We’ve all been advised not to judge a book by its cover. The reality is our brains are hardwired to take in visual information and make inferences and determinations about the things we see; to take in textures, colors, edges, and materials, and make snap judgments about value, approachability, utility, safety, and emotional resonance. This first layer of information, informed by only one sense, can be powerful, lingering, and biased. It occurs when we meet new people, encounter animals, or even engage with the objects around us.
From clothing to book jackets, makeup on our faces to frosting on a cake, these applied layers can obscure, dazzle, accentuate, and entice us to investigate further. In clay, this outer skin can be a thin veil of glaze clearly revealing what’s underneath, a fatty layer obscuring the topography below, or omitted altogether, leaving the exposed clay’s bumps, dimples, and imperfections visible.
Using an arsenal of techniques, the artists in this issue demonstrate how important surface development is in communicating concept, craft, and complexity to the viewer. But they also encourage us to move beyond that first impression—to take in the additional layers of information beneath an adorned or raw surface.
Our cover artist Matt Wedel’s multi-hued glazes move over pinched petals and off edges like hardened wax, coating his large sculptural works in a top layer thick enough to freeze time. Viscous enough to capture the fleeting emergence of an early spring flower and the evidence of the hottest moment in the kiln all at once.
Fluid, confident brushstrokes and playful pops of color are found across the surfaces of Sean O’Connell’s pottery. Pulling inspiration from historic ceramic decoration and traditional forms, he has refined his touch over more than two decades—continuing to speak in a familiar language while bringing new stories to the table.
D Wood explores the delicate and dense paper-clay works of Susan Collett. Informed by her drawing practice, Collett’s sculptures and two-dimensional works are a tangle of carefully arranged physical and drawn lines that evoke coral branching and bronchial networks. At times left raw or embellished with color, these objects appear uprooted and caught in motion like a blooming tumbleweed dancing in the wind.
Jenn Cole shares her underglaze transfer technique in this month’s Quick Tip, and Benjamin Buchenot outlines how carved linoleum can be used to slab build vessels with form-responsive relief surfaces. How you bisque fire your work can affect how the surfaces you develop come out of that final firing. Jeff Zamek demystifies the pros and cons of temperature and time variables in your bisque firing, and why once-firing may or may not be a good fit to achieve your desired result.
As you read through this month’s issue, filled with color, texture, movement, and material variety, please remember that what initially catches our eye may be only the beginning of our understanding. Look closer, linger longer, and you may find that the surface is not simply a covering, but an essential part of the story.
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We’ve all been advised not to judge a book by its cover. The reality is our brains are hardwired to take in visual information and make inferences and determinations about the things we see; to take in textures, colors, edges, and materials, and make snap judgments about value, approachability, utility, safety, and emotional resonance. This first layer of information, informed by only one sense, can be powerful, lingering, and biased. It occurs when we meet new people, encounter animals, or even engage with the objects around us.
From clothing to book jackets, makeup on our faces to frosting on a cake, these applied layers can obscure, dazzle, accentuate, and entice us to investigate further. In clay, this outer skin can be a thin veil of glaze clearly revealing what’s underneath, a fatty layer obscuring the topography below, or omitted altogether, leaving the exposed clay’s bumps, dimples, and imperfections visible.
Using an arsenal of techniques, the artists in this issue demonstrate how important surface development is in communicating concept, craft, and complexity to the viewer. But they also encourage us to move beyond that first impression—to take in the additional layers of information beneath an adorned or raw surface.
Our cover artist Matt Wedel’s multi-hued glazes move over pinched petals and off edges like hardened wax, coating his large sculptural works in a top layer thick enough to freeze time. Viscous enough to capture the fleeting emergence of an early spring flower and the evidence of the hottest moment in the kiln all at once.
Fluid, confident brushstrokes and playful pops of color are found across the surfaces of Sean O’Connell’s pottery. Pulling inspiration from historic ceramic decoration and traditional forms, he has refined his touch over more than two decades—continuing to speak in a familiar language while bringing new stories to the table.
D Wood explores the delicate and dense paper-clay works of Susan Collett. Informed by her drawing practice, Collett’s sculptures and two-dimensional works are a tangle of carefully arranged physical and drawn lines that evoke coral branching and bronchial networks. At times left raw or embellished with color, these objects appear uprooted and caught in motion like a blooming tumbleweed dancing in the wind.
Jenn Cole shares her underglaze transfer technique in this month’s Quick Tip, and Benjamin Buchenot outlines how carved linoleum can be used to slab build vessels with form-responsive relief surfaces. How you bisque fire your work can affect how the surfaces you develop come out of that final firing. Jeff Zamek demystifies the pros and cons of temperature and time variables in your bisque firing, and why once-firing may or may not be a good fit to achieve your desired result.
As you read through this month’s issue, filled with color, texture, movement, and material variety, please remember that what initially catches our eye may be only the beginning of our understanding. Look closer, linger longer, and you may find that the surface is not simply a covering, but an essential part of the story.
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