two entries. 

Juror: Duane Reed. Contact Stephanie 

Kirkland, Craft Alliance, Delmar Loop, 

6640 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, MO 

63130; exhibitions@craftalliance.org; 

www.craftalliance.org; 314-725-1177. 


New Jersey, Surf City “Jersey Shore 

Clay National 2011” (June 25–July 

25) open to functional and sculptural 

work. Juried from digital. Fee: $25. Juror: 

Heather Mae Erickson. Contact 

Matt Burton, m.t. burton gallery, 1819 

N. Long Beach Blvd., Surf City, NJ 

08008; matt@mtburtongallery.com; 

www.mtburtongallery.com; 609- 

494-0006. 


Virginia, Lorton “Workhouse Clay 

National 2011” (August 3–28) open 

to functional or sculptural clay work. 

Juried from digital. Fee: $30 for 

three entries. Juror: Ellen Shankin. 

Contact Dale Marhanka, Workhouse 

Arts Center, 9601 Ox Rd., Lorton, VA 

22079; dalemarhanka@lortonarts.org; 

www.workhousearts.org; 703-584-2982. 


Colorado, Carbondale “Atmospheric 

Fired 2011” (July 1–August 2) open to 

atmospheric fired clay works including 

soda, salt, wood, raku, and pit fired. 

Juried from digital. Fee: $20 for up to 

three entries. Juror: Lorna Meaden. 

Contact K Rhynus Cesark, Carbondale 

Clay Center, 135 Main St., Carbondale, 

CO 81623; info@carbondaleclay.org; 

www.carbondaleclay.org; 970-963-2529. 

August 6, 2011 entry deadline 

Ohio, Nelsonville “Starbrick Clay 

National Cup Show 2011” (September 

25–October 25) open to drinking vessels 

including cups, goblets, mugs, 

tea bowls, teacups, and tumblers. 

Juried from digital. Fee: $20 for three 

entries; $30 for five entries. Juror: Kristen 

Kieffer. Contact Ann Judy, Starbrick 

Gallery, 21 W. Columbus St., Nelsonville, 

OH 45764; starbrick@gmail.com; 

www.starbrick.com; 740-753-1011. 

regional exhibitions 


New Mexico, Las Cruces “From the 

Ground Up XXV” (August 19–October 

15) open to utilitarian and sculptural 

work by AZ, CO, ID, MT, NM, TX, UT, 

and WY artists. Juried from digital. Fee: 

$30 for up to four entries. Juror: Kurt 

Weiser. Contact Joy Miller, Exhibitions 

Curator, The Las Cruces Museum 

of Art, PO Box 20000, Las Cruces, 

NM 88004; jmiller@las-cruces.org; 

www.las-cruces.org/museums; 575- 

541-2221. 


Rhode Island, Kingston “38th Earthworks: 

Open Juried Clay Annual” (April 

21–May 14) open to New England 

artists. Juried from actual work. Fee: 

$15 per entry, up to five entries. Juror: 

Steven Branfman. Contact Rhonda 

Shumaker, South County Art Association, 

2587 Kingstown Rd., Kingston, 

RI 02881; socart@verizon.net; 

www.southcountyart.org; 401-783-2195. 


Colorado, La Veta “Clay Continuum 

6” (July 19–August 20) open to CO, 

NM, and WY clay artists. Juried from 

digital. Fee: $25 for five entries; $20 

students. Juror: Nancy Utterback. 

Contact Nicole Copel, Spanish Peaks 

Arts Council, PO Box 713, La Veta, 

CO 81055; nicolecopel@yahoo.com; 

www.spanishpeaksarts.org; 719-742-0213. 


North Carolina, Southport “Annual 

Summer Regional Show” (June 

27–July 24) open to paintings, pottery, 

and sculpture. Fee: $30 for two entries. 

Jurors: Don Johns and Kate Lagaly. 

Contact Cheri Funk, Franklin Square 

Gallery, Associated Artists of Southport, 

130 E. West St., Southport, NC 

28461; info@franklinsquaregallery.org; 

www.franklinsquaregallery.org; 910- 

457-5450. 

fairs and festivals 


Tennessee, Townsend “Smoky 

Mountain Pottery Festival” (June 3–4) 

open to pottery. Juried from digital or 

slides. Fee: $110. Contact Jeanie Hilten, 

Townsend Visitors Center, 7906 E. Lamar 

Alexander Pkwy., Townsend, TN 37882; 

jhilten@smokymountains.org; www. 

smokymountains.org/pottery-festival. 

html; 865-273-1242. 


