Macro-Crystalline

   This glaze is considered to be one of the most difficult and beautiful glazes in the field of ceramics. The crystals form by zinc and silica precipitating out of the molten fluid of the glaze at high temperatures. The size and shape of crystal is controlled through temperature and time, while the exact location is always  random.

   As this glaze is very fluid and hard to control, many potters allow the glaze to run off of the pot and then grind the bottoms to get rid of the sharp edge left. This technique also requires that a catch basin be made for each pot, so it limited the application of the glaze to larger, more expensive pieces to help pay for this extra time involved, and also made it impractical for use on everyday items. I have finally developed a way to keep the glaze from running off, letting me use this glaze in a way that has not been accomplished before,meaning that I can put this glaze on everyday items and sell them at a reasonable price, making crystalline glazes available to anyone. I am currently working on color development, and will have work available for sale shortly.

Tide Pool

    This glaze is my own development, the result of hundreds of glaze and firing tests performed over the last 3 years. This glaze is fired for an extremely long time, with additional time in a crystal forming temperature range. This process allows the glaze to melt and flow, causing the glaze to separate into blue and a purple, with the blue floating on top of the purple layer, with flowing pools and streaks. The crystalline stage of my firing allows a small amount of rutile crystals to form within the glaze, as well as around the rim.

   I call this glaze tidepool because it is much like the tidepools that we see along our Oregon coast, that, appearing almost completely empty at first, upon closer observation are found to contain a myriad of tiny wonders. This glaze is much the same way that, as you hold it in your hands and look at it, at different times and in different light, new aspects reveal themselves, adding a new level of depth.  

          This glaze originated in the sung dynasty of china (960-1279 AD). The name literally means heavens eye, coming from the name of  a mountain in the Jian province of China (Mt. Tienmu). On this mountain, there was a temple where tenmoku glazed tea bowls were first used. During this time, white tea was preferred, and it was said to look best in dark bowls. The fact that this glaze is extremely thick and insulates well, as well as extremely dark made it an extremely popular glaze. Shortly after high-fired ceramics appeared in Japan during the Kamakura period (1336-1573 AD), tenmoku glazes started being produced there as well, with ones brought previosly from china being very poplular there already. Of the black tea ware glazes in Japan and China, this glaze was ranked second, behind only the more rare irridescent version of this same glaze. Both versions are also reverred for the fact that the spots reference stars glittering in the night sky. This glaze is rare, difficult to produce, difficult to find, and results in many failed pots along with the successful ones.

             This glaze is made in the traditional Asian method of using locally dug clays or volcanic ash, processed by hand, and mixed with wood ash that is also local and processed by hand. Often, I like to pair this glaze with pots made with clays that have also been dug locally and processed by hand. This glaze is the result of almost a year of research and glaze testing, with hundreds of failures before final success. I am also working on the incredibly rare irridescent version of this glaze, as well as changing the background colors, and the spot colors. Results will be posted to the site when I am satisfied with a new version.