Gabriel Kline - Amazing Glaze Recipes and Combinations: 200+ Surefire Finishes for Low-Fire, Mid-Range, and High-Fire Pottery

200+ Surefire Finishes for Low-Fire,
Mid-Range, and High-Fire Pottery

GABRIEL KLINE

FOREWORD BY JOHN BRITT

Featured Artists

OVER THE PAST DECADE, the ceramic world has changed dramatically, with the number of glaze recipes exploding online. I have found an app that has more than 115,000 glazes in its database. Then there is the unimaginable number of images and videos on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other platforms, where potters show off their clays, glazes, and processes in a mesmerizing displayseemingly covering every possibility in ceramics. (I admit that if I see one more boomerang repeating video I may have a seizure.)

This multitude of choices can be paralyzing, especially for a beginner or intermediate potter. Just browsing recipes might cause someone to give up due to the impossibility of choosing one or two glazes for your potnever mind imagining what they might do when combined. Trying to understand and apply endless techniques and come up with polished, share-worthy images of your own can be frustrating. It is like rowing a boat in the ocean, being knocked around by every wave. Without a solid understanding of the basics, it is impossible incorporate so many choices and techniques into your work.

That is why Im pleased that Gabriel Kline has written a follow-up book to Amazing Glaze that focuses on helping potters cut through the noise. The first thing you will notice when thumbing through this book is the amazing variety and vibrancy of the colors. These are not the brown round pots of the 1970sthese pots are alive! He does a masterful job of showing what is possible when combining glazes, drawing back the curtain in a way that makes it easy to find success quickly.

Thats because rather than trying to cram as many recipes and techniques into the book as possible, Gabriel focuses on a manageable number and explores how to use them to maximum effect. For example, in the mid-range section, he has taken fifteen recipes (eleven main and four modifiers) and shows what each of those glazes looks like by itself. Then he uses those same recipes and layers them to show twenty-seven possibilities. Finally, he provides sixty-six combinations of three or more glazes that explode off the page.

About thirty years ago, a friend of mine told me he only used three glazes in his production pottery career. That meant he knew everything about how those glazes responded, from mixing to application to firing. Nevertheless, I was astounded by this because I was going through three glazes before noon most days! But seeing that he raised two children and sent them to college on a potters wages, I figured he was on to something. Now, decades later, I can see the wisdom of focusing on a small number of glazes and finding the beauty, subtlety, and nuance in those glazes.

As Gabriel says, with just five glazes, you could layer them in 3,125 different ways! Imagine the possibilities with fifteen glazes! From under and over, thick to thin, sprayed to painted, there are a vast storehouse of creative possibilities for you to explore. For those who are interested in making their own glaze surfaces and colors, check out for testing methods such as progression, line blend, triaxial, and quadriaxial. Although not that exciting to the untrained eye, these tools are indispensable. These are the key to opening an unlimited number of future glazing possibilities.

Moving beyond mid-range, youll find chapters with options for high-fire and low-fire glazes, as well as a bit on wood and salt to cover those bases. Even if you are not able to access all these firing methods now, who knows what the future holds? This book may plant a seed which will be realized later. Or maybe you will be inspired to pursue a temperature or technique you hadnt considered.

As I wrote in his first book, Gabriel may not be able to solve the modern problem of selecting from endless combinations of glazes, slips, application methods, and firing cycles. However, his book provides a system for you to follow so you can find your own style and success. That may hold even more true for this book. After exploring these pages, I hope youll find confidence to glaze your pots in new and interesting ways.

Glaze on!

JOHN BRITT

Author of The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes and The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes johnbrittpottery.com

Ewer. John Britt. Careful formulation, mixing, application, and firing coaxes golden crystals out of manganese. Photo by Silvia Ferrari-Palmer.

INTRODUCTION

HUMANS LOVE TO AMAZE. It is in the nature of our species that we are continually trying to impress each other. A glance at social media will quickly illustrate this point! We also have the capacity to amaze ourselvesand this sensation never gets old. Discovering something new or achieving a goal fills us with joy and a sense of accomplishment. Pushing our limits bolsters the spirit and helps us to find more meaning in our lives. Theres not much better than that particular satisfaction: the smile, the energy, and even at times a newfound peace with the world.

This holds true in art and the realm of ceramics. In the words of potter Linda McFarling, the goal of the studio artist is to pay homage to the history of the craft while hopefully adding something new. Odyssey ClayWorks, the studio I run in Asheville, North Carolina, is dedicated to just this type of experience. Our workshops on glazes travel well-worn paths and blaze new ones. Some students like to focus on classic recipes and techniques, while others push out into the unknown. For proof, look no further: this book is not just filled with my work. The successes of many ClayWorks members past and presentand some of their amazing workfueled the inspiration for this volume.

While the first book in this series, Amazing Glaze, focused on glazing technique, the goal with this second volume is different. Put simply: I want to take the workshop experience to the printed page, helping you discover new glazes and glaze combinations at different temperature ranges. In fact, I hope youll try new recipes and combos that get you excited to glaze, and youll be inspired to develop your own dynamic glaze combinations. Take that beautiful bisqueware and glaze it so its the talk of the townor the envy of Instagram!

The information and insights in these pages are designed to build confidence and empower you to reach the highest levels of creative expression. Yet this is no textbook! Think of it as a pleasure cruise. Before we embark, well provision ourselves by reviewing the necessary equipment and best practices in the glaze kitchen. Then well set sail, learning how to test like a pro, before making ports of call through dozens of glaze recipes. The amazing combinations featured here are the best of the best, and they emerged through years of research and testing (both my own and my students). I encourage you to disembark along the way to explore the profiles of inspiring artists, peruse the Secret Techniques from the Odyssey Vault throughout the book or surf through the galleries of contemporary ceramics.