Techniques

Crystalline:

First a vessel is thrown on the potter’s wheel using porcelain clay. It is allowed to dry and then is fired to 1850 degrees F. After that I mix the glaze which consists of several main ingredients and a colorant. I then apply the glaze to the piece and fire it in the kiln for its final, special firing. This time the kiln is fired to 2350 degrees F. After the peak temperature is reached the kiln is allowed to cool to around 2000 degrees F. This temperature is maintained for three to six hours. During this holding cycle crystals form in the molten glaze and begin to grow. The longer the temperature is held the larger the crystals will grow. After the hold the kiln is allowed to cool naturally to room temperature, and then is unloaded. Due to this special firing process I can not control exactly where the crystals grow, but I can control their size, shape, and color. Each vessel ends up being a unique one of a kind piece.

Wood-Fire:

Several years ago I helped friends, Mark Goertzen and Dick Lehman build an anagamma style wood kiln in southwestern Michigan. We fire it several times a year. It takes two days to load the kiln with approximately 300 pieces and another three days to fire it. The kiln is held at extreme temperatures above 2350F for thirty or more hours before the kiln is shut down. After a week of cooling the bricks are removed from the door and the kiln is unloaded.