Electric Creative Firing Techniques Ceramic Arts Handbook Series Edited by Anderson Turner Electric Firing i Creative Techniques Electric Firing Ceramic Arts Handbook Series Edited by Anderson Turner The American Ceramic Society 600 N. Cleveland Ave., Suite 210 Westerville, Ohio 43082 www.CeramicArtsDaily.org Ceramic Arts Handbook The American Ceramic Society 600 N. Cleveland Ave., Suite 210 Westerville, OH 43082 © 2008, 2011 by The American Ceramic Society, All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-57498-294-7 (Paperback) ISBN: 978-1-57498-527-6 (PDF) No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in review. 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Mention of trade names of commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the publishers, editors or authors. Publisher: Charles Spahr, President, Ceramic Publications Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of The American Ceramic Society Art Book Program Manager: Bill Jones Series Editor: Anderson Turner Ebook Manager: Steve Hecker Graphic Design and Production: Melissa Bury, Bury Design, Westerville, Ohio Cover Images: “Spaghetti Jar” by Richard Busch; (top right) “Alligator Plate” by Jayne Shatz; (bottom right) “Birds and Bones” by Kelly King. Frontispiece: Stoneware platter by Daryn Lowman iv Contents Low-Fire Electric Reds 1 David L. Gamble Low-Fire Surface Decoration 5 Gail Kendall DaNisha Sculpture: Beauty in Simplicity 8 Eleanor Piazza Using Majolica Glazes 14 David L. Gamble Jitka Palmer: Narrative Vessels 16 Jim Weaver Using Colorful Underglazes 18 David L. Gamble Kesl and Tilton: A Collaboration 23 Don Pilcher Scott Bennett: Craft on Craft 29 Glen R. Brown V’Lou Oliveira: Iconoclasm and Wit 35 Andrew Phelan Pennsylvania Redware 40 Denise Wilz China Paint: How Low Can You Go? 45 Paul Lewing Joan Takayama-Ogawa: China Paint and Lusters 49 Judy Seckler Versatile Recipes: Engobes, Slips, Glazes, and Self-Glazing Clays 55 Gerald Rowan Homage to Palissy 61 John McCuistion Kelly King: Surface and Form 63 Jennifer Graff Creating Neriage Blocks 69 Faith Rahill Laura Kukkee: Slip Decoration 75 Anderson Turner Testing Your Clay 83 Paul Andrew Wandless Building a Gas/Electric Kiln 88 Mel Jacobson An Anagama and an Electric Kiln 93 Daryn Lowman Converting an Electric Kiln for Wood and Gas Firing 96 Bruce Bowers Ten Basics of Firing 103 Bill Jones Kiln Checkup 107 Bill Jones The Oxidation Reverberation 109 Jayne Shatz Color and Texture 115 Jonathan Kaplan Designing with Wax Resist 117 Marj Peeler Wood-Ash Glazing at Cone 6 120 Harry Spring A Wood-Fired Look 123 Richard Busch Transitions and Transformation 127 Geoffrey Wheeler Adding Depth to Your Glazes 131 Lisa Bare Culp Kiln Firing Chart 133 Electric Firing Preface Electric kilns are a wonderful thing! They’re so readily available and relatively simple to install that any artist can take advantage of the incredible potential this tool has to offer. Nearly every ceramic artist I know uses an electric kiln to some extent in their studio to assist them in creating work. They appreci- ate the control and dependability this type of firing offers in helping them to achieve their desired results. As the popularity of electric kilns increased within the past few years, studio potters and manufacturers made this tool even more versatile. Here are a few examples of what has been happening: Electronic controllers: If you don’t have one get one. Case closed. Electric firing is about consistency and control and these devices take that advantage much further. They work extremely well and also save energy. Crystalline glazes for example were once the domain of a select few, but now they are simple because of these devices. Refractory coatings: ITC, a refractory coating material, can be applied to ele- ments and the insides of kilns to give electric kilns even better durability and economy. ITC coated elements can last many times longer and they can with- stand reduction firing. I coated the inside of one of my Skutt kilns 10 years ago and it’s still going! And Nils Lou, author of The Art of Firing, has done hundreds of firings using a simple bunsen burner under his ITC-coated electric kiln. It works and it works well. Materials and products: Manufacturers now produce literally thousands of products developed for use in electric kilns. Prepared clays and glazes for all firing temperatures and tastes make it possible to get most any type ceramic body with your choice of color or glaze effect. In this book we’ve included information on all these topics and more. Fur- ther, we’ve also included some inspirational stories from artists who are push- ing the envelope on how to use readily available materials. By bringing technical sophistication to the masses, the electric kiln has opened a window to creativity and innovation from unexpected sources and has led to the “democratization” of the ceramic medium. I hope you’ll find this book informative and inspiring in your own work. Anderson Turner vii Electric Firing Low-Fire Electric Reds by David L. Gamble Above: Plate, by David Gamble. Cross is glazed I’ll start by explaining there with red underglaze. are two different types of com- mercial red glazes that I nor- Left: Untitled, by mally use. One type is an extremely Scott Bennett. Amaco LM series Coral glaze bright color and harder to achieve with wax and Black and the other is a newer tomato red overspray. As the wax color that is AP (Approved Product melts in the kiln, the of the Arts and Creative Materials black moves. Institute) nontoxic and dinnerware Bright reds are not dinnerware safe. The latter is formulated with safe and are extremely sensitive to inclusion stains, which are continu- variations in firing conditions. There ing to be improved. The color is en- have been many times that an art cased in zircon, which makes them teacher has asked me about the use safe to use even in the classroom. of these types of red glazes. I under- The AP nontoxic reds are extreme- stand the space and time challenges ly stable and were used to create red that teachers face, but you cannot velvet underglazes that can be fired put these glazes in with your normal from cone 05 to as high as cone 10— glaze firings and expect good results. only salt seems to blush them out. They are affected by how tight the The success of underglazes has al- load is stacked, other glazes (mostly lowed the development of gloss and copper greens), and temperature. If matt red glazes that have been formu- you’re firing to cone 05, I can almost lated to work well at the low-fire cone guarantee there will be problems. 05 range and other glazes formulated The glaze will most likely have varia- for the cone 4–6 range. These are ex- tions from clear to gray to black, and tremely reliable. Three brushed coats if you’re lucky, a spot or two of red. will usually be enough of an applica- Note: Amaco glazes were used in the tion and you get nice tomato color pieces shown here, however, many reds at both temperatures. companies produce similar glazes. 1