This time of year, I’m more of a writer than a potter. My studio’s unheated, so though I can fire pots, I can’t throw or trim them. Too cold. I do, however, dream up springtime pots during the winter months and sketch shapes, decide on glaze combinations, and research what’s going on in the world of ceramics. I also order my supplies. I used to mix my own clay and glazes but, these days, simply purchase them. The glazes arrive in powdered form and need to be mixed with water and sieved. The clay, however, is ready to go, fifty-pound boxes of fun waiting to happen, some a nubbly brown stoneware, some a buttery white. What largely accounts for the clay bodies’ contrasting textures is an ingredient called grog. [Read more…] about Fragments From a Fire
Archives for February 2024
