Clay
Clay bodies used to create pottery are made of microscopic pieces of rock bonded with water to form a smooth and pliable mud. When clay bodies are heated in the kiln the water is removed and the microscopic pieces of rock fuse together becoming a singular piece of pottery.
112 Brown Clay
Produced by: Standard Ceramic Supply Company
112 is a brown clay body that has manganese sprinkled throughout. The manganese creates the black speckles that peak through the glaze once fired. The speckles are used to mimic the appearance of a gas or wood fired clay body when firing in an electric kiln.
The majority of my work is produced using this brown clay.
630 White Stoneware
Produced by: Standard Ceramic Supply Company
630 is a white clay body that contains Fire Clay and Mullite. These two additions enhance the thermal properties making the finished pottery durable in dishwashers, microwaves, ovens and freezers. The white is a great base for showcasing the glaze’s colors and effects.
I only use the white clay body with my transparent green glaze.
Glaze
Glazes are also made up of microscopic rocks but vary from clay bodies as glazes have a higher percentage of glass forming rocks. When the glaze is heated in the kiln the microscopic rocks fuse together forming a glass coating on the piece of pottery the glaze was applied to.
Transparent Green - designed to mimic the classic celadon glazes of ancient china but due to my use of an electric kiln and different coloring agents it has evolved in to a darker hue. I use this glaze on both the 112 and 630 clay bodies getting drastically different results as seen on the trees.
Titanium White - Not a true opaque glaze but more of a thick phase separation that appears whiteish blue. The phase separation creates a white that breaks clear when thin. it also creates interesting effects when overlapped by other glazes as seen on the shoulder of the bottle in the pictured.
Mediteranean Mist - One of two commercial glazes that I purchase from Standard Clay Co. This is a blue green glaze that breaks a dark almost black color when thin and combines well with my titanium white glaze.
Iron Red - The second commercial glaze I use from Standard Clay Co. This is a rich iron red that breaks grey and almost black when thin. I typically use this glaze over triangles of Titanium White and dots of Mediterranean Mist.