How long have you been doing your fabulous crafts?



I have always had a very creative side. My mom said I was the most difficult kid to keep busy because I wasn’t interested in any of the normal “girl stuff”. She would go to the library to research art projects for me to work on, and took me to the grocery store to pick out my favorite shapes of pasta. I would paint the pasta and create pictures or sculptures with it. I loved weaving paper and got very interested in origami for a while. My father is an amazing craftsman, but he came from a place and time where the work he did was for function and to make a living. He has never considered himself an artist, but the man can make anything. He built custom houses when I was a baby, and I spent hours with him in the garage tinkering with his tools, and making things. My grandmother also taught me needlepoint and embroidery.

In school, I was a very good student and focused on math and science. For some reason, it never occurred to me to take an art class. I was very active in playing music at the time, so I think that helped quench my creative side. In college, I got a business degree focusing on Information Technology because I thought it would make a good career. Along the way I have continued to make things. When I graduated college I started working for a large corporation as a computer programmer. A few years ago they had a pumpkin carving contest as a morale booster around the office. I got a little competitive and was excited because it was another creative endeavor. That was the start of my obsessive pumpkin carving hobby for a few years. [link] I loved carving but unfortunately I could only do it one time a year. I decided I wanted to find a medium that was more permanent, more respected than a pumpkin, and one I could work in year round.

I signed up for a wood carving class at a local art center. The day before the class was to begin, I found out it was cancelled and signed up for a pottery class offered during the same time. I didn’t even think I liked pottery, but I did it just to pass the time. I was instantly hooked and never made it to the wood carving class. I got lucky and stumbled into a class with an amazing teacher. Her name is Earline Green, and I owe where I am today to her. She took me under her wing and pushed me to perfect my throwing skills and experiment. I still take classes from her because I feel like I have so much to learn, however I now produce over 90% of my work in my home studio. Earline has encouraged me to learn from as many people as possible, so I was fortunate enough to travel to 5 different workshops over the summer taught by some of the top names in pottery.

Since I have been working in clay and glass for such a short period of time, I still consider myself a beginner. I make art in my spare time, so technically it is a hobby. I would love to do it full time, but the irony of my “real” job is that it allows me to purchase the materials and tools I need for my studio and to take the classes and workshops that otherwise I wouldn’t be able to afford. I am very jealous of other artists that have had the luxury of a formal education in art. I am constantly researching and trying to educate myself, and have been fortunate enough to have such amazing teachers.



What are the various materials that you work in?



I work in both clay and fused glass. If you look at my gallery it’s easy to see that my attention is usually focused more on clay than glass. The two mediums both allow me to create something from raw materials and fire. Their differences are what create a yin and yang for me, and keep me from getting stuck in a rut. Clay is a very soft medium that calls to me to touch and manipulate it. Glass is very hard and unforgiving. I have always preferred to work in 3D so glass also challenges me to work in 2D.

I work with 2 types of clay depending on what technique I will be using for the final firing. I use very rough, white stoneware for my raku and horsehair pots. These techniques expose the pottery to an extreme amount of thermal shock, and the grog (small bits of already fired clay) in the clay allows it to withstand the thermal shock without cracking (most of the time). My dad has actually refused to come over to help with my horsehair firings because it makes him so sad to see the occasional pot crack when it hits the cold air. For my other techniques I typically use porcelain or very smooth stoneware that is similar to porcelain. This allows for a wonderfully smooth surface that is perfect for my unglazed pottery.

For fused glass I use Bullseye 90 COE glass. That’s a technical way of saying that I use art glass that is all the same “type” from a company named Bullseye. With fused glass, it must all be the same type or it won’t be compatible while firing in the kiln. Different types of glass can actually break apart during the firing cycle in the kiln if they are not compatible.

How hard is it to modify a piece such as Lily Vase or Layered Circles?

Lily Vase and Layered Circles are pieces that came from experimenting with techniques I learned in the workshops over the summer. They were focusing on throwing pieces on the wheel, and then later altering them. The basics of the techniques are somewhat simple. Since clay is a soft medium, it allows you to add, subtract, cut, and mold with ease. For me, the difficulty comes in knowing the right stage to do these modifications and the small details. I like my pieces to look very finished and will often spend the most time on making sure that it gets that way. Touching and manipulating the clay while it is still too soft can create all types of issues such as distorting, putting finger prints in the surface, etc. Having the patience to let the clay sit with something you want to “fix” at that stage is one of the biggest challenges. On the other hand, if you let the clay get too dry and brittle, you risk cracks and or breakage of the entire piece. Lily Vase is first created by first distorting a thrown cylinder into an oval shape, and then later carving the large cut with an exacto knife. Layered Circles is created by a technique where shellac is painted on, allowed to dry, and then the entire piece is wiped with a wet sponge. The shellac protects the clay from the water, and it creates an etched effect similar to sandblasting in mediums such as glass.



What are the different types of glazes you use?

