Garrison Coverdale
I was an art student at Washington State University when I got hooked on ceramics. We used a fairly traditional approach to "Raku" including a traditional clay body, wood-burning kiln that took hours to reach relatively low temperature for raku ware.
Over the years, my technique has evolved considerably. Now my work is fired in an electric kiln. I use a clay body that is more porcelain-like instead of the the traditional highly gorged raku clay. This gives my work the purity of color and smoothness that I desire. I have formulated a "crackle" glaze similar to Paul Soldner's well known recipe, that I use on my pieces. The bright colors that I use as accent are low-fire commercial glazes. Because of the more fragile clay body,. my work will often not withstand the thermal shock of the traditional firing. I must take great care during the post-fire.
Recently, I have put "paint to pottery." Rather than glazed, my bisque-fired spheres are painted with an acrylic paint then waxed, giving me a 360º "canvas."
The hand-built box is interesting to me because it is technically difficult to fire using the raku method. It also provides an excellent surface to display the beautiful crackle patterns of the glazes.
The carts are an extension and elaboration of the hand-built box form utilizing additional elements such as metal and wood. They are loosely inspired by my interest in the amazing variety of wheeled carts and conveyances.
My shield wall sculptures are an exploration of a non-rectangular form using a combination of painted cedar strips and gazed ceramic elements.
Over the years, my technique has evolved considerably. Now my work is fired in an electric kiln. I use a clay body that is more porcelain-like instead of the the traditional highly gorged raku clay. This gives my work the purity of color and smoothness that I desire. I have formulated a "crackle" glaze similar to Paul Soldner's well known recipe, that I use on my pieces. The bright colors that I use as accent are low-fire commercial glazes. Because of the more fragile clay body,. my work will often not withstand the thermal shock of the traditional firing. I must take great care during the post-fire.
Recently, I have put "paint to pottery." Rather than glazed, my bisque-fired spheres are painted with an acrylic paint then waxed, giving me a 360º "canvas."
The hand-built box is interesting to me because it is technically difficult to fire using the raku method. It also provides an excellent surface to display the beautiful crackle patterns of the glazes.
The carts are an extension and elaboration of the hand-built box form utilizing additional elements such as metal and wood. They are loosely inspired by my interest in the amazing variety of wheeled carts and conveyances.
My shield wall sculptures are an exploration of a non-rectangular form using a combination of painted cedar strips and gazed ceramic elements.
