Transitions in Ceramics

Since I began creating with clay, I have had a love/hate relationship with glazing. It can make or break a piece. Many things I’ve created, I have loved before firing, in its’ raw earthenware form, just to be let down by the final product. Other pieces I dislike the form, or make a glazing mistake, and yet they come out of the kiln as some of my favorite glaze work! Even when I find a combination that I love and repeat it, each firing is very unique and it can be hard to recreate the exact environment needed for that glaze combination to come out relatively the same.In this floral wall piece, I loved how the piece looked before it’s bisque (first) firing, and agonized for quite some time on how I wanted to glaze the piece. In the end, it didn’t come out how I had envisioned it, and I must say, I was a little disappointed. I had spent a significant amount of time creating each flower, and meticulously attaching each to the base. Now, since the piece has been finished for over a year, I have it on display in my living room and see it daily. I try to appreciate and accept the piece in it’s entirety, glaze and all. It reminds me that art, similar to life, is not perfect and often doesn’t turn out how we expect. The artwork can stay the exact same, and often it is our mindset that can change the outlook on a situation over time.