Timothy Kenefick
3 Oaks Pottery
Melbourne Beach, Florida
Websitehttp://www.3oakspottery.com/
Email
tmjk32@msn.com
Artist Statement
Now working only with porcelain and predominately crystalline glazes, creating shapes that can adequately display the mystifying uniqueness of crystal surfaces.
Please see my Bio on www.3oakspottery.com for additional information.
Studio Description
A compact but comfortable approach is the theme of my studio. All work surfaces right sized. Everything on locking roller wheels. 1 Brent CXC throwing wheel, 1 trim wheel, 2 Skutt computer controlled electric kilns and just enough clay, etc. for 6 months.
What type of clay do you use?
Porcelain
What temperature do you fire to?
Cone 7 to cone 9
What is your primary forming method?
Wheel thrown, altered, handbuilt
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Crystalline glazes
Do you make any of your own tools?
Yes, typically for handbuilding with slab clay
What one word would you use to describe your work?
"Mystifying-crystals"
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
Being visited daily by miss chocolate lab Bella, and the window tapping cardinal family
What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without?
Alexa, my deejay
What are your top three studio wishes?
Because of limited space, I built the studio work surfaces to flow easily from start to finish for my porcelain/crystalline process. I built my wishes.
What’s on your current reading list?
Working with Porcelain by Badenhurst.
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
Buy in bulk, build what is needed to work efficiently, and make templates.
How do you recharge creatively?
At the end of each firing cycle, I take a week to look at my work results closely and think, plan, think, plan. Careful analysis is key for creativity.
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
Build your work surfaces to suit your personal work flow. Put work stations on locking roller wheels. Think carefully about your clay cycle before.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
To become smarter than English porcelain, a difficult clay body to work with.
What did your first piece look like?
A simple stoneware cereal bowl for the kitchen. Very basic.
What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
To be able to actually see crystals grow during the hold/grow cycle (4-5 hrs) @ ~2000 f.
Why? To be totally MYSTIFIED.
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
Unfortunately, my mentors have passed....Harry Holl, David Snair.
What is your studio playlist?
Classic rock, George Winston piano, especially for throwing.
Why do you create art?
The limits to clay creations are only restricted by one's own imagination.
What is your best studio tip?
Size your work surfaces for only the area you need to build, and finish pieces. Put all work stations on locking roller wheels for ease of movement.
If you could change one property of clay, what would it be?
Make English porcelain easier to work with.