At this point in time I don’t typically use a lot of traditional glazes that people are used to seeing on pottery. Most of my work is unglazed. I do experiment with some traditional glazes that are intended for firing in electric kilns at mid-range temperatures. With these types of glazes, I try to focus on applying multiple glazes so they overlap and react to one another to create interesting effects. I either dip or brush traditional glazes onto my pots.

The one glaze that I use consistently is a glaze created especially for a firing technique called raku. I use two different raku glaze recipes. One is glossy and the other is matte. The colors are determined by the actual firing process. I mix large enough batches of raku glaze for my pieces to be dipped.

What is “raku” glaze?



A raku glaze is a glaze that is formulated to be fired at low temperatures. The glaze contains a lot of different metals and colorants in it (copper, iron, cobalt, etc.). What makes a raku glaze unique is the firing process. The piece is fired first in an electric kiln to make it strong enough to accept a glaze. This is called bisque firing. Then the raku glaze is applied to the bisque ware. The second firing is done in a small gas kiln. The kiln is brought up to approximately 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. At that temperature, the kiln is opened; the pots are lifted out with very large tongs, and placed in a container full of combustible materials. (I use crumpled up newspaper). The newspaper catches on fire and then the container is sealed. When the container is sealed, the fire is starved of oxygen and actually starts using oxygen from the clay and glaze. This atmosphere causes the metals in the glaze to react, creating flashes of color. Any areas on the pot that have not been glazed will turn black from the smoke. After about 15 minutes, the pots are pulled out of the containers and flash cooled with water. The process is very unpredictable, and creates an entire spectrum of metallic colors. No two pots will ever be the same.

The technique is very exciting to participate in. However it requires a lot of precautionary measures. One must make sure and wear flame resistant clothing, welding gloves, and special glasses to protect your eyes from the UV light coming from the kiln. In must be done outdoors with a lot of ventilation away from anything flammable since there are open flames.

I don’t use lead in my raku glazes, but due to the high amounts of other metals in the glazes, raku pots are for decorative purposes only. The glaze is not food safe, and the pot is not completely water tight due to the relatively low temperature of the firing.

How do you create a smooth, finished surface on your unglazed pots?

Potters typically use glazes to achieve colors and a desirable surface on their pots. I achieve this through alternative methods and don’t typically use glazes. If you look in my gallery, anything that mentions a saggar or horsehair is going to be an unglazed pot. I go through several steps to achieve the smooth, touchable surface in these firings.



The process is a labor of love and starts while I’m still throwing the pot. I use metal and rubber ribs during the last stages of throwing to remove throwing lines, and to get as smooth of a surface of possible while the clay is still wet. When the clay is leather hard I use a plastic spoon or a smooth stone to burnish the clay. I burnish the clay 3 times while it is leather hard. First I move in a vertical direction, then horizontal, then vertical again. Each time the strokes get lighter to achieve a super smooth surface. Once the pot is bone dry, I spray it with a refined liquid clay called Terra Sigilata. While the Terra Sigilata is still damp, I use a piece of plastic (I find my dry cleaner bags work the best) to polish the pot. The Terra Sigilata allows the piece to get a glossy shine, and fires very white to create a nice background for the second firing. In addition, Terra Sigilata soaks up more smoke and fumes than the raw clay, resulting in deeper colors. During the last stage while I’m spraying Terra Sigilata, polishing it, and loading it in the bisque kiln, I wear latex gloves to keep from getting finger prints in the finish. The finger prints are not visible during this stage, but they definitely show up in the second firing when they are fuming in the saggar. I have had pots where the finger prints turn a completely different color. I assume it is from the oils in my fingers reacting with the Terra Sigilata, and various chemicals in the saggar.

What additions do you make to finishes and glazes?

Since most of my pottery is fired the second time in what are considered “alternative” firing techniques I use a lot of unusual materials to get colors and designs. The additions all happen between the first and second firing, and are responsible for the designs and variations you see on the surfaces on my pots.

For my raku pots, I typically use masking tape or pin striping tape to make a design on the pot. Then the pot is dipped into the raku glaze. Once the glaze dries for a minute or two, I pull the tape off, exposing areas of raw clay. These are the areas that will turn black in the firing process. This is the one thing that I can actually control in the raku firing. I know my design will be black, and everything else will depend on the fire and smoke.



For my horse hair pots, the clay is not glazed. Before the bisque firing, I polish the surface of the pot until it gets a nice satin shine. Once it has been bisque fired, it goes into the small gas kiln that I also use for raku firing. The pottery is pulled out while hot with large tongs and decorated with strands of horsehair. The carbon from the hair burning is soaked into the clay. There is about a 1 minute window where the pot is the right temperature to "record" the lines of the horsehair. As a variation I can also burn feathers on the surface, and sprinkle sugar on the pot to leave small little specks.



Can you give us a short description of the technique of saggar firing?



A saggar is essentially a container that the pot is placed in during firing. The saggar creates a small, contained atmosphere around the pot. Different ingredients are placed in and around the pot and then the saggar is sealed and placed in the kiln. When the kiln is fired the saggar concentrates the smoke and fumes around the pot, and the unglazed clay soaks it up to create very dramatic designs and colors.