New York, Syracuse “41st Annual 

Syracuse Arts and Crafts Festival” (July 

29–31) open to all fine art media. Juried 

from digital. Fee: $25. Contact Laurie 

Reed, Downtown Committee of Syracuse, 

Inc., 572 S. Salina St., Syracuse, NY 

13202; mail@downtownsyracuse.com; 

www.syracuseartsandcraftsfestival. 

com; 315-422-8284. 


New Jersey, New Brunswick “New 

Jersey Folk Festival” (April 30) open to 

outdoor work. Juried from digital or slides. 

Fee: $10 for three entries. Contact New 

Jersey Folk Festival, American Studies 

Dept., 131 George St., New Brunswick, 

NJ 08901; alliehow@eden.rutgers.edu; 

www.njfolkfest.rutgers.edu; 732- 

932-5775. 


North Carolina, Hillsborough “The 

Hillsborough Downtown Arts and 

Crafts Show” (April 16). Contact Hillsborough 

Arts Council and Gallery, 

PO Box 625, Hillsborough, NC 27278; 

info@hillsboroughartscouncil.org; 

www.hillsboroughartscouncil.org; 919- 

643-2500. 


Maryland, Germantown “Call for 

Fall 2011 Exhibitors” (September 

30–December 11) open to artists 

working in any media. Contact Sugarloaf 

Craft Festivals, Sugarloaf Mountain 

Works, Inc., 19807 Executive 

Park Circle, Germantown, MD 20874; 

sugarloafinfo@sugarloaffest.com; 

www.sugarloafcrafts.com; 301-990-1400. 


classified advertising 

Ceramics Monthly welcomes classifieds in the following categories: Buy/Sell, Employment, Events, 

Opportunities, Personals, Publications/Videos, Real Estate, Rentals, Services, Travel. Accepted advertisements 

will be inserted into the first available print issue, and posted on our website (www.ceramicsmonthly.org) for 30 

days at no additional charge! See www.ceramicsmonthly.org for details. 

buy/sell 

Two Ward power propane burners model MB5oo. 553,000 

btu’s. Used only in three firings before converting our kiln to 

wood. With regulators and lengths of flexible gas piping the 

new cost is over $2,000. Our cost $1,200. Call (434) 248-5074 

or email jessiman@cubcreek.org. 

For Sale: Bailey 18/12 Gas Kiln with 18 12”x24” shelves, 

pyrometer and stack. Excellent condition. $3,000. Pickup 

from Lititz, PA. Call Steve at (717) 381-6877 or email 

potsbydeperrot@dejazzd.com. 

Your dream come true business for sale. Gallery/studio 

steps from the beach in paradise established 23+ years on 

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employment 

Resident Potter. Full time, salary, furnished apartment, established 

gallery and studio, gas, salt, raku kilns, wheel and 

slab, use of all facilities. North Georgia Mountains, close to 

NC, GA pottery centers. Apply at www.hickoryflatpottery.com. 

Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, OR is accepting 

applications for an Instructor —Ceramics (tenure track). 

Responsibilities will include teaching multi-level ceramic 

courses during the fall, winter and spring terms. The successful 

candidate will have an extensive and active exhibition record, 

mastery in ceramic materials and processes (throwing, hand 

building, glaze chemistry, firing) strong organizational skills, kiln 

building and kiln repair experience. MHCC has a specialized 

firing program that includes a caternary wood kiln, an anagama, 

a soda kiln, electric kilns and a reduction gas kiln. For more 

information and to apply, visit http://jobs.mhcc.edu. Mt. Hood 

Community College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that 

actively supports workforce diversity. 

Studio Assistants needed for Summer Workshops, 

Sugar Maples Center for Creative Arts, located in the Catskill 

Mountains of NY state. Duties include: studio maintenance, 

glaze making, kiln loading and firing, assisting in workshops, 

etc. In exchange for housing, stipend, free clay & firings. 

Please send letter of intent, resume, and images of work to: 

Maureen Garcia, PO Box 405, Haines Falls, NY 12436, or 

catskillsgarcia@gmail.com. 

events 

Tom Turner’s Pottery School. For details, see 

www.tomturnerporcelain.com; or call (828) 689-9430. 

