Decorative and Functional Works by
Jane Murray-Smith

 

Right alongside the most ancient clay fetishes, there are always pots for holding, carrying and storing food. Those forms have stayed unchanged. They are the perfect marriage of form and function.

Yet even with those unchanging forms, potters manage to personalize their work in this honoured tradition. Throwing and or handbuilding, or throwing, then altering the forms work alongside infinite glaze recipes, application and firing methods makes each potters' work uniquely their own.

The pots in this gallery are all gas fired to between 2295'F to 2359'F. I have been firing this way since 2015 and am very pleased with my results even though there is an elusive copper blue over the dark brown (Tenmoku) glaze that I am constantly trying to tame.

The gas firing provides not only the higher temperatures, which result in interesting chemical marriages in the glaze, but provides a reduction atmosphere during the firing (unlike a raku firing where the reduction happens after the optimum temperature).

This reduction creates magic, giving the sparkles on the Tenmoku glaze and turning copper into red, purple, or with titanium in my copper blue glaze, turquoise.

All these stoneware pots are food, oven and dishwasher safe.

Creating the perfect pots for people to love to drink and eat from on a daily basis is as good as it gets for me.