TESTING IN PROGRESS

Prompted by pure curiosity and after taking two glaze chemistry courses, I began teaching myself how to identify local ceramic materials (mostly rocks and minerals, some clays) spotted while out hiking or doing yard work at home.

I use the Glazy.org UMF calculator to input precise chemical composition information for each mineral/rock to develop a durable, food safe glaze recipe.

SKY ISLANDS CLEAR GLAZE

Using scavenged basic glaze minerals and rocks—feldspar, quartz, and calcium carbonate found in local landscapes—I have developed a rock glaze made with 90% raw ceramic materials based on the classic 4321 Leach glaze recipe.

My version of this glaze is named after the distinct region of the globe and diverse elevations where the materials are found.

FURTHER TESTING: CALICHE AVENTURINE GLAZE

An accident during firing that tipped this cup at an angle has revealing horizontal colors such a blue, amber, rust and dark chocolate at the bottom of this glazes’s drip line that had not been apparent before.

Now I want to (neeeed to) try to recreate the circumstances that might safely replicate this effect.

Feel free to click the icon on the bottom right of the video to enlarge it.

TREE GRANITE CLEAR GLAZE

An alternative clear glaze recipe, but using a granite that contains feldspar, quartz, and added whiting. The granite has been tested to obtain the precise chemical composition.

Named after the spot where I gathered this granite: clutched within the roots of a fallen tree, exposing pieces of the underlying bedrock.

NEXT UP: PURPLE RHYOLITE

A sweet, rock loving customer of mine has graciously offered to donate a piece of rhyolite from her property so that I can find out what kind of glaze this iconic desert rock might make.

My guess is the manganese that gives it this color will not translate directly to the glaze, but I can’t wait to find out.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HIRING ME TO MAKE A PIECE THAT USES ROCKS, MINERALS, OR CLAY FOUND ON YOUR PROPERTY? OR TO DEVELOP A SITE SPECIFIC GLAZE, OR TO OFFER SUGGESTIONS/HELP WITH YOUR PROJECT?

Feel free to reach out to chat.

Using found ceramic materials is an adventure and works best with no pre-conceived ideas of where you’ll end up.