B.A.Dip. Ed (Sydney University)
My 20 years of teaching art in secondary schools has been an extremely satisfying experience. In that time, it was always ceramics that was my first love and greatest passion.
The process is a complicated mix of creativity and science. It involves very basic materials; clay and water. The art of glazing is extremely technical, combining materials such as silica, dolomite, feldspar, whiting, rutile and oxides which are mixed with water and fired under extreme temperatures.
The pieces are made on the wheel, let dry to the point where I can turn them to create fine bases. Then when dry, they are fired in an electric kiln to 800 degrees Celsius. After the bisque firing they are glazed and fired in a gas kiln for 12 hours reaching 1300 degrees Celsius.
The greatest elation or disappointment comes when the kiln is opened…three days after the gas burners are turned off! It takes this length of time for the interior of the kiln and the contents to cool sufficiently to prevent crazing the glaze and risking personal injury.
Chemical changes between the clay body and the glaze under reducing conditions in the gas kiln produce an array of colours. Many of these colours can be created by careful application, however, much of the final result is due to the serendipity of factors that are often challenging to manipulate and control. Stoneware pottery is non porous, has great strength, is ovenproof, dishwasher proof and is resistant to chipping.
My aim is to produce functional ware that is beautiful, light and a pleasure to use.
