Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Ceramic Arts



My oldest friend from college days at the School for American Craftsmen is Jeff Glockson, an incredibly talented ceramic artist. We utilize many mass produced ceramic objects in our everyday lives. Fine art ceramic objects have a totally different life. I'm putting Jeff and his art in the spotlight, because the process of creation is very complex.
The ceramic artist must possess many skills. The scientist must experiment with the clay compositions, to find the right formula that will not only hold the form properly when wet and pliable, but it must also dry and endure firing in the kiln without cracking. Every artist has his own favorite formulas. Addionally, he must also develop glaze formulas that will work with the clay, fire properly with the correct colors. As much as one must work scientifically, there is still the element of the unknown . The clay might not dry properly, the kiln might not heat evenly, many factors cannot be precisely controlled, as much as one might try.
Jeff loves nature. He has magnificent gardens. It's quite logical that he would focus on making sculptures and objects to enhance a garden. Here is a preview of some of his new work.
For more information, please visit his website, JB Designs Gallery.

Birdhouse and sculpture designs copyright 2009 by Jeff Glockson

2 comments:

Unknown said...

He does gorgeous work! The first object is so elegant, and those bird houses are so whimsical and fun!

Unknown said...

Wow, Amazing Work!