I specialize in making functional porcelain tableware by combining old techniques with contemporary styles and colors. My pieces include dinnerware, covered jars, and sculptures.
My work is wheel-thrown from raw porcelain clay with the exception of a small group of handmade slab trays. I make all of my own jewel-toned, lead-free glazes, which have taken years to perfect.
Some of the old techniques I use include: paddling (using a narrow wooden board to gently beat a round thrown pot into a square form), incising (cutting into the edges of bowls and dishes with a sharp blade to form subtle leaf patterns), glaze inlaying (using a liquid wax emulsion and carving into the glaze’s surface), and dipping and pouring glazes directly onto the surface of the bisque.
Each of my pieces is fired twice, first into a bisque that drives out the water in the molecular structure of the raw clay (1700 F); and secondly at an even hotter temperature (2400 F) that causes the clay and glaze to meld together in a process called vitrification. During the second firing, both materials become glass, which creates pottery that is microwaveable and dishwasher safe.
Manipulating clay into natural, sensual forms endlessly fascinates and amuses me.
– Rose Lee