A very nice Raku day !

I finally got my act together and gathered all the pieces I have been hoarding for a raku firing. It was more than I thought, two kiln loads ! It took me a day and half to glaze it all. Revive the glazes, make new batches, apply, carve through, clean...It had to be perfect, of course. Which is rather ironic, since Raku firing is all about accepting imperfections :)

I reserved two pieces for Naked Raku and kept the rest for a traditional firing. I limited my choice of glazes to the (somewhat) usual: white crackle, glassy copper sand, a high titanium copper glaze, Irene Poulton's black, and a silver nitrate glaze.

First firing had the Naked Raku pieces and 3 other pieces. I fired to 1800 F in a little over an hour, taking the Naked Raku pieces out at 1400 F. Results below. Naked Raku turned out really good.



Bamboos
Naked Raku



Bamboos, detail view



Squares
Naked Raku

 

Bolted Vessel

 

Bolted Vessel, top view

 

Prosperity Vase
Chinese symbols for good fortune, happiness, longevity, spirit,
love, and endurance grace the vessel to channel positive energies.

 

Prosperity Vase, detail view

 

Wave
White crackle glaze



Wave, detail view



Second firing contained the three pieces that were treated with the silver nitrate glaze. The glaze has to be mixed in just before the firing to maximize the strength of the silver nitrate. People used to the chemical know what I mean. Exposure to light starts turning it black. Always wear gloves when handling silver nitrate solution. The way I do this, I premix the wet base glaze the day before, then weigh the crystals of silver nitrate, dissolve them in a small amount of water, and add the solution to the base. The solution thickens the glaze considerably, so I had to dilute it more with water. Next, the firing was done in about 1 hour. I had to go up to 1900-1950 F to completely melt the silver glaze, and I completed the firing with a 10 min reduction. Kiln got a bit too hot, glaze started to run off the pot. But, oh boy, beautiful effects ! Enjoy.



Metallic Vessel
Silver Nitrate glaze



Metallic Vessel, detail view

Flowing
Silver Nitrate glaze

Flowing, detail view

Opening at the ACGA National Juried Exhibition

Last night was the opening of the ACGA National Juried Exhibit at the amazing City of Brea Art Gallery. I announced the show in a previous post. I got to meet with Beverly Crist who represented ACGA at the opening. From about 500 entries, the juror, Carol Sauvion, selected 80 works of clay and glass, some of them truly amazing ! While my eye was more atuned to ceramics, the glass works selected merit the attention. If you have the time and you are in the area, stop by the gallery to enjoy a moment in clay and glass.

Talking about the gallery, I was really delighted how well all the works were displayed. Emphasis was given 100% to each individual piece, both with the appropriate lighting and the right amount of space between the works, so that one can admire them without distraction. The gallery director,Christina Hasenberg, and her team know how to put up a good show. Bravo !

Below are a few pictures of the event, notably Best in Show, and works by artists in the San Diego area.

Sway by Calvin Ma
Best in show

Blowing in the Wind by Cheryl Tall

CanadaGoose by Maria de Castro

Indian Summer II by Pierre Bounaud

38th Annual Small Image Show

Gallery 21 is hosting the 38th Annual Small Image show, organized by the Spanish Village Arts Center in Balboa Park. It is a unique show where artists across various media were presented a challenge of utilizing a small image (less than 10" in size) in the widest range of visual expression. This year's juror was Karen McGuire, curator of exhibitions for the city of Carlsbad's William D. Cannon Art Gallery.

I am happy to announce that two of my saggar porcelain pieces were juried in. Show starts on the 23rd, it is a Wednesday. Each artists are required to sit in for half a day. My time slot is opening day on the 23rd, 11am - 1:30pm. I'd be happy to give you the tour !

Exhibition Announcement



I am very proud to announce that a piece from my marble porcelain series, Indian Summer II, was selected by the juror, Carol Sauvion, Executive Producer of the acclaimed PBS series Craft in America, to be viewed at the ACGA National Exhibition at the City of Brea Art gallery, January 26 - March 1. The opening reception is january 26th, 7-9 pm. If you are in the area, you should definitely stop by.

Here is what the American Clay & Glas Association (ACGA) has to say about the exhibition:
"ACGA, along with the City of Brea, is proud to present the second biannual ACGA National Clay & Glass Exhibition. This national competition, juried by Carol Sauvion, represents the diverse styles and concepts found in current handmade clay and glass."
For a list of the artists, click on the link above.

Indian Summer II
Low fire Saggar; Nara porcelain
9.75" x 6.5"
$180

Indian Summer II, finial detail