During different seasons of the year I take the extra time to do some hand-building. This is an opportunity to work with larger vessels, two to three feet in height, in many different construction methods. This page shows some of my recent work. I've separated and highlighted the construction and glazing methods below.

 

 
 

Smooth Slab Construction

I am using long slabs four inches in height and 18 inches long and then smoothing the the overlaps of the slabs, leaving a smooth shapely surface.
 

"Four Stacks"

A handbuilt form 31 inches in height and 16" across at its belly.
 

"Not Just A Hole"

This is one of my abstract pieces.
 

Overlapped Slab Construction

Recently I have moved on to leaving the applied slab the shape and size that they are and overlapping and connecting them to each other resulting in a more quilt or patch-work look to the vessel. I have really enjoyed this method of hand building, the pot tells the story of how it was created.

 

"Eyes"

This piece is made with slab construction leaving the slabs exposes not smoothed, 26 inches in height and 18 inches across at the top. It is glazed with Seacrest Purple that is sprayed on.
 

"Tower of Release"

This piece was made while my Dad was in the hospital after his last major heart-attack. It is also slab construction 18" X 14" glazed in the local adobe soil that I call Olathe White.

 

Vase

Stands 30" tall.

 

Raku Firing

Working with low tempeture raku and using a platte of bright glaze colors is another new area for me. The finished pieces are mostly totems; stackable head, beads and body parts mounted over half-inch rolled steal rod. They can function as outdoor yard sculpture or be mounted to rock or wood for an indoor totem.
 

"The Fisherman"

This piece is glazed fired. The words "Sitting on top of the world" are pressed into one the clay one side of the piece and "Be the line"on the other side. This piece stands 28" tall and is 9" at the base.
 

 

"Half Moon Over Miami"

This is a large covered jar that was Raku fired. The Raku firing turned the clay body black from the carbons that were captured during the 15 minutes that the piece was placed in a metal trash can full of paper. The glazes are brushed on. It is 22" high by 16" at the base.

 
 

"The Answer?"

The cross is constructed with slabs. The hands are cast from my own hands and placed onto a thrown bowl that was altered and turned upside down. The cross is brushed with a rutil blue glaze.
 

"Totem"

These 10 pieces standing over five foot tall are also raku fired. You are able to stack them in any order that you want.

 

 

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