I have been thinking a lot about water lately; well about the lack of it more accurately. Where I live in the Midwest, we are in a bit of drought, and it’s something we are not very comfortable with. Water is abundant in our lakes and rivers and flows freely from our taps. We are very fortunate. So, as rain becomes scarce and we start to see crops dry out and trees wither, we get a little nervous. While working in my studio recently, I realized that I rarely consider water as both a material and a tool within my ceramics practice.
Water is the unsung hero of our craft. It is the material we talk about the least but is arguably the most important. It is present in every clay body, glaze, slip, underglaze, engobe, and wash. It is either a promoter or a participant in almost every ceramic process we engage in, from how much water is needed to throw to how little is wanted when firing. It also keeps the dust at bay, prolongs the life of our tools, and washes our hands clean of clay and chemicals.
Additionally, I have rarely concerned myself with the contents of the water I use and how it may affect my recipes. Geography certainly bears weight on water’s chemical makeup. In the Pacific Northwest, parts of the Southeast, the Gulf States, and New England tend to have softer water (less hardness minerals). While the Midwest all the way to the West Coast has harder water as it passes through more iron and limestone deposits, the latter rich in calcium and magnesium.
Taking such a resource for granted is clearly foolish, but taking stock of its importance at any time is always rewarding, if not humbling. Each ceramic artist featured in this issue, which focuses on surface decoration, has contributed a process that employs water in one way or another. Ellen Duvall creates homemade vinyl stencils, which impart a graphic quality on her pots (1, 2). Marita Manson shows us how to make her recipe for colored paper-porcelain (3). Sarah Haven coil builds bowls where the attachments remain visible and part of the decoration (4). Leslie Messersmith teaches us her perfected cuerda seca methods (5), and Mary Rhein painstakingly details pots with acrylic teeth and resist removal (6). We also have Maggie Jaszczak’s whiteglazed servers, Punch Semachai’s figurative jars, and Merret Metzger’s nature-inspired sgraffito vessels. Each artist uses water to form, decorate, and fire, and without it, would not have the same voice. Cheers!
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I have been thinking a lot about water lately; well about the lack of it more accurately. Where I live in the Midwest, we are in a bit of drought, and it’s something we are not very comfortable with. Water is abundant in our lakes and rivers and flows freely from our taps. We are very fortunate. So, as rain becomes scarce and we start to see crops dry out and trees wither, we get a little nervous. While working in my studio recently, I realized that I rarely consider water as both a material and a tool within my ceramics practice.
Water is the unsung hero of our craft. It is the material we talk about the least but is arguably the most important. It is present in every clay body, glaze, slip, underglaze, engobe, and wash. It is either a promoter or a participant in almost every ceramic process we engage in, from how much water is needed to throw to how little is wanted when firing. It also keeps the dust at bay, prolongs the life of our tools, and washes our hands clean of clay and chemicals.
Additionally, I have rarely concerned myself with the contents of the water I use and how it may affect my recipes. Geography certainly bears weight on water’s chemical makeup. In the Pacific Northwest, parts of the Southeast, the Gulf States, and New England tend to have softer water (less hardness minerals). While the Midwest all the way to the West Coast has harder water as it passes through more iron and limestone deposits, the latter rich in calcium and magnesium.
Taking such a resource for granted is clearly foolish, but taking stock of its importance at any time is always rewarding, if not humbling. Each ceramic artist featured in this issue, which focuses on surface decoration, has contributed a process that employs water in one way or another. Ellen Duvall creates homemade vinyl stencils, which impart a graphic quality on her pots (1, 2). Marita Manson shows us how to make her recipe for colored paper-porcelain (3). Sarah Haven coil builds bowls where the attachments remain visible and part of the decoration (4). Leslie Messersmith teaches us her perfected cuerda seca methods (5), and Mary Rhein painstakingly details pots with acrylic teeth and resist removal (6). We also have Maggie Jaszczak’s whiteglazed servers, Punch Semachai’s figurative jars, and Merret Metzger’s nature-inspired sgraffito vessels. Each artist uses water to form, decorate, and fire, and without it, would not have the same voice. Cheers!
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