I use several different variations for saggar containers including foil, metal, and clay. I use different types of saggar containers depending on what kind of atmosphere I want to create inside. There are several variables that affect what is happening inside the saggar – the temperature of the kiln, how long the kiln is firing at that temperature, the amount of oxygen that the ingredients in the saggar are getting, and whether or not the ingredients are physically touching the clay.

I use a wide range of materials and chemicals in the saggars to get different effects. The list includes horse hair, sugar, feathers, leaves, spanish moss, copper scrub pads (those kind you use on your dishes in the kitchen), steel wool, sawdust, table salt, copper carbonate, and copper wire. Believe it or not, I even use toilet paper in some of the firings to get a nice black surface! One chemical that I use in my foil saggars is called ferric chloride. This is a very nasty, toxic chemical that takes a lot of safety measures to work with. I strongly advise anyone that is going to experiment with it to do your research first. I’m extremely careful when using the stuff.

How hard was it to build your own kiln?

Building my own raku kiln was a lot of fun and relatively inexpensive. There are several ways to build a raku kiln, and a simple google search should return a lot of examples. I based mine off of a kiln that some friends of mine made. The materials are relatively easy to find – especially in a large metropolitan area like Dallas. Mine is made out of a 55 gallon barrel, 2 inch refractory fiber blanket, nichrome wire (made to withstand high temps), some chrome handles from my hardware store, and ceramic buttons that I made and fired myself. I ordered the barrel online but you can find them at junk yards. The wire was from my ceramic supply store and the fiber blanket was from a furnace company. I also purchased the burner from my ceramic store, and then went to the local propane/barbeque supply store to get the propane tank, hose, and regulator for the burner. The most difficult part about building the kiln was cutting the barrel. My Dad and I put the whole thing together in one weekend. It didn’t require any special skills, other than knowledge of how it all goes together. This is a great PDF with step by step instructions. It’s a little different than the one I built, but if I ever have to build another one, it will probably be based on this design. [link]



What are the advantages to different firings?

The possibilities are endless with fire. It depends on what you want to achieve and what type of kilns are available. I typically work with mid to low range temperatures because I don’t have access to large, high fire kilns. I have been fortunate enough to experiment with several different types of kilns and firings. Electric kilns are dependable and predictable so they are perfect for bisque firing and achieving results that are very deliberate. I have an electric kiln in my studio that I use for bisque and some glaze firings. The beauty (and also the downside) of wood firing, soda firing, and many of the techniques I perform in my low fire, gas raku kiln is the atmospheric conditions in the kiln affect the glazes and clay in ways that can not completely be controlled. This makes the moment of opening the kiln very exciting. Due to the “you don’t know what you’re going to get” nature of these firings, you can get some big surprises and a lot of loss. To me, the benefits outweigh the disappointments and I love letting the fire play such an integral part in my artwork.



What shows or exhibitions do you participate in?

I have been in one juried exhibit, locally. I entered “River Stone” and won best of show which was very exciting. It was a small venue that didn’t get much traffic, so I probably won’t participate in that one again. I used it as a way to get my feet wet. I also entered several of my pieces into the State Fair of Texas this year, and won 9 different ribbons. I’ve been going through and looking at winning entries at the State Fair since I was a child so it was rewarding to see my work displayed there. I will probably enter the fair again next year, more for nostalgia purposes than anything else. My goal for next year is to get serious about entering into larger juried shows and exhibitions. We’ll see how that goes.



Do you market your wonderful creations?

I’m still getting started on marketing my pots and glass. I have had a few sales through people contacting me via dA. That is going well, but I use dA as more of a portfolio. So it gets difficult to explain which are for sale, sold, etc. I have had people buy my pieces to donate to charity silent auctions. The pieces did surprisingly well in the auctions. I have done some commission work. I really like the commission work because it challenges me to work on something I may have not originally thought of. The biggest trouble with commissions is that I make pottery in my spare time, so the time frame to complete a commission is usually a long wait. In addition, my firing techniques are very unpredictable so I have to make sure that the person understands that the piece will not come out exactly as they may expect. Just recently I was picked up by my first art gallery. I dropped off my first batch of work to them in early December and sales seem to be going really well. I plan on approaching a couple more galleries locally, and am thinking about starting an etsy shop.

Do you belong to any organizations and what benefits are there?

I’ve been planning on getting involved in the Texas Clay Arts Association and possibly some local ceramic associations as well. Unfortunately this is something I have been lax about pursuing. I think they will be a great resource to get to know other local potters, and will be another venue to get my work “out there”. I am also going to attend the annual NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts) conference in March. This will be my first time to attend NCECA. I’m really looking forward to it.




*lisaluera

Status: deviantART Subscriber
Traditional Artist
Female/United States
Deviant since Feb 13, 2007, 7:30 PM





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//*cl2007