Susan Martin-Serra Bas-Relief Tile Making Workshop in 

beautiful Pagosa Springs, CO. May 3-7, 2011. $350 for 5 

days! To register call (970) 264-0642 and leave a message. 

Lana Wilson at 3 Days of Clay. March 18-20. Information at 

(517) 782-7898. Visit www.jacksonpotteryguild.com to register 

and for brochure. Includes lunches, tool workshop, glaze 

exchange and more. 

KILN BUILDING. This is a one time workshop of kiln building 

where you actually build a salt kiln and a sawdust kiln 

using hard bricks, soft bricks, fiber, and castable refractory 

cement. We will fire them with your work and unload them 

together exploring the results. You learn about terra-sigillata 

and burnishing with 2-3 pots for sawdust kiln and glaze 8 

pots for the salt kiln; learning about the firing process, about 

kiln design, construction, and how to fire special kilns. I’ll give 

lectures about designs and materials we construct with. There 

will be plenty of demonstrations. We will load together, fire 

together, and unload together. May 7–8, 14–15, 21–22, 28–29 

and June 4. $275.00. (203) 979-0409; krtarts@yahoo.com; 

www.kevinthomasart.com. 

opportunities 

Internships and Artist in Residence positions are now 

available. Canton Clayworks, LLC, Canton, CT: Exciting 

opportunity for wood firing enthusiasts. CCW has one of 

the most ambitious wood firing programs found in the US; 


our naborigama is among the most frequently fired in the 

country. Qualifications include comprehensive experience 

and education in throwing and hand-building techniques. 

Some teaching and wood firing experience is preferred. 

Benefits include materials and complementary firing fees in 

addition to the opportunity to audit advanced classes and 

workshops at no cost. Download additional information from 

our website www.cantonclayworks.com and contact Tim Scull 

at cantonclayworks@yahoo.com. 

Edinboro University of Pennsylvania. Volunteer Position 

(Technical Assistant in Ceramics) starting August 2011. Excellent 

opportunity to build a portfolio in a comprehensively 

equipped ceramics program. Studio space, materials, and 

firing privileges in exchange for 10 hours of work per week. 

QUALIFICATIONS: BFA in Ceramics or equivalent. Demonstrated 

ability to mix glazes, fire kilns, and assist with keeping 

studios orderly. POSTMARK DEADLINE: March 31, 2011. 

EMAIL lrexrode@edinboro.edu for application procedure. 

Resident position available for self-motivated potter at 

community studio in exchange for private studio, full use of 

facilities and an opportunity to develop your own voice in 

clay. Resident is required to mix glazes, load and fire kilns 

and help manage the studio (Average 20 hrs/wk). Earning 

opportunities available. Must be people oriented and willing 

to teach adults and children. Great environment and facilities. 

Visit www.natchezclay.com or e-mail natchezclay@gmail.com. 

North Dakota State University (NDSU) Department of Visual 

Arts is accepting applications for the 2012 James Rosenquist 

Artist Residency through April 2, 2011. Preferred applicants 

are artists who have just graduated with an M.F.A. or emerging 

artists who are looking for an opportunity to grow in their work 

in a supportive and rewarding environment. The residency will 

take place January –May 2012 and includes an $8,000 stipend, 

room and board, a studio, some supplies, and the opportunity 

to take one class at North Dakota State University. Artists will 

be asked to give public presentations, hold an exhibition at the 

end of their stay, and contribute one work of art to the NDSU 

collection. Additionally, the artist will teach a single course at 

NDSU with a focus on bringing new ideas to the department. 

The residency is open to all visual arts media. More information 

can be found online at www.ndsu.edu/finearts/rosenquist. 

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FULL MOON RIBS. Beautiful hardwood ribs. Perfect for 

throwing bowls. Hand made in Kerrville, Texas. See demo. 

www.fullmoonribs.dudleyharris.com 

pubs/videos 

PotteryVideos.com – DVD’s with Robin Hopper, Gordon 

Hutchens and Graham Sheehan. Video Workshops for Potters 

at all levels of experience. Choose from 21 titles. (800) 

668-8040; info@potteryvideos.com. 

Tom Turner’s 2-day workshop, 4-disc DVD set. To order, 

see www.tomturnerporcelain.com; or call (828) 689-9430. 

Tom & Elaine Coleman: books, video, workshops, 

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Kristen Kieffer’s DVD Surface Decoration: Suede to 

Leatherhard. Demonstrations on eleven decoration techniques. 

Great for teachers, potters and sculptors. Complete 

information, purchasing link and viewer comments at 

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real estate 

3 Bedroom Contemporary Home + 2,000 sq.ft. studio on 

five acres. River front, 3 miles from Penland School. For photos 

& further information P.O. Box 41, Penland, NC 28765 or call 

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1850 sq.ft., 3 bedroom/ 2 bath. This home has a fully functioning 

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The Studio includes a potters wheel, gas kiln, work prep area 

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FOR SALE: STONEHAUS, PETER KING, Artist: the oldest 

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The sale includes all equipment, materials, contents, gallery, 

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National Historic Registry Ceramic Studio and Gallery 

for sale. Located one mile from Monongahela National 

Forest on Main St. in Richwood, WV. 2,500 sq.ft. building 

includes wood/soda kiln, CXC wheel, electric kiln and all 

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rentals 

SUMMER IN SANTA FE! Share our 1300 sq.ft. studio. Available 

June, July and August. $350 per month plus firing costs. 

Includes wheel, slab roller, gas, electric and soda kilns. (505) 

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Midwest Clay Guild studio space 100 sq.ft., $270/month. 

Three electric kilns, test kiln, gas kiln, full glaze kitchen, more. 

Access 24/7, designated parking and public transportation. 

One-time fee $350 to join. To apply provide images, artist 

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services 

Ceramics Consulting Services offers technical information 

and practical advice on clay/glaze/kiln faults and corrections, 

slip casting, clay body/glaze formulas, salt glazing, product 

design. Call or write for details. Jeff Zamek, 6 Glendale 

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Master Kiln Builders. 26+ years experience designing and 

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travel 

CRAFT & FOLK ART TOURS. Romania, Bhutan, Christmas 

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World Tours, 6776CM Warboys, Byron, NY 14422; (585) 548- 

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Discovery Art Travel Overseas Ceramic Workshops & 

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Morocco 2011 Ceramics Excursion, October 13– November 

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Visit us at ceramic artsdaily.org 

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SPOTlighT 

nick joerling shifts gears 

CM: What motivated 

you to move away 

from what was 

arguably a very successful 

body of work 

toward something 

clearly different? 

NJ: I like to make 

pots that are familiar, 

and pots that are 

unfamiliar in every 

cycle of work. 

Working only on 

familiar pieces is too 

boring; working only 

on unfamiliar pieces is too exhausting, where 

every step is a decision. It’s the back and forth 

rhythm between the two that’s right for me. 

I’m using the words familiar and unfamiliar 

deliberately, instead of old and new. It doesn’t 

mean that the familiar pots aren’t open to 

change. With familiar work we know where 

we’re heading, and the unexpected comes 

along the way. 

This combination of familiar and unfamiliar 

is one of the things the studio teaches: we all 

have our own particular desire, or formula, for 

security and risk. 

I think it was John Dewey, the philosopher/ 

educator, who said that human beings have 

built into them the desire for novelty, so in that 

sense making new work is hard wired into us. 

CM: Is this something 

that was an abrupt 

change for you in the 

studio, or more of a 

gradual transition? 

NJ: In my potting 

life there have 

been several times 

when stumbling on 

a new technique 

(cutting pots, 

stretching pots from the inside out, working 

with closed forms) has shifted how I work, 


1 

but in all those cases the pots in my mind 

have stayed “on message.” For me, this 

means pots that are animated, sensual, and 

useful. By natural inclination, and hopefully 

without being literal, body references turn up 

in my pots, but it’s not like I’m being direct 

about that reference. When I wonder to 

myself what it is about the work I’ve made 

that appeals to me, often times I trace it back 

to our bodies. First it’s just working, then 

comes the wondering. I like having the cart 

slightly ahead of the horse. 

About five years ago I began wondering if I 

could get figure references not just in the pots 

but on the pots. That’s most of what has had 

my attention recently. Because I don’t have 

any drawing training, I have to use my lack 

of training to my advantage, so I do a kind of 

stylized, shadow figure. 

CM: What is the effect 

a shift like this has on 

your studio practice 

and livelihood? 

NJ: I think I’d come 

at this question 

with the recognition 

and gratitude that, 

this many years in, 

I’m just as eager to get to the studio now as I 

was at the start. This question has a “making 

a living” component to it. While it’s true that, 

when you’re experimenting, your efficiency 

plummets, I’ve always felt that, though I give up 

income in the short term (by being stubborn— 

or open—to trying new things) I gain income 

in the long term. I keep myself interested and 

wanting to be in the studio. What we’re all 

after, if we’re trying to make this our livelihood, 

is to get making a living and making what we 

want to be as parallel as possible. 

Concerning the economics of potting for 

a living (meaning setting aside the internal 

necessity of trying new things), my experience 

is that the audience is as apt to reward you 

following your curiosity as penalize you for it. 

It might not be that they buy that particular 

new piece (and when they cross with that 

new work it might not be worked out and 

ripe for selling) but they stay interested in 

your body of work. 

Sometimes I think it’s important to try 

something new, not because you’re after 

something new but because you have to keep 

understanding why you’re doing what you’re 

doing. For instance, I make a curled handle 

that seems very right for many of my pots. 

What I have to guard against is that handle 

becoming clichéd for me. I don’t want to bring 

that same handle to old or new work simply 

from laziness or habit. So periodically I’ll try a 

different handle, not because I’m dissatisfied 

with the current handle, but because I need to 

keep understanding why that handle is right. 

That, hopefully, keeps the familiar work lively. 

CM: What do you see 

as the biggest difference 

between your 

previous and current 

bodies of work? 

NJ: I think with the 

recent work, the 

surfaces have gotten 

more active. That 

has to do with my 

attempt to “draw” 

on the pots, and those “shadow” figures 

break up the surface in a much different 

way than a brush stroke does. I’m finding 

out that running multiple figures across a 

pot sets up a rhythm. If I simply, identically, 

repeat the same figure, that’s one rhythm, 

but my inclination is to vary the figures. Our 

eyes, I think, have more fun with that. We 

search out what’s in common and what’s 

different, our eyes are busy and curious. It’s 

that interesting combination of repetition 

and variety, which on their 

surface seem contradictory, 

but turn out to be “holding 

hands” (repetition for the 

sake of variety). 

My speculation is that 

the newer work is more 

sophisticated, meaning that 

as you continue to make 

pots you increase your form 

vocabulary, that over the 

years you get to work out 

and fine tune. It’s all about 3 

“seeing,” another thing we 

learn from the studio, and 

which is so contrary to our general culture. 

Things take time, whether it’s understanding a 

form or getting to know a glaze. 

To learn more about Nick Joerling and his 

work, go to www.penlandpottery.com/pages/ 

bruns-joerling-studios.php. 

1 Ewer, approximately 12 in. (30 cm) in height, 

stoneware with glaze, 2009. 

2 Platter, 12 in. (30 cm) in diameter, stoneware 

with resisted glaze and brush decoration, 2010. 

3 Nick Joerling demonstrates at a workshop at 

Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina. 

2

Gear Drive i n 

Dual Augers 

• Increase wedging capacity pacity 

• 880 lbs/hr 

• Cast stainless ste steel 

• Effortless clay cla a extrusion 

exclusively 

designed for a potter 

Safety Switch 

(W (When Open 

Augers Shut Off) 

Easy Maintenance Mainten 

(Six Bolt RRemo Rem 

val) 

Start Switch 

Off Switc Switch 

Breaker Switch 

(Motor Protection) n) 

4” Hopper 

NRA-04/NRA-04S 

Cla Clay ay 

Cutter 

3 1/2” Diameter 

Rubber Hopper Cover 

Cla Clay ay R Roller 

r R 

est 

Nozzle Noz Cover

POWERFUL 

TOUGH 

INNOVATIVE 

SMOOTH 

ERGONOMIC 

VALUE 

“Because I work exclusively in porcelain I need 

the control of a Thomas Stuart. The smoothness 

of this wheel does the job for me. ” 

Judi Dyelle/Porcelain Artist 

to see judi’s finished work visit 

skutt.com/video/dyelle

Spotlight: Nick Joerling shifts gears Techno File - Ceramic Arts Daily